With expectations high after last season, Columbus sauntered out of the
gate to start the 2013-14 season. The rollercoaster ride that was the
first two months of their season was frustrating on many levels,
peppered with good wins and very bad losses. The Blue Jackets' identity of being a
hard-working team seemed to be lost in the sluggish
start.
But, here we are, nine days from
Christmas. The Blue Jackets have played 33 games and find themselves in
the mix for a playoff spot in the jumbled mass that is the Metropolitan
Division. With their record standing at 14-15-4 (32 points), they are
three points out of third place in the division and a guaranteed spot in
the postseason.
While still very much a work in
progress, they are beginning to play with more confidence, as evidenced
by their record the last four games. They went 2-2 overall last week,
2-1 against divisional opponents and earned 5 of a possible 8 points in
that span.
Nick Foligno, traded to Columbus from
the Ottawa Senators in July 2012, is one of the more outspoken leaders
on a very young Blue Jackets team. At the ripe old age of 26, he talks
the talk and backs that up with his play on the ice. He doesn't shy away
from assessing himself and the team as they begin to find the gel that
will bind the club together as they look climb up the
standings.
"That's how you build toward a
successful team," Foligno said. "And I think you're seeing that from
us. Our work ethic is the one thing that has remained constant. That's
how you win. You may falter from time to time, but you rely on your work
ethic to get you through it. I think for us, it's a matter of finding
that every night and making sure that that's the one constant that
doesn't waver from game to game.
"If our work
ethic is good, everything else comes along with it. Our physicality, our
skating, our structure and execution all plays a part. I think right
now we're all battling really hard for each other and that's showing up
on the scoreboard."
They know where they stand in
the division and understand that they put themselves in a bit of a hole
earlier in the season. Yet, they still need to look at every game they
play as being the most important game. That worked for them in the past
and will hold them in good stead going forward.
"Obviously,
everyone knows the standings," he said. "I think our approach (to it)
has to be game-by-game. For us to look that far ahead is dangerous
because we're a team that kind of needs to stay 'in the now', focus on
what we're doing and how we're playing. Right now, it's working for us. I
don't want to see us get too far ahead of ourselves and focus on what
could happen.
"I think we're a team," Foligno
said, "to be successful, we need to be a team that gets ready for the
game. Once that game is over, you think about it, reflect on it and get
ready for the next one. That's when we've been most successful and
that's what we've been doing the last five games here. It really works
for us well."
The confidence within the club has
ebbed and flowed throughout the first 33 games. Getting their emotions
on an even keel moving forward has helped in building their individual
and collective confidence. That translates into making smarter plays,
shooting the puck more and battling hard to get the two points a win
brings.
"Honestly, it's a direct result of
playing the right way," he said. "Everyone has seen the benefits of
playing the right way and that's our forecheck, being relentless on
pucks, working hard and that's where the shots come from. Obviously,
you're making a conscious effort to shoot more, but at the same time
it's because we're getting in the places to shoot. Whereas before, we
weren't doing those things.
"Because we are
working together as five guys on the ice, it allows you to have that
much more opportunity to shoot and to get out of your zone that much
better, too. If you look at our (recent) games, we're spending less time
in our end and more time in theirs. That's really been the
difference."
Last year, they had an "underdog, us
against the world" mentality. While that didn't quite carry over into
the new season, they are finding a way to get back to that way of
thinking.
"We have to (think that way)," Foligno said. "We're not a team
that has done anything, so to speak, yet. We're a team that's working
towards that. But, we haven't achieved anything
yet.
"You know, we haven't gained the respect of
the league yet and that's because we haven't done it consistently. How
you gain respect and become a powerhouse in the league is to do it
night-in and night-out. That's what we're working towards. Right now,
we're (starting to) show that we can do that.
"We
need to continue to do that. All of those things kind of iron
themselves out as you go. I'm really proud of the way we're playing and I
know that it's a driving force in our locker room. We have to make sure
that we're a team that a lot of teams hate to
play."
Injuries are a part of the game, yet
Columbus has depth within the organization that allows them to call up
players from their AHL-affiliate club in Springfield, and they
fit right in with the way the club plays the game. This has helped them
to keep momentum going in the right direction, without having to worry
about bringing a guy up-to-speed after being
called-up.
"It says a lot about the
organizational depth," he said. "They're stepping into a situation
that's tough sometimes, but they welcome it with open arms and really
run with it. It says a lot about the group of guys we have in here that
can carry on with the injuries that we have. Injuries are a part of the
game. It's how you weather the storm, so to speak."
"We're
looking forward to getting everyone healthy and seeing what our team
can do. It's full-steam ahead now.
Short Shifts
•
Jack Skille has been recalled from Springfield in advance of tonight's
tilt with the visiting Winnipeg Jets.
• Marian
Gaborik, D James Wisniewski and G Curtis McElhinney are all out for
tonight's game. G Mike McKenna will make his 2nd start between the pipes
for the Blue Jackets.
• Gaborik and Wisniewski
could return to the lineup as soon as Thursday when Columbus travels to
Philadelphia for a game against the Flyers.
