Columbus Blue Jackets in a rut: How three coaches would fix their habit of blowing leads – The Athletic
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets:
Item No. 1: Stay positive, aggressive
Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell and coach Dean Evason spent part of Saturday, an off day for the players, watching film and talking about ways the Blue Jackets can get past this ugly habit they’ve developed.
November couldn’t end soon enough for the Blue Jackets. They let seven third-period leads get away, leading to one regulation loss, four overtime or shootout losses, and two games they managed to win beyond regulation, giving valuable points to their opponents.
On Friday, the Blue Jackets lost a 3-1 lead in the third period against the Metro Division rival Pittsburgh Penguins, losing 4-3 less than a minute into overtime. That game was emblematic of what’s been happening.
It’s not one mistake the Blue Jackets are making. It would be easy to fix if they were. On Friday, Ivan Provorov had a defensive breakdown on the 3-2 goal. Zach Werenski had a neutral-zone turnover that led to the tying goal.
Goaltender Jet Greaves, still a rookie, looked hesitant in playing a puck before Sidney Crosby could get to it on the tying goal. It’s only fair to question Evason, who had rookie forward Luca Pinelli on the ice (with Crosby!) on the first shift of overtime, which is where the game ended.
We spoke with three veteran coaches — Bruce Boudreau, Ken Hitchcock and Todd Richards, with a combined 3,109 games behind NHL benches — to see what steps they would take to get through this rash of frustrating losses.
None of the three wanted to speak specifically about the Blue Jackets, because it wouldn’t be fair without knowing the current dynamics of the players and the coaches and they didn’t want to undercut Evason.
They all had a consistent theme, though. Here’s what they said:
Bruce Boudreau
Coached: Washington Capitals, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks
“Stay aggressive, boys”
You asked if I’d break things and scream, or if I’d try to lift everybody up. The answer is, you try everything and see what works. I used to come into the room after two (periods), and if we had the lead, the message would be simple: don’t quit playing.
Be responsible. If you’re the third man, let’s stay high and make sure it gets deep. But let’s play for the next goal. Don’t sit back and let them come at us, because you know that’s what they’re going to do.
“Stay positive”
The one thing I would absolutely not do is say, “Remember what happened last game.” Those guys know what happened. I’d never bring it up. I wouldn’t want to bring up a negative thought in that situation.
I liked to make them imagine the positive. I’d be saying, “Boys, we’re playing so damn good. We should be winning all these games, eh? When we turn it around, we’re never going to lose again. Just imagine how you’re going to feel when we get past this. Imagine how much stronger and together we’re going to be. It’ll be amazing.”
Ken Hitchcock
Coached: Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers
“Foot on the pedal”
When you have a hard time keeping a lead, it’s usually one reason: you’re too passive. You get into protection mode and you start playing the score and not the game.
The game has changed. You can’t close down games anymore by simply defending. You protect leads by spending more time in the other team’s zone than your own. Most teams have two lines with high-end skill, so they can do a lot of damage. The tendency is to pull back, but you have to fight that really hard.
“Find a line you trust”
You have to find a line that you know you can trust to play in the other team’s zone. I’d play the whole game with it, but if you have to put it together during the game, do it. Three guys who are going to keep pushing, guys who can forecheck like hell and keep the puck down there. And when you find that line, as the game gets going, they’re playing every other shift. They can find a lot of accomplishment and confidence in that, and the other team comes at it from the other direction. “Oh, no. These guys again.” That’s where you want to get to.
Todd Richards
Coached: Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets
“Read the room”
A coach knows his group. The first couple of times it happens, maybe you’re a little upset. But then you realize, if it keeps happening, well, this is something and you have to coach through it.
It’s an attitude thing, I think. It keeps happening and it becomes the mental side of it, too. You sure don’t want to have them back off because that sends a message to your players. I’d go the other direction and tell them, push them, to keep playing. Be smart, but stay aggressive.
“Look to the future”
You’d want to have something that’s new or different that you can give the group that maybe helps them believe that it’s gonna be different. Maybe it’s different lines. Maybe it’s a player coming back into the lineup.
I’d stress that there’s gonna be an end to this. You’re going to get over this hump, guys. You know that. You are. And, strange as it sounds, it can be a really good thing. It’s some adversity, and once you overcome that, it can be really powerful to the group. It’s just that: “We’ve gotten through this together. We can do this.”
