You knew it wasn't always going to look easy.
While it probably wasn't as easy as the Columbus Blue Jackets were making it look, among the early-season surprise teams came away with their first winning month of October since Brad Larsen's first year behind the bench in 2021-22.
Dean Evason's club had a 5-3-1 mark in October, setting franchise records for goals scored along the way.
#CBJ beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-1. With 33 goals in eight games, Columbus has set a new franchise record for fewest games to 30 goals in a season, besting the previous nine games in 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17 and 2009-10.
— CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) October 29, 2024
Through Oct. 31, the Blue Jackets put up 3.89 goals per game, good for ninth in the league and tied with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Jackets scored exactly six goals in each of their first four wins before breaking that streak in a 2-0 win over the New York Islanders on Oct. 30.
That's also taking into account the loss of Kent Johnson, who is out for the foreseeable future with an upper-body injury and hasn't played since Oct. 17. He did skate yesterday which is good news, especially, with how he was looking with five points (two goals, three assists) in the first four games.
Consider that through Nov. 3, the Blue Jackets played four of the top five teams in the standings at that point, going a combined 0-5-0 against the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, Winnipeg Jets, and Washington Capitals.
Evason has done a good job of getting his players to buy into a new style and way of thinking that compliments them, and the results have been more than favorable, as the above numbers point out.
In the team's first nine games, one could make the case the club has been in every single game with a legitimate chance to come away with two points. The only game that stuck out was Oct. 19 against the Wild — a 3-1 loss — in which the Jackets never got their game going.
No one gave the Blue Jackets much of a chance before the season — for good reason — and as MoneyPuck points out, they have a 0.2% chance at the second wild card. The trajectory of this season forward is as much about trying to instill winning confidence in the locker room as it is about bearing those results out on the ice night in and night out.
A similar sentiment has been mentioned before, but there's a different kind of mindset with this group and this coach as opposed to prior seasons.
As the calendar turned to November, the greatest challenge yet presented itself as the league-best Jets were a bit too much to handle for this group.
Columbus was able to tie the game in the first period and keep it within a goal in the second period before Winnipeg turned on the jets and skated away with a 6-2 win.
The Blue Jackets have faced six different opponents in the second half of a back-to-back. On Saturday, Columbus was in that very situation themselves for the first time against the Capitals and the game was essentially over before people were in their seats.
Two Capitals goals 1:42 into the game as part of a five-goal first period, thanks for coming.
Now the club had a few days off to practice and regroup before going on its annual west coast trip, which takes them through San Jose (3-8-2) on Tuesday, Los Angeles (7-3-3) on Saturday, Anaheim (4-5-2) on Sunday, and Seattle (5-7-1) on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
The Sharks and Ducks, like Columbus, are going through their own rebuilds and are 8th and 7th respectively in the Pacific Division. Seattle is sixth in the division with the Kings second.
Regardless of how well the opponent on the ice is playing, West Coast trips are always a challenge. It could also be just what these Blue Jackets need, especially following its worst two losses last weekend.
