SEASON REVIEW: No butterflies or rainbows, lots of adversity and growth

If there's anything about this season that defines it in a nutshell, it's that it wasn't anything like last season.
Those two words, "last season," were heard quite a bit by the Blue Jackets, simply because that 2016-17 campaign was pretty magical. They set franchise records for wins (50) and points (108). They set a franchise record by winning 16 straight games, second-longest in NHL history. They went 14-0-0 in December 2016 and clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with weeks to spare.
Last season wasn't anything like this season.
"Last year was butterflies and rainbows with how our record went," captain Nick Foligno said Tuesday, less than 24 hours after this season ended with a frustrating loss to the Washington Capitals in Game 6 of an Eastern Conference First Round series the Jackets led 2-0. "Really, it was a crazy, fairytale year, where it went from so bad to so good. It was like there was no in-between. It's like we got the in-between this year."

The "in-between."
Yeah, that was this season. It was sort of like the "upside down" in that popular Netflix series, "Stranger Things," only slightly less creepy. This season, in which Columbus finished with the second-most points in franchise history (97), tested the Blue Jackets more from start to finish.
Then, with help from the Capitals, it kicked them in the stomach and walked away.
"We jumped so far ahead last year] and went through the grind of it this year and really found what we were made of," Foligno said. "Guys had to step in, in certain roles that they had not really played. Guys went down at crucial times and we found a way to stay above water. 'Bob' played great. Seth Jones emerged as a huge leader on our team. Pierre-Luc Dubois becomes a first-line centerman. There's so many positive things from this year that we were just really excited about how we got through it and had these things come to the forefront."
Then, the playoffs happened. Then, a 2-0 series lead slipped through their fingers like sand at the beach. Then, reality just unloaded on them.
"Didn't really make anything of it," Foligno said. "We're still out of the first round, just like [last year
NOVEMBER
This was another eight-win month (8-4-1), but it wasn't easy. In fact, after blowing out the Florida Panthers, 7-3, on Nov. 2 in Sunrise, Fla., the Blue Jackets lost their next four in a row (0-3-1), losing the final three in regulation to the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators and Hurricanes. Matt Calvert sustained an upper-body injury during a road loss to the Tampa Bay Lighting to start the skid, which was the fifth significant injury the Jackets had to overcome since the start of the season.
Later in the month, defenseman Ryan Murray was injured in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, a back injury that would keep him out 34 games.
The highlight of the month was a six-game winning streak from Nov. 11-24 that encompassed victories against the Detroit Red Wings, Canadiens, Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators. It launched them to the top of the Metropolitan Division standings despite the majority of the wins coming in games they were largely outplayed.
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made some amazing saves during that stretch, including two that gained national attention for their level of difficulty and situation in each game.
The first was in overtime against the Red Wings, who got a 2-on-0 against Bobrovsky during 3-on-3 play. Bobrovsky somehow covered both sides of the net and denied a goal off a shot by Andreas Athanasiou with his right skate.
Bobrovsky's second work of art happened three days later in Montreal, with the Jackets clinging to a 2-1 lead late in the third period. The Canadiens got a 2-on-1 rush, but Bobrovsky pushed over, again left to right, and made the save with his blocker after dropping his goal stick.
QUOTE:"That was 'Save of the Year' for sure. When the pass comes back to Athanasiou], from where we're standing it looks like an empty net. Next thing you know, the puck's in the air and it's not in, and we were all just laughing at how incredible he is. He doesn't ever fail to amaze you." - *Werenski, on Bobrovsky's amazing save Nov. 11 in Detroit.*
*[Video: CBJ@MTL: Bobrovsky turns in 28 saves against Habs
DECEMBER
November's adversity was nothing compared to December, when injuries and losses began to mount. The Blue Jackets went 6-7-2, lost a pair of gut-wrenching games beyond regulation against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins and were defeated handily by the New Jersey Devils (4-1 on Dec. 5), Edmonton Oilers (7-2 on Dec. 12), Bruins (7-2 on Dec. 18) and Lightning (5-0 on Dec. 31).
They lost consecutive games in regulation three separate times and also lost three forwards to injuries. Alex Wennberg sustained a back injury Dec. 21 in Pittsburgh, Cam Atkinson broke a bone in his right foot Dec. 23 against the Philadelphia Flyers and Brandon Dubinsky had his left orbital bone (eye socket) fractured during a fight Dec. 12 against Edmonton's Zack Kassian.
