That’s the type of game the Blue Jackets – on their quest to become one of the NHL’s top teams – need to win more of.
Sometimes you’ll hear that game referred to as a “schedule loss,” a game that you’re kind of expecting a less than desirable result. It’s one of those weird sports things, where people just think a team is going to lose because the schedule sets up unfavorably.
Regardless, the Blue Jackets haven’t been too successful in games like Tuesday’s.
Joonas Korpisalo in net on the second night of a back-to-back, the Blue Jackets in the midst of a busy stretch and coming off a tough loss on Monday. After flying back to Columbus from Montreal, clearing customs and getting to bed, the Blue Jackets had about 12 hours to get ready for another game.
But a performance like that, against a Hurricanes team riding an 11-3-3 clip against them over the last 17 meetings, can do wonders for the Blue Jackets’ confidence. They hung in against a tough team in a difficult situation and played one of their more solid games of the season – and when you out-shoot the Hurricanes, you’ve done something right.
Alexander Wennberg provided a jolt in his first game back, and also assisted on Zach Werenski's go-ahead goal in the second period. Werenski logged 28-plus minutes and was arguably the best player on the ice for either team.
“I thought we played well,” said head coach John Tortorella. “We (didn’t) give them much. I like the way we played, coming in as late as we did. I liked our game. I thought everyone contributed, and I’m thrilled for Korpi.”
The Blue Jackets bent a little in the third period and gave up a tying goal to Brock McGinn, but they held steady and had their chances to win in both regulation and overtime. Make no mistake: that was an important win for a young team that’s figuring it out as it goes along, and when you can do that and rack up a 16-8-1 record in the first 25 games, all the better.
RIDLEY ON REY
Daisy Ridley did the NYC media tour yesterday, and her interview on Good Morning America was particularly interesting. She's talking about Rey's journey of discovery in The Last Jedi, and how her parentage will serve a purpose in this new story:
YOU SHOULD BE READING
- Korpisalo and Zach Werenski were huge in the Jackets' shootout win last night.
- The Blue Jackets earned their eighth win in nine games, and here's how they did it.
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