Two weeks ago, Miles Wood grabbed his left eye and worried that he’d permanently lost his vision in it.
A stick blade clipped him during the first period of the Blue Jackets’ 3-2 loss Oct. 13 at Nationwide Arena and he dropped to the ice in a near panic. Later, he called it the scariest injury he’s ever suffered playing hockey, worse than having eight teeth knocked out during his first three NHL seasons.
“I said to the trainers, ‘Break whatever bone you want, just don’t take my eye,’” Wood said 10 days after it happened. “When I was down on the ice, I thought my eyeball was in my hand when I pulled it away. I couldn’t see for a half hour after, so, yeah, I was kind of scared, but all good now.”
How good?
Well, Wood returned to the Blue Jackets’ lineup Oct. 28 in Buffalo, his hometown, and keyed a 4-3 overtime win with two late goals to down the Sabres. After tying it 3-3 with 6:05 left in regulation, Wood won it at 2:53 of OT after toting a bouncing puck into the Buffalo zone, chopping a pass to Isac Lundestrom and heading to the net.
Zach Werenski’s pass deflected off Wood’s stick for a deflection under the crossbar to give the Blue Jackets (5-4-0) their fourth straight road win. They’re 4-1-0 in road games.
“It’s a true team environment, which I love,” Wood said on the FanDuel Sports Network postgame broadcast. “Guys care for each other, and that clearly showed tonight.”
Here are three takeaways:
Yegor Chinkahov is showing why the Columbus Blue Jackets are being selective with trade options
Nothing has changed from Yegor Chinakhov’s perspective.
His desire is for a fresh start via trade, which is likely the primary reason that recent scouting interest has skyrocketed at Nationwide Arena. Chinakhov has a rare a combination of size, speed, skill and shooting acumen, and players like him usually play top-six roles. The Blue Jackets already have their top nine, so Chinakhov’s options are limited despite adding two more points against the Sabres with a goal and assist as the right wing on a dangerous fourth line.
Asked for an update about the trade request on FanDuel Sports Network, Waddell said nothing has changed and he’s not willing to deal Chinakhov for anything that would diminish his NHL roster.
“We’re just going to keep monitoring it,” Waddell said. “Right now, he’s a Blue Jacket. As long as he’s a Blue Jacket, we’re going to get the most out of him.”
Columbus Blue Jackets struggling to score while dominating shifts
Statistically, the Blue Jackets have become one of the NHL’s best at 5-on-5 and even strength. They’re capable of dominating possession, racking up shots and generating scoring chances, which are all hallmarks of playoff teams.
The biggest issue for the Blue Jackets during dominant shifts is simply not beating enough goalies. Yegor Chinakhov’s goal gave the Blue Jackets an early 1-0 lead, but they weren’t able to increase it before the first period ended with the same score.
It’s a great sign for the Blue Jackets to dominate multiple shifts and periods, but not scoring enough goals leaves them more susceptible to losing games they should win.
Columbus Blue Jackets scratch Erik Gudbranson with hip soreness
Following warmups, the Blue Jackets scratched defenseman Erik Gudbranson unexpectedly. He felt hip soreness, which led to him sitting out. Jake Christiansen, who’d watched the previous two games as a scratch, replaced Gudbranson on the third pairing.
According to Natural Stat Trick, Christiansen and Dante Fabbro posted the best secondary stats among all defensemen in 9:42 together. During those shifts, the Blue Jackets generated 66.7% of attempts (16-8), 60% of shots (6-4) and 100% of scoring chances (5-0).
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
Online
Coverage of Wednesday’s Blue Jackets-Maple Leafs game at Dispatch.com
