MEDIA CLIPS vs. November 25, 2019

Columbus Blue Jackets Paul MacLean drawn to work with Blue Jackets coach, young players

By Brian Hedger – The Columbus Dispatch – November 23, 2019

One foot was solidly into retirement.

Paul MacLean hadn’t coached in the NHL for two-plus years. His life was tilted more toward his family in Nova Scotia, and he began warming to that lifestyle.

“I talked to a couple of teams (last summer) about opportunities, and it didn’t work out,” said MacLean, who was hired by the Blue Jackets on Thursday as a full-time assistant coach specializing in the power play. “I turned some things down too, but I always felt I had something to offer. It just had to be the right opportunity.”

MacLean, 61, wasn’t going to disrupt his personal life just to get back in the NHL. It had to be a fit he liked and a situation that attracted his coaching instincts.

“To be honest, you can be a little bit fussy once you’re out there, spending time with my grandchildren and with my wife,” said MacLean, a veteran coach and former NHL player. “That’s semi-retirement. We started to build a different type of life than we had in the and really felt that was probably the direction we were going in. But I always said that I was retired until my phone rang.”

Well, his phone rang a few weeks ago.

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella wanted to gauge MacLean’s interest in joining his coaching staff. MacLean had known Tortorella for a long time as a coaching colleague and liked what his research turned up about the Blue Jackets’ roster, and that’s ultimately what pulled him out of semi-retirement.

“This opportunity just seemed like it was going to be the right fit for me,” said MacLean, who was an assistant for three NHL teams and the Ottawa Senators’ head coach from 2011 to ’14. “I have tons of respect for John, so the combination of the potential growth (of the team) and the opportunity to work with him was too much to pass up.”

That’s how MacLean became a Blue Jacket, completing a circle that originated when he interviewed for the head-coaching spot in Columbus in 2010, when Scott Arniel was hired.

MacLean isn’t wasting time, either. He joined the Blue Jackets on the ice for their morning skate Saturday at Bell MTS Place and had several conversations with players on the two power-play units.

He’s back in a coaching role, happily, which means that retirement can wait.

“The more and more I dug into it, I was like, ‘This is a great opportunity to teach young players to play in the National Hockey League,’” MacLean said. “And to also have a chance to work with John? I was like, ‘Well, I just have to do this.’”

Tortorella kept his forward lines the same starting out against the Jets, which meant that rookie Alexandre Texier played his second game at center and Riley Nash was a healthy scratch. Texier, who started the season at left wing, had a solid game Thursday in a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Centering a line with Nick Foligno at left wing and Cam Atkinson on the right, Texier scored the game’s first , finished with three shots and won 5 of 8 faceoffs (63 percent).

“Pace,” Tortorella said, when asked what he liked most about Texier’s performance. “Brings pace. He made a couple good plays down low just skating out of the corner with the puck from our defensive end and just skating out of the end zone. It gives him some freedom to get his legs moving all the time.”

Texier has played center most of his career, including stints the past two years in Finland. He also played in the middle at the prospects tournament in Traverse City, Michigan, in September, co-leading the Jackets with four goals.

After using Texier exclusively on the wing, Tortorella decided to try him in the middle for partly the same reason he did so in 2017-18 with then-rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois.

“There’s a lot more responsibility, but you’re covering a lot more ice, so you’re skating a lot more,” Tortorella said. “I’m not sure how long that goes for. We’ll just see where it goes.”

After the Blue Jackets’ 5-2 victory over the on Tuesday, defenseman Zach Werenski awarded the team’s Civil War-era Kepi hat to equipment manager Tim LeRoy, whose older brother, Bill, died on Nov. 1.

Bill LeRoy, 56, was in his 18th season as video coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the and died while with the team in Winnipeg.

Tim LeRoy went back to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to be with his family after it happened and rejoined the Jackets prior to their game Nov. 15 against St. Louis.

Getting the Kepi was a total surprise.

“It was incredible,” said LeRoy, who missed the Blue Jackets’ trip to Winnipeg to attend his brother’s funeral services. “I had no idea. I don’t even have words to describe how that felt. We’re really like a family in here because we spend so much time together, so when they did that, it just gave me goose bumps.”

Sticking with tradition, LeRoy awarded the Kepi hat to Cam Atkinson after the Jackets’ win Thursday against Detroit — the organization that has the affiliation with Grand Rapids.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.24.2019

Jets 4, Blue Jackets 3 | Late Jets goal kills Jackets’ earlier momentum

By Brian Hedger – The Columbus Dispatch – November 23, 2019

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — It was headed for overtime, which would have meant at least a fourth straight game with a point. Things in hockey change quickly, though, which goalie Elvis Merzlikins and the Blue Jackets learned the hard way Saturday night at Bell MTS Place in a 4-3 loss to the .

The Jets snapped a 3-3 tie with 1:54 left in the third period when Andrew Copp gloved Merzlikins’ clearing attempt and put it into the net a second later for the winning goal.

It spoiled a good night otherwise for the Blue Jackets (9-9-4), whose three-game winning ended despite going 3 of 5 on the power play with goals by Pierre-Luc Dubois, Seth Jones and Gustav Nyquist.

"It’d be easy, but lazy to say we lost because of that mistake at the end (by Merzlikins)," Dubois said, "because we have 60 minutes to win a game and it never comes down to just one minute or one mistake."