Already down Murray, the Jackets lost the centers of their second and third lines plus Atkinson, who led them in scoring the previous season. Atkinson missed 11 games, Dubinsky was out for 18, Wennberg sat out eight and Murray didn't return until February.
Highlights included Panarin's five-assist game (all primary assists) in the Jackets' 5-3 win Dec. 8 in New Jersey, Bobrovsky's 35-save shutout of the Arizona Coyotes the next day and big wins within in the division against the Islanders on Dec. 14 and Flyers two days before Christmas.
QUOTE:"It would've been nice if someone saved 'Bob' the other night. It was a perfect opportunity for our team. That's a pretty good thought, maybe save 'Bob,' in where he maybe fought it a little bit in that game. That's what's disappointing to me. 'Bob' saved our butt] a number of times this year. It was an opportunity for the team to save 'Bob,' and I don't think we did that. That's a point of frustration for me." - *Tortorella, on a tough night for Bobrovsky Dec. 29 in Ottawa.*
*[Video: CBJ@NJD: Panarin dishes five helpers in Jackets' win
JANUARY
If there was one saving grace amid all the injuries, it was the schedule. There were only 10 games in January, plus two extended breaks for the league-mandated "bye" week and a long weekend for the All-Star break.
Those two down periods helped the Blue Jackets heal up, while the guys who were healthy went 5-4-1 to stay afloat within a tightly-packed Metro race. They also absorbed another injury to a forward, as rookie Sonny Milano went down with an oblique tear Jan. 8 in Toronto.
Still, they managed to win three of their first four games in the month, including a thrilling late-game comeback to defeat the Maple Leafs, 3-2, in overtime of the game Milano was injured. The Jackets rallied late in regulation to tie it, 2-2, and then Panarin ended the game in OT with a great play at the net for a tap-in goal.
They lost the next two in regulation, going into the bye - against Buffalo and the Vancouver Canucks - but went 2-1-1 to close out the month. That included a lengthy stay in Las Vegas for the Jacket's inaugural game against the Vegas Knights, a 6-3 loss at T-Mobile Arena, plus an exciting finish Jan. 25 at Gila Rivera Arena in Glendale, Ariz. They defeated the Arizona Coyotes, 2-1, on a game-winning goal late in the third by Atkinson, who made his return from the foot injury.
QUOTE:"Every season is different. Every season has a different story to it, and a different storyline, whether it's you individually or you as a team. It's kind of the craziness of the NHL. No two seasons are the same. This time last year, we were just coming off a 16-game winning streak. Everyone was feeling good. We, uh, we're not, right now. There's a lot going on with guys, individually and as a team." - defenseman Jack Johnson, on what was different from the previous season
Video: Dubois, Panarin lead Blue Jackets to 3-2 overtime win
FEBRUARY
The slowest month on the schedule was followed by the busiest stretch, with 13 games in February and 16 more in March. They still weren't completely healthy, but Atkinson, Dubinsky and Wennberg had returned.
Regardless, it was the toughest month of the season. The Jackets went 5-7-1 and dropped outside the playoff picture within the Metro and Eastern Conference, including a season-high four straight regulation losses to start the month. That, however, was the turning point in a season the Jackets ultimately set a franchise first by qualifying for the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
They beat the Devils, 6-1 on Feb. 10 and Islanders, 4-1 on Feb. 13, in the first two of three straight games with 50-plus shots. Despite losing the next three, going 0-2-1 while continuing to outshoot opponents, Columbus began its push for the postseason in earnest with a 2-1 win in New Jersey on Feb. 20 at Prudential Center.
That was the first of four games without captain Nick Foligno, who sustained a lower-body injury Feb. 18 in a 5-2 loss to the Penguins.
Columbus only lost five more games in regulation the rest of the season, sparked in large part by moves general manager Jarmo Kekalainen made before the NHL Trade Deadline expired Feb. 26. He added veteran center Mark Letestu, defenseman Ian Cole and forward Thomas Vanek in trades and the trio meshed perfectly into the Jackets' locker room.
QUOTE: "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. 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." - *Tortorella, citing post-Super Bowl comments made by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles*
*[Video: A look at the Trade Deadline, meet the newest Jackets
MARCH
It didn't start well, despite Foligno returning for a three-game trip to the West Coast to start the month. The Jackets dropped back-to-back games to the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, but avoided being swept on the trip with a 4-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on Mar. 4, leaving SAP Center with the first victory in a season-high 10-game winning streak.
