Crashing the net: Jackets not forgetting Penguins ended their season
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Tuesday brings the third game of the preseason as the Blue Jackets inch closer to the start of the season. Once again, there are players hoping to make a lasting impression on the coaching staff.
With a rivalry that saw its genesis in the playoff series with Pittsburgh last year about to be renewed, players are getting anxious for the puck to drop. Head coach Todd Richards is no different in this regard, wanting to find a way to beat the Penguins and set the tone for the season.
"It's still the name 'Pittsburgh Penguins,'" said Richards. "From a preseason standpoint, it doesn't truly have the same feel as a regular season game or certainly not a playoff game. But, it is the Pittsburgh Penguins."
Although the 'big name' players are not suiting up for the Penguins Tuesday night, Richards still sees this as a continuation from last year.
"I know they're not going to have (Evgeni) Malkin and (Sidney) Crosby, but they still are going to be the Pittsburgh Penguins. And they're the team that ended our season last year."
Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson, like all of the players that were wearing union blue last year, has a long memory of what the Penguins did to end their season.
"We don't forget what happened last season," Atkinson said. "We're going to treat it just like a regular season game and take this game and try to get better. It's definitely a start to something pretty big."
The recurring theme of training camp from Todd Richards is getting "faster." Atkinson, already known as a quick skater, acknowledges that the entire team has taken this to heart. They are making strides in this area.
"That's how we've been practicing since day one," he said. "We changed up a couple of systems, but for the most part it's pretty much the same. We've been practicing a lot of quick passes, turn-ups, transitions and just playing fast. It's about making quick and smart decisions."
"It goes the other way too," he continued. "If we're back-checking and tracking hard, we're always moving our feet."
Smart, two-way play is the name of the game in the NHL. With each passing day, they are honing that skill in the hopes of taking the next step and adding another brick to the foundation. But first, they have to get by those pesky birds from the 'Burgh and renew the "Interstate Rivalry."
Wisniewski on the Penguins and bringing a "western style" to the east
Defenseman James Wisniewski knows beating the Penguins, albeit in a preseason game, is important to the team. He sees this rivalry just getting bigger with the drop of the puck Tuesday night, knowing that the Blue Jackets are a better team.
"With eight teams in our division," he said, "every team is going to become a rival. Especially when you start to become a Stanley Cup-contending team, all of the best teams in the league become your rival because they're the ones getting in your way of achieving your ultimate goal."
They forged an identity by playing "Blue Jackets hockey." Other teams around the league are not surprised, or look past this team anymore. They've brought a "western" style of play with them since moving to the Eastern Conference.
"Playing over there (Western Conference)," Wisniewski said. "It was more of a grinding, wear you down, almost playoff-type atmosphere all the time.
"Since coming over to the East," he said, "I don't think we caught them by surprise, but it was more of a run-and-gun game. They saw us working hard every single shift and every single game. But as you become a better team and organization through winning, you're not going to catch anybody by surprise anymore."
"People are going to get amped up to play against us and we have to be ready to step up our game a couple of notches."
Tuesday night's Blue Jackets lineup
Forwards: Anderson, Anisimov, Atkinson, Bjorkstrand, Chaput, Collins, Dubinsky, Hartnell, Gibbons, Rychel, Tropp, Tynan
Defensemen: Johnson, Tyutin, Weber, Wisniewski, Golubef, Madaisky.
Goalies: Bobrovsky (two periods), Dansk.
