DETROIT — Following practice Friday, Pascal Vincent used an unwritten Blue Jackets axiom when asked about adversity already kicking at his team's front door.
"We're not allowed to drag our lips here," the Jackets' first time NHL head coach said. "That's illegal. That's a fine. We don't feel sorry for ourselves. Adversity is part of it. It's a grind. It's a long season."
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Somehow, it feels even longer while technically getting shorter after a 5-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday at Little Caesar's Arena. Another terrible start put the Blue Jackets down by two goals less than five minutes into it, the second time that's happened in the past three games, and costly mistakes later in the game erased an impressive comeback to take the lead on Sean Kuraly 's goal early in the second.
Similar errors proved costly Thursday in a 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars at Nationwide Arena, and last Monday the Jackets fell 5-4 in overtime to the Florida Panthers with a mirror image of how they lost Saturday.
They're winless in eight of the past nine games (1-5-3), have dropped into last place of the Metropolitan Division and continue having issues with winning enough puck battles, stopping opposing possessions, getting sustained offensive pressure of their own and avoiding critical turnovers.
In short, adversity has arrived on the Jackets' doorstep with laser red eyes and smoke billowing from its ears, presenting them with a quick put up or shut up situation for the second straight season. Patrik Laine's return from a concussion Saturday leaves no injuries to blame, but Vincent remains steadfastly positive with 68 games left in a long season.
Thrust into the head coaching role days before camp by former coach Mike Babcock's resignation , the Jackets' third bench boss in two-plus years is focused on their progress.
Correctable errors too.
"We asked for a better start (after Florida)," he said. "We got a better start (against Dallas). We talked about second period (struggles). We're playing better in the second period. So, we're progressing. Adversity is not what happens to us. It's how we react, and I think we're developing that kind of character. It's never as bad as you think it is or never as good as you think it is."
That mantra took another shot to the chin Saturday, and it anded with a thud that nearly matched a slapper that knocked goalie Spencer Martin 's mask off in the second period. Next is another daunting tilt Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, where the division-leading New York Rangers (10-2-1) are licking their chops for a chance at getting even for a 5-3 loss Oct. 14 in Columbus . That was the Jackets' second game of the season and first of three wins in their first five games.
That now feels like a very long time ago. Here's what else we learned in Detroit:
Let's start with a little good news here.
After missing nine games with a concussion stemming from an illegal hit by Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson , Laine scored a goal in his return. It was netted in the third and pulled the Jackets within 5-4 after they allowed a bad-luck goal by Detroit's Robby Fabbri off a puck that bounced from the end boards into the blue paint.
Laine finished the day with his goal, eight attempts and four shots in 18:17, but he also had two giveaways and needed extended time to get his rhythm back.
"It feels like it took me two periods," Laine said. "I felt like I was a little rusty. The hands weren't working, and I was thinking too much, and then it's already too slow. But I felt a little more comfortable in the third. I'm obviously happy to see that one go in, but it doesn't really matter at the end if we lose."
The bigger issue was his line's play as a whole.
Laine, Johnny Gaudreau and Boone Jenner struggled most of the game.
According to Natural Stat Trick , they posted an attempted shots percentage of just 32.1% that was 28.2% lower than the rest of the team's forwards. The Blue Jackets also generated 10 fewer attempts with their top line on the ice (9-19) than Detroit and those three guys, collectively, were outshot (9-2) while allowing 10 more scoring chances (2-12) and four more high-danger chances (1-5).
Gaudreau, in particular, has struggled without Laine for an extended stretch. He's scored just one empty-net goal to go with five assists for six points in the Jackets' first 14 games, which is a huge problem for a young team that needs its highest paid player to lead them in scoring.
One of the structural tweaks the Blue Jackets made this season is keeping their defensemen relatively close to the net in the defensive zone to protect against high-danger chances.
It has helped Elvis Merzlikins and Martin keep pucks out of the net, but there's a sacrifice in allowing teams to cycle the puck endlessly around the perimeter. Defensemen are no longer stepping out to pin the puck against a wall or break up passes inside the defensive zone.
Those are now jobs for the forwards, who've gotten caught too often watching teams play "keep away" against them like it's a 5-on-5 power play. If this isn't fixed, expect more long possessions to go the wrong way against the Jackets, along with shot counts and goals.
"I think now we're a little hesitant, and we're giving these guys too much time and space," defenseman Zach Werenski said. "You obviously have to respect guys in this league. They're (great) hockey players, but it's almost too much respect. We're kind of playing off them a little bit and giving them too much time. ... I think if we just put better work in defensively to kill plays and spend less time in our zone, we'll have more success."
Keeping in mind that Fantilli is a rookie, Vincent and assistant Mark Recchi are trying to find matchups to give him the best odds of success.
That's a smart way to go about developing a teenager in the NHL, especially one as gifted as Fantilli. He's flanked by talented Russian wingers, Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov, and they're becoming a force together.
Regardless of inexperience, those three were the Jackets' most effective forwards against Detroit. They established solid time in the offensive zone and Fantilli scored the third goal of his NHL career to tie it 2-2 late in the first period. There's a language gap to overcome with Marchenko acting as a translator for Voronkov and Fantilli, but they all speak the same playing language between whistles.
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"They're both great players," Fantilli said. "They're smart. They work hard. I like playing with them. We're building a little bit more chemistry. Obviously, it takes a little bit more time with the language barrier, but we're getting there. I've been happy with the way we're playing."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets face adversity: what we learned
