The Columbus Blue Jackets enter the new week coming off a split of their back-to-back games against the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators. They find themselves still right there in the playoff race.
The Blue Jackets won a thriller 7-6 in a shootout against the Canucks on Friday night. Then in Ottawa Saturday night, they played well in stretches but ultimately fell 3-2 to the Senators.
The loss Saturday dropped the Blue Jackets to 1-9-0 on the second half of back-to-back games this season. But unlike the previous eight losses in this scenario, the Blue Jackets had a chance to win. It’s marked improvement from earlier in the season.
Turning a Corner?
Are the Blue Jackets starting to turn that all important corner when it comes to back-to-back games? The 1-9-0 would seem to indicate that they haven’t.
But a closer look suggests perhaps there are some positive signs. Both Adam Fantilli and head coach Dean Evason believe the team is turning a corner.
“We came in and we gave ourselves a chance to win on a back-to-back,” Fantilli said. “I think that’s the best we’ve played on a back-to-back in a while here. I’m proud of our effort. Didn’t go our way. We had some chances that didn’t go in. What can you do? Try to get back at it (Tuesday.)”
The Blue Jackets won’t make excuses for their play in any situation. They know no matter how they feel or how quick a turnaround the next game is, they have to be at their best. Fantilli agreed that the team is turning a corner.
“There’s no excuse for us to not be at the top of our game every night. We have all the resources to be there. We just gotta be at our best every night and there’s no excuse for that. Just because we’re playing a back-to-back doesn’t mean we’re going to be a little bit tired or sluggish. We still got to be the same team and play the same way and get the same result (wins).”
Evason believes the effort in more recent back-to-backs have been better. Like Fantilli, he believes the Blue Jackets are starting to turn a corner.
“I think that’s fair,” Evason said. “If you just look at the short term the last game in particular, we have talked about from our standpoint but that’s as close of a playoff game. It was so fast at the start and so hard. Everyone’s playing right and gritty and…
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