Four points. 4 points. F-O-U-R P-O-I-N-T-S. No matter how you say it, four points means four points. And it stings just as bad. After seven games, and a possibility of 14 points, the Columbus Blue Jackets have only 2 wins and…well, I think you get the…picture.
I don’t want to be the person to have to write this article. None of us at Union & Blue wanted to be. Coming into the season, we were all so excited for the possibilities of the team. And yes, I know it’s only seven games. But how long until it’s only 10 games? Until it’s only a month? Only December?
Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Wildfires need to be stopped at the fist sign of ignition. Same goes with teams who lose. For the Blue Jackets, scoring has been dismal. The defense has been out of sync. At times it looks decent but others it looks like they’re on the wrong page. While goaltending hasn’t been superior, Sergei Bobrovsky seems to be the only player who’s giving his team a chance to win.
While my criticism is broad, allow me to pin point why we’ve started off so slow. It all falls on the scoreboard. At the end of the game, they just can not score goals. No matter who stands in net, no matter who guards the blue line, you have to be able to put the puck in the back of the net.
Let me equate this to football: no matter how good your offensive line is, if the other team’s secondary is solid, you’re going to give up pressure on the quarterback. Even great offensive lines can’t withstand a solid 10 seconds of pressure when the quarterback is just idling in the pocket, waiting for someone to get open.
Same goes for hockey. No matter how solid your goaltending or defense is, non-stop fore checking and shots on goal will add up if you can’t score goals. For a team struggling offensively, two or three goals against is a mountain to climb on low oxygen.
Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
So while blue liners like James Wisniewski, Nikita Nikitin, and Ryan Murray have looked abysmal, it’s our forwards to blame. Artem Anisimov has only scored two goals on the season. Not good enough. Brandon Dubinsky has only scored once on the season. Not good enough. “Trying really hard” isn’t an offensive category.”Goals” are.
I’ve said this before, but the NHL doesn’t let anybody into the playoffs. So instead of repeating the same “not acceptable” line after every game, let’s actually apply it to the ice. I’m not breaking any news by writing any of this, but it needed to said, nonetheless.
This is a new team, a new age, a new culture. We don’t have to hit the panic button but “only seven games in” isn’t an excuse anymore. If we want this team, this city to be held to the same standards as other NHL teams, we have to hold them to it ourselves. We are the culture. And 4 points don’t cut it.