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There were no raised voices or walls punched, at least not within earshot of reporters, and no one on the Columbus Blue Jackets hit the panic button after a 7-3 drubbing by the Florida Panthers on October 13 at Nationwide Arena.
But don't let the calm reaction fool you into thinking the loss didn't sting, because it left its mark just five games into an 84-game season. Yes, it's early, but another disastrous second period and persistent discipline problems—taking costly penalties—are troubling patterns. While the Blue Jackets aren't as badly off as the winless Philadelphia Flyers, they've slammed to a halt at an early crossroads. Heading the wrong way from here could make matters much worse.
"It's something that we'll just keep addressing," Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. "We're playing so well [in the first period], doing so many things and then it's self-inflicted. It's a terrible turnover, obviously on the [first Panthers] goal and it's taking those penalties. So, that's self-inflicted." Bowness' critique was measured, unlike his viral postgame tirade after the Blue Jackets' uninspired loss in last season's finale, but his words carried weight.
"We beat ourselves [Oct. 10] in St. Louis and we beat ourselves tonight," he said. "So, you have to hope, you've got to believe that .. that performance tonight will embarrass them enough to stop this, right, because if they're not embarrassed, we don't want them on the team. It's as simple as that." That final remark should hit hard.
It comes after a turbulent summer that included uncertainty about whether the Jackets' top two scorers, Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko, wanted to return. Werenski would have been traded to the Dallas Stars on July 1 had he not invoked his no-movement rights, while Marchenko was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept. 28 for a package built around young power forward Matthew Knies. Does anyone else want out? It's a question that felt relevant at times, watching the Panthers steamroll the Jackets with six unanswered goals after falling behind 1-0 in the first on Kent Johnson's third goal of the season.
Brady Tkachuk scored three straight goals to spark the Blue Jackets' collapse, a natural hat trick, while his older brother, Matthew Tkachuk, tied a franchise record with five assists. The Panthers also converted 4 of 6 power plays while the Blue Jackets racked up a whopping seven penalties, including an inexplicable major and game misconduct on Mathieu Olivier for landing a painful stick tap between the legs of Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis. That gave Florida a five-minute power play, which Carter Verhaeghe capped with his first of two goals for a 4-1 lead after two periods.
"We did a lot of self-inflicted things, and we can fix them," Bowness said. "I know it looks bad, but I believe in what we're doing and I believe in them, and I believe we can fix the problems. That all being said, if that doesn't get their attention, then they're on the wrong team. It's as simple as that, and we'll find out over time, right?" The three players chosen to speak afterward agreed, and they talked before Bowness.
Olivier, who wore an alternate captain's 'A' in the game, faced the music while accepting responsibility for his actions, which could result in the NHL adding supplemental punishment in fines and/or a suspension. Charlie Coyle, another alternate captain, said the Jackets will be urgent, not panicked, while fixing their issues. Cole Sillinger, who scored his third goal of the season and is off to a strong start, bemoaned costly mistakes.
"There's plenty of hockey left, but it's something we've got to correct now.." Coyle said. "We can't let those things slip. When you let it slip a few games, a few games .. then it's a week and two weeks, so it's a bit concerning, right? You've just to use these games and little things as a challenge, and it's a challenge for us right now, which is good. Let's hit it head on, see what we can get better at and correct some things."
Originally reported by yahoo.