There weren't raised voices or walls bashed, at least not within reporters' earshot, and nobody on the Blue Jackets is panicked following an ugly meltdown in a 7-3 blowout loss to the Florida Panthers on Oct. 13 at Nationwide Arena.
Don't mistake their measured response as the loss not mattering, though, because this one left some marks in just the fifth of 84 games. It's still early, yes, but another disastrous second period plus ongoing discipline issues while taking costly penalties are troubling trends.
While the Blue Jackets aren't nearly as bad off as the winless Philadelphia Flyers, they have come to a screeching halt at an early crossroads. Heading the wrong direction
from this point could make things far worse.
"It's something that we'll just keep addressing," Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. "We're playing so well [in the first period], doing so many things and then it's self-inflicted. It's a terrible turnover, obviously on the [first Panthers] goal and it's taking those penalties. So, that's self-inflicted."
Bowness' criticism was restrained, unlike his viral postgame meltdown following the Blue Jackets' uninspired loss in last season's finale, but his words were pointed.
"We beat ourselves [Oct. 10] in St. Louis and we beat ourselves tonight," he said. "So, you have to hope, you've got to believe that ... that performance tonight will embarrass them enough to stop this, right, because if they're not embarrassed, we don't want them on the team. It's as simple as that."
That last sentiment should land heavy.
It follows a tumultuous summer that included uncertainty about whether the Jackets' top two scorers, Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko, wanted to return. Werenski would've been traded to the Dallas Stars on July 1 had he not invoked his no-movement rights, while Marchenko was shipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept. 28 for a return built around young power forward Matthew Knies.
Anybody else want out?
It's a question that felt pertinent at times, watching the Panthers steamroll the Jackets on six unanswered goals after falling behind 1-0 in the first on Kent Johnson's third goal of the season. Brady Tkachuk scored three straight goals to start the Blue Jackets' downfall, a natural hat trick, while his older brother, Matthew Tkachuk, tied a franchise record with five assists.
The Panthers also went 4 of 6 on power plays while the Blue Jackets racked up a whopping seven penalties, including an inexplicable major and game misconduct on Mathieu Olivier for landing a painful stick tap between the legs of Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis.
That gave Florida a five-minute power play, which Carter Verhaeghe capped with his first of two goals for a 4-1 lead after two periods.
"We did a lot of self-inflicted things, and we can fix them," Bowness said. "I know it looks bad, but I believe in what we're doing and I believe in them, and I believe we can fix the problems. That all being said, if that doesn't get their attention, then they're on the wrong team. It's as simple as that, and we'll find out over time, right?"
The three players chosen to speak afterward agreed, and they talked before Bowness.
Olivier, who wore an alternate captain's 'A' in the game, faced the music while accepting responsibility for his actions, which could result in the NHL adding supplemental punishment in fines and/or a suspension. Charlie Coyle, another alternate captain, said the Jackets will be urgent, not panicked, while fixing their issues. Cole Sillinger, who scored his third goal of the season and is off to a strong start, bemoaned costly mistakes.
"There's plenty of hockey left, but it's something we've got to correct now.." Coyle said. "We can't let those things slip. When you let it slip a few games, a few games ... then it's a week and two weeks, so it's a bit concerning, right? You've just to use these games and little things as a challenge, and it's a challenge for us right now, which is good. Let's hit it head on, see what we can get better at and correct some things."
DispatchBlue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Rick Bowness issues edict after Columbus Blue Jackets' ugly loss
