Having had time to reflect on the bitter disappointment of their last outing, the Columbus Blue Jackets kick off a four-game Western road trip against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday aiming to point their season back in the right direction.
The Blue Jackets had a four-game winning streak snapped in stunning fashion in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders in which they surrendered a pair of goals in the final 67 seconds of regulation time.
However, as much as they had victory snatched from their hands at the end, the Blue Jackets believe the bigger issue in that game — and thus the key one to address — was the way they started.
“They got the jump on us,” coach Dean Evason said, a point he obviously will be making to his charges. “We knew that they’d come out hard. (Goalie Elvis Merzlikins) obviously played great in the first period and kept us in it, giving us a chance. And then in the second period, we got our legs going, and we played really well for the rest of the game.”
With how tight the whole Eastern Conference is one month into the season, the Blue Jackets certainly know they cannot allow their disappointment seep into their game going forward.
The Blue Jackets were sitting in the first wild-card spot prior to puck drop on Tuesday’s action, but they will fall from that perch and will need a victory in Calgary to again move ahead in a giant game of leapfrog.
“Our first period wasn’t up to our standard at all,” captain Boone Jenner said. “We’ve got a lot better than that (and) we just can’t let that happen at the end.”
The Flames sit at the bottom of the league standings, but at least they have a couple of reasons to feel positive vibes in the first of two consecutive home games. For one, they are coming off just their third victory of the season Sunday, a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers to end a four-game road trip and snap a three-game losing skid.
Calgary went into the clash with only one win in 12 outings, but carved out a victory thanks to strong goaltending from Dustin Wolf and a pair of goals by Jonathan Huberdeau.
“I’ve got to keep going, keep working,” said Huberdeau, who has collected three goals and three assists in a five-game point streak. “Our line, we had some chances again, so keep going on that.”
The Columbus clash will also mark the 1,000th career game for center Nazem Kadri.
Kadri is in his fourth season with the Flames after spending nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs — who drafted him seventh overall in 2009 — and three with the Colorado Avalanche.
“It’s exciting, for sure,” Kadri said. “I’ve got lots of friends and family coming into town, so being able to share it with them means a lot. I’ve been able to reflect on it the last couple of days. It hasn’t really sunk in, but I’m sure during the ceremony, at some point, it will.”
