The Columbus Blue Jackets disappointed again on Saturday when they lost 7-4 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The loss dropped the club’s record to 4-9-1 and with just nine points on the year, the Blue Jackets are battling the Buffalo Sabres for the worst record in the East. Following their loss, the Blue Jackets closed the doors to the media and held a players-only meeting.
What was discussed behind closed doors? Ironically, that the team needs to stop talking and start doing, as seen by these quotes from Nick Foligno in The Columbus Dispatch.
“It’s time to start doing. You can talk and talk and talk, but if you’re not going to go out there and do it the right way, words are nothing. It’s really disappointing because we’re a better team than we’re showing. For whatever reason we’re not showing it enough. We’re reacting to everything. We’re not the team that’s initiating, and it’s costing us games.
Right now, it’s costing us almost the season.”
Players-only meetings aren’t uncommon during a slump, but the Blue Jackets may need something more. We’ve already labeled the team as one of the biggest early disappointments, but it’s not completely clear what is behind the sluggish start. Is it tactics? Execution? Motivation? The answer may be all of the above, but it’s clear that the Blue Jackets are an unorganized bunch sinking quickly in the NHL.
Normally slumps like these ask serious questions of the head coach, but Todd Richards’ resurgence of the Blue Jackets last season should place him out of harms way. Still, something is going to have to give if the Blue Jackets continue down this path.
