All things considered, the Blue Jackets’ season-opener could’ve been worse.
Adam Fantilli impressed in his NHL debut and Elvis Merzlikins stood tall in net, but the Jackets’ best news following a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena was the bruise on defenseman Zach Werenski’s right thigh.
After a torn labrum in his right shoulder forced Werenski to miss all but 13 games last season, the sight of him being helped off the ice following a bad hit by Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway was concerning. The Blue Jackets fumbling pucks away, struggling to gain their footing and getting outplayed was also disconcerting but it was only one game.
Werenski’s issue, a thigh contusion that shouldn’t be long-term, was a much bigger story. Here are five takeaways from the Jackets’ season-opening defeat:
Adam Fantilli’s NHL debut for Columbus Blue Jackets was impressive
Along with Werenski’s health, Fantilli’s performance was a big positive for the Jackets to take from an otherwise difficult night.
The rookie center showed why the Blue Jackets took him third overall in June and placed him right into their NHL lineup. Fantilli played 13:40 on 17 shifts and notched his first career point with the primary assist on Jake Bean’s goal in the first period. He also put two shots on goal, delivered a hit, was credited with a takeaway, blocked two shots and won 5 of 10 faceoffs.
“Excellent,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. “I think this guy is a driver. He’s a guy that will compete every shift. Everybody makes mistakes, but he never makes a mistake of not working. Really impressed with him.”
Fantilli, who turned 19 on Thursday, had a group of family and friends that numbered close to 30 in attendance. That made the day memorable along with a “Welcome to the NHL” text message from Wayne Gretzky, a “rookie lap” before warmups, a loud ovation during pregame introductions and Fantilli’s first NHL faceoff taken 2:41 into the game.
“The first lap was pretty cool,” Fantilli said. “Right when the puck dropped, I kind of settled in, and was able to just relax and play hockey. I was happy to be able to do that. A lot of external stuff going on, but I was just happy to play hockey and get the first one in the books.”
Garnet Hathaway’s ‘dirty’ hit rankled Columbus Blue Jackets
Werenski’s injury occurred late in the second, while he stood behind the Jackets’ net. Hathaway stapled him to the boards on a hit that featured his right knee striking Werenski’s right leg around the knee area as the first point of contact. The Blue Jackets’ star went down in a heap, Hathaway drew the ire of Werenski’s teammates plus a minor kneeing penalty and officials reviewed the play for the possibility of changing it to a five-minute major.
They decided against the increased penalty, which angered the Blue Jackets and their fans. Learning about Werenski’s relatively good status took some of the sting out of what happened, but Hathaway’s hit didn’t sit well with the Blue Jackets. They don’t play the Flyers again until Nov. 19 in Philadelphia, but there could be residual hard feelings in that rematch.
“It’s a dirty (expletive) hit,” Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “(Expletive) stupid … like, I don’t know what else to say.”
Hathway and Gudbranson also have a tenuous history that stretches back to an incident in 2019. Hathaway was with the Washington Capitals when he got into a post-whistle skirmish with Gudbranson and spat on the defenseman, who played for the Anaheim Ducks. The NHL gave Hathaway a three-game suspension for his actions, which were prompted by Gudbranson’s “rabbit” punch while the two were separated.
Elvis Merzlikins’ performance encouraging for Columbus Blue Jackets
Elvis Merzlikins only allowed two goals on 35 shots and was another bright spot for the Blue Jackets.
Facing numerous scoring chances for the Flyers created by Blue Jackets turnovers, Merzlikins kept it 2-1 until he was pulled for an extra attacker late in the third. He also played well in the Jackets’ final preseason game, which was also a confidence-builder.
Coming off career-low numbers last season, Merzlikins is a big X-factor for the Blue Jackets this year. If he can consistently play like he did Thursday, they’ll have a chance to surprise analysts predicting another season of gloom and doom in Columbus.
Columbus Blue Jackets have a lot to iron out
The preseason wasn’t a long enough stretch for the Blue Jackets to unfurl a polished product in the season-opener. They struggled establishing puck possession throughout the game and turned far too many pucks over to the Flyers.
Turnovers led to Philadelphia’s first two goals, which were scored in the first period for a 2-1 lead that held up until late in the third. The Flyers’ defensive pressure increased as the game progressed and caused the Blue Jackets even more difficulties in transition and getting set up inside the offensive zone.
“So, we had a training camp and we said we’re going to prepare and evaluate,” Vincent said. “Now we’re going to evaluate that game. Pace wasn’t high enough. We’re going to get that up.”
Columbus Blue Jackets’ power-play struggles contribute to opening loss
Another area needing assessment and correction is the power play, which went 0 for 4 against the Flyers and got outshot by a total of 5-4 with a man-advantage.
Merzlikins made a couple impressive stops to prevent the Flyers from scoring shorthanded, including one to stop a breakaway shot by Scott Laughton. That one followed a turnover inside the Jackets’ zone while trying to move the puck up ice.
Last year, the Blue Jackets’ season went sideways early with a 3-8-0 start that included going 0 for 26 on power plays. They became one of the NHL’s best on power plays under Vincent’s direction as associate coach for Brad Larsen, but they can’t afford another stretch of early futility again.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Werenski, Fantilli among 5 takeaways in Columbus Blue Jackets opener
