Unfortunately, The Jackets Must Win at Home to Accomplish Anything

David Savard

BREAKING: Tampa Bay Coach Jon Cooper announces that Braden Holtby will take the net for the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight against the Blue Jackets.  Ha ha ha!  NOT! 

The Columbus Blue Jackets stunningly return home today, up 2-0 against a powerful Tampa Bay Lightning team.  It is well chronicled that the Blue Jackets lost the series last year against the Capitals after leading 2-0.  Even the Tampa players are trying to get the Blue Jackets to believe that this is the same scenario.  It is not. 

However, Blue Jackets fans must steel their hearts and prepare for adversity.  We must be prepared to cheer when the chips are down.  Its playoff hockey, and we are part of this fight.  Sometimes it hurts.  Oh, don't we know it.  But don't give up the ship.  Tonight we cheer hard no matter what.

Reverting to the previous subject, reasons why this is not the same as last year's 2-0 lead, it is important to remember that coming back from a 2-0 deficit is a rarity, not a regularity.  Part of the reason that Washington was able to do it so effectively last year, as my little quip above indicated, they were able to re-insert their starting goal tender who had inexplicably lost his job down the stretch.  That completely changed the dynamic of the series, and Holtby got hot and took them to the Cup.  Tampa Bay already has their starter in net. 

Tom Reed, over on the Athletic (subscription required) wrote a good article today about the Blue Jackets needing to create better home memories.  He's right.  But last year, when up 2-0, this was uncharted territory for the Blue Jackets.  This year it is not, and the angst from losing that series last year has simmered all year.  They will not approach tonight's game the same way as they approached game 3 last year.  Tampa Bay is a veteran, experienced playoff club.  They, and the Blue Jackets, know that it is not over until you win four games.  The vibe here reminds me of the 1990 World Series, when the Reds stormed past a powerful A's team that just never got started.  So it would behoove the Jackets to put these guys away.

Huge game tonight in Nationwide Arena.  The Jackets need a home win.  We, the fans, need to buckle it on and bring it, no matter what happens.  We are setting up for another memorable game 4 in Nationwide Arena.  But first, we need to take care of business tonight.

GO JACKETS!!
GO MONSTERS!!