Many times after a loss, players and coaches will say that they can take this positive aspect or that positive play from the game. This becomes especially true in the midst of a losing streak, as everyone seemingly begins grasping at anything that might be looked at in a positive light. "Spinning" a loss becomes de rigueur for a team.
Despite the 4-2 loss on Tuesday in Washington, the Blue Jackets didn't have to "spin" the defeat. There were many positive aspects of that game that they saw and can build upon.
"We were one puck bounce away from it being a tie game," said defenseman James Wisniewski of Tuesday night's loss. "Their first goal was off Prouter's (Dalton Prout) skate, off my skate, off Mac (Curtis McElhinney) to a guy that just taps it in on the backdoor. Then they get a five-on-three. Other than that, we played with them. It shows that when you come ready to play and you play hard, you can play with anybody."
While this isn't as cut-and-dried as saying they've turned the corner, it was a step in the right direction. The road to redemption is paved with little steps, all moving forward. And that's what they see that they can build on.
"I think we took a good stride," center Ryan Johansen said. "I think that was one of the best games this year that we've played. We played as a team and did a lot of good things. We played a solid game and it was just a couple of lucky bounces and a couple of bad penalties. Looking at the positives as a team going into (Friday's) game, we took another step."
Confidence is a fickle thing. The game on Tuesday served to remind them that they can, indeed, play to their identity. That game was reminiscent of the way they played last spring. There's still a desire and drive to get their season back on track and moving forward.
"We're kind of in that 'snowball' effect right now," said Johansen, "but the guys have been staying really positive through this. With the way that we played on Tuesday, it's good to see that we're not giving up. We're starting to make our way back up to where we want to play. Obviously, it's still not near where we want to be, but we're making strides."
That reminder of playing "Blue Jackets hockey" is not lost on the guys in the room. There is not some magic elixir that will all of a sudden make them play every shift exactly the proper way and guarantee a win. It's just not that easy.
"I think all of the guys know the way that we're able to play," defenseman Fedor Tyutin said. "That game (Tuesday) was a little step forward and a confidence boost. It reminded us that we're able to play that way. Everybody 'checked in'. That's the way we have to play every game."
It's all about making strides and taking steps in the right direction. They have not done that for the majority of the season, to this point. But there is a belief that they can turn it around by taking steps in playing their game. They feel they need to recapture the feeling of expecting to win every game.
"We need to turn this around," Tyutin said. "We have to go into the game (Friday) feeling that we can win. We have to play the right way with our structure and hard work. If we take it one shift at a time, we'll get the win."
Staying focused is a huge part of getting the team in the right frame of mind to win games. Head coach Todd Richards knows that you have to want to come to the rink every day, even mired in a losing streak. Losing sight of their goal of post-season play would be the death knell for them.
"I could hear the energy in the room (Thursday morning)," Richards said. "You want some positive things. A big part of this is that you still have to enjoy what you're doing. And when you're losing, it makes it harder to enjoy it."
"When you wake up in the morning, you've got to want to come down to the rink, put in hard work and do the things to get better. If it's a stressful environment, and losing does elevate that, you still have to want to come to work and do the work."
They still have the drive within them, as evidenced by their attitude, that they can get their season going. After reminding themselves that they can play the game the right way, they're looking forward to a tough game on Friday night in Philadelphia.
"You know what? It's being prepared and being ready to start," said Wisniewski. "We're playing a divisional opponent and it's going to be an emotional game. They've got Mase (Steve Mason) and (RJ) Umberger there and we've got Hartsy (Scott Hartnell) here. We've got to be ready for their building to be rocking and be ready for a battle. I think we're ready to do that."
When they take to the ice Friday at the Wells Fargo Center, they all know that they have to take the positive steps from their last game and build upon them against the Flyers.
"Obviously," said Richards, "there are little things here and there that you have to deal with as a coach to get guys ready and prepared. But, it's just staying with the fight and trying to get better every day."
The Blue Jackets return to action tonight against the Flyers in Philadelphia. Be sure to catch all the action on FOX Sports Ohio with the "Blue Jackets Live" pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m.
