Columbus, Ohio - On a day for giving thanks, the Blue Jackets were on the ice practicing in advance of Friday's matchup with the visiting Vancouver Canucks. Head coach Todd Richards had them skating hard and with pace, wanting to see crisp passes as they search for a way out of the funk that they currently find themselves in.
This team is full of guys that have way too much pride to just give up," said defenseman James Wisniewski. "There's no 'give up' in this team and we're not going to allow that culture back into our locker room. We've got to figure it out soon or this is going to be a long year."
They've shown flashes of playing to their identity, of playing 'Blue Jackets hockey'. Whether it's one period or 50 minutes, they've been reminded that it's not gone; it just may be laying dormant at times.
The anger is evident on their faces after a loss, even as recently as Tuesday versus Winnipeg. This is a good sign, as it means that despondency has not set in, nor are they allowing a malaise to take root.
"We will not acceptance of losing back into this locker room," Wisniewski said. "It may have been like that in the past, but it's not acceptable now."
"I think we've realized how good we can play when we play that desperate game. It's just the fact that we aren't doing it for a full 60 minutes that makes us angry. We see spurts of how good we can be, but yet we don't do it. It's only going to come from us, the guys in this locker room."
Once they figure out the answer to that question is when the confidence will return. They know how to do it, they just haven't figured out how to put it all together yet. Keeping that fire burning within them of not giving up is the key.
"If you accept losing and it doesn't bother you in the right ways," said Todd Richards, "you're going to have a short career as a player. You have to take it personal. And I think the players have taken it personal. I don't think it's anything that has become different."
Although there are varying levels of visible anger from the players, rest assured that it is there. And in a season that hasn't had much go right for them, this anger is a good sign.
Johansen banged up
Center Ryan Johansen is a little banged up and did not practice with the team on today. Todd Richards said that he anticipates Johansen being in the lineup Friday against Vancouver. He said that he still has to make a decision about which defenseman will be a healthy scratch, which will be made after the morning skate.
Dubinsky practicing
Center Brandon Dubinsky went the full 50 minutes of practice with the team, with seemingly no ill effects. Richards said Wednesday that he doesn't anticipate Dubinsky playing this weekend. The best guess would be that he makes his season debut at some point next week.
"He's one of those guys that brings it every night," Wisniewski said of Dubinsky. "He brings energy and a hard, heavy game. When we don't have him in the lineup, there's a hole. Getting him back not only makes us deeper, bigger, stronger and tougher... it makes us better."
The Blue Jackets return to action Friday night to host the Vancouver Canucks at 7 p.m. at Nationwide Arena.