Merzlikins allowed four goals on 31 shots, and Laurent Brossoit and Connor Hellebuyck combined for the win after Brossoit left the game in the third because of apparent cramping.

The first period ended with a 1-1 tie on goals by Dubois and Blake Wheeler. Winnipeg took a 2-1 lead on Nikolaj Ehler’s goal at 5:19, making the Blue Jackets pay for failing to clear a loose puck, but they stormed back thanks to back-to-back penalties on Jets defensemen Tucker Poolman (hooking) and Luca Sbisa (boarding).

Sbisa was sent to the box nine seconds after the door closed on Poolman, which gave the Blue Jackets 1:51 of power-play time, starting with a 5-on-3 advantage.

Jones tied it on a slap shot at 6:30, ending a 13-game goal drought, and Nyquist put the Jackets in front 3-2 by scoring 47 seconds later off Oliver Bjorkstrand’s rebound.

It was the second straight game the Jackets scored multiple power-play goals — they went 2 of 5 in a 5-4 victory Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings — and it was the first time they’d scored three in one game since April 3, 2018, against Detroit.

Mathieu Perreault tied it at 3-3 for Winnipeg with 5:17 left in the second.

The Blue Jackets also had another good push to start the game, which led to them scoring first for the seventh straight time on Dubois’ team-high 10th goal.

A strong shift by power forwards Eric Robinson and Josh Anderson resulted in Sbisa tripping Robinson to give the Blue Jackets the game’s first power play, and Dubois capped it 25 seconds later from the right- wing circle.

It took the Jets only 3:24 to counter.

Wheeler tied it at 8:23 with a quick shot through Merzlikins’ pads, scoring off a nice pass from Jack Roslovic — who’s from Columbus and played for both the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets and Miami University.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.24.2019

Portzline: ‘Oh, Elvis,’ and nine other observations from the Blue Jackets’ loss to Winnipeg

By Aaron Portzline – The Athletic – November 23, 2019

Ten observations from the Blue Jackets’ 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday in Bell MTS Place:

1. Oh, Elvis

The Blue Jackets were 1:54 away from a guaranteed road point and a chance to claim their fourth straight win. With the score tied in Winnipeg, the puck rolled innocently toward goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.

You might have heard that Merzlikins is unconventional. We’ve seen enough to know he’s got the hint of a riverboat gambler in his DNA. But it also has seemed as if Merzlikins was settling into life as an NHL goaltender, drawing ever closer to his first win.

But then …

Merzlikins gathered the puck, and for reasons known only to Elvis and a higher power, sent it screaming up the middle with a clearing pass to no one in particular.

The puck hit Jets center Andrew Copp, who settled it down, skated to his left and fired the puck toward the net. It glanced off Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard and dribbled wide of Merzlikins’ left pad and into the net.

Jets 4, Blue Jackets 3

That’s how it ended, too, despite a furious final-minute push by the Blue Jackets with Merzlikins pulled for an extra skater.

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella declined to comment on Merzlikins after the game. Actually, he told assembled media in Winnipeg that any question about his goaltender would end his postgame scrum immediately.

“I’m warning you, I’ll walk,” he was quoted as saying by Judy Owen of the Canadian Press.

And in the process, he spoke volumes.

2. What was he thinking?

It’s really easy from the press box, the club seats or the living room Barcalounger to second-guess decisions and ridicule mistakes that are made in a 100-mph league.

But Merzlikins’ decision was truly perplexing. Even if that puck connects with a Blue Jackets player, they’re a sitting duck with the puck on their stick, flat-footed in the middle of the defensive zone.

He had plenty of room to the left and the right side of the ice to simply send the puck out of harm’s way, just chuck it into the dead area on the ice. The fact that he sent it into traffic boggles the mind. He wasn’t under pressure, either. There was plenty of time. The Blue Jackets did their best to rally around Merzlikins after the game.

Tortorella, as noted, threw a stiff-arm at reporters before his scrum even started. But center Pierre-Luc Dubois spread the blame about the dressing room.

“It would be easy but lazy to say that we lost because of that mistake at the end,” Dubois told reporters in Winnipeg. “You have 60 minutes to win a game. It never comes down to one minute or one mistake.”

The Blue Jackets are once again in a tricky situation with their goaltending. Starter Joonas Korpisalo has played well recently, so well that they’ve struggled to get Merzlikins playing time.

But with back-to-back games scheduled for another week, it would be hard to ship Merzlikins to minor- league Cleveland to work out his struggles. (Again, this was a brain cramp, not a getting-to-know-the- NHL mistake.)

3. Too passive in the third

Winnipeg lost defensemen Josh Morrissey and Nathan Beaulieu to injury after two periods, meaning the Jets’ blue-liners played every other shift for the remainder of the game.

You wouldn’t have known.

The Blue Jackets generated only six shots on goal in the third period, and Dubois, for one, thought the Jackets’ approach in the final 20 minutes was all wrong.

“They’re down with four D,” Dubois said. “We have to push more. They’re about to break. They have four D. I just say we have to push more, try more to get that goal instead of making sure they don’t get it. We can push a bit harder.

“If we take the game in our hands and we push the pace and we play how we want to play instead of making sure that nothing happens, I think we could break them even more.”

The Jets also lost their goaltender, Laurent Brossoit, to cramping midway through the third period, forcing Connor Hellebuyck into the game cold with 10:52 to play.

