“Jonesy’s struggling; it’s just been a struggle for him,” Tortorella said. “It’s probably more of a struggle than he’s had in a long time. I think the same thing with ‘Z’.
“They’re just too good … for it to last that much longer. They’re going to be OK.”
Asked to evaluate his performance so far this season, Jones didn’t hold back.
“Not great,” he said. “A little bit of a struggle, just trying to find my game and not forcing things. When you’re struggling, you want to make more plays, try more things. I’ve been battling that a little bit. My feet are a big part of my game. I (need to start) using my legs, just making quick decisions and using my legs to get me out of situations. I’m trying to do that a little bit more. For me, it starts with being physical defensively, shutting guys down. I think my offensive game and my confidence comes from that.
“I want my team to know that I’m going to be on every night. I’ve let them down. It’s something that hasn’t been the case early on this year. I do put a lot of pressure on myself and I’m my biggest critic. I know when I play like crap.”
The Blue Jackets’ struggles on the back end extend beyond Jones and Werenski, of course. Their two other puck-moving defensemen have been out of the lineup.
Ryan Murray (broken hand) has missed the past three games and could be out a few more weeks. Markus Nutivaara has been a healthy scratch the past two games but is expected back tonight versus Vegas.
“The reason Nuti’s (been) out is because he’s been a wicket,” Tortorella said. “Stationary, looking to his partner and flipping pucks. I want to see him skate. I want to see him move and I want to see him get involved in the offense.”
