The Columbus Blue Jackets are a confident group these days. “Something is happening with that team,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. For the first time perhaps in a while the Blue Jackets are not offering lip service, they are showing signs of growth. With wins recently against the New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers the young Blue Jackets are gaining some traction.
“Well, I think we exhausted the manual on what not to do," Columbus center Sean Kuraly said, “So, I think the only thing left was to do something different…. And that’s what we did.” It should be noted that the Blue Jackets have done this for more than one game. The team truly appears to have turned the corner.
With wins against the NHL’s better teams, it is not the wins, that are a bonus, it is how the team has won. There is a common factor in the Rangers, Golden Knights, and Oilers games that had eluded the Blue Jackets for a lengthy time this season, they jumped out to leads and kept the pressure on for a full 60 minutes.
Blue Jackets puck management has been greatly improving and the team is now establishing a stronger presence in the offensive zone. The team's ability to bring the puck through the neutral zone has also played a big role in more consistent play.
The defense, while better does have lapses over all the team is playing better. One thing that had been in question has grown quieter, player buy-in. At practice before the Edmonton game, goalie Daniil Tarasov had taken a puck to the neck and was taken to the hospital to be looked over. When Tarasov reunited with the team he told Vincent he still wanted to start, ending any buy-in concerns.
It has taken a while as can happen with young teams but the Blue Jackets are showing signs of growth. The final games will be pivotal in setting up the offseason and offseason plans, If the team continues to play the way they have recently it gives hope moving forward.
