Not much had to be said in the Blue Jackets locker room going into Tuesday’s game vs. Toronto.
The Blue Jackets knew that last Saturday’s home loss vs. Minnesota wasn’t their best effort, and they were determined to not let it happen again against the Maple Leafs.
A 6-2 victory over Toronto thus was seen as a major step forward for the Columbus room. It was just one game, but it showed the Blue Jackets had the right stuff in the locker room early in the season to respond when challenged.
“I think we all took accountability for that effort (vs. the Wild),” Zach Werenski said. “It wasn’t like we were trying to dodge it or anything. We knew we didn’t play right. Guys in the room knew we didn’t play right. I don’t really think (the coaches) had to say much. We knew it in our room.”
That would be music to the ears of head coach Dean Evason. A coach can preach about the standard for their team as much as they want, but the squads that have true success are the ones who find the answer within the locker room.
While Evason noted he doesn’t spend any time reading or listening to coverage of the squad, word did filter to the head coach that the players had the right message as soon as the Minnesota game ended.
“I don’t listen to the guys (interviews) after and what have you, but a couple of the (coaches) said that there were several players that said the same thing, that we have a standard here of how we work and that we didn’t do that certainly at the start of (the Minnesota) game,” Evason said after the win vs. Toronto. “Tonight, we did that. And obviously it’s great for coaches when you see a team respond after not having the type of game or the type of start that we need in order to give ourselves a chance to have success.”
While much of the pregame talk before the game against the Maple Leafs was about some line changes made to create offense, the result came from a perhaps unexpected source. The team’s bottom two lines contributed four goals, with Mathieu Olivier scoring twice and Justin Danforth and James van Riemsdyk also chipping in goals.
That kind of production from up and down the lineup will be what the Jackets are looking for as they head to Nashville for tonight’s game.
“It’s awesome,” Werenski said. “Those guys work so hard, and it’s nice to see them get rewarded. Obviously it just helps our group, takes pressure off the top line. It’s great when all six D are going and the goalie is playing well.”
Know The Foe: Nashville Predators
Head coach: Andrew Brunette (Second season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 2.43 (28th) | Scoring defense: 3.57 (24th) | PP: 18.5 percent (19th) | PK: 91.7 percent (2nd)
The narrative: Seemingly forever stuck in between – Nashville has made the playoffs nine of the last 10 seasons and 16 of the last 20, but advanced to a conference final only once – the Predators and general manager Barry Trotz were big spenders this offseason. Trotz made a splash in free agency by signing veteran forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, but it’s been a tough start to the experiment, with Nashville losing its first five games winning two straight, including last night's 3-2 win at Chicago.
Team leaders: Coming off a career-best 48-goal, 94-point season (which places him sixth in the NHL in goals), Filip Forsberg leads the team in the early going with a 3-4-7 line in seven games. Ryan O'Reilly is next with six points so far (2-4-6), while Luke Evangelista (1-4-5) and Roman Josi (0-5-5) follow. Josi is coming off a season in which his 23 goals led NHL defensemen, while his 85 points were third among blueliners.
In net, Juuse Saros is 2-4-0 with a 2.74 GAA and .908 save percentage. He started last night, so it seems likely the Blue Jackets will see Scott Wedgewood, who has one start in which he took a loss while allowing four goals on 20 shots.
What's new: Stamkos and Marchessault lead the way, but the duo has combined for just two goals thus far. Brady Skjei was also brought in to bolster the defense after the offseason departures of Ryan McDonagh and Tyson Barrie, and he’s posted a two goals and an assist thus far.
Trending: Avert your eyes, CBJ fans – Bridgestone Arena has long been a house of horrors for the Blue Jackets, who have an all-time record of 9-36-7 in Nashville, including eight straight losses. A year ago, the Preds won both games of the series, taking a 2-1 victory in Columbus and a 6-4 triumph in Music City.
Former CBJ: Former CBJ forward Gustav Nyquist landed in Nashville in free agency a season ago and posted a career-best 75-point season. This year, he has two goals and two assists after last nights two-point effort.