Item No. 2: Take 5, Charlie Coyle
“Take 5” is our weekly, brief and (mostly) non-hockey conversation with a Blue Jackets player, coach, broadcaster or staffer. This week, veteran center Charlie Coyle:
What part of Columbus do you call home?
We’re in Upper Arlington. We looked at a couple of places and signed up within a day or two. It was quick and easy. I had no clue when I was traded here what it was like, but so many people reached out to say how nice it is. You know what? They were right. It’s a great place, and it’s easy living. I’m from Boston, and Boston is a little different than that. I guess it’s less of a grind here, if that makes sense.
Guilty pleasure song?
It’s probably a little-kid song that my (2-year-old) daughter listens to over and over. We listen to her stuff in the car, right, but I’ll drop her off at home or someplace with my wife, and I’ll be locked it, singing it for like 10 minutes before I realize that, oh, I’m singing it and nobody else is in the car with me. People wouldn’t know it unless they have little kids. There’s a female singer, Charlie Hope, and there are a few by her we listen (to). Great voice, really relaxing. It makes you feel good.
Guilty pleasure snack?
I have to be really careful about what I eat, ’cause I’ll gain weight in a hurry. But, saying that … Dairy Queen. Whew. Reese’s peanut butter cup blizzard, with extra Reese’s. When I was growing up, we had a Dairy Queen and we knew a girl who worked the counter. She would hook us up. (laughs) That’s where the problem began.
Go-to restaurants, casual or otherwise?
TownHall for brunch. Really good. We went yesterday. That’s a casual spot, but it’s really good food. I had a nice bone broth there. We don’t go out a whole lot, honestly. There’s a place near us called Littleton’s (Market Cafe), and we live right near it. We’ve gone a handful of times. Really nice spot.
Best Christmas gift you ever received?
I remember writing out my Christmas list. I think I was 12 years old. I asked for a yellow Easton Synergy Stick with a Steve Yzerman curve. I specified that. I’d been using wood sticks, but I put it on the list and I didn’t expect to get it. We opened all of our presents, and my dad was like, “Hey, Charlie. What’s under the couch? I think I see something.” And under the couch, there it was. I was so pumped. Did not expect it, but so excited.
Charlie Coyle has 15 points in 25 games in his first season with the Blue Jackets. (Russell LaBounty / Imagn Images)
Item No. 3: Snacks
• The Blue Jackets are among the clubs that have spoken to the Vancouver Canucks about trade scenarios, including a trade that could bring forward Kiefer Sherwood home to Columbus. Sherwood, 30, has emerged as one of the NHL’s top power forwards over the past few seasons and is an unrestricted free agent this summer. He leads Vancouver with 12 goals after scoring a career-high 19 last season. The Canucks, who notified all 31 clubs last week that they are open for business, are looking at major changes this offseason. One other club to watch here is Boston, and the Bruins have a big fan of Sherwood already in their dressing room: Sean Kuraly, another Columbus native, has been friends with him for years.
• Evason acknowledged this week that center Sean Monahan is playing through at least one injury, though he wouldn’t specify. It’s been clear Monahan doesn’t have the same zip on pucks, either passing or shooting, as he’s had in the past. He has 3-8-11 in 25 games, but he ended a nine-game streak without a goal by scoring on Friday vs. Pittsburgh. Monahan, whose career has been beset by injuries, said he hasn’t considered sitting out games. “You go through different things and different times of the year, and you’ve just got to try and work through it,” Monahan said.
• Evason was asked if the coaching staff has considered forcing Monahan to sit for a few games. He smiled. “Sure. You go tell him that,” he said.
“Listen, he’s a hockey player. And he wants too play hockey, and he’ll continue to play hockey and play very well. He does a lot of things for our hockey club. If he can play — and he’s not injured, he’s just banged up — he’s gonna play.”
• New Pacific Airlines, the U.S.-based charter carrier that has been responsible for flying the Blue Jackets and other NHL clubs to and from road games, ceased operations without warning last Wednesday. The Blue Jackets used Sun Country Airlines for their trip on Sunday to Newark, N.J. Their departure was delayed by more than two hours.
• It sounds as if Mathieu Olivier, who suffered an upper-body injury last Monday in Washington, is going to be out of the lineup for a while longer. The Blue Jackets have offered no timetable other than to say it will be “weeks” before he dresses in a game.
