While there was no shortage of goals in Columbus over the weekend, the same certainly can't be said for the rest of the season.
After hosting the highest scoring All-Star game in league history, the Blue Jackets will look to finally grab a home victory Tuesday night when they pit their struggling offense against the Washington Capitals.
Columbus (20-22-3), which failed to score more than two goals while losing its last three at Nationwide Arena, ranks near the bottom of the NHL with just 2.39 goals per home game. Those struggles were also on display on the road in a 4-0 loss Jan. 21 at Winnipeg.
All-Stars Nick Foligno (18 goals) and Ryan Johansen (17) lead the Blue Jackets in scoring, but their production has dipped of late - especially with Foligno, who has only one goal in his last 11 games.
"Obviously I'm very proud of everything that's going on personally, but we play this game to win the Stanley Cup," Foligno told the team's official website. "It's unfortunate that we've had some injuries that have caused our core guys to be out and a lot of guys have missed time."
The loss to the Jets may have been the most critical yet after goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was lost to a groin injury. Bobrovsky, who owns a 2.85 goals-against average, was placed on injured reserve Monday and is expected to miss four to six weeks.
With the former Vezina Trophy winner out, goaltending duties will fall to Curtis McElhinney and Anton Forsberg, who was recalled from AHL Springfield on Monday. McElhinney had a 3.49 GAA through his first 10 games, but has won each of his last three starts.
Washington (24-13-9) could take advantage of the Blue Jackets' uncertainty in net, especially with star winger Alex Ovechkin heating up. The Capitals rank near the top of the league with 2.96 goals per game and Ovechkin has five in his last three games.
Ovechkin surely would like to come out of the midseason layoff the way he did after the Olympic hiatus last year, when he picked up five points in the first two games to spark two Washington victories during an otherwise disappointing campaign.
"Before the season, I said, it's a very important year for us, for me, for the whole group of guys on the team," Ovechkin said. "We all wanted to come back and show last year was maybe a little bit of no luck."
The recent production, however, has not translated to success. Washington has fallen in each of its last three contests despite averaging 3.67 goals, dropping the Capitals into a tie with Boston for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
"These guys have been playing pretty well, but we're not securing the puck," coach Barry Trotz said. "I said to the guys, 'Maybe we don't make the playoffs.' There are some good teams out there."
Washington has surrendered four or more goals 15 times this season but ranks in the upper half of the league with 2.52 allowed per game. That trend has followed the up-and-down season of Braden Holtby, who owns a 2.26 GAA with a career-high four shutouts, yet has allowed eight goals in his last two starts.
Holtby and the Capitals are 2-0-1 against the Blue Jackets this season and took the most recent meeting 5-4 on Dec. 18 in Columbus. Foligno has scored twice in each of the last two contests with Washington.
