After being humiliated by the Detroit Red Wings, the Columbus Blue Jackets have gone on a nice little stretch, to the tune of 2-0-2. Yes, their past two games have both followed a frustrating script of losing a late third-period lead and eventually losing in overtime, but that's the cost of having a young and learning team.
Two players in particular, however, have stood out to me in recent games for elevating their games - Jack Roslovic and Emil Bemström.
Don't look now, but Roslovic has posted a 2-4-6 statline over the past four games while averaging 17:00 TOI. He played a season-high 20:23 against Montreal and was instrumental in setting up or scoring 100% of the Blue Jackets three tallies.
#CBJ Roslovic (2) goal pic.twitter.com/L09uFHV4Fz
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) October 26, 2023
Jack Roslovic goes from 0 to on the OT winner pic.twitter.com/Hihfy2Qq3j
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 22, 2023
Bemström, meanwhile, has scored three goals in the past two games and seems to be a focal point of the otherwise struggling power play. Put another way, the Blue Jackets have scored five power-play goals this season, and three of them have come from Bemstrom over the past two games.
#CBJ Bemstrom (2) goal pic.twitter.com/97tHageGNc
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) October 26, 2023
#CBJ Bemstrom (3) goal pic.twitter.com/J9yMZ6nHXI
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) October 27, 2023
Bemstrom's first of the season, assisted by Ivan Provorov and Adam Fantilli #CBJ pic.twitter.com/iPOId1QH53
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) October 25, 2023
Bemström's one-timer has always been a threat, but with Patrik Laine usually taking those reps on the power play, Bemström has been essentially demoted to limited minutes. He played well this preseason in a more bottom-six role, showing an ability to play hard on for the forecheck and be more defensively responsible. Pascal Vincent knows that he's not a burner, but has primarily played him alongside Alexandre Texier and Adam Fantilli, both of whom can genuinely threaten the defense with their galloping strides. That hasn't produced any 5v5 offense for the 24-year-old, yet, but I think the logic is sound. If Texier and Fantilli can push back the defense, it could open up soft ice for Bemström, who has proven that he can beat NHL goalies from distance when given an open look.
For Roslovic, it's so clear that confidence is the name of his game. When he plays on a line with Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau, as he did in the game against Montreal, it's easy to see his skill come to the fore. His skating, vision with the puck, and creativity are clear and impressive qualities. Roslovic has overcome a lot in a short period this season. At times during the preseason, it seemed as though he was on the outside looking in, and then averaged just 11:05 of ice in the first three games while playing mostly on the fourth line. Like Bemström, Vincent has found that playing Roslovic alongside Texier and Fantilli has been something of a salve for the talented forward. Per LeftWingLock, the Roslovic-Fantilli-Texier line has been the most used 5v5 group for the club over the past three games (16.4%), and the Bemström-Fantilli-Texier the fourth-most (10.4%).
The data bears this out, too. Per NaturalStatTrick, among skaters with at least 50 minutes of 5v5 TOI, Roslovic has the highest percentage of high-danger chances for while on the ice (60.71%). And on the power play, Bemstrom is tied for the team lead in individual scoring chances for. It only makes sense that he's been rewarded with success.
The key for these two will be keeping this momentum. I've been critical of both Roslovic and Bemström in the past, and in both instances, it can basically be distilled to the following sentiment: yes, there is clear talent there, but is it there with enough consistency to make the other elements (defensive woes, inability to contribute for weeks at a time, untimely turnovers) worth it?
So far, the answer has been an emphatic yes. It remains to be seen if they can keep the train chugging along.