It took nearly four minutes before the Blue Jackets made Hellebuyck make a save.

“We were trying,” Tortorella said. “They were doing a lot of … they know they’re down for D, so they’re trying to protect them all.

“We were the better team. We were the better team, (and) we found a way to lose.”

4. Three power-play goals … and a loss

For the first time this season — and the first time since April 3, 2018 — the Blue Jackets scored three power-play goals.

Dubois scored at 4:59 of the first off a deflected puck in front to make it 1-0. Seth Jones scored a five-on- three goal off a slap shot at 6:30 of the second, and Gustav Nyquist scored off his own rebound 47 seconds later to give the Jackets a 3-2 lead. Right now, the Jackets are making it look easy. Over the past 11 games, Columbus is 11 of 39 (28.2 percent) with a man-advantage, including a power-play goal in each of the past four games.

They’re 5 of 10 since Paul MacLean was hired on Thursday as an assistant coach.

But here’s another unfortunate fact …

For only the fourth time in 1,464 games as a franchise, the Blue Jackets scored three power-play goals and lost in regulation. They’ve scored three goals with the man advantage in 38 games, and they’re 32- 4-2 in those games.

Memories: The Jackets once scored four power-play goals and lost 6-5 in regulation in Nashville. It was Dec. 22, 2011 … back when they could never win in Music City.

5. Seth Jones finally breaks through

The great wait is finally finished.

Seth Jones, one of the most talented defensemen in the NHL, and a power-play staple for the Blue Jackets since he came here in a trade with Nashville in the 2015-16 season, ended an almost unfathomable drought.

His second-period power-play goal was his first in 98 regular-season games, dating back to April 3, 2018. He scored a power-play goal last spring in the Stanley Cup playoffs, so perhaps this is nit-picking.

But 98 games!

“The late payments were coming in on me for a bit,” Jones joked with Fox Sports Ohio’s Dave Maetzold after the game.

“It’s nice to see another one go in. I haven’t been shooting probably as much as I want to. I’m just trying to put more pucks to the net and see what happens.”

6. The magic of MacLean?

Truth be told, the Blue Jackets’ power play started warming before the club announced the hiring of MacLean as Tortorella’s third behind-the-bench assistant coach.

Tortorella himself took over coaching the unit at least one week before MacLean was brought on to replace as the coach in charge of the unit.

So what’s changed?

Blue Jackets coaches have tried desperately to get players to play less rigidly and more instinctively, but MacLean has almost gone the other direction, with an emphasis on simplicity.

“He wants us in specific spots at specific times, and that’s what’s really helping us out,” Dubois said. “We can make the play with what we see. We can plays, but we know where guys are. That’s what’s doing a good job for us.”

Tortorella noted that confidence — so hard to find, and so hard to keep — has taken residence with the Blue Jackets. “We’re moving the puck well,” he said. “Playing downhill, getting some shots and looking to get some rebounds. (The power play) was a big part of us being involved in the game tonight.”

7. Kid Columbus

Columbus native Jack Roslovic has had his ups and downs in Winnipeg, mostly due to his limited role and limited ice time with the Jets over the past couple of years.

But he’s not complaining now.

Roslovic has become a fixture in the Winnipeg top six this season. He played 14:58 on Saturday, with two shot attempts (one on goal) and a primary assist on the Jets’ first goal.

He’s averaging five minutes more per game than he did last season, a huge climb.

The Athletic’s Murat Ates provided this Q&A with Roslovic earlier this month. Good stuff.

8. About those ‘Costanza’ lines …

It was quite the giggle a week or so ago when Tortorella scrambled his lines in ways he never would have imagined. It was worth a belly laugh when it actually worked.

But one wonders how much playing at home has helped him keep the lines together because the reasons he resisted putting them together are actually legitimate.

Case in point: Playing Dubois, the club’s undisputed No. 1 center, with young wingers Sonny Milano and Emil Bemstrom, has created an offensively creative line.

But can Tortorella play that line when he doesn’t get the last line change? Can he dare get caught with Milano and Bemstrom on the ice when the Jets’ top line of Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Patrik Laine comes hopping over the boards.

Tortorella broke up the line late in the second period, and Milano didn’t play at all in the third period. Bemstrom took one shift in the third period.

The Nick Foligno-Alexandre Texier-Cam Atkinson line didn’t fare well, either.

Foligno was on the ice for all four Winnipeg goals. Texier, in his second game as a center, played just 9:53 and was -3. Atkinson had an assist and tied for the club lead with four shots, but was -2.

9. Carnival games

The object of this game is to use this ill-fitted stick to poke this microphone on a string up and over this 12-foot glass … with 15,000 people watching.

NHL official Garrett Rank borrowed Bossoit’s stick late in the first period when a big hit by the Foligno swayed the glass above the endboards so much that a microphone was jarred loose.

Rank could only get the microphone to the edge of the glass before the string slid off the stick blade and drew an “ohhhh” from the crowd. Within a few seconds, several other players joined Rank — teamwork! — but they suffered a similar fate.

Finally, the MTS crew came trotting onto the ice with a 10-foot ladder. Tools matter, people. Easy fix. The crowd roared its approval. Carry on.

