The Bar Is Set Higher In Columbus

from Larry Wigge of NHL.com, Expectations have been raised more than just a notch according to Columbus Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash. No longer is it about just making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s playing a lot better than when they get there than they did in the first round of the playoffs last spring, when they lost four straight to the Detroit Red Wings. Nash looks around the room and knows which players he can count on. And that team concept starts across the dressing room from him, in the form of second-year goaltender Steve Mason. “It’s huge when you’ve got a guy back there who you know is going to stop a lot of pucks. All the confidence in the world starts with ‘Mase,’” Nash said. “It’s so much easier to take a chance or two offensively when you know he’s back there and he’s got your back.” continued plus Central Division chatter…