The Blue Jackets are more skilled than they have ever been in the franchise's history. The problem with that, the Blue Jackets are the most skilled team the franchise has ever had. Skill is a dangerous elixir that can intoxicate a team into thinking they can out skill teams to wins. The CBJ have been guilty of partaking of this elixir and have gotten burned for it.

Why skill and relying on it can and usually does bite teams is because when crunch time hits in a game and the need to grind, pay the price and every other cliche that describes blue collar type work can't be found by a skill team. It is very difficult to flip a switch and change a mentality of razzle dazzle into a boring simple game that gets you wins.

Case in point this year for Columbus were both Edmonton and Pittsburgh. The Oilers the Union Blue thought they were just going to come in and run the team out of Rexall Place. The Jackets were on their way with a 4-1 lead but when you try to out skill teams, adversity isn't handled well because it makes a team very uncomfortable. When the goals started to come against the Jackets they were lost and didn't have an answer.

Pittsburgh was again a situation that the team had the game in control and thought due to the absence of Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Kennedy and the Penguins with their backup goaltender Brent Johnson, would just roll over the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Another problem with trying to be cute and out skill teams is when the other team puts some pressure on you and gets in your face, you melt and get on your heels. Even without key players on the team, the Pens know how to win.

Now, in a reversal of fortune, the Capitals knew they could out skill those corn fed boys from Columbus. The Caps made a lot of cute and slick little plays but many times over passed the puck and gave up shots. What also happened in the game is the Blue Jackets knew they would never out skill the highly skilled Caps.

Enter the Lunch Pail Gang. Raffi Torres and R.J. Umberger were players that knew that a price had to be paid to win. That meant planting your butt in front of the crease, get the crap beat out of you and still stand there and take more. What it resulted was Torres getting the game tying goal with 23 seconds left in the game and Umberger scored to win in over time. Both goals were scored with each player planted in front of the net.

Just in time for the highly skilled Sharks that come to town Wednesday, Jan Hejda returns to action who is definitely part of the Lunch Pail Gang. Hejda goes about his job quietly and pays the price every night. It's not a coincident that the Blue Jackets are giving up 4.25 goals a game without him in the lineup versus 2.2 when he was in the lineup.

A player that isn't part of the Lunch Pail Gang and due to it, is being sent a message by Head Coach Ken Hitchcock. Kristian Huselius was moved to the 3rd line for practice and in no uncertain terms he is telling him to either start playing hard or you will hardly be playing. If there is ever a player that Nikita Filatov could fill in for, it would be Huselius. Both similar players and if Filatov is working harder than Juice don't be shocked if Hitch puts Huselius in the press box for a game if the lack of impact and work continues.

San Jose Sharks had eight players score goals in their last 2 games and now have won 5 straight plus they shellacked the Jackets on October 8th in San Jose by a 6-3 score. The game was a Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton resume builder for sure as both combined to score 8 points and Heatly had a hat trick.

If the Blue Jackets come with their lunch pails, hard hats and a bit of moxie with it, they can walk out of Nationwide Arena with 2 points. If they walk in with their Armani suits, Pat Riley hair helmets and play like they are late for a hot date, then the CBJ team will leave with 0 points and a date that might cancel.

Fire The Cannon!

Eric Smith
Eric.Smith@HockeyBuzz.com

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