10. Timbits

Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski had an assist on Jones’ power-play goal, giving him a six-game point streak to match a career-high. … Oliver Bjorkstrand had two assists, his third straight multi-point game. He has 1-5-6 in his past three. … Gustav Nyquist has scored all four of his goals this season on the road. He has 4-6-11 in 10 road games, and 0-3-3 in 12 games in . … The Blue Jackets are off on Sunday. They’ll host Ottawa on Monday.

Alison Lukan’s analytics

The Athletic’s Alison Lukan provided these insights into the Blue Jackets’ loss:

This is a tough loss. Using Money Pucks’ new ‘deserve to win o’meter,” the Blue Jackets win 76.3 percent of the time after playing a game like they did. Columbus earned 55.83 percent of five-on-five shot attempts, 57.37 percent of scoring chances and the final expected goal total was 3.76-2.2 in favor of Columbus.

Prior to the Jets’ game-winning goal, the Blue Jackets had a 47.21 percent likelihood of winning the game.

The Blue Jackets’ penalty kill was strong in three outings, allowing just .57 expected goals off 10 shot attempts against in 5:28 of time. Conversely, the Blue Jackets’ power play generated .95 expected goals off 12 attempts and scored three times.

It was a strong night for Josh Anderson, who finished second among all Jackets’ skaters in five-on-five shot attempts (6) and scoring chances (3). His line, which included Alexander Wennberg and Eric Robinson, also had the most offensive impact of all forward lines in shot share (+10), scoring chances (+8) and shot quality (81.54 percent of expected goals).

The top performers in terms of game score: Oliver Bjorkstrand (1.87); Dean Kukan (1.14); Boone Jenner (1.13); Vladislav Gavrikov (1.05); Gustav Nyquist (.98).

Data via MoneyPuck.com, Evolving-Hockey.com, NaturalStatTrick.com, and reflects score and venue adjusted five-on-five play unless otherwise stated.

The Athletic LOADED: 11.24.2019

Michael Arace | Adding Paul MacLean a good move for Blue Jackets rather than a bad sign for John Tortorella

By Michael Arace – The Columbus Dispatch – November 24, 2019

The Blue Jackets on Thursday hired another assistant, Paul MacLean, to help coach John Tortorella with the power play. It is not often that a team plunks another suit behind the bench in the middle of the second month of the season. It can lead to speculation. Is Tortorella's seat getting warm? MacLean, 61, has a stature that goes beyond his fabulous mustache. He had a long and distinguished playing career as a high-scoring forward in the 1980s. He paid his dues as a coach in the old IHL before he served as an assistant under in Anaheim and Detroit.

In 2012, during MacLean's tenure as coach of the Ottawa Senators, he was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award. The other finalists were Tortorella, then with the , and Ken Hitchcock, then with the St. Louis Blues. Hitch won it. A year later, MacLean was again nominated, and won.

Everyone in hockey knows MacLean, or knows who he is. This isn't like bringing in ex-player Martin St. Louis as a consultant, as the Jackets did in January. It is committing to a coach with serious bona fides. Is it a statement, of some sort, on Tortorella? Is MacLean some kind of a coach-in-waiting?

No. Although every NHL coach has a shelf life, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has been clear that management is very happy with Tortorella and remains committed to him. Good.

Tortorella's winning percentage with the Blue Jackets is north of .580. Along with Kekalainen, he has brought the organization to where the fans are in a huff that the Jackets aren't holding down a playoff spot in mid-November. Imagine that.

From where I sit, it seems that Tortorella — who himself has two Jack Adams Awards, including one with the Jackets in 2017 — is in the perfect place at the right time of his career, and his life. Columbus vs. the NHL — bring it on. Yeah.

This coach, and this GM, are wired for this task. It is a verity, even with parity, that a budget team in a smaller market must have smart, no-nonsense people to compete on an annual basis, and to aspire. Continuity counts in Columbus. How does MacLean fit?

“He's a good man,” Tortorella said. “That's first of it.”

MacLean was brought in to replace Brad Larsen as the power-play showrunner — and everyone involved was on the same page with the decision. If you take this at face value, it means that Larsen welcomed the opportunity to be shunted aside for the good of the team. Can that be? It can.

One way to look at it: Majority owner John H. McConnell signed off on adding another assistant's salary and dropping a fourth coach behind the bench, because winning. It might be that simple. It probably is.

These things resonate when you're trying to build something that lasts. The power play has never been a hallmark, and MacLean can bring a fresh voice. Hire him. Don't kick Larsen, a good coach and loyal soldier, to the curb. The GM likes it. The coach likes it. The owner writes the check.

The Jackets carried a 9-8-4 record and a three-game winning streak into their game in Winnipeg on Saturday night. Ironically, their power play was on an uptick (23.5% over the previous 10 games). It's moving time.

In the past three full seasons under Tortorella, the Jackets have gained ground as autumn has turned toward winter. Last year, they won nine games in November and were on a roll at Christmastime. Two years ago, they kick-started a 9-1 streak that ended on Dec. 2. And Jackets fans will not forget 2016, when their team won nine games in November and went 14-0 in December.

Just throwing it out there. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.25.2019

Jets 4, Blue Jackets 3: The 3-2-1 rundown

By Brian Hedger – The Columbus Dispatch – November 24, 2019

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Some sting worse than others.

Some games in the course of an NHL regular season just melt right into the others, erased and blurred in a player or coach’s memory before their head hits the pillow. Others stick around for a while, causing restless nights, anguish and feelings of emptiness.

