Looking back at the scorecard for the Blue Jackets' four-game set vs. Carolina, we have the Canes coming in with six points thanks to a 2-0-2 record, while Columbus notched five points thanks to a 2-1-1 mark.
If you're an optimist, you have to be happy Columbus gutted out two wins in Carolina and came away with five of eight points against one of the best teams in the NHL, with the Jackets now having dealt the Canes three of their 10 losses on the year. On the other side of the coin, Monday's disappointing outing and Thursday's overtime loss makes it feel a bit like the Jackets left points on the table as well.
So what does the team think?
"I think that was a big step forward for us against one of the best teams in the league, one of the best teams in our division," Zach Werenski said after Thursday's game. "We played them hard for three out of the four games, found a way to get five points out of eight. It would have been nice to get six with two points tonight, but I think for our group, it's a big step in the right direction."
Some fans will undoubtedly be frustrated with the team seemingly happy with five of eight points in the series, considering the hole the Jackets dug themselves in the playoff race during the first half of the season (Chicago's win Thursday night extended their lead on Columbus for the last playoff spot to three points).
I'd offer three rebuttals. One, it's too early to scoreboard watch -- let's at least get down to the final month of the season, or you'll drive yourself mad. Two, being a pro athlete is all about blocking out negatives and building on positives; you want to work to improve what went wrong, not dwell on it.
And lastly, it's hard to argue the fact the Blue Jackets are playing better hockey than they were through the first 25 or so games of the season. That's a bit like damning with faint praise -- there was some rough play the first half of this season -- but the series against one of the best teams in the league did show improvement.
You could argue it was major improvement, too, at least on Thursday night, when the Jackets created odd-man rush after odd-man rush against Carolina and dominated in shot attempts, scoring chances and expected goals over the last two periods.
"I think we learned how we can play to have success against a really good team," captain Nick Foligno said. "We respect Carolina and what they can bring. And we saw what we do well against a good team, how it can give them fits. We just have to do that more consistently. They're a good team and they're going to make it hard on you, but I think that's one of the better checking teams in the league, and if we can play like that against them, it encourages me for this team."
Of course, those are just words. The proof will be in the pudding, especially with two games at last-place Detroit on tap before four games in Florida against contending teams. This road trip could determine the balance of the season, and a good start in the Motor City that builds off Thursday night's game will be a must.
