No Blue Jacket was off to as slow of a start as the Columbus native himself.
The cure for what ailed Jack Roslovic may have been found Monday night in Buffalo against the Sabres.
Roslovic scored two goals in a span of just six minutes during the opening period to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead for the Blue Jackets. The Sabres would briefly tie the game with a last second goal to close out the first, but Columbus would answer with two goals in the first minute of the second — with Roslovic adding an assist on the second goal.
"It's fun," said Roslovic. "I think of that as my job and to do that is important."
Roslovic's first goal of the night came at the 8:23 mark of the period, with the puck trickling past Buffalo goalie Dustin Tokarski. Zach Werenski picked up the primary assist with a great effort in getting the puck through the Sabres defense.
Jack Roslovic flips one home off the glove of Tokarski to tie it up!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/vv6vxONM4R
— Hockey Daily 365 (@HockeyDaily365) November 23, 2021
The second goal came at 14:04 of the period to give Columbus a 2-1 lead, and while the shot was beautiful, it was a great play from Max Domi to find Roslovic that gave the 24-year-old his second tally of the evening.
A second look of Roslovic's second goal! Assists: Gavin Bayreuther, Max Domi. pic.twitter.com/3ohUu6nDfe #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 23, 2021
Not one to steal the glory, Roslovic gave credit to the recently-returned Domi.
"I think he was really good, he was talkative, he was supportive," said Roslovic. "He was a ball of energy."
Domi gave the credit right back.
"I think our line tonight as a whole was great,” said Domi, who scored in the second period on a goal assisted by Roslovic. “Jack was unbelievable. It’s great to see him get rewarded like that. He’s been playing so hard and obviously the puck hasn’t always gone his way this year.”
Head coach Brad Larsen knew immediately that Roslovic was in a groove, and his 15:26 of ice time was Roslovic's second highest time on ice this season, trailing an overtime game against the Seattle Kraken by just 20 seconds.
“Goal scorers and offensive guys, when they have a night like that, you can tell they were feeling it right away," said Larsen.
"I'm sure for Jack it’s kind of a release a little bit."
Roslovic and the Blue Jackets return to Nationwide Arena for a Wednesday night matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. It will be the first time he's squared off against his former team since the January trade that sent Roslovic and Patrik Laine to Columbus in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois.