This was one of those for the Blue Jackets, who outplayed the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night at MTS Place and left with nothing to show for it in a maddening, biting 4-3 loss decided on Andrew Copp’s goal with 1:54 left in the third period.

"We were the better team," said Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, who refused to talk about Copp’s goal or the turnover by rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins that led to it. "We were the better team and we found a way to lose."

That assessment was succinct and accurate.

The Jets (14-9-1) stole two points from the Blue Jackets despite losing two of their six defensemen to injuries in the second period, losing their starting goalie, Laurent Brossoit, to muscle cramps in the third and allowing three power-play goals.

They were outshot by Columbus 35-31, gave up the game’s first goal, took five penalties that led to five Blue Jackets power plays (3-for-5) - including a 5-on-3 that led to a pair of power-play tallies – and finished the game with 10 less shot attempts overall (62-52).

What the Jets did well was capitalize on almost every glaring Columbus mistake, including the turnover at the end.

"We lost on key moments in the game," said Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who scored his team-high 10th goal on a power play to open the scoring 4:59 into the game. "That third period, they’re down two defensemen, you have to get that (winning) goal. It’d be easy, but lazy to say we lost because of that mistake at the end, because we have 60 minutes to win a game and it never comes down to just one minute or one mistake."

The result is what matters the most anyway, and the loss ended the Blue Jackets’ three-game winning streak. It also snapped their a four-game point streak and set them right back to the .500 mark at 9-9-4.

Here is the 3-2-1 rundown of the Jackets’ bitter night in Winnipeg … three takeaways, two questions and one more thing to know:

Three Takeaways

1) The good Games like this are nearly impossible to walk away from feeling good about anything. Still, the Blue Jackets gave themselves plenty of positives to take into a busy week ahead.

According to NaturalStatTrick, a stat-tracking site, Columbus took 54.4 percent of the even-strength shot attempts (50-42), held a slight 51.3 percent edge in attempts that weren’t blocked (39-37), generated four more scoring chances (20-16) and finished with an 8-4 margin in high-danger chances (66.7 percent).

The Jackets also outshot the Jets 29-19 through the first two periods, aided by five power plays, and scored three power-play goals in a game for the first time since April 3, 2018 against the Detroit Red Wings.

"I think our checking is much better, as far as making teams work for their ice," Tortorella said. "Right on through our team, I think they’re more competitive with forcing teams to get through on their ice."

Seth Jones’ goal was during a 5-on-3 advantage and was their second straight game with one of those. It was also the Jackets’ second straight game with multiple power-play goals, after going 2-for-5 against the Red Wings in a 5-4 victory Thursday at Nationwide Arena.

Columbus has scored on power plays in four straight games and in eight of its past 11. The Jackets also boosted their overall success rate to 20.3 percent, which ranks 12th in the NHL after languishing in the 20s the first 20 games.

"I thought the power play did a good job tonight, got three goals and played good minutes," said Dubois, who capped a power play in the first for a quick 1-0 lead. "We’re feeling comfortable. We’re just moving the puck and we’re getting on the ice thinking we can score. We’re just on the ice, moving it and shooting it. It’s just a couple assignments that we changed a bit and we really did a good job with that."

On the other side, the Jackets went 3-for-3 killing penalties and have allowed a power-play goal in just two of their previous nine games. Their 79.7 percent success rate overall is also starting to climb at 20th in the league.

Further positives included Zach Werenski extending his point streak to six games, tying his career-long with a primary assist on Jones’ goal, Cam Atkinson getting an assist to give him seven points (one goal, six assists) in the past seven games and Oliver Bjorkstrand adding two assists for six points (one goal, five assists) during a three-game streak.

2) The bad

According to NaturalStatTrick, the Blue Jackets generated six more even-strength scoring chances in the third than the Jets (9-5) and five more high-danger chances (11-6).

They just couldn’t get any pucks past Brossoit and then Hellebuyck. Likewise, they were outscored 4-0 at even strength despite controlling the puck.

Merzlikins also had issues on two goals prior to Copp’s, failing to clear a puck out of the defensive zone prior Nikolai Ehlers’ 3-on-1 goal in the second and then failing to pick up Mathieu Perreault as a shooter on a game-tying goal in the third.

More growing pains for the Latvian rookie netminder. 3) The ugly

Copp’s goal wasn’t one of those beautiful ones that just couldn’t be stopped. It was butchered, served up on a platter and then guided into the net by the kind of luck the Blue Jackets have received more than not this season.

Merzlikins served up the turnover, sending an attempted exit pass from his crease down the middle of the ice into traffic rather than to the boards on either wing.

Copp, who’d sent the puck the length of the ice to Merzlikins a couple seconds earlier, cruised into the high slot and gloved it down. He took a couple strides, got off a shot and watched the puck go into the net after first deflecting off diving defenseman David Savard.

That was the luck part, when the puck knuckled and Merzlikins buckled. The Jackets nearly tied it again with time winding down and their net empty – shots by Oliver Bjorkstrand and Zach Werenski missing the net – but time ran out.

Two Questions

1) Too many rookies?

The Jackets dressed four rookie skaters and put Merzlikins in net, which meant that 26.3 percent of their active roster was comprised of players who still qualify as NHL rookies.

The upside is they’re a group that has led the way recently, scoring big goals, while the downside is the mistakes they’re bound to make.

