We're just now waking up after last night's snoozer, but now that we're up, let's talk about this week's learning points.
Momentum is a strange beast
We saw three *extremely* different types of games this week, showcasing the nature of the 82-game schedule.
Tuesday, plain and simple, was not the Jackets’ night. Nothing went right. They went down 5-0, lost 7-2 and lost a key player to injury during a garbage time fight. Not good! To make matters worse, it was a home loss to an underachieving team with injuries on the backend.
Thursday, on the other hand, was their night. A 6-4 win over the Islanders, where the team got goals from key players, got a power play goal (!!) from Pierre-Luc Dubois and took down a divisional rival.
Last night’s game? Not their night. Not their opponent’s night, either. But someone had to win. The final product? A snoozer.
Let’s just not play Carolina ever again
It’s not that Carolina is a heavyweight, it’s more of a “good lord this is painful to watch” thing. The first matchup between the two teams this year? A 2-1 overtime win – normally exciting – but the first 57 minutes were booooooooooring.
The next meeting? A 3-1 loss at Nationwide Arena, where the Jackets got on the board first and then got out-skated and out-worked in a sloppy game.
Last night’s game took the cake, though.
For the good of viewers everywhere, let’s write some letters to the league office to just not schedule these two teams anymore.
Nobody is scratch-proof with Torts on the bench
Cam Atkinson broke out in a major way last season, with 35 goals and 62 points. This year? Much different. Just 11 points so far.
Still, though, he’s a key cog in the Jackets attack, playing top six minutes (a career-high 18:14 this year) and playing in all situations for John Tortorella. Still, though, the numbers are black and white.
Atkinson’s lack of production led Torts to make him a healthy scratch since Todd Richards’ last game behind the Columbus bench last week against Arizona. Sitting a top player is never an easy decision, and Torts went in-depth with Anthony Rothman on 97.1 The Fan this week.
“I’m looking into the future, we have 50-plus games left. People can criticize me… that’s a crowded bus. Just jump on."
The message is clear – Tortorella is fine scratching a player now so they’re at their best come March.
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