from Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch,

The Blue Jackets, on Columbus Day, endured a thorough beating by one of the NHL’s youngest clubs and their backup goaltender, thanks to a parade of penalties and a wandering, listless approach with the puck in the neutral zone. A 4-2 loss Monday to the Buffalo Sabres dropped the Blue Jackets to 0-3-0 for only the second time.

“It’s extremely disappointing,” captain Nick Foligno said. “It’s unacceptable. That’s a word one of the guys used in the room between (the second and third) periods. We talked before the season about what we had to do, and we’re not doing it. I don’t know what the reason for that is, and I’m disappointed in myself. It’s got to start at the top and work its way through.”

The Blue Jackets were swept in weekend back-to-back games against the New York Rangers, thanks to a horrible finish Friday in the opener at Nationwide Arena and a horrible start the next night at Madison Square Garden.

Still, in those games, coach Todd Richards found some positives. But he walked out of the First Niagara Center in a different mood.

“For me, this one is concerning,” Richards said. “The way we performed, three games into the season with an 0-2 record and playing a desperate team on the road … I was expecting something other than this. I’m really disappointed coming out of this game.”

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