It was Merzlikins who made the most noticeable errors against the Jets, but the ice time for the others suggested it wasn’t their best night either. Emil Bemstrom (9:58), Alexandre Texier (9:53) and Sonny Milano (8:09) all played less than 10 minutes – which is also less than ideal.

Having so many rookies and young players, like Milano, portends good things for the future, but at what expense in the short-term?

2) How will they respond?

As much as this one stung, the Blue Jackets have no time to wallow in it.

After a day off Sunday, they face four games in six days – including three home games, three Metropolitan Division opponents (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the ) plus a home/road back-to-back Friday against the Penguins and Saturday in New York.

That’s a lot of hockey, a lot of inter-divisional points at stake and quite a challenge for a team looking to claw its way up the standings.

One more thing to know

This was an odd game, simply because of the side stories.

There was a delay coming out of a TV timeout with 3:15 left in the first period because an ice-level microphone had somehow come unattached and was dangling on the wrong side of the glass behind the Jets’ net. An official tried to push it back over to the spectator side with Laurent’s goalie stick, but was unsuccessful. A group of players then skated over to assist with their sticks, but none of them were successful either. Finally, a ladder was brought out to solve the issue, but not before the players and officials were given a loud cheer.

And that was just the first odd occurrence.

The Jets also lost two defensemen in the second to injuries and Brossoit left with muscle cramping about midway through the third. Hellebuyck replaced him shortly after Brossoit was spotted eating what appeared to be mustard packets in front of the Winnipeg bench – attempting to rehydrate with electrolytes.

Hellebuyck was credited with the win, logging 11:19, while Brossoit was stonewalled by coach Paul Maurice in his pursuit to return to the game.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.25.2019

Ottawa Senators GAMEDAY: Ottawa Senators at Columbus Blue Jackets By Bruce Garrioch – Ottawa Sun – November 24, 2019

Ottawa Senators (11-11-1) at Columbus Blue Jackets (9-9-4) Monday, 7 p.m., Nationwide Arena TSN5, TSN 1200 AM, Unique 94.5 FM SPECIAL TEAMS OTT: PP 10% (31st); PK 82.5% (14th) CBJ: PP 20.3% (12th); PK 79.7% (20th) THE BIG MATCHUP Colin White vs. Nick Foligno Battling injuries, the Senators moved White to the wing in the club’s 4-1 victory over the Rangers Friday night at home. There’s no question the Senators need more consistency from White this season but he battled through injuries early in the year. Playing the wing gives him a little less responsibilities, but Ottawa needs him to thrive as a centre. Foligno has three assists in his last five games with the Jackets and always works hard. FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME 1. Carry success on the road The Senators are 4-7-1 this season as the visitor, but they’re coming off a 2-1 overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday and a 4-3 win in Detroit Tuesday. The club is playing some of its best hockey of the season. The club hasn’t decided on will start in the net so flip a coin between Craig Anderson and Anders Nilsson for this one. 2. Stop the streak in Columbus The Senators have a 6-6-1-1 record in 14 games at Nationwide Arena. The Senators have dropped three straight. The Jackets are coming off a 4-3 loss to Winnipeg Saturday night and have a 6-5-1 record at home. A victory here would be a good boost with only one of the next six games at the Canadian Tire Centre. 3. Mikkel Boedker gets a chance A healthy scratch in nine straight games, the veteran forward will suit up for the first time since playing back-to-back games against the Rangers and Islanders in New York on Nov. 4-5. Boedker has only one point in five games he suited up this season and he’s been used mainly in a fourth-line role. Has to make an impact with minutes. 4. Offence from Thomas Chabot The club’s top blueliner chipped in with his second of the season in the club’s victory over the Rangers and that’s key for this team. He is the straw that stirs the drink and if the power play is going to get some consistency (it scored twice in the last game) then Chabot is one of the players that has to lead the way. 5. Big ice time for DeMelo With Nikita Zaitsev away for personal reasons and a two-day break in the schedule, Dylan DeMelo played 25:39 against the Rangers. Those are pretty good numbers for him and he finished the game with even rating. He’s been valuable for this team all season by picking up the slack and has good chemistry with Mark Borowiecki. SENS GAMEDAY LINES Brady Tkachuk – Logan Brown – Anthony Duclair Nick Paul – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Connor Brown Tyler Ennis – Chris Tierney – Colin White Filip Chlapik – J.C. Beaduin – Mikkel Boedker Defence Thomas Chabot – Nikita Zaitsev Mark Borowiecki – Dylan DeMelo Max Lajoie – Ron Hainsey Goaltenders Anders Nilsson Craig Anderson JACKETS GAMEDAY LINES Sonny Milano – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Emil Bemstrom Nick Foligno – Alexandre Texier – Cam Atkinson Gustav Nyquist – Boone Jenner – Olivier Bjorkstrand Eric Robinson – Alexander Wennberg – Josh Anderson Defence Zach Werenski – Seth Jones Ryan Murray – David Savard Vladislav Gavrikov – Dean Kukan Goaltenders Joonas Korpisalo Elvis Merzlikins INJURY REPORT OTT: Artrem Anisimov, Erik Brannstrom, Cody Goloubef, Scott Sabourin CBJ: Brandon Dubinsky, Markus Nutivarra, Kole Sherwood Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.25.2019

Warren's Piece: Surging Duclair looking to stick it to Tortorella and the Jackets tonight By Ken Warren – Ottawa Sun – November 25, 2019

