At 1:10 into the second overtime on Saturday, left wing Matt Calvert scored not only the biggest goal in his career, but also the biggest in Blue Jackets’ history.
Actually, I meant the biggest goal in Blue Jackets’ history…so far.
As the first round series against the Penguins heads back to Columbus for games three and four with the series tied 1-1, the Blue Jackets are on the right track to accomplishing a goal of shocking the league and making a statement.
But, they have to keep their emotions intact and stay the course.
The team does enjoy proving others wrong, as it has proved all season long.
“It’s important if you start a series on the road if you can pick up one game on the road and come back home,” Blue Jackets’ defenseman Jack Johnson told Bob McElligot. “We’ve put ourselves in a good position and we’ve let the world know that this is going to be a real playoff series. Everyone’s picked Pittsburgh to win it, but we’ve got a lot of guys in here that have fun proving people wrong.”
Coaches and players of all sports always say that to be successful you have to be the best at getting over losses quickly, as well as not getting over-excited after wins. Players have to manage the highs and lows, especially in the playoffs.
The Blue Jackets are no exception to this philosophy.
I’d expect the team to get back at it immediately on Sunday, and they may be receiving a little more help for Game 3 on Monday.
Forward Nick Foligno, who wasn’t able to play Saturday, might be able to go for Monday’s game, after forward RJ Umberger just came back from injury during Game 2. His status for Monday’s game will be evaluated in the next day.
The Blue Jackets are getting healthy at the right time, and the new lineup competition should keep the team motivated and focused on its immediate goals in the playoffs.
In my mind, the best thing for the Jackets to do would be to enter Game 3 with a mentality that they are still the underdog in this series, which they are. After stealing home-ice for the Penguins this weekend, their confidence may be sky high.
Confidence is key, but too much of it will not bode well on Monday, as they should expect Pittsburgh to come out even harder than either of the first two games.
The Blue Jackets started Game 1 with scoring and physical play. That gave the Penguins a few doubts, before Pittsburgh eventually won the game, so the Penguins opened up Game 2 with great offensive pressure and success. You can expect the Blue Jackets to make sure that they don’t come out flat like they did Saturday, so that they can get a lead, build it and run the course of the game with the fans behind them.
Calvert, the hero in Game 2, can’t wait to get back at home for two games in a row that they can use the crowd to their advantage.
“Our fans have really been supporting us during the past few weeks, especially in the run for the playoffs,” he told McElligott. “We’re excited, I think they’re excited, and hopefully we can get them behind us, put them on our back and go from there.”
ab109410@ohiou.edu
@Alex_Busch91
