By Connor Moriarty
The Columbus Blue Jackets have improved in the last couple of weeks and have climbed out of the basement, along with significant improvements in all areas including from last seasons standout Sonny Milano. Averaging a point a game the last 13 games, Milano has led Columbus to a 6-5-2 record over that stretch, a significant improvement from the beginning of the season. The other big improvement is in net where Kevin Poulin has been a stalwart since being acquired for Ilya Samsonov.
"We aren't happy where we are despite the improvement, we have an 11 point and 6 team gap to overcome to make the playoffs and everyday we fail to close the gap the harder the task becomes. Our goal from here on out is to get to 85 points, meaning over the next 54 games we need 65 points. Ultimately, I have presented our squad with a goal of 30-19-5 in that span, which I believe with this squad is completely attainable. Looking back on past years, 8th place has gotten in with around 82 points, however we want to aim as high as possible and give ourselves the best possible shot."
"Looking ahead, we want 6 out of 8 points in our next 4, we will break up the big stretch into smaller goals, and we need our entire team to step up to make it happen." - GM Moriarty had to say after practice, while also hinting at shuffling the D pairings up for the next few contests.
Looking ahead, Columbus has a date with Jersey on Wednesday where Kevin Poulin will get the start and the beginning of the 54 game stretch that will help determine the fate of the franchise and if key pieces will be auctioned off at the trade deadline.
6/29/2021 - 297 words
