Embed from Getty Images The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to win a playoff series! That has been Blue Jackets fans thoughts the past two Stanley Cup Playoffs. One problem the team peaked too early during the season and fell apart in the playoffs. This season while the Jackets have had to fight for a playoff spot, they are getting hot at the right time of year.
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, has been up and down in a widely inconsistent season for the usually steady neat-minder. “Bob” as he his known around Columbus Ohio, has found solid grounding since March. Posting an even strength save percentage of .953.
Columbus is sort of in a sweet spot if you will. The team is currently in the wild-card, they could also grab one of the top seeds. Not only is Bobrovsky hot, but suddenly the Blue Jackets season long struggle to score goals is gone.
Lead by 40 goal scorer Cam Atkinson the Jackets have scored 11 goals in their last two games. The team is playing more confident as a whole. When head coach John Tortorella was asked about why his team has turned it on his answer was perplexing.
“No idea, if we did we could have avoided a lot of headache.” While to a casual hockey fan that sounds like a stupid answer it really is not. A closer look shows us that hockey players and teams feed off of each other like in no other sport.
In hockey it only takes one or two guys to get hot then suddenly everyone around them heats up as well. Case and point Bobrovsky and Atkinson. “Bob” gets hot allowing the defense to play more relaxed in front of him. While 40 goals from Atkinson sounds like and it is. He went through scoring droughts of his own during the season. Now hot, the rest of the Blue Jackets offense is hot.
This season looks different for the Blue Jackets. Talent has never been an issue in Columbus. Peaking to soon has bee a major issue. This season the team has finally peaked at the right time of year. Leading many hockey people to say “watch Columbus in the playoffs.” This time it just may be true.
