The Blue Jackets know they have but a small handful of playoff wins to their credit.
They're optimistic that this spring will produce an improved set of results.
John Tortorella goes into these Stanley Cup playoffs feeling slightly better about his team than he did a year ago, when they hit their stride in the middle of the season and coasted in. This year, they had to fight – and without their top players driving the bus, they'd likely be on the golf course or planning beach vacations.
Their top line of Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois has been one of the NHL's best since the trade deadline. They've added depth on defense and shored up some holes, which has given Tortorella the ability to ice a consistent lineup and only reward those who are playing well.
But he cautioned that, despite regular season success, this time of year is when you learn the most about your team.
"It's one of the most interesting parts of playoff hockey," Tortorella said. "Some guys shrink, and some guys get really big. That's when you find out about your team, your players, the individual player, your team concept...they're high-stakes games. I think we played high-stake games at the end of the regular season to get in, (but) this is at a-whole-nother level."
Panarin, for example, became the first player in Blue Jackets history to record 80 points in a season (27 goals, 55 assists), breaking a scoring mark long-held by Rick Nash. He doesn't have a great track record in the playoffs: Panarin has only two goals in 11 career playoff games, and was held in check by Nashville during the Blackhawks' four-game loss in the first round last season.
He's one of the players that the Blue Jackets need to deliver. Atkinson, who started slow, battled injury and came back with a terrific second half to finish with yet another 20-goal season, is also in that category.
"We don't have a sniff of playing or even talking today – we'd be breaking up today – if those guys didn't come through," Tortorella said. "That's where I feel good about the team; I think we're playing some of our best hockey as a group and certainly the individuals...they found their way. With them and the additions at the deadline, I think our group feels really good about (itself)."
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