It isn't the New Year yet so the Columbus Blue Jackets haven't taken their resolutions to heart.
They kept a little bit of 2018 with them when they allowed the Ottawa Senators to hang around for multiple periods.
It resulted in a slow-moving and ugly game. The Blue Jackets weren't able to impose themselves. Against a lesser team, you'd hope that would be a given.
Here are your three things from a 6-3 win at Nationwide Arena:
Are They Any Good?
The Blue Jackets have a real issue. They need to be good enough to do whatever the hell they want when they want to. They have been able to do it at times against bad teams. Against the Ottawa Senators, they weren't able to get much going during the first two periods. Then in the third period, they turned it on.
Is that a good sign? Is that a bad sign? It just doesn't bode well for a Blue Jackets team looking for consistency. They can't beat the good teams consistently, but they are skating by and beating the bad teams. They need something to believe in and there is nothing to it just yet.
Top Line Fever
If you need a goal, the top line is going to get it for you. No one else is remotely close to doing what they are able to provide for the team. They are put in a position to succeed constantly. It's easy for them to pile up points considering they compliment one another so well.
It begs the question if the players should be broken up to help other lines succeed. Dubois had two goals on the evening, and he's able to control the game when he needs to. What makes it work well is the space given to each player due to the respect for each of their skills.
Not a lot is working for the Blue Jackets consistently, but their top line definitely is – and they need to build off it.
Opportunity for a restart
The New Year means new starts. The Blue Jackets need to change. How quickly they can change is going to be the real issue. Consistency is needed.
For now, all is well? They're 23-13-3 heading into 2019, which kicks off Friday night in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes.
