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They say it has to get worse before it gets better. Once you’ve hit rock-bottom, there’s nowhere else to go but up. These clichés fit the Columbus Blue Jackets lately.
Fresh off another sound beating to the Ottawa Senators, the Blue Jackets — 0-4 for the first time — seek their first win of the season Friday night at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will be back in net, despite admitting he has “zero confidence” right now.
That’s certainly not what you want to hear from your former Vezina-winning goalie.
I understand why Columbus decided to start their goalie after a bad game, especially if he has the ability to completely shake off the rust and reclaim his game. Sometimes getting thrown back into the fire is all a professional needs, as opposed to sitting out to think about one bad loss. But as losses begin to mount up for Columbus and Bobrovsky continues to struggle, it makes sense to bench him and give Curtis McElhinney a start.
Obviously this team needs Bobrovsky to be the Bobrovsky of old if they’re going to have any chance of contending for the playoffs. As the team searches for any spark, on the heels of one of the worst games of Bob’s career, the time is now to give McElhinney the net.
The Buffalo Sabres proved there are no easy wins. No matter what looks like an easy win on the schedule, every team is capable on any given night, especially a Mike Babcock-led team.
Bobrovsky through four games has a 5.05 GAA and .830 save percentage, as his 18 goals allowed is dead-last in the NHL.
There’s a chance McElhinney starts Saturday night, the second of a back-to-back, as the Jackets take on the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blue Jackets are last in the NHL in goals against per game (5.00). With the addition of defensive miscues leading to turnovers, it is clear the blame is not all on Bob.
Still, Bob has let in soft goals more than once and it’s concerning anytime a professional athlete loses confidence. It most likely happens more often than most professional athletes care to admit, and it is refreshing anytime an athlete shows candor and honesty. Bobrovsky cares, and he wants to win as much as everyone else in the room.
Crucial to their success, it seems more than likely Bob will figure things out. The Blue Jackets better hope so if they have any hope of playing into the spring.
William Chase is a New York Yankees and Columbus Blue Jackets writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @William_Chase88 “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on LinkedIn and Google.
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