Two of the biggest surprises of the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far have been the Columbus Blue Jackets‘ back-to-back wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning to go up 2-0 in the series.
Aside from the first 20 minutes of the series when the Lightning looked like they’d be running away with the first round, it’s been the wild cards of Columbus who have dominated the scoreboard and sounded the alarm bells in Tampa.
According to Don Cherry, the secret to the Blue Jackets’ success is in the way head coach John Tortorella is handling his club — and approaching his opponent.
“Here’s what John Tortorella’s done: He said, ‘Look. This team’s the best hockey team in the world, go at them.’ Everybody else goes in a little afraid. Go at them,” Cherry said during Coach’s Corner Saturday night.
Since being down 3-0 in the first period of Game 1, the Blue Jackets have outshot Tampa Bay 48-41 and outscored them 9-1.
“They went at them, and that’s why they’re up,” Cherry said.
Also working in Tortorella’s favour, said Cherry, is the fact that several players are eying new contracts this off-season.
Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky will be on the hunt for lucrative new deals this summer as unrestricted UFAs, while rentals Ryan Dzingel, Matt Duchene, and Adam McQuaid are also slated to hit the open market. That’s some powerful incentive.
“He’s got five guys coming up for contracts, so he’s got a lot of things going for him right now, up 2-0,” said Cherry. “Couldn’t be a better guy, John Tortorella, as far as I’m concerned.”
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