Folks, the Blue Jackets are just about unstoppable right now.
They're on a five-game winning streak in which they've outscored opponents 24-4. They've gotten goals from 10 out of the 12 forwards in the lineup in the last five games. Sergei Bobrovsky is playing outstanding hockey, and Monday, was named the NHL's First Star of the Week.
Sunday night in Buffalo, in what could have been a "trap game" (see: Edmonton Oilers), the Blue Jackets thoroughly dominated the Sabres, winning 4-0 on goals from Pierre-Luc Dubois, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nick Foligno, and Josh Anderson. They kept it simple, played hard, and didn't let up.
Bobrovsky led the shutout effort, and he is playing some of the best hockey of his career at a crucial time for the Blue Jackets. He notched his ninth shutout of the season last night, a career best for him and one back of the Blue Jackets' franchise record held by Steve Mason (10).
Perhaps the biggest factor behind the Blue Jackets' recent dominance is that head coach John Tortorella now feels comfortable rolling out any one of his four lines in an important situation.
The top line of Cam Atkinson, Matt Duchene, and Artemi Panarin was lethal against Nashville on Saturday night. Panarin notched four assists, Duchene notched two, and Atkinson added two goals. Not a bad day at the office.
Is this good? #CBJ pic.twitter.com/NtCU5YRcTj
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Ryan Dzingel, Dubois, and Anderson make up the Blue Jackets' second line, and they're a big and fast bunch. Dubois is starting to shake off the cobwebs and return to form, and Anderson and Dzingel have been supplying goals and assists at a good rate.
The third line, spearheaded by a red-hot Bjorkstrand, looks dangerous every time they have the puck. Boone Jenner and Alexander Wennberg have looked phenomenal together, with Wennberg finally showing flashes of what made him have that brilliant season two years ago.
The fourth line of Foligno, Riley Nash, and Brandon Dubinsky has driven the bus in the last two games. They've been commanding in controlling the puck and creating offensive chances, and led the team in ice time during Sunday's win in Buffalo.
Tortorella spoke about the ability to roll four lines and how it sets the table for the Blue Jackets.
"I think getting the first goal helped us right away...It's a consistent thing we've talked about, that everybody's contributing. The biggest thing for me moving forward is that another line got going tonight, Dubois' line."
He then talked about the Blue Jackets focusing on playing their game, rather than letting the Sabres dictate play.
"We just focused on us. We tried to stay consistent in our effort, our play away from the puck, and the biggest key for us is our forechecking. And I thought we did a pretty good job of that for a lot of minutes."
The Blue Jackets are flying high right now, and Tortorella acknowledged that they have had a boost in morale because of their streak.
"I think they feel good about themselves. They've won some games here. That Edmonton game, it woke us up a little bit as far as how we have to go about our business here if we want any chance. We still have a lot of work to do...I think everybody feels good that everybody's contributing.
Everything's on the up-and-up. The Blue Jackets have three regular season games left to try and solidify a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and their quest continues Tuesday night when they host Boston at Nationwide Arena. Game time is 7 p.m. ET and it will be shown nationally on NBC Sports Network.