Next was a 4-1 win against the Golden Knights at Nationwide Arena, an impressive feat considering the long trip home, followed by wins against the Colorado Avalanche, Red Wings, Canadiens, Flyers, Senators, Bruins, Rangers and Panthers - who were just as hot and chasing a playoff spot themselves.
More adversity struck Mar. 24 against the St. Louis Blues, when Foligno was injured again the night the streak ended. That lower-body injury kept him out the final six games of the regular season, but didn't deter the Jackets' postseason quest.
They went 2-0-1 in a three-game trip to Western Canada, making a pair of impressive comebacks from three-goal deficits. After falling behind 3-0 in the first period Mar. 27 against the Oilers, they stormed back to win 7-3 at Rogers Arena. Then, after a 5-1 win in Calgary, they earned a huge point Mar. 31 in Vancouver, forcing overtime with three late goals.
Vanek had a hat trick to lead the way in Edmonton, Dubois had his first career NHL hat trick in Calgary to pass Rick Nash for the franchise-record in goals by a rookie and Panarin had four assists in Vancouver - when Atkinson scored another huge late goal to force OT. Panarin's 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) also set a franchise high for most points in a single month and began a string of five straight multi-point games to end the season.
QUOTE: "It's apples and oranges to me, because when you have a 16-game streak in the middle of the year, that is totally different than] a team that has been inconsistent in a number of different ways a lot of the year, and now has found its game and it has its eye on one thing - and that's getting an opportunity to play in the postseason." - *Tortorella on the 10-game winning streak*
*[Video: CBJ@CGY: Dubois earns first career hat trick in win
APRIL
The Blue Jackets still didn't have a playoff spot secured when the calendar flipped to April, despite going 13-3-1 since the trade deadline. They didn't accomplish that goal until the second of three regular-season games left on the schedule. After overcoming another three-goal deficit to defeat the Red Wings, 5-4, the Jackets clinched a postseason spot April 5 at Nationwide Arena, falling in overtime against the Penguins.
Panarin finished the season with 82 points, setting a franchise record for single-season scoring that was previously held by Nash (79). Atkinson became just the second player in franchise history to score 20-plus goals in five straight seasons, finishing with 18 in his final 33 games.
Jones had 57 points (16 goals, 41 assists) to set a new franchise record for points in a season by a defenseman. He and Werenski, fittingly, finished tied with 16 goals each to share the franchise record for goals in a season by a defenseman. Dubois became the only Blue Jackets rookie to ever play all 82 games, Bobrovsky went 37-22-6 and ranked second in the NHL with 3,912 minutes played.
As a team, the Blue Jackets' 45 wins was the fourth time in the past five seasons they've posted 42-or-more victories.
They also continued an upward trend since 2011-12, when Columbus finished last in the NHL with 65 points. Their 97 points this season, a 32-point improvement, was the biggest upward trend in the NHL in total points (32) since that season.
QUOTE: "We want to be a team that gets in every year and gets that opportunity every year to compete for the Cup. That's the goal, because then every year you'll have a chance to win the Cup. If it's every five years or every 10 years, you'll get the opportunity to compete for the Cup every five or 10 years. We want to be in the playoffs every year, be able to compete and have that opportunity every year." - Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen, on clinching a playoff spot
Video: The Blue Jackets' stretch to the playoffs
PLAYOFFS
Going into the series against the Capitals, the Jackets hoped to earn at least a split of the first two games at Capital One Center. They wound up winning both in overtime, on goals by Panarin in Game 1 and Calvert in Game 2, giving Columbus a commanding early lead with five games left.
What happened next is the reason for the sting that accompanied the Jackets' early start to the offseason. After dropping Game 3 in double-OT, on a bad bounce off the skate of Lars Eller for the game-winner, they lost Game 4 by a 4-1 margin and Game 5 in overtime yet again. The Capitals won Game 6 to end the series, which was the first time they've won four straight playoff games since 1990.
It was a crushing loss for the Blue Jackets, who were convinced they would send the game back to Washington D.C. for another franchise first, a deciding Game 7.
Instead, it was the end of the season, the "in-between."
QUOTE: "This is a team that, in my mind I don't think this is a 'Well, we want to make the playoffs and go from there.' This is a team where making the playoffs should be expected every single year, no exceptions. And then what we do in the playoffs after that is what we need to figure out. That's where I think this team is. I could be wrong, I don't know, but in my mind there's no excuse with the talent we have here why we shouldn't be making the playoffs every single year and then going from there." - defenseman Ian Cole
Video: The Blue Jackets thank the fans for their support*