Where Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella went low, Ottawa Senators winger Anthony Duclair is going high. As Duclair plays in Columbus on Monday for the first time since being traded for Ryan Dzingel and a pair of second round draft picks last February, he’s not getting caught up in a war of words with his former coach. At least not publicly. “Just a regular game for me,” Duclair said before boarding the club’s Sunday afternoon charter to the Ohio capital. “I had some fun there. I’m still tight with the guys, stayed in contact with them, made some friendships there, but it’s just another game.” Now, let us take you back to February, only days before the deal. In one breath, Tortorella mentioned Duclair’s speed and goal-scoring talent. In the next, he talked about Duclair’s “bad listening skills” while throwing him under the Columbus. “I don’t think he knows how to play,” said the Blue Jackets coach. “I just think he thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants on the ice. He can’t do it in the National Hockey League. We have spent a lot of time trying to teach him, trying to teach him situational play, away from the puck, all the stuff we do with players. “Sometimes it looks like he’s understanding. I don’t know if he just can’t comprehend it or he’s just stubborn. But he’s running out of time.” If it hurt at the time, look who’s smiling now. Duclair has become a front-line player for the surprising Senators, who have won three in a row and five of their past six, moving to an even 11-11-1 on the season. Now playing on a line with Brady Tkachuk and Logan Brown, Duclair has four goals and two assists in his past four games, including one goal and one assist in Friday’s 4-1 win over the New York Rangers. He has 10 goals – the same number as Blue Jackets’ leading scorer Pierre-Luc Dubois. As a team, the Blue Jackets have scored only 58 goals, 30th in the league. “I’m confident,” said Duclair. “Our whole team is confident. With the way we’ve been playing the past few games, we’ve just got to keep going, stay consistent and get as many points as we can here.” Whatever happened with his former coach in Columbus, Duclair is relishing the offensive opportunities that are coming from the ice time (16:25 per game average) that he’s receiving from coach D.J. Smith. “My play without the puck has improved a lot, just watching on video with D.J. and Davis Payne and I just want to continue doing that,” he said. “You still have the freedom to do whatever you want (in the offensive zone) in a sort of structured manner, but in the defensive zone, everybody plays the same, everybody gets back. The sooner you get back, the sooner you get on the offence.” MOVING PARTS ON DEFENCE: The lineup question marks against the Blue Jackets could go all the way up to game time. Smith is hopeful defenceman Nikita Zaitsev will be back. Zaitsev went home to Russia for personal reasons and didn’t play in Friday’s game. Rookie defenceman Erik Brannstrom, who has missed the past three games with a thumb injury, didn’t make the trip to Columbus. Veteran Cody Goloubef, out against the Rangers due to an undisclosed injury, was at practice Sunday, but is deemed questionable against the Blue Jackets. For the time being, anyway, Max Lajoie remains with the big- league Senators. BOEDKER RETURNS: Mikkel Boedker, who has spent the past nine games as a healthy scratch, will take Max Veronneau’s spot on the fourth line against the Blue Jackets. “He works every day,” Smith said of Boedker. “It’s a tough mix, when you’re trying to get enough young guys in, especially on the fourth line. (Sunday), he was flying in practice. He hasn’t taken his foot off the gas. He’s a true professional. It’s wrong to not give him some opportunity here and there.” Boedker has one assist in five games this season … Artem Anisimov (groin) skated with the team Sunday, but Vladislav Namestnikov (tailbone) did not. POWERING UP: Don’t tell the Rangers that the Senators power play is no good. Four of the Senators eight goals with the man advantage this season have come against the Broadway crew. That includes the goals from Logan Brown and Duclair Friday that were set up by Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is finally receiving long overdue power play time. “I try to keep things simple and there are some players who are used to playing on the power play since they are younger and they are way more talented than I am, so I try to get the puck in their hands,” he said. “I don’t try to change or try to force anything and I think that’s what has given me success.” To recap Pageau’s month so far: 10 goals and three assists in 12 games … Colin White has rather quietly moved to right wing from centre, now playing primarily on a line with Tyler Ennis and Chris Tierney. “It doesn’t change anything,” he said. “I’ve played the wing before. I think that’s just where we’re missing a spot right now and a guy like me is versatile and can play both spots. Last game, our line had a lot of success and we played well together.” Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.25.2019

NHL/Websites This week in NHL numbers: We’re going streaking!

By Sam McCaig – The Hockey News – November 24, 2019

The New York Islanders lost in overtime to San Jose on Saturday, but managed to extend their NHL-best point streak to 17 games (15-0-2) in the process. And that’s all the excuse we need to go streaking.

Let’s take a look at some of the NHL’s most impressive streaks this season – as well as some of the greatest streaks of all-time:

5

Four rookies – two forwards and two blueliners – have had five-game point streaks this season: Chicago center Kirby Dach, Columbus center Emil Bemstrom, Colorado defenseman Cale Makar and Rangers defenseman Adam Fox. Dach, the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NHL draft, had the most productive five-game run among the four freshman, with four goals and seven points from Nov. 10-19. The longest rookie point streak of all-time? We’ll get to that in a moment, but here’s a hint: it’s a lot longer than five games and it involves a son (who’s still active) usurping his legendary father.

