BLUE JACKETS Vets not swept up in team's fast start

Two weeks don't mean much in a grueling season that stretches from October to April
COLUMBUS (AP) -- The Columbus Blue Jackets are off to the best start in the franchise's three-year lifespan. There are signs that it might not just be an illusion created by a home-heavy schedule.
"The confidence in the [dressing] room is good. Guys are believing that we can win every game that we go into," center Andrew Cassels said after Saturday night's 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers. "That's a big start right there -- to believe you can win every game."
Comparisons
In their previous two seasons, the Blue Jackets never had that feeling. They needed help -- an opponent playing the second night of a back-to-back, a fluky goal, a hot goaltender -- to escape a game with two points.
They find themselves now at 7-5-1-1 on the year -- the only time a team wearing Columbus sweaters has ever been two games over .500. With 16 points, only five teams have better records than they do in the tough Western Conference.
Is it too early to dream of the playoffs?
Cassels, a prime off-season free-agent signing who has helped fuel the hot start, has been through 12 years in the NHL. He knows that two weeks of excellence don't mean much in a grueling season that stretches from October to April.
"It's a long season. There's going to be ups and downs," said Cassels, who leads Columbus with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists). "You have to try and stay in that middle road. You can't get too high when you're playing real well and you can't get down when things aren't going good."
An outsider might say the Blue Jackets are a product of a cushy early season schedule. Ten of their first 14 games have been played in their own Nationwide Arena, where they are 6-2-1-1.
They have won just once on the road, but it was noteworthy. A 5-2 win at St. Louis last Thursday night ended a nine-game winning streak by the hottest team in the NHL. It was also Columbus' first victory ever at Savvis Center and ended an 11-game winless skid on the road.
Speed is asset
"We're running on all cylinders right now," said Cassels' linemate, Geoff Sanderson, whose seven goals ties him for the team lead with Tyler Wright. "Our team speed is what's getting us started right now. From our end into the offensive zone, we're getting there with a lot of speed. We're spreading out our attack and getting our guys to the net."
Coach Dave King attributes the turnaround to the addition of three seasoned veterans -- defensemen Scott Lachance and Luke Richardson and the even-tempered Cassels.
"The team has more confidence," King said. "It comes from Lachance, Richardson, Cassels, players like that coming in to give us more presence. They are able to settle people down. That makes a big difference."