After ending an 0-3-1 skid on Saturday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets won their second straight game, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 at the Bell Centre.
For the second consecutive game, the offensively-challenged Blue Jackets needed extra time to find a way to win. The club leaned heavily on Sergei Bobrovsky, who made several miraculous saves to help the team register even a single point. With the win, the Blue Jackets improved to a league-best 6-1 beyond regulation.
Here are five thoughts about a gutty win in Montreal:
WERENSKI SNIPES
Zach Werenski scored his second career overtime goal on a slick pass from Cam Atkinson. Atkinson curled and attracted two defenders to him, leaving Werenski wide open in the slot. The 20-year-old defenseman wasted no time in beating Charlie Lindgren on his glove side.
Cam finds Werenski in space.
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 15, 2017
Werenski does the rest. Two points for the Jackets tonight. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/10meVhmn2D
Things looked bleak for the second half of the game, but in overtime, Werenski salvaged the game for a Blue Jackets team that was clearly on the ropes.
JACKETS POWER PLAY WOES
Stop if you've heard this before: the power play is bad. There's no way around it. At a certain point, you wonder if/when the second unit is going to replace the first unit, just to give new players a chance.
#CBJ power play now in an 0 for 16 death spiral dating back to the Florida game.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) November 15, 2017
This thinking holds weight, strategically. Typically, teams will play their top penalty killers against the other team's top unit, which is normally at the beginning of the power play. The Canadiens had the best chance in either Blue Jackets power play, a breakaway by Paul Byron that Bobrovsky turned aside. Maybe it's time to decline penalties, like in football?
In all seriousness, it's time to make a change.
SCORING DROUGHT
The Blue Jackets are 2-2-0 in their last four games, which is downright miraculous when considering that they've only scored one goal in regulation in each of those games. Think about that. They've won two straight games despite scoring one goal in 60 minutes in those two games.
That's a recipe for disaster, but they're racking up points. At this point in the season, it's hard to complain too much about banking points for down the road. Clearly, the team is struggling to score goals; it's been a constant battle to get their top guys on the scoresheet, and tonight's game was no exception.
Fortunately, they have Sergei Bobrovsky in net, which reminds me...
BOBROVSKY: TOP COP
It's old hat at this point, but Bobrovsky was simply fantastic. His aforementioned breakaway save on Byron in the second period could've completely changed the complexion of the game. Instead, the puck stays out of the net, and the Jackets escape the period with the lead.
Yup. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/NGeUhKk8X2
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 15, 2017
Then, his save on a 2-on-1 early in the third period? Absurd.
Bobrovsky has given up just four goals in the past three games, and two of those games went beyond 60 minutes. He improved his record to 10-4-1.
ANDERSON, NO. 77, POTS LUCKY NO. 7
Josh Anderson added to his team goal-scoring lead, scoring his seventh goal of the season early in the first period to give the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead. After a great play by Markus Nutivaara to hold the blue line, walk to the middle of the ice, and get the puck towards the net, Anderson pounced on a loose puck and lit the lamp.
It's hard to imagine where this club would be without Anderson, who missed the first two games of the season while in a contract dispute. Is it a stretch to say he's been their best forward through the team's first 19 games?
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