Frustrations fester following Jackets’ latest loss
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Coach John Tortorella hung around longer than usual, willing to engage in a frank discussion Thursday afternoon about the Blue Jackets.
At the time, after their morning skate, they owned the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference by a point over the Montreal Canadiens and had nine games left to secure that spot or a better one for the playoffs.
“Even though I think we’re a very good team, we’re still a young team,” Tortorella said. “And I think some guys are trying to feel their way, as far as, ‘How much can I push my buddy over here that I’m going to have dinner with tonight,’ and say, ‘It’s not acceptable what’s going on?’”
His words seemed almost prophetic Thursday night, after the Edmonton Oilers outworked and outclassed the Blue Jackets for the second time this month to sweep the season series with a 4-1 victory.
Emotions among the Blue Jackets were raw afterward, as players postulated about increased expectations causing them to “freeze up” with fear of making a mistake and Tortorella bluntly calling them out for a lack of effort.
The loss bumped them out of the second wild-card spot, where Montreal now resides, and it felt like one of those times that Tortorella had talked about in the morning, when leaders within the locker room might have to address some issues in unpleasant ways.
It’s something that all coaches hope to see from their teams eventually, the moment when a team goes from good to great simply by its players getting sick of being just “good.”
Tortorella saw it happen with some of his previous teams, and he’s hoping the Blue Jackets will soon follow suit. He sees it as a next step for a burgeoning franchise looking to accomplish things like consistent playoff appearances and success.
“That’s when you get to the next level of winning and winning consistently — especially in the prime time of the playoffs,” Tortorella said. “(It’s when) the room takes over itself. I think we’re in the process of trying to give that to them.”
Looking at what happened Monday in Calgary, that process might have included the business dinner that was arranged for the top line of Artemi Panarin, Pierre-luc Dubois and Cam Atkinson.
They “cleared the air” about some issues, addressed them head-on and played better in the Jackets’ 4-2 loss Tuesday to the Flames.
You might say they broke bread to help “Bread” — Panarin — and his line, which was then broken up by Tortorella midway through the Oilers game.
That was another gut-check game for the Jackets, who have one game left Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks to salvage something positive from an otherwise forgettable western Canada trip.
Tortorella and defenseman Seth Jones, an alternate captain, each called for more action and less talk after losing to the Oilers, but that doesn’t mean silence will prevail.
Are the Jackets ready to call each other out, if needed?
“I think so,” Jones said. “We’ve gone through a lot this year, whether it’s (questions about) unrestricted free agents or whatever the case is. But at the end of the day we have one common goal, and that’s all that matters. If a guy’s not playing his part, then it’s no problem telling him.”