It goes without saying that the upcoming game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders will be a tense one. Specifically, both teams enter this game with much uncertainty about the head coaches, Pascal Vincent and Lane Lambert.
Two teams have already replaced their head coaches with the Edmonton Oilers hiring Kris Knoblach and the Minnesota Wild hiring John Hynes, and this season looks like the one where coaching changes are more common. A loss by the Blue Jackets or the Islanders can only further warm up the hot seat for Vincent and Lambert.
The Blue Jackets have been a disaster this season with an 8-14-5 record which is the worst in the Metropolitan Division. Their recent loss on Dec. 5 felt like a new low as they boasted a 3-0 lead in the third period only to lose 4-3 in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings.
Related: 4 Takeaways From Islanders’ 5-4 Loss vs Sharks
The Islanders haven’t been a mess and on the contrary, sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with a 10-7-7 record. However, the blown leads throughout the season have been an issue that reflects poorly on everyone. Like the Blue Jackets, the Islanders enter this game following a third-period collapse as they had a 4-1 lead against the San Jose Sharks but lost 5-4 in overtime.
It’s still early and a lot can change from now until the end of the season. That said, this game feels like a must-win for both teams.
What A Loss Might Mean For The Blue Jackets
Since Oct. 24, the Blue Jackets have gone 5-12-5 and another defeat will be their third in a row and fourth in five games. The season is in a downward spiral and only getting worse for a team that was hoping to take a step forward and contend for a playoff spot.
The offseason wasn’t perfect but the Blue Jackets made a lot of moves that indicated they were ready to contend. Along with selecting Adam Fantilli in the NHL Entry Draft and adding an elite talent to one of the top prospect pools in the league, they acquired Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson to strengthen the defense and round out the roster. Now, they look like a team that is staring at another teardown after a failed rebuild. The young players provide high upside but a lot of questionable decisions leave them in a difficult place.
A loss to the Islanders won’t have Vincent or general manager (GM) Jarmo Kekalainen fired….
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