from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,

The first goal of the new season was to avoid another slow start. The bad news is it was not avoided, or was unavoidable, depending on one’s viewpoint. The good news is the Blue Jackets understand this predicament.

They put themselves in a hole at the start of the lockout-shortened 2013 season and missed the playoffs by a point. They were 6-10-1 through 17 games last season and made the playoffs. They are 6-10-1 now.

“Every game is a playoff game for us,” Kekalainen said. “That’s basically what it comes down to right now. We can’t dig ourselves into a deeper hole.”

The Jackets just won a wicked back-to-back, against the Flyers in Philadelphia on Friday and at home against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Players are beginning to roll off injured reserve and onto the ice and into the “playoffs.” It just might be that they are pulling through the toughest stretch of their season.

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