The Blue Jackets had a frustrating night. Leading Carolina 1-0 with just over four minutes to go, the Hurricanes Jeff Skinner flipped the puck from the corner to in front of the net---it deflected off Jackets defenseman Seth Jones skate--and got past Joonas Korpisalo to tie the game at 1. Eventually Carolina won in overtime 2-1, and while the Jackets did pick up a point--closing to within 4 of Washington in the race for the President's Trophy, they missed a chance to earn their 50th win and pull to within 3.
"Our top guys have got to get going," Coach John Tortorella said, after the Jackets scored only one goal for the third time in four games. "We've got to keep our head down here and keep working at it... I think we've got to stop the rhetoric. We just need guys to play better. There's no sense in dissecting this anymore. Our top guys have got to play better."
Not long after leaving the arena the frustration continue for the Blue Jackets.
The Jackets, who play in Chicago Friday night, has to return to Raleigh due to mechanical problems. They spent the night there and will not arrive in Chicago until midday. It will be interesting to see how this team responds as it continues a critical stretch. The CBJ have 106 points--one more than the Blackhawks. They return home Sunday to host Metropolitan and President's Trophy leader Washington (110 points) and then visit Pittsburgh (103 points) on Tuesday.
Check out the post-game comments below of Coach John Tortorella, Captain Nick Foligno and veteran Scott Hartnell.