Three players that normally aren't talked about in individual respects. But as a unit, they're terrorizing opposing teams.
Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and Josh Anderson are typically classified as below-the-goal-line grinders that will physically punish the other team. But they've been a lot more than that in the past couple of weeks for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night, this second line for the Jackets was the only offensive line with a positive CF% Rel, and had the highest CF% on the team with 54.55% for Jenner, 52% for Anderson and 48% for Foligno.
Now, this may be slightly discouraging news for other Blue Jackets' lines and pairings, but the silver lining is the fact that this is Columbus' second line putting in the best work, and this is a very good thing as the Jackets look to become a more fluid roster and not just rely on their superstars.
Anderson had two goals on Friday, bumping him up to second on the club with 11 (more than half of what he had last season) in 22 games.
Foligno's one assist pushed him to be tied for third on the team in points with 13, and Jenner's assist now has him tied for fifth with ten points.
The benefit of a line producing as much point-wise as this one does (35 total), is that they are seeing success in so many other areas of their game. They're not only scoring; they're annoying the hell out of the opposition while they do it.
The trio of bruisers hold the top three spots for hits on the club: Anderson with 54, Foligno with 41, and Jenner with 39, as of Monday night.
Foligno and Jenner are also in the top-six of their team in blocked shots, with 27 and 21 respectively, with Anderson at nine.
These three haven't been together all season, but it's a good thing they have as of late, because the rocky, inconsistent start that the Blue Jackets ran out of the gates with has swung around 180 degrees.
Since the Foligno-Jenner-Anderson trio officially began, the Blue Jackets are 9-3-1-1, dating back to an Oct. 25 victory at the St. Louis Blues, where the line recorded three goals, and coach John Tortorella absolutely knows their value:
"That line has been a very important line for us as we've strung some wins together," said Torotrella after Friday's win. "I can use them in a lot of different situations; a checking role, a momentum line, and they give us a little bit of personality as far as the banging, too (checking)."
Since the Foligno-Jenner-Anderson trio officially began, the Blue Jackets are 9-3-1-1.
As the Blue Jackets continue to push towards the top of the league rankings and make it clear that they are contenders and should be respected as such, they will need heavy contribution from lines like this one to be a well-rounded threat (and a pain to opponents).
