from Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch,
Clean, but hard. Physical, not flagrant.
The Blue Jackets aren’t looking to make any friends in their first-round playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they don’t want to be on speed dial at the NHL’s offices, either.
“Every time you get a chance to get a lick on one of their top guys, you absolutely have to do it,” Blue Jackets veteran Scott Hartnell said. “Do it legally. You can’t get your stick up. You can’t get your elbows up. You don’t want to put your team down a man.
“But we want to skate, use our legs, get in on pucks and turn things over. They’ve got some banged-up defensemen, and we need to put some heat on them.”
The Blue Jackets had their best season — and finished fourth in the league’s overall standings — by being one of the most-difficult teams to play against, with a smothering forecheck, four relentless lines and a collection of players who don’t mind the rough stuff.
They can’t change now that the stakes are higher. If anything, they need to amp it up.
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