The Blue Jackets have won two straight and in each of them they took a 2-0 lead in the first period (aided both times by a 5-on-3 goal) but were outplayed in the second before righting themselves in the third period.
Thursday at the Florida Panthers, they were outshot 22-5 and outscored 3-1 in the middle period to trail 4-3 before Boone Jenner tied the score and Cam Atkinson netted the winner with 2:46 left in regulation for the 5-4 victory.
While captain Nick Foligno likes the responses - on Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche the Blue Jackets broke a 2-2 tie with three third-period goals - he's not thrilled that they were put in those positions to begin with.
"The part that's frustrating is there's a stubbornness that comes into those games where we don't seem to want to play the right way," he said. "Sometimes it seems we let them come back in the game before we wake up again. We start making mistakes that allow them to come back.
"The growth is that that would have snowballed into a loss maybe, where now we've been able to stop it and find a way to win. The only thing is you don't want to play with fire and keep doing that."
Jenner said the key to the comeback in the third period against the Panthers was to start putting pucks on goal, get on the forecheck and most of all, don't panic.
"As bad as that second period was at times, we were one shot away from tying it," he said.
Bay watch
Now it's on to Tampa and a Lighting team coming off a 4-1 home loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. The Lightning was ahead 1-0 going into the third period but allowed two quick goals and two empty-netters.
The power play has been a struggle for Tampa Bay. The Lightning went 0-for-5 vs. the Canucks and have not scored in eight tries this season.
The Duke
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets were successful twice on three opportunities against the Panthers. Zach Werenski scored with the two-man advantage and Anthony Duclair got his first goal as a Blue Jackets player in the second period.
It's been a quick ascension to the No. 1 power-play unit for the 23-year-old Duclair, who was signed for the NHL minimum in July to join his fourth NHL club in his young career.
"I think it's worked out pretty well the first couple of games," he said. "You get that opportunity, you don't want to take it for granted."
Working on the power play with Werenski and Artemi Panarin, whose assist on the Duclair was one of his three in game, has made the transition to Columbus easier.
"I'm very grateful to be out there with guys like Bread and Z, just making good, simple plays," Duclair said.
He played on the fourth line for the much of the first two games but moved to the second line on the right side with center Riley Nash and Foligno on the left for the third game vs. Colorado and played a season-high 15:02 of ice time.
Then, against the Panthers he led all Columbus forwards with 20:47.
"It says something he's the guy that's out there the most," Foligno said. "It's nice to see him getting rewarded on the power play. He's realizing an opportunity here and trying to make the most of it.
"He's dynamic. What I appreciate about him is his work ethic, first of all, and he's not afraid to make plays."
