It cannot be worse than Wednesday night, right?
Surely, the Blue Jackets will perform better on Friday against the Calgary Flames than they did in a 9-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on national television Wednesday. Friday's game isn't a must-win by any stretch. The Flames are better than them, and losing helps them get in a better position to draft higher. For my colleague, Ed Francis' preview of the game, click here.
The result isn't important because of what I explained above. If they win, great. If they lose, better for the tank. But it's about the performance. This is a team that got completely embarrassed on Wednesday. That should, if nothing else, force them to play for pride.
Assessing blame for the first period debacle against the Buffalo Sabres #CBJ https://t.co/6ZcCmq1BVl
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) December 8, 2022
Now, what that bounce-back performance looks like is up to the players and coaching staff. The team had the day off on Thursday so there should be zero excuses for not being energized enough for this game. Take a look at this quote from Erik Gudbranson via Aaron Portzline after Wednesday's game.
More #CBJ Erik Gudbranson:
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) December 8, 2022
The worst part about it is we just wasted everyones time that was in the buidling. We cant give that time back to them. Thats not one you just sleep off. You definitely dont wake up tomorrow feeling good about yourself. You shouldnt, either.
Gudbranson is right. Of course, the Blue Jackets aren't going to win every game. They might not even win most games this season. But they at least owe it to the fans who pay their hard-earned money to watch this team to play hard and put up a better fight.
How this team performs Friday will tell us whether this team is made of the right stuff or not.
