COLUMBUS — For a team that has never been in this position before, the Columbus Blue Jackets appear to be pretty comfortable with their backs against the wall.
While coach John Tortorella was deflecting attention from his players by essentially guaranteeing a victory in Game 6, the players in the dressing room came across as anything but fragile after Saturday’s wild ride to defeat.
Down to their last life, they also sound confident.
Yes, for a team that has never even been to the second round of the playoffs before, the Blue Jackets were absolutely convincing in expressing their belief they’d be coming back to Boston for a Game 7, too. They just didn’t use the same words as Torts.
“We’ll be fine,” defenceman Seth Jones said after the Jackets had a third period uprising that saw them outscore the Bruins 3-1 in a 2:25 span to tie the game, only to lose on David Pastrnak’s second of the night with 88 seconds left. “It’s one game. We’re playing a good team. Two good, hard teams. It’s physical. Both sides have been playing well.
“They have a 3-2 lead on us right now. We’re not going to sit and dwell on this one. I don’t want to sit and talk about it too long. We’ve already moved on. We’re getting ready for Game 6.” You have to know that Tortorella’s promise of a return to Boston on Tuesday was gobbled up by reporters hoping it would become a bigger story. One wanted to know what Brad Marchand thought.
“Care to comment?,” he said to the Bruins winger. Marchand looked at the guy like he had two heads.
“No,” he replied.
The prediction remained part of the conversation on Sunday. GM Jarmo Kekalainen was asked about this coach’s claim during an afternoon conference call with the media.
“What’s he supposed to say?” Kekalainen said with a chuckle. “We won’t be back? Or we might be back?
“We all believe we’ll be back. It’s a statement that could come out of anyone’s mouth in our organization. We all believe we can win Game 6 and be back for Game 7.” Truth is, many people believed this series would go the distance from the outset. The Bruins and the Blue Jackets are very evenly matched. Four of the five games have been decided by one goal and the one that wasn’t — a 4-1 Bruins victory in Game 4 — had to do with the exceptional play of Tuukka Rask and the undoing of the Blue Jackets, who lost their composure by taking six penalties.
Other than that, this Eastern Conference semifinal really has been the flip-of-a-coin it was billed to be.
What was somewhat surprising, however, is all the six goals were scored in the third period of what Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno had previously dubbed a “goaltending series.” When the Bruins took a 2-0 about five minutes into the final stanza on Saturday, it forced the Blue Jackets to open up.
“This series is so tight that I think maybe both teams were afraid to throw a punch,” said Matt Duchene. “They get up 2-0 and that kind of unleashed our game. I think everyone started to pull their weight, stepped up.
“I thought we loosed up a little bit, and started trying to make a few more plays. I’m not sure. I just think our desperation came out.”
Tortorella also shuffled his lines, looking for a spark. He reunited the old Ottawa connection of Ryan Dzingel — who had been a healthy scratch in Game 2 and limited to just over five minutes in Game 4 — with Duchene. The two deadline acquisitions combined for a nice goal, Dzingel’s first and first point of the playoffs — to bring the Jackets to within one again after Pastrnak’s first gave the Bruins a cushion.
“Zinger had an outstanding game for us tonight and showed the type of player he is, had a great goal,” said Duchene. “Then we get it to 3-3, and it’s anybody’s game.
“(Sergie Bobrovsky) Bob just about had that last one, Pastrnak didn’t get a lot on it. He made a good onside shot. But it’s disappointing.”
But not as much as it would have been had they lost 2-0, if such things can be measured.
“I think the reason is so disappointing is because we felt that we had a chance to win that game that we made 3-3,” said Duchene. “We were happy to get on the board more 5-on-5. That’s been a challenge this series.
“We’ve got to pick up where we left off tonight in the next game. That’s the biggest thing.”
Meanwhile, the Bruins can expect a similar sense of desperation from the Blue Jackets on Monday. Chances will be taken.
“Our mentality, just the way we pressed, that’s got to be the way we play the whole game,” said Foligno. “The tenacity in which we played … if we play like that then we’re a hard team to play against, no matter what time it is on the clock, or what period, it’s got to be all game long.”
No one has a demeanour any calmer than Jones, who carries himself off the ice with the same composure he has on it. Fast becoming known as one of the best defenceman in the league, Jones is looking forward, not in the rear view mirror.
“We just have to play smart hockey,” he said. “With the energy in the building, the environment and the way our fans are going to react, we just have to play our style of hockey for a full 60 minutes.
“We should be fine.”
Twitter: @SunDoniB
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