9

It’s no surprise to see Washington’s John Carlson with the longest point streak among NHL defensemen this season. Carlson, the league’s leading blueline scorer by a healthy margin, had a nine-game run in the opening weeks of the season in which he racked up five goals and 18 points. But wait, there’s more. The Caps rearguard also owns the second-longest point streak by a NHL defenseman this season – a recently completed eight-gamer in which he collected 13 points. Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman is currently on a seven-game streak, while Carolina’s Joel Edmundson and Columbus’ Zach Werenski have active six-game runs on the go.

12

Patrick Kane’s current point streak is the NHL’s longest active scoring streak. The Blackhawks star has amassed eight goals and 21 points during the run. Kane can’t slow down, though – Edmonton’s Connor McDavid is right behind him on a 10-game streak (12 goals, 23 points). 13

Four different players have had 13-game point streaks this season: Boston’s David Pastrnak (30 points) and Brad Marchand (28 points), Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl (28 points) and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (18 points). Draisaitl also had an eight-game streak this season.

14

Four goalies in NHL history have had 14-game winning streaks, most recently Sergei Bobrovsky with Columbus in 2016-17. Also: Jonas Hiller with Anaheim in 2013-14, Tom Barrasso with Pittsburgh in 1992- 93 and Tiny Thompson with Boston back in 1929-30.

17

The Islanders’ 17 game point streak is the longest by any NHL team this season and the longest in franchise history. After starting the season 1-3-0, the Isles haven’t lost in regulation time since Oct. 11. Streak stats: they’ve had nine comeback wins, including three multi-goal rallies in the third period, and 17 different players have scored a goal, with Mathew Barzal pacing the offense with 19 points in the 17 games.

17

The , coming off back-to-back Stanley Cups, set the NHL record with a 17-game win streak in 1992-93. They couldn’t win a third straight Cup that season, though, getting upset by the Islanders in the second round of the playoffs. More recently, Columbus won 16 consecutive games in 2016-17, while the 2012-13 Penguins and 1981-82 Isles had 15-game win streaks.

17

On the flip side, the 1974-75 Capitals and 1992-93 Sharks had 17-game losing streaks, tied for the longest in NHL history.

20

Paul Stastny set the NHL rookie record with a 20-game point streak in 2006-07, scoring 11 goals and 29 points for the Colorado Avalanche. In doing so, he bested his father, Peter Stastny, who had a 16-gamer (nine goals, 27 points) with the Quebec Nordiques in 1980-81. Teemu Selanne sits between the Stastny clan with a 17-game point streak (20 goals, 34 points) during his rookie season with (your father’s) Winnipeg Jets in 1992-93.

24

Chicago owns the longest point streak in the past four decades with a season-opening 24-game run (21- 0-3) in 2012-13, which featured a lockout-shortened schedule of only 48 games. The Blackhawks ultimately rode their blazing start to a Stanley Cup title.

26

Kane’s 26-game point streak in 2015-16 (16 goals, 40 points) is the longest scoring streak in more than 25 years, just beating out Sidney Crosby’s 25-gamer in 2010-11 (26 goals, 50 points). Kane also had a 20- gamer last season (17 goals, 43 points) and has had a total of six streaks of at least 10 games. Crosby leads all active NHL players with nine point streaks of 10-plus games. Wayne Gretzky, in case you’re wondering, is the all-time NHL leader with 31 point streaks of at least 10 games.

28

Paul Coffey, best known for streaking up the ice, owns the NHL record for longest point streak among NHL defensemen. He piled up 55 points during his 28-game streak in 1985-86, and no other blueliner has come close to touching Coffey’s mark. Ray Bourque has the second-longest run by a defenseman, notching a point in 19 consecutive games (27 points) with Boston in 1987-88. Another Bruins defenseman, the one and only Bobby Orr, had an 18-gamer (35 points) in 1970-71. The longest point streak by an active defenseman was accomplished by Philadelphia’s Shayne Gostisbehere, when he introduced himself to the NHL with a 15-game point streak (18 points) as a rookie in 2015-16.

32

Gerry Cheevers set the standard for NHL goalies with a 32-game undefeated streak (24-0-8) with Boston in 1971-72. Another Bruins goalie, Pete Peeters, nearly matched the mark when he went 31 games without a loss (26-0-5) in 1982-83, and Peeters also owns the third-longest undefeated run (27 games) with Philadelphia in 1979-80.

35

Speaking of Philadelphia in 1979-80, the Flyers went 35 games without a loss to establish the NHL record for longest undefeated streak. (It’s the longest undefeated streak in North American pro sports history, in fact.) After losing the second game of the ’79-80 season by a 9-2 score to the Atlanta Flames, Philadelphia won 25 games along with 10 ties before getting blown out 7-2 by the Minnesota North Stars. Despite their incredible run, the Flyers didn’t end the season on a winning note, falling to the Islanders in six games in the 1980 Cup final.

51

It was ‘The Streak’ to end all streaks. Gretzky’s 51-game scoring run from the start of the 1983-84 season stands above all others. In the end, No. 99 scored 61 goals and 153 points – an average of three points per game — during the streak. As mentioned, Gretzky had a total of 31 scoring streaks of 10-plus games, including three of the four longest point streaks in NHL history (51 games in ’83-84, 39 games in ’85-86 and 30 games in ’82-83). Mario Lemieux had a 46-game streak in 1989-90 (103 points), while Mats Sundin went 30 straight games with a point for Quebec in 1992-93.

The Hockey News LOADED: 11.25.2019