Good teams win games. Great teams find ways to win games when they don't have their best.
We don't know what this season's Blue Jackets are yet (and it sounds like John Tortorella is in the same boat), but this 5-4 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild was the first game of the season that fits into that latter category. Columbus trailed three times, including by two goals in the third period, but rallied to force sudden death OT.
Sergei Bobrovsky looked human for the first time this season and the power play was a struggle. Still, the Blue Jackets found a way to come back for a huge road win over a shorthanded but emotionally charged Wild team, which lost a home opener for the first time in its franchise history.
Third Period Heroics
The Blue Jackets turned a 4-2 third period deficit into a 5-4 win, spoiling the Minnesota Wild's home opener. Cam Atkinson tallied his second goal of the year to pull Columbus within a goal, and Josh Anderson tipped in a David Savard blast to draw even at 4-4 and send the game to overtime. The Blue Jackets never held a lead, and it was a good sign to see them fight back when they weren't sharp.
Power Play Woes
The Blue Jackets power play looks lost. It went 0-for-3 tonight with just one shot on goal. Despite the win, a concerning trend is developing: the team has converted just 1-of-13 power play opportunities on the year. Atkinson said they're getting too cute and trying to make "hope plays," or passing until something eventually turns up. Artemi Panarin was brought in to aid the power play, and he rang a one-timer off the post tonight. With the level of talent on their No. 1 unit, you'd like to think it works itself out before too long.
(It's hard to be too critical of Panarin, who had three assists for the second time in just five games)
On the whole, though, the power play is not nearly as crisp as it needs to be.
Comeback Kids
On three separate occasions, the Blue Jackets responded shortly after allowing a goal, scoring one of their own. Every time that it seemed like the game could start to turn for the worse, the Jackets found a way to rebuttal — a strong sign from the young team.
This feels like not the #CBJ's night and then they answer every time things go wrong. Top line is starting to feel it.
— Jeff Svoboda (@JeffSvoboda) October 15, 2017
Defensive Pair Shuffling
The Blue Jackets defensive pairs were shifted around at times in a game that Tortorella thought was ugly. He said the Johnson-Savard pairing didn't play well and split them up, and Zach Werenski missed a few shifts with a injury but did return to the game. Eventually, the original pairs were re-assembled, but it marked the first time this season that the coaches changed their deployment early in a game.
#CBJ have switched up D pairs. Werenski now on the left side of Savard, Johnson with Jones. See if it sticks. Been a couple of shifts now.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 15, 2017
Bobrovsky Is Human
For the first time this season, Bobrovsky appeared to be a mere mortal. He gave up four goals on just 21 shots, and Tortorella said post-game that the Blue Jackets repaid some debts owed to their goaltender by helping pull him through his first tough outing of the season. He still improved to 3-0-0 on the year and made some key saves early in the game to keep Columbus within reach.
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