“It’s just one game.” “There are 51 more.” “Can’t make too much of it.”
Tell that to the 19,115 in the building tonight.
John Tortorella wouldn’t take the bait earlier in the week, but even he relented after Thursday night’s game that there was obviously a different vibe inside Nationwide Arena. The barn was jam-packed, the locals were revved up with first place on the line, and the Blue Jackets busted through a sluggish start and delivered.
They dropped seven goals on the defending Stanley Cup champions – four of those coming in a wild, rub-your-eyes-is-this-really-happening third period – and the home side pulled away for a 7-1 win (their 11th in a row) that moved them into the division’s top spot, and for the time being, No. 1 position in the NHL.
Yes. You read that right.
Scott Hartnell led the way with a hat trick (his second as a Blue Jacket) and Columbus improved to 22-5-4 on the season; they’ll close out the pre-Christmas schedule with a game against the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow night on home ice.
“Quite honestly, I think it was a good process we went through. We were really nervous (at the start),” Tortorella said. “We talked about it between periods. We talked about how we’ve been playing in this league. That’s where they took a big step mentally – they believed they could win.”
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