That’s how you respond.
Jack Roslovic returned to the Columbus Blue Jackets' lineup on Sunday, scoring a huge third period goal at 1:57 of the period to help propel the Blue Jackets past the San Jose Sharks 6-4.
Using his burst of speed, Roslovic turned on the engines to find Max Domi's lead pass, skating by three Sharks and beating Adin Hill to the goaltender's left side to give the Jackets a 4-3 lead.
When head coach Brad Larsen held Roslovic out of the lineup on Saturday against the Washington Capitals, he was looking to jumpstart his struggling team on the tail-end of a four-game road trip, and reignite Roslovic who was -5 and pointless in three games.
The decision appeared to pay dividends on Sunday.
In addition to the goal, Roslovic led the way for the team with six shots on goal in 13:19 of ice time. That's the type of response and impact you look for from a player, especially one who was held out of the lineup just the night before.
"I think the effort is still there with the team," Roslovic said. "A game like tonight, to see the effort in the third (period) and to be able to take over that game was very important. We just need to figure out to play energetic home games on the road now."
Winning is a cureall on home ice, and the team remains confident.
"As a player who likes to produce and score for a team, the more you get out there, the more touches you get, the more assists, and the more contribution in any way that you have, it helps a ton and it helps build confidence, and from young players to old players, it's definitely a step in the right direction," Roslovic said.
Did Larsen get the response he was seeking from Roslovic?
"(In the) third period, yes," Larsen said. "I know Jack's got a better game. And he was fighting it early in that game...that line was fighting it. They just didn't have it. In the third, he started to play. This is what Jack can do with his speed...it's a heck of a goal. I'd love to see more of that from Jack...that third period right there."
Last month, we wrote about Jack Roslovic's slow start to the season while presenting underlying optimism with his under-the-hood production.
At the time of that Nov. 9 article, Roslovic had three assists to his name. Since then, he has scored four goals to go with five assists on the season. While not exactly lighting it up just yet, Roslovic's big goal in Sunday's win against the Sharks might be just the thing to jumpstart him and the slumping Blue Jackets.
Taking a step back and looking at the larger picture, Roslovic has five points (four goals, one assist) in the previous seven games.
As Roslovic looks to keep finding the back of the net, he'll get his next chance on Tuesday when the Blue Jackets take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. It'll be the first meeting between the clubs since the bubble play-in series in 2020.
