After scoring only one goal in their opening night loss, it’d be easy for the Blue Jackets to worry about possible scoring woes for the season to come.
However, Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno says the goals are on their way.
“I really liked the way we attacked the net,” Foligno said. “We had some heaviness, some good zone time and the more you do that the odds are, especially with the lineup we have, we’re gonna put the puck in the back of the net."
The captain’s words are most likely calming to a fanbase concerned for the Jackets’ offensive prowess (or perceived lack thereof). Though this horse has been beaten innumerable times, the fact remains that the Blue Jackets’ two most offensively-gifted players left the team in free agency this summer.
But enough about Ryan Dzingel and Adam McQuaid.
All jokes aside, Foligno appears to believe that with continued pressure, the team can produce without the likes of Artemi Panarin or Matt Duchene. It may just take a “dirty one” (a goal, that is), Foligno expressed, to get things to “open up” offensively.
Foligno continued to mention the greater learning opportunity from the 4-1 loss to Toronto was the need for discipline.
“We prided ourselves last year on being a team that didn’t take that many [penalties] and it cost us tonight,” he said. And cost them it did.
The Blue Jackets took six minor penalties on the night, leading to two power play goals and one four-on-four goal for the Maple Leafs. If the Jackets are to be successful this season, remaining at five skaters is imperative, especially with their balanced lineup.
“It’s not fair on Korpi,” Foligno said of the penalty issues.
Regardless of perceived offensive ineffectiveness or lack of discipline, Foligno expressed an attitude of growth for the young team who looks to bounce back in tonight’s contest against division rival Pittsburgh.
“(It's) a great test for us...to learn from a game like tonight, to bring it into a pretty similar game tomorrow," he said. Perhaps tonight will give us a clearer vision of the 2019-2020 Blue Jackets, one with more firepower and discipline than showed in the home opener.
