CALGARY, Alberta — The resurgence began a month ago, when the Blue Jackets responded to an “embarrassing” 9-2 loss to the Florida Panthers by winning their next game.
A 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in their first game against Cam Atkinson wasn’t a thing of beauty, but it was a sign the Jackets still cared enough about this season to fight. It’s a trait that emanates from a group of leaders who’ve refused to let this season completely slide off the rails despite a few more humbling losses.
Since that initial drubbing in Florida, the Jackets have lost 8-4 to the Panthers in a rematch at Nationwide Arena and been blown out at home and on the road by the Calgary Flames.
They’ve also won six of their past eight games, including a 4-1-0 record on a road trip that covered 11 days, more than 4,000 roundtrip miles and concluded Thursday with a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center.
“There’s not going to be any quit on this team,” forward Gustav Nyquist said after a practice early in the trip, a workout that followed a win over the Washington Capitals in which he and captain Boone Jenner had combined for a winning goal with less than a minute left. “We’ve got basically half a season left, and we know what we’re capable of doing … and no matter what happens, there’s not going to be any quit on this team. We’ll make sure of that, for sure.”