January was a big month for the Columbus Blue Jackets as they try to find themselves as a team. They've had long stretches between games, and it has made for an odd balance. Practice has many times been prioritized as the team waits for games. After their game against the Golden Knights, they are trying to find resiliency.
"We have no solution in momentum coming out our way," said head coach John Tortorella speaking to the media a day before their game against the Arizona Coyotes. "We really have no push back."
Still squarely in the playoff hunt despite a lack of goals, the Blue Jackets have been skating by without much offense, but an opportunity to restructure themselves was too good of an opening to pass up before their game against the Golden Knights. Tortorella knows that hitting the reset button once again will be difficult.
"I think it is a mindset," Tortorella said about the Blue Jackets dictating the pace of games. "We've gotta try to solve that. There's no question; I don't think we're a lazy team. I think we work hard; we don't have the constant hardness through a game. When you start getting to this time of the year, it has to be there."
The Blue Jackets know the feeling of a team that has a lot to prove. The doubters came out against the team last year, and it is similar to what the Coyotes have faced this year and in years past. The team is looking for a boost anywhere, and with the possibility of forward Cam Atkinson returning to the lineup, it is a good sign.
"If everything goes well tomorrow (now today), get the report from Vogter (trainer Mike Vogt), yeah, of course, he (Atkinson) is a really good player for us. He'll have some energy; he's been practicing very well. So we'll see where it goes."
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