As the captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nick Foligno knows the pressure that he puts on himself when the team doesn't win. Always speaking to the media and giving his thoughts on many games, Foligno has a solid pulse on the team's effort.
During their 3-2 shootout loss against the Minnesota Wild, Foligno noted that having center Brandon Dubinsky back was a good development. He also stated that despite his inclusion in the lineup, the team still wasn't up to snuff.
"It felt good to have a lot of guys back," said Foligno post-game after the Minnesota loss. "I thought [Dubinsky] was really noticeable tonight; the lines seemed to flow a lot better. We need that effort; we need that understanding of how we need to play."
The want and desire for the team to dictate their style of play has been reiterated by Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella many times. That passion for that form of play ties in many other concepts the coaching staff has been pushing, including effort, momentum, and grit.
Foligno knows that it needs to be better and the captain has identified it as the team's biggest problem.
"That's what I don't like," said Foligno. "You look at our effort in the first period, and we were dominating. Then, the second-period hits and the effort goes away, and they come right back and start dictating, and it takes us awhile to get the momentum back again. That seems to be our biggest problem right now as a team."
Now that the team is almost healthy, the process of being the team they've been in season's past can take place. Foligno will try to facilitate it, but a full team effort will continue to be a necessity.
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