A weird October has left the Columbus Blue Jackets hungry for something as basic as a real road trip.
For much of the month, the schedule has kept them home - almost to the point of feeling trapped there. Now they finally get a chance to leave Columbus for three games, heading to Philadelphia, Carolina and Dallas before coming right back for five of their next six at home. It’s a short trip, but for this group, it feels overdue.
The Blue Jackets are 4-5-0 through nine games, and seven of those have already come at Nationwide Arena. They’ve been solid enough at home at 4-3-0, including Saturday night’s 2-1 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Away from home, though, they’re still looking for their first breakthrough. Their two road games were both one-off trips the day after home games, and they lost 5-3 to the St.
Louis Blues and 2-1 to the Minnesota Wild.
That kind of setup has made this month feel fragmented. There’s been a lot of practice, a lot of travel in and out, and not much of the usual rhythm that comes with a normal NHL stretch.
Since Oct. 3, when they lost 4-1 to the Utah Mammoth, the Blue Jackets have had five days off. After the Oct. 10 loss to the Blues, they played only once over the next six days, a 7-3 defeat to the Florida Panthers.
Then came three games in four nights, followed by another three days off before the Golden Knights game.
Nine games in 26 days is not exactly a grind by NHL standards, but the stop-and-start feel has clearly been different. It’s left the Blue Jackets without the game rhythm most teams chase in October, and it’s also made it harder for new pieces, including Matthew Knies, to settle in and build chemistry in live action.
That’s part of why this week has the room buzzing.
“I’ve been coaching a long time, man. I don’t remember having this many practices in October,” head coach Rick Bowness said.
“I’m going to tell you, so you got to be creative. As a player, these guys know you want to play at this time.
You want to just play. We haven’t had a road trip, right?
We’re four games behind a lot of teams. We haven’t had a road trip to get these guys on the road together and hang out and have dinner.”
He said the extra time hasn’t been ideal, but he’s encouraged by what he sees on the practice ice.
“So those are all the little things that add up. And have we handled them well?
No, obviously. But we’re also very encouraged by the great attitude of the guys.
You watch our practices. They’re working their butts off.
They’re coming to the rink ready to go. We need some games.
As long as you see that effort, that’s encouraging … I look for encouraging signs and we’re seeing them right now.”
The players are feeling the same pull toward the road. After beating a strong opponent Saturday night, they’re eager for a stretch that finally looks more like a normal NHL week, with games every other day and time together away from the rink.
“This has been the worst start to the year in terms of our schedule, I think,” Zach Werenski said. “I know it’s kind of a blessing when you have all these homes games, but we haven’t had a team dinner yet.
We haven’t gone on the road with guys. That’s where you really become close is on the road.
You’re on the flights, the dinners, the hotels, just hanging out. I love being home, but I’ve never been more excited to get on the road with the guys … Really excited to have a road trip and spend some time with my teammates.”
Cole Sillinger pointed to the same thing: the simple value of time together.
“(We look forward to) being on the road and being able to go to dinner and hang out with your teammates,” Cole Sillinger said. “For me personally, I spend the most time around my teammates out of anyone in my life.
You’re with them everyday especially on the road, right? I just think our team needs to just maybe be less tense and just enjoy it more.”
Those details won’t show up on a stat sheet. Still, for a team that has spent most of October bouncing between home games, scattered travel and extra practice days, the chance to finally live like a road team could matter. The Blue Jackets believe that a week away together can help tighten things up, both on and off the ice.
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