Of all the improvements to the Blue Jackets’ play this season that have gotten the team off to a good start, the most notable might be the way Columbus has moved out of the defensive zone this season.

While getting the puck across the blue line and out of trouble has been a sore point in recent years, so far this year the Blue Jackets have been able to get the puck out and use their transition game to create a attack.

But that was lacking in last night’s 6-2 loss to Winnipeg. The NHL-leading Jets forechecked the Blue Jackets to death, making it difficult for the team to get out of the defensive zone. Not only did this lead to goals for the Jets, but it stifled the CBJ offense; if you can’t get out of the defensive zone, you can’t get through the neutral zone with speed, and offense becomes that much harder to find.

“We knew coming in we were going to have to go out and get pucks in,” defenseman Zach Werenski said afterward. “It was going to be a slower game. They played exactly how they wanted; I don’t think we played the way we wanted to. You’re not going to win many games if you don’t play your game in this league, and obviously against a good team like that it can get pretty ugly.

This happened both on the scoreboard and in number of shots, as Winnipeg had big advantages against the Blue Jackets in shots on goal (44-22) and shot attempts (72-45) . For head coach Dean Evason, it was a combination of the Jets playing their game and the Blue Jackets not doing enough to bother the visitors.

“This team put us under pressure to make mistakes,” Evason said. “If we didn’t put pucks on our backhand and made some passes to the middle of the ice and made smart plays and we weren’t firm in our zone, then that allowed them to get more touches in the offensive zone and gain confidence. they already had it.

“If we played the way we’re capable of playing, putting pucks behind them and chasing them, and throwing our forecheck, we never would have had a forecheck all night. There was no pressure, no sustained heat for us in all three zones, but especially in the offensive zone. They did very well, but not us.

Afterward, Evason talked about the Blue Jackets needing to play a smarter game, and Werenski noted that the team largely delivered a win to the hottest team in the league. The good news is there’s not much time to sulk as the Capitals come calling tonight.

“We’ve already said in the room that we can’t wait to get back there,” Evason said. “Put your head up and we have a game at 5 p.m. One bite, a little rest and off you go. If we fix the mistakes in this hockey game and they don’t happen tomorrow night, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win.

Knowing the Enemy: Washington’s Capitals

Head coach: Spencer Carbery (second season)

Team statistics: Goals per match: 4.11 (3rd) | Defense scoring: 3.00 (9th) | PP: 9.4 percent (30th) | PK: 81.8 percent (10th)

The story: Washington hasn’t won a playoff since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018 — hey, there’s nothing wrong with that; the flags fly forever — but they’ve made the playoffs five of the six seasons since winning it all. The team addressed some needs of an aging roster this offseason, but even though Alexander Ovechkin is without longtime teammates Niklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie due to injuries, he still has the scoring ability and has 36 points closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record. .

Team leaders: Dylan Strome has found a home in Washington and leads the way this season with three goals among his 13 assists, while Ovechkin and Connor McMichael are next with matching 5-5-10 lines. Aliaksei Protas has become a reliable part of the attack with three goals and nine points, while John Carlson leads the way with a 2-6-8 record and a plus-11 rating, tied for second in the NHL. Then there’s the team leader in goals, as Tom Wilson has six after scoring a hat trick on Thursday.

Charlie Lindgren and new acquisition Logan Thompson shared the starts in net. Lindgren is 3-2-0 with a 2.62 GAA and .883 save percentage, while Thompson has won all four starts with a 3.21 GAA and .883 save percentage. 876.

What’s new: The Caps have been one of the busiest teams in the NHL this offseason, bringing in Thompson as well as forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Taylor Raddysh and Brandon Duhaime to rebuild the scoring group. Add Jacob Chychrun at guard (although he missed the last game with an upper-body injury) and there’s a whole new look for the Caps, and it’s worked so far with the The team tied atop the Metro Division and Eastern Conference with Carolina. in terms of points percentage.

Tendency : Columbus lost all three games against its division rival last year, losing 2-1 and 4-3 in the final at Washington before an overtime loss at home in December. The Blue Jackets are just 2-7-2 in the series over the last three years.

Former CBJ: The Jackets’ first-round pick in the 2016 draft at third overall, Dubois was traded from Los Angeles to Washington this offseason and is 1-4-5 in his nine games. The team’s 2014 first-round pick, Sonny Milano, also landed in Washington, but was scratched in eight of nine games.