On Thursday night at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, the Columbus Blue Jackets withstood a brutal first five minutes to torch the Florida Panthers by a score of 7-3.
With the win, the team moved to 9-4-0, adding to their best start in franchise history.
The club was powered by Josh Anderson in the first period and Oliver Bjorkstrand in the second, who each scored a pair of goals, and was happy to receive contributions from a previously-woeful power play.
Here are some observations and anecdotes from the Blue Jackets' first road win since Oct. 17:
Josh Anderson on a Tear
It seems like every time John Tortorella gets an opportunity to take a dig at Josh Anderson's agent/contract situation, he does. But he's always quick to give his young winger credit, and he did that again tonight.
Hes been a huge part of our start this year.
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) November 3, 2017
Coach Torts isnt shy when talking about the importance of @JoshAnderson_77. pic.twitter.com/UTvTnLIYyH
In the past nine games, Anderson has likely been the Blue Jackets' most effective player. He has five goals and eight points in just 11 games to start his season. Anderson has officially turned into a key player for this club, and it's exciting to see him grow in front of our eyes.
Bjorkstrand Heating Up
This game felt very much like a Calder Cup playoff game from a few years ago, with players like Markus Hannikainen (more on him in a bit), Josh Anderson, and Oliver Bjorkstrand having a huge impact. Bjorkstrand buried two goals in a 2:16 span midway through the second period to give the Blue Jackets' a 5-3 lead.
His first goal was "vintage Bjorkstrand," a quick shot to the nearside corner. It's uncanny how quickly he can get that shot off, and the trajectory it takes is equally impressive.
Don't look now, but Oliver Bjorkstrand is heating up. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/b4qe6vWzYs
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 3, 2017
It's promising to see Bjorkstrand firing the puck. He has four points in his past five games and eight points in 13 games. He, like Anderson, is growing into more of a role with the team and is still trying to define what he's going to be with the club this year. Clearly, his shot is a weapon that makes the power play better. But Tortorella is reluctant to use him in pressure situations, and his 13:50 of ice tonight is largely in line with the 13:11 he averaged this year coming into tonight.
If he keeps producing, it will be difficult for Tortorella to keep his ice time this low.
Power Play Scores!
So, this is the bar we've set. The Blue Jackets power play actually scored twice, which is...nice. They kept it simple, got pucks to the net, and were rewarded. It's clear that Tortorella is going to tinker with the power play units and I get the sense that even with Cam Atkinson in the lineup, this would be the case.
Was it perfect? Far from it. The first power play chance was hardly inspirational. Then, with the game 3-2 in favor of Columbus, Bobrovsky allowed a porous shorthanded goal to Vincent Trocheck. To give credit where it's due, this is a 9-4-0 team with a still-not-good power play. Tonight was a step in the right direction, if nothing else.
Vintage Dubinsky
Brandon Dubinsky has been an easy target for criticism in the young season. Through the first 12 games, he had just two assists. He had been stripped of the 'A' on his jersey and was told to focus on finding his game. He's posted the worst face-off win percentage of his career and has been deployed at a higher rate in defensive zone faceoffs than any other time in his career.
However, he looked more like himself tonight and that's not a reference to the double-minor at the end of the second period, but it's nice to see him engaged physically. At times this year, he's looked apprehensive to instigate contact, a rarity for No. 17.
Though he didn't play in the third period (Tortorella said after the game that he's fine), he made an impact in the first two periods. He created the Blue Jackets' first goal on a centering feed to Anderson and was generally a more noticeable player than he has been in recent games.
Four goals in his last nine games for Josh Anderson. Not bad! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/mALxfscl34
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 3, 2017
Fourth Line: Dominant
For all of the talk of problems surrounding the Blue Jackets' fourth line, they played their most impressive game of the year. Tortorella clearly didn't trust previous renditions of the line, but playing Pierre-Luc Dubois in the middle of Sonny Milano and Markus Hannikainen paid instant dividends, as the line was anything but a liability.
And Dubois certainly didn't look out of place as a center.
"the fourth line needs to earn the trust of the coaching staff" #cbj pic.twitter.com/b4sAwr3qsp
— Jeremy Crowe (@307x) November 3, 2017
Any coach would tell you that being able to roll four lines gives a team a huge advantage. In about 10 minutes of play, the fourth line dominated play, driving possession at a video game-like rate. Hannikainen scored his first goal of the season to cap off a generally productive night for the latest fourth-line combination.
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