Columbus Blue Jackets Beat Calgary Flames 4-1 for Eighth Straight Win

Last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets began the campaign by losing their first eight games. It didn’t get a whole lot better the rest of the way. Columbus finished the season with a 34-40-8 record (76 points) and in last place in the Metropolitan Division.

This season, things have turned completely around. The Blue Jackets beat the Flames in Calgary 4-1 on December 16th for their eighth straight win. Columbus’ record improved to 19-5-4, and two of those five losses were in the team’s first two games so the Blue Jackets are on quite a roll.

Veteran Coach John Tortorella, who has been around forever and coached Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup championship in the 2003-4 season, was brought in last season during that losing streak to turn things around. After that trying campaign, Tortorella says he made some adjustments in his style and is being more patient due to all the younger players his team has, like 19 year old rookie defenseman Zach Werenski, who had two assists in the Calgary win, giving him 14 for the season. He’s also scored six goals. The Blue Jackets list 12 players who are under 25 years old.

Tortorella’s approach has paid off so far. The Blue Jackets are allowing just 2.0 goals per game, second best in the league, and they are scoring 3.3 per game, third best in the NHL. They are converting almost 26 % of their power play opportunities, best in the league. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is 18-5-2 this season and leads all NHL goalies in victories, Bobrovsky’s goals against average of 1.90 and .935 save percentage are both tied for fourth best in the league.

Columbus is contributing to the crowd at the top of the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh leads with 44 points, followed by the Rangers with 43, then the Blue Jackets with 42, with Washington and Philadelphia each with 41 after games of December 16th. Columbus is at Vancouver on December 18th, and will host Los Angeles on December 20th, followed by a game at home against those division leading Pittsburgh Penguins on the 22nd.