Columbus Blue Jackets Weekly Notebook: Good starts and big tests upcoming

The Columbus Blue Jackets are off to a 5-3-0 start to the season, but they’ll be tested this upcoming week heavily. With back-to-back games against the Colorado Avalanche as part of a home-and-away series, the Blue Jackets can either establish themselves as serious players in the Eastern Conference or fade back towards the bottom of the standings. 

Here are the top bits of Blue Jackets news from the past week and a look ahead to the Colorado showdowns. 

Poetic Justice Strikes Against Stars

Last Monday night against the Dallas Stars, the Blue Jackets may have found a new rival. As Columbus was walking down the tunnel to take the ice, a Stars fan was overheard attempting to chirp goaltender Elvis Merzlikins by saying, “Don’t light a firework,” referring to the fireworks accident this summer which tragically resulted in the death of Matiss Kivlenieks on July 4. 

The taunt didn’t go unnoticed, and Merzlikins stopped 31 or 32 shots against him in the 4-1 win over Dallas. 

“I strongly believe … I was expecting a shutout because I believe in karma,” Merzlikins said after the game. “There are some stupid people in this world. It was awful what happened in the tunnel when I was walking out. There was a fan from Dallas who (provoked) me about Matiss.”

“After the first period, the three posts that I got, I really (firmly) believed in karma. I saw that (Matiss) was there.”

Merzlikins has previously stated Kivlenieks’ actions that night saved lives, including that of his unborn child. His wife, Aleksandra, gave birth to Knox Matiss Merzlikins on August 20, the middle name a tribute to Kivlenieks. 

Overtime Proving Fortuitous Early On

On Saturday night, the Blue Jackets followed up Friday’s 4-0 shutout loss against the New York Rangers with a 4-3 shootout victory over the New Jersey Devils. The win was goaltender Joonas Korpisalo’s first of the season. The Finnish netminder stopped 36 of 39 shots in regulation and overtime, then picked up three more saves in the shootout before Jakub Voracek scored the game-winner. 

Columbus is 3-0 in overtime this season, winning twice in the extra session and once in the shootout. Last season, the Blue Jackets went 6-12 in games that went to overtime, including a 3-3 shootout record. 

“It was good that (our leaders) got us rolling, and I thought they contributed,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “We needed that. We needed our leaders to step up, and they did that for us.”

Ready to Roll Against the Avalanche

The Avalanche (4-4-0) has struggled early this season, but they’re far from a team the Blue Jackets can take lightly. Colorado is still the favorite to win the Stanley Cup at +600, but those odds are already headed in the wrong direction after most sportsbooks open the season around +450.

However, there are still some vulnerabilities where Columbus could take advantage of. Colorado could be without Mikko Rantanen (lower body), Andre Burakovsky (lower body), Devon Toews (offseason shoulder surgery), Valeri Nichushkin (upper body), and Stefan Matteau (leg) for either or both of the games this week. 

The injury bug has bitten Columbus, and coming out of those games healthy is the next most important thing after the win/loss column. Adam Boqvist is still day-to-day with a lower-body issue, and Dean Kukan will miss eight weeks with a fractured wrist.