Can Nick Foligno and the Blue Jackets turn things around under new coach John Tortorella? (Photo credit: tsyp9 / Foter / CC BY-SA)
It didn’t take long for the first coach’s head to roll in the NHL.
The Blue Jackets fired Todd Richards earlier this week after Columbus opened the year with seven straight losses. Replacing Richards behind the Jackets’ bench is John ‘The Mouth That Roared’ Tortorella, who led the Lightning to a Stanley Cup win in 2004 and owns a career winning percentage of .538.
At least we know press conferences in Columbus will be more interesting now.
But how quickly can Torts make a difference on the scoreboard?
“His first obstacle is getting goaltender Sergei Bobrovski back on his game,” said a Sports Interaction NHL betting expert. “The Blue Jackets are allowing almost five goals a night and have played over the total in five of their seven games. If Bobrovski is on, that shouldn’t happen.”
Tortorella is known for coaching a defensive style and insisting his players block as many shots as possible. Perhaps Tortorella’s impact will be felt more on the over/under stats than in the win column?
“The good news here is, if nothing else, Tortorella will demand his team to give their goaltender more support,” said the Sports Interaction NHL betting expert. “Expect Columbus to pick up a couple of wins quickly, but it’s hard to know from there.”