from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,

The Blue Jackets were missing nine players last night because of injuries and/or suspension. They carried in a seven-game winless streak against the Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the most dynamic teams in the Eastern Conference. It was time to light a fuse.

This is supposed to be a cannon fight, right? The Jackets forgot where they placed their artillery, fought with pocket knives and got slaughtered in the first period.

The Lightning scored four goals in less than 15 minutes on the way to a 7-4 victory in front of 14,892 at Nationwide Arena.

“Any (derogatory) word you want to choose to describe it, you’d probably be right,” coach Todd Richards said....

The Blue Jackets are in trouble. They are in 15th place in the Eastern Conference. Forget who is playing, or who is not. It is embarrassing.

“We’ve got to deal with what the reality is, and where we’re at,” Richards said. “I know from past experience that if you dig yourselves a hole -- and we’re sitting in one right now -- it’s tough to get out of that hole.”

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