The same goes for defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who has had a setback in his recovery from a hip injury. The Blue Jackets hoped he would return by the end of November, but it’s taking longer than expected, and he hasn’t yet skated with the group.
• Captain Boone Jenner skated with the Blue Jackets on Sunday, the first time he’s joined the group for practice since he was injured on Nov. 11 in Seattle. He’s not traveling with the club to New Jersey for Monday’s game, but there’s an outside chance he plays on Tuesday vs. Detroit.
• Right winger Kirill Marchenko, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, is said to be close to a return. He did not skate with the club on Sunday, but he has skated twice on his own, a good sign that he’s improving. Like Jenner, there’s an outside chance he plays against the Red Wings.
• When Adam Fantilli joined the Blue Jackets for his first NHL training camp in 2023, it was veteran winger Patrik Laine who took him under his wing, inviting Fantilli to move in with him until he could find a place. Fantilli, who hadn’t yet turned 19, spent about two weeks with Laine before moving into a downtown hotel room, an experience he found just genuinely miserable, he said. That’s why Fantilli was quick to invite Pinelli to stay in his downtown condo when Pinelli was recalled from AHL Cleveland last week. It helps that Fantilli grew up in Toronto playing with Francesco Pinelli, Luca’s older brother.
• Pinelli played 16:20 in his NHL debut on Wednesday vs. Toronto and played 18:00 on Friday vs. Pittsburgh. That total ice time (34:20) is the second-most ever for a Blue Jackets forward in his first two NHL games. Cam Atkinson played 17:36 and 16:52 (34:28) on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8, 2011 against Nashville and Minnesota.
• GM Don Waddell has taken note of the ice time, as well as the fact that Pinelli (along with Monahan) was the first player sent out for overtime on Friday against the Penguins.
“He’s given us exactly what we thought … he can skate, he hustles, all of that,” Waddell said. “I worry that, for a 20-year-old, that it’s a lot for a young kid. We have to manage him. Because of Marchenko and Jenner being out, we’ve inserted him into one of the top lines, and that’s a lot. He was averaging 15:30 in the AHL.”
It bears watching what becomes of Pinelli when Marchenko and/or Jenner return. Has he been one of the Blue Jackets’ best forwards the past two games? Yes. But do the Blue Jackets want him playing in a third- or fourth-line role when the veterans are back? Hmm. This much we know: Pinelli was recalled and got a shot high in the lineup because Yegor Chinakhov did not seize the role when given the opportunity.
• Defenseman Zach Werenski has at least a point in eight of his last nine games, putting up 5-8-13 in that span. With his goal in Wednesday’s 2-1 overtime loss to Toronto, Werenski passed R.J. Umberger (120 goals) for fifth on the franchise’s all-time list. He’s now at 122 goals, leaving him 20 behind Nick Foligno (142) for fourth on the list. One other milestone nearing: Werenski, who will play his 593rd NHL game on Monday in New Jersey, is closing in on David Savard (597) for fifth on the franchise list and tops among defensemen.
• Keep inaugural Blue Jackets forward Kevin Dineen in your thoughts. Dineen said via social media this weekend that he’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
This Thanksgiving feels a bit different. A few months ago, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It has put a lot into perspective, most of all how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many supportive family and friends. #HockeyFightsCancer pic.twitter.com/IDnrUjl74T
— Kevin Dineen (@kdino9) November 30, 2025
• Trey Fix-Wolansky, whose name dots the AHL Cleveland record book — most goals (112), assists (147), and points (259), and third-most games (289) — returned to Cleveland on Friday with AHL Hartford, the top affiliate of the New York Rangers. It was his first game back since he signed with the Rangers this summer as a free agent. As expected, Fix-Wolansky received quite the ovation from a crowd of 13,029 in Rocket Arena. And, as expected, he scored twice, including the empty-net goal to cap Hartford’s 6-4 win. He added another goal in Saturday’s 3-2 win.
• After missing five games with groin and ankle injuries, center Cayden Lindstrom, the Blue Jackets’ No. 4 overall pick in 2024, returned for Michigan State on Friday for a non-conference game vs. Colgate. Lindstrom had four shots on goal, won 10 of 18 faceoffs and had two penalties (boarding, roughing) in the Spartans’ 4-1 win. Lindstrom has just two points (1-1-2) in nine games this season.
