Resilient Blue Jackets looking to embrace, grow from tough times

There were no heads hanging, no somber words spoken and no guys who could barely speak above a whisper.
The Blue Jackets felt the sting Tuesday night that only a last-second, kick-in-gut type of loss can deliver, after falling, 3-2, to the Washington Capitals at Nationwide Arena, but they weren't going to let it crush them.
A day later, on the same ice surface, their resilient attitude prevailed during a spirited practice that featured more fun and games than monotony. Columbus has dropped four straight games (0-3-1), but intends on doing the opposite of crumbling amid a February schedule packed with important games.
"We had a fun practice today," rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois said. "We worked hard, 1-on-1s, 2-on-2s, stuff like that, but it was a fun practice. Obviously, when you come back in the game [to tie it], and then they score at the end, it hurts. It stings. But the next day you've got to move on, because we've got a lot of games coming up next month and this month too. We can't be hanging our heads after a loss."
So, they didn't.
In fact, as coach John Tortorella put it, the spot they're in right now is about opportunity rather than self-pity. Tortorella listened to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles talk about overcoming some big career hurdles to win Super Bowl LII on Sunday, and the message hit home.
"I think when you look at a struggle in your life, just know that that's just an opportunity for your character to grow," Foles said. "And that's really just been the message. It's simple. If something is going on in your life, and you're struggling, embrace it, because you're growing."
Tortorella is optimistic that is what's happening with the Blue Jackets (27-21-4), who are struggling to score goals, having penalty-killing issues and trying to spark a hot streak to take advantage of a close race within the Metropolitan Division.
"I'll tell you, I listened to the quarterback, Foles, and it's a subject that we're right in, right now the way he talked," Tortorella said. "You cannot learn, you can't grow until you go through some struggles, and go through some of this stuff here. And that's the definition of [resilience], how you come out on the other end."

The goal, of course, is for the Blue Jackets to come out of this funk in a big way soon - knowing, for the future, they can overcome a difficult stretch by merely sticking together and staying calm.
"Like I was talking to the coaches today [about], I'm excited about the challenge of the struggle that we're in right now, by where we could go if we just stay within [ourselves]," Tortorella said. "That's when you become a better team. So, it's going to be a grind. I'm not sure where we come out at the end, but it's certainly an opportunity to find out something about yourself as a coach, an individual coach and a coaching staff; individual player and team concept as a team, to find out what you can do here."
What they can do, if they go on a winning streak, is solidify their grip on a spot for the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Blue Jackets have 58 points and still control their own destiny sitting in the Eastern Conference's second of two wild-card spots.
"You pick up the standings today, we're right in the middle of it," Tortorella said. "That's where we're going to look to the next day. I'm going to show 'em stuff [Thursday], as far as some of the things that I think we're getting more consistent at, as I've talked about some inconsistencies with our team, and just get it ready for our next game."
Next up is a rematch with the Capitals on Friday in Washington (7 p.m., Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports Go, 97.1 FM).
It will conclude the Jackets' second home-and-home of the season, after splitting the first one against the New Jersey Devils - losing at home Dec. 5 and winning at Prudential Center on Dec. 8 in Newark, N.J..
The next three games are against Metro opponents, and seven of the next eight are divisional matchups. This season could also go the other direction, and right now there's no telling how that pendulum will ultimately swing.
All the Jackets can do is take a narrow focus and hope a bunch of smaller victories add up to a winning streak and a trip to the postseason.
"I don't want us looking too far ahead, at the end and what we're going to be, because we will not be on the right side of it at the end if we don't just worry about the day," Tortorella said. "I think it's a great challenge, but it's a better opportunity for all of us here. Hopefully we'll embrace it."
News & Notes
-- Tortorella said defenseman Zach Werenski is "banged up," and playing through an issue or issues that have nagged him most of the season. The coach said it's part of the learning curve for a young NHL player, learning how to succeed despite ongoing aches and pain.
"We've had a lot of days in between games here [in January], up to this point," Tortorella said. "This is going to be with [Werenski] all year long. Quite honestly, as with a lot of people, I think it's a process with 'Z' that he has to learn to play through some things too. If he was injured, he'd be out. But when he's nicked up, just through a season, I think this is part of a process of a
young player, to play through it and find a way to be the best you can be."
Werenski, who missed four games with an upper-body injury Dec. 20-27, hasn't scored since returning Dec. 29 in Ottawa. It's been 15 games since he's hit the back of the net, which means he's still one goal away from tying the franchise record of 12 goals by a defenseman in one season, originally set by Bryan Berard in 2006 and matched last season by Seth Jones.
The lingering health issue hasn't helped.
"I've been dealing with this for a long time this season," Werenski said. "It's one of those things where I think a lot of guys in this league battle through injuries throughout the season and find ways to work through them. I'm learning at a young age right now. I think it'll be a good thing in the long run."
-- Brandon Dubinsky has worked with Dubois on face-offs recently, and the results are starting to show.
Dubois, who's gone head-to-head with some of the best centers in the league since ascending to the Jackets' top center role, has won 44.2 percent of the 156 draws he's taken in the past 10 games. That might not seem great, but it's a slight uptick from Dubois' 42.4 percent win rate in the previous 28 games.
He's won at least 50 percent on face-offs in four of the past 10 games.
"He's grabbed 'Luc' a little bit here," Tortorella said of Dubinsky, who's one of the Jackets' top two guys at winning draws. "'Luc's beginning to improve on face-offs. I give [Dubois] a lot of credit for going to him. That's fun to watch. It's not always a coach coaching a player. It's some of the veteran guys leading the way and grabbing the young guys."
-- Defenseman Ryan Murray skated on his own, in full gear, for the second straight day. Tortorella declined to give a status update about the veteran blueliner, who's been out since Nov. 27 and has missed 29 games with an undisclosed upper-body injury.
-- One of the highlights of Tortorella's press conference happened halfway through, when he asked Ellie Maetzold, daughter of Fox Sports Ohio reporter Dave Maetzold, if she had a question.
She did, and it was a really good one.
"At practice, why do you put the nets so close to each other when they play?" she asked.
To conclude practice Wednesday, the Blue Jackets played games of 2-on-2 with the nets located in the neutral zone, and then within half of an attacking zone, along the half-wall.
"Great question," Tortorella said. "We usually don't, but today we just wanted to let them have some [fun] …we played games today. Usually, in our regular practice, they are in their same spots and it's usually a boring practice of working on stuff we are supposed to work on. Today, we wanted to have some fun, so we moved them up and played some games with them."
The players enjoyed it, which sparked a spirited atmosphere on the ice.
"Today, to come in here and have that practice was awesome for us," Werenski said. "We had some fun. It was enjoyable, especially after a tough loss like we had [Tuesday] night. It was good to get the spirits up, [get] focused and back on track for Friday."