What you saw last night? That's more like it.
Thursday in Denver, the Blue Jackets didn't have enough people going.
When they're banged up and missing bodies, that just can't happen. Whether or not your name ends up on the scoresheet, John Tortorella needs to be able to look down his bench and find 10, 11 and 12 forwards ready to go – having two or three lines earning minutes isn't sustainable.
Look at last night's shootout win over the Panthers: the fourth line of Jordan Schroeder, Tyler Motte and Markus Hannikainen had an effective night 5-on-5. That's great. Timely, too, because offense needs to start coming from somewhere other than the Dubois line or Oliver Bjorkstrand. This from Alison Lukan:
The #CBJ fourth line had a good night, led the team in shot attempts +/-. Jordan Schroeder (+9) in particular drew my notice tonight. pic.twitter.com/p8k2BDW65H
— Alison (@AlisonL) January 8, 2018
We hear coaches and players use the phrase "all hands on deck" a lot; in some cases, it means needing everyone contributing, scoring and being on top of their game. For the Blue Jackets, it's almost that but more so just having four reliable forward lines and three defense pairs that can roll over the boards at any given time.
Tortorella's getting a ton of miles out of Zach Werenski, Seth Jones, Markus Nutivaara and David Savard. Jack Johnson has struggled mightily to suppress shots and Scott Harrington played fewer than 12 minutes last night. Need a little more balance there, until they get Ryan Murray (one of their most consistent defensemen) back in the lineup. Hopefully that's sooner than later.
Up front, it's going to be a little while.
Alexander Wennberg and Brandon Dubinsky are skating (a good sign) and Cam Atkinson is recovering from surgery on a broken foot. It would be a surprise if any of them returned before the team's bye week, which means they have three games to get through – two of them on the road – before a mandatory five-day break.
If their approach is anything like we saw Sunday at Nationwide Arena, then they have a damn good chance.
Despite a blip in the second period, the Blue Jackets were direct and played the north-south game that Tortorella is constantly harping on them for. It's the "road game" you hear coaches talk about; making simple plays, staying above the puck and not giving away free opportunities. The Blue Jackets gave up 40-plus shots but many of those were in the third period with a one-goal lead, and it's a foregone conclusion that the trailing team is going to pump some pucks on goal.
They've got guys out of position, up and down the lineup (Nick Foligno played wing on the third line against Florida) and a confidence that seems to fluctuate from game-to-game. Results help, and if they can bank a few more points before Friday's over, they should be ready to hit the ground running after a week off.
When the Blue Jackets play a tight, team-focused game and involve everyone, they can play well enough to hang around in hockey's wildest and most competitive division. If they manage that, why can't they take another step when healthy?
YOU SHOULD BE READING
- Zach Werenski had some interesting thoughts about the Blue Jackets' style of play: he has to remember to stay on the attack from the back end.
- Here's a recap from the Blue Jackets' shootout win over the Panthers, and it was a wild one.
- Nick Foligno said he had a reason for addressing his teammates after practice this week.
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