Whether you subscribe to an "all in" attitude or prefer to take a more "wait and see" approach, there is no mistaking the indisputable fact that the Blue Jackets are playing as a more cohesive unit to start this season than they have in the past.
After their 5-2 dismantling of the New York Rangers on Saturday night, Columbus is 2-0-0 on the season and sitting in second place of the muddied Metropolitan Division. They've outshot their opponents (Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers) 64-48 and outscored them 8-3. Those eight goals scored through the first two games of the season is a new franchise record.
The scoring is coming from different lines, although the top line of Nick Foligno, Ryan Johansen and Cam Atkinson seems to be clicking despite the fact that Johansen missed all but one practice of training camp. All three have scored points in both games, with Foligno going 1-2-3 (+1), Johansen at 0-3-3 (+1) and Atkinson garnering 3-0-3 (+2).
When he was asked about the play of the top line after the win on Saturday, head coach Todd Richards laughed and said, "Let me ask you, who's our top line? I'm not trying to poke fun at you, but to me, there's different nights... I think it all depends on how you look at it, your top line."
"Joey had some good moments," Richards said. "Cam looks quick and fast. And Nick Foligno does some things that not a lot of guys can do. He uses his size and quickness. He's elusive with the way he handles the puck and he's able to make plays down low. So, they had their moments where they were good."
The top defensive pairing of Jack Johnson and David Savard have been eating up the minutes, with Johnson averaging 23:34 and Savard a team-leading 24:36.
While it may sound cliche, this team really does embody the ethos of "all for one and one for all." They understand that with Horton, Dubinsky, Jenner and Murray out of the lineup, others need to step up their games. In the last game, five players had multi-point games (Atkinson, Dano, Foligno, Hartnell and Johansen), with nine players recording points against the Rangers.
Even the rookies are contributing to the collective team effort. Michael Chaput (0-2-2, +2), Marko Dano (1-1-2, +2) and Alex Wennberg (0-1-1, -1) have all put up points through the first two games.
"I think every win is important," Wennberg said. "We want to come out for the start of the season (playing) good. It feels like we've got something going here. We've got two wins and need to keep it going."
Their attitude is right in line with the guys that have the shared experience of last season under their belt. They've grasped the systems that Todd Richards is running and don't seem out of place, as some might have surmised prior to the start of the season.
"As long as we work hard and keep on skating with the forecheck," said Wennberg, "everything will work out. We'll get better and better."
While playing well through two games is a small sample size, the team has taken the success they had in the preseason and continued it into regular season play. So, combining the two, the team is 9-1-0 through their last 10 games, which does show that they're trending in the right direction. Trust, going in both directions, is a big part of their success.
"The coach has to trust his players," Richards said. "They're going to make mistakes. There are some nights they're going to be good and some nights they aren't going to be as good. But, you have to trust them."
"What I would like to do is roll four lines. And, we're getting contributions from all four lines. We want to play a fast game. But, we're at Game 2 and we'll get better and better at it."
This "team first" attitude has become an integral part of the Blue Jackets identity. They know that they will have off nights, where their play will not be good enough to help the team. But, when that time comes, they also believe that their teammates will step up in their stead.
This is the team that the fans have been waiting to see for years. They have taken the "bricks" and are building a foundation of success. Will there be hiccups along the way? Of course there will. It happens to every team.
It's how they handle those curveballs that will determine just how successful they are at the end of the season.
