Blue Jackets In The Midst Of A Bad Stretch

from Aaron Portzline of Puck-rakers, Kristian Huselius spent most of the day in the team hotel, fighting through a bout with the flu from his bed. He should have stayed there. Huselius made two brutal plays that led directly to two Stars goals and a 3-1 loss before 16,532 in American Airlines Center. It was a night that demanded dialed-up play from everybody in the lineup, but the Blue Jackets didn’t quite get it. Huselius was the poster child. He was on the ice for all three Dallas goals and finished with a well-deserved minus-2.... The Blue Jackets now get two days off for Christmas Eve and Christmas. Before you sharpen your talons, this is not a Ken Hitchcock decision. It’s an NHL rule that teams can’t practice or play on Dec. 24-25. Maybe the Blue Jackets will get better luck for Christmas. Or some heart. Or character. This is a brutal stretch, indeed. This is the worst 18-game stretch in club history. When you know this club’s history, that’s really saying something. more on the loss to the Stars…