The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Chicago Blackhawks On Friday evening it was 4-2 in the NHL’s only game. Charlie Coyle recorded his second career hat-trick, assisting Mathieu Olivier’s goal. Elvis Merzlikins made 22 saves to help the Blue Jackets improve to 7-1 under head coach Rick Bowness.
The game was largely controlled by the Blue Jackets. Connor Bedard’s line kept the Blackhawks in the game just enough to keep things interesting. But as the game came to a close, the Blue Jackets closed out the game and emerged victorious.
Here are our three lessons from the game.
Coyle gains steam for the Selke
Coyle usually doesn’t like the spotlight. But with the way he’s been playing, he’s been a focal point on all sides of the ice for the Blue Jackets.
Coyle scored his first goal on the power play, making it seven of eight games the Blue Jackets have scored first since Bowness took over. He was then able to take advantage of a turnover by Andre Burakovsky to make the score 2-1.
Perhaps one of the biggest plays of the night was his defensive play on the Blackhawks on a short rush attempt. He took the puck away and made sure the Blue Jackets kept their lead.
It is for this reason that Coyle should receive much more Selke Trophy attention as the league’s best defensive forward. His line was assigned to Bedard later in the game and did nothing for them.
For Coyle, it’s a team win while still doing the right things, even if the Blackhawks have made a push.
“How do you keep going the right way and stay consistent and believe in what we’re doing and how we need to do it. Those are all things that we have to continue to grow in our game and what we do. And it’s going to pay off. I think we’re seeing it pay off more and more now and we’re getting wins because of it.”
Zach Werenski also spoke at length about Coyle’s impact. Even he’s run out of things to say about what’s been happening lately.
“Yeah, I’m tired of talking about that guy. It’s been the thousandth game, the ceremonies, now tonight. Honestly, he was incredible and I really can’t say anything else. I feel like I’ve said it all. He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever played with and obviously what he does on the ice. He plays the right way. I think he’s leading by example. It’s nice to see him obviously get four points and three goals tonight.” But everything else he does, other than the puck, is so important to our group.”
Coyle gets the tough matches and generally wins them. Given all the buzz surrounding him if the Blue Jackets were to become a seller, it seems like they should do whatever it takes to keep him given his overall impact.
Third Period
The Blue Jackets had a slim 3-2 lead entering the third period. They had to avoid a penalty late in the period. But when it mattered most, they shut things down.
The Blue Jackets held the Blackhawks to just 24 shots per night, eight in each period. Most of them came late in the match and pushed for an equalizer. The shots were just 3-2 Blackhawks with just over six minutes left.
“We didn’t give up much in the third, so that’s a good thing,” head coach Rick Bowness said. “But we still want to generate a little more.”
“I feel like that one line for them (Bedard’s line) caused a lot of offense tonight,” Werenski said. “I feel like we did a good job of limiting their opportunities in the third.”
The third-period woes have turned around in recent games, an encouraging sign as the Blue Jackets continue to fight for position.
Punishment murder
Bowness has emphasized that the Blue Jackets need to be better at killing penalties. They got two key kills, one in the second and one in the third.
Bowness says things are improving, but they also need to pay attention to when they take their penalties.
“The penalty kill is better,” Bowness said. “I don’t like taking a penalty in the third period. We’ve taken a few the other day and I don’t like seeing those penalties in the third period. So that’s something we’re going to continue to focus on. And then you have to give credit to the penalty killer. They came up big when they needed to go big.”
Merzlikins was also credited by Bowness postgame for helping with the successful kills. The coach reiterated how much he likes the way Merzlikins plays on net, citing his competition and composure.
Suddenly, the Blue Jackets have two viable options in net for Bowness to choose from.
Next up for the Blue Jackets, they head to St. Louis to take on the Blues eastern at 7 p.m.
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