The Columbus Blue Jackets have experienced a boost in play in the wake of replacing their head coach.
In the four days since Dean Evason was replaced behind the bench by Rick Bowness, they’ve managed to put up convincing wins against the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks and are on a three-game winning streak.
“I’m really excited about the new coach,” goaltender Elvis Merzlikins told reporters after the Blue Jackets’ 4-1 win over the Canucks on Thursday. “Nothing against Dean, his decisions were his decisions. I’m mature enough. [But], with a new coach there is new energy right now.”
Bowness joined a Blue Jackets team that had high expectations entering this season after falling just two points short of a playoff spot last year.
Instead, the team has floundered, sitting tied for the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 21-19-7.
The change behind the bench is a blank slate for the team, who are still trying to figure what the expectations are in a new system.
“We haven’t had one legitimate practice where we can actually learn the new system,” explained Merzlikins. “It’s not easy to jump in on a game day and change things. I’m glad the guys were smart enough to understand what the new coach wants from us and now we’re going to get use to the new system and keep working on it.”
The fresh start is key for Merzlikins, who has had trouble finding playing time this season. The 6-foot-3 netminder was once considered the primary goaltender in Columbus but has primarily been the backup to Jet Greaves this season.
Thursday’s win against the Canucks was only Merzlikins’ second appearance since before the holiday break. He has a 7-7-1 record this season with an .882 save percentage and 3.84 goals-against average.
“It took me awhile to win a game and to actually play, so [the win] means a lot to me, and it brings confidence to myself,” said Merzlikins. “To be honest I haven’t been paying [a lot of] attention to the changes in our system because I need to focus on me. I wasn’t playing a lot, so I needed to find my flow and my confidence.”
Despite not having a lot of time to get used to Bowness’ systems, Bowness said the Blue Jackets have done well adjusting mid-game.
He is looking for the team to be aggressive, attack, and make sure their opponents are on their heels.
“We really want to emphasize that we want to become a pressure team and that’s pressure with the puck, but that’s also pressure without the puck.” Bowness said after the game. “They get it, man, we want to go at them. We don’t want to give them time and space.”
Despite being near the bottom of the conference, the Blue Jackets are still only seven points behind the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins for the two wild-card spots.
They go on the road on Saturday to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins before beginning a five-game homestand on Tuesday, starting with a date with the Ottawa Senators.
As the team heads into the Olympic break in February, seven of their next 10 games are against teams that are currently not in the playoff picture.