PREVIEW: Columbus looks for improvement tonight vs. Florida
Blue Jackets kick off stretch of three games in four nights against Panthers
Still, the Jackets extended their point streak to five games and never trailed until the final shootout shot got past Joonas Korpisalo, and they were exactly 2.5 seconds away from getting the whole two points before Patric Hornqvist's goal in the dying embers of the game tied the score.
It was one of those rare games where Columbus nearly got the win even if they didn't deserve it based on the balance of their play, and Tortorella perhaps saw a struggle coming based on the way the team had practiced Monday.
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"Practice sucked," he said. "I hope it's a lesson learned. We don't have much practice time, and the time that we are working, we need to do it fast, we need to be attentive, and I do, I think it spilled over into tonight's game. Hopefully it's early in the year and you still take the point out of that and we learn our lesson. We're not good enough to be able to come to work and not put in a full day's work in. We found that out tonight."
As Tortorella said, the Jackets don't have much time to work on the areas in which they can improve. Tonight's game starts a stretch of three games in four days as well as four games in six days, so the head coach put the team through a very quick 15-minute skate Wednesday rather than make it grind through an hour-long practice, all in an effort to keep it fresh for the upcoming schedule.
"I think you have to trust your team," Tortorella said. "We have been a very inconsistent team up and down from game to game, there's no question at the start of the season, but I trust our guys. I really didn't have to do too much self-assessing. That's pretty much black and white last night.
"The tricky part is I have numerous things that I know we need to work on, numerous things, but I can't. I can't keep them on the ice. We have a back-to-back, another three in four, and I am so concerned about that, making sure they have enough energy playing the games, that the things we'd really like to work on in the ice will probably be some video clips."
There should be some energy added to the lineup with the CBJ debut of Jack Roslovic, the Columbus native acquired Saturday in a trade with Winnipeg. So the Blue Jackets should have the juice to put in a better showing in the rematch tonight vs. Florida, and captain Nick Foligno said to expect just that.
"Disappointing," Foligno said of Tuesday's effort. "That's on us. That's on the leadership group and on myself to make sure we're ready to go. That's not gonna happen again."
Know the Foe
This might be hard to believe but the Florida Panthers made history Tuesday with their win in Nationwide Arena. For the first time in franchise history, dating back to the team's inaugural campaign of 1993-94, Florida has earned the win in each of its opening three games.
It's sparking some hope in Sunrise that a new era could be dawning for the Panthers, who have just six playoff appearances in 26 seasons and have won a playoff series in one of those -- 1996, when rats rained on the ice with each goal and the team stunned the hockey world with a miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Final.
"Finding a way to win is a good sign," head coach Joel Quenneville said after Tuesday's game. "The enthusiasm and the consistency of everyone in the game and on the bench throughout has been very noticeable. I think that's a big difference. The excitement being on the ice and on the bench during a game is very positive."
It helps that the Panthers still have an offense capable of producing at a high level with 13 goals in the first three games (4.33 per game). Former Pittsburgh standout Hornqvist leads the way with a 4-1-5 line, while Tampa Bay import Carter Verhaeghe is off to an impressive three-goal, two-assist start.
A couple of longtime Panthers follow as Jonathan Huberdeau has a goal amid his four points while Aleksander Barkov had eight shots on goal -- including a tally -- Tuesday night and also has posted a 1-3-4 line. Former CBJ forward Anthony Duclair also has four points, all assists, while defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle each have 1-2-3 lines.
Duclair had a pair of assists Tuesday night, while former Jacket Alexander Wennberg also had a helper and Sergei Bobrovsky got the win with 19 saves. Those three as well as defenseman Anton Stralman all are former Jackets who played against Columbus in the series opener, and they could be joined by Markus Nutivaara on Thursday, though Bobrovsky will be replaced by Chris Driedger (1-0-0, 2.00, .933).
3 Keys to the Game
Shake it off: Tortorella opted not to focus too much on Tuesday's loss during Wednesday's practice, trusting his team will turn in a better showing tonight. It has to if it wants to get the win.
Check better: Columbus did turn in a better defensive effort in the last 30 minutes Tuesday against what has been an explosive Florida offense so far, but a full 60 minutes will be required.
Make some memories: With Roslovic set to debut and a number of players (see below) on the cusp of major milestones, it could be a fun night in Nationwide. Let's make it so.
Of Note
Blue Jackets forward Oliver Bjorkstrand has a 2-4-6 line in the past five games while Alexandre Texier has scored in four of the last six games. … Cam Atkinson is one goal from 200 in his CBJ and NHL careers. He would be the second Blue Jackets to reach the milestone after Rick Nash. … Foligno is one goal from 200 in his NHL career (138 with Columbus, 61 with Ottawa). … Foligno and Atkinson each have three-game point streaks. … Seth Jones has 196 points in his Blue Jackets career and also has 199 career assists in his time with Columbus and Nashville. … Columbus is 14-2-0-2 all-time at home vs. Florida and has points in every game home game since Nov. 21, 2007 (13-0-2). … The Blue Jackets are 0-2-3 when scoring first and 2-0-0 when giving up the opening goal. … Dating back to last season, the Blue Jackets have picked up points in 17 straight games (10-0-7) against teams that typically reside in the Atlantic Division.
Projected Lineup
(Subject to change)
Nick Foligno - Alexandre Texier - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Mikhail Grigorenko - Max Domi - Liam Foudy
Boone Jenner - Jack Roslovic - Cam Atkinson
Eric Robinson - Mikko Koivu - Riley Nash
Zach Werenski - Seth Jones
Vladislav Gavrikov - David Savard
Michael Del Zotto - Dean Kukan
Elvis Merzlikins (confirmed starter)
Joonas Korpisalo
Scratches: Kevin Stenlund, Scott Harrington, Gabriel Carlsson
Injured reserve: Patrik Laine, Gus Nyquist, Brandon Dubinsky (LTIR)
Roster Report: Roslovic will make his CBJ debut after Saturday's trade from Winnipeg. Stenlund did not practice Wednesday and is the man to leave the lineup in his stead. The Jackets have rotated goalies each game, with Korpisalo starting Tuesday.
