from Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch,
Coach Todd Richards often has downplayed the differences between the NHL’s Western and Eastern conferences, with the Blue Jackets switching to the East this season.
But this week, after the Jackets played eight of their first 10 against Eastern opponents, Richards was quick to acknowledge one major difference.
“When we go back and look at where we’re getting scoring chances, we’re getting a lot more off the rush this year, which is different than last year,” Richards said. “I think it’s the transition game in the East. We’ll see how it goes later on, but we’re able to generate a lot more off the rush.”
The Blue Jackets are scoring more (2.73 goals a game) than they did last season (2.40), but they are content to counter with the forecheck, the cycle and the greasy goals that go with them.
“We can’t all the sudden become a run-and gun, up-and-down-the-ice team that trades chances,” forward Mark Letestu said. “As much as the fans would love that for entertainment purposes, we can’t do that. It’s not conducive to who we are. We have to be the cycling, offensive-zone team that creates chances by tips and rebounds.”
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