You just watched the game. Odds are you thought a certain player had a great night, and you're wondering if the numbers back up what your eyes told you. Even if that's completely false, "Battery Mates" is here to help.
We'll pick our own three stars based on Game Score, a comprehensive individual performance metric developed in the hockey analytics community. For more on how Game Score works, read this.
These are 1st Ohio Battery's three stars from Thursday's 2-1 OT defeat:
SCOTT HARTNELL [GAME SCORE: 1.57]
The Blue Jackets and their slumping offense got yet another shakeup on Thursday when John Tortorella went back to his "old trusty" lines prior to the game against Carolina. That meant Hartnell was reunited with Sam Gagner and Lukas Sedlak, who together became one of the better fourth lines in the NHL as the Blue Jackets rolled along in December and January. They've spent time apart in recent weeks but got another chance tonight and showed signs of progress; Hartnell was +9 in 5-on-5 shot attempts (73.7% Corsi) and his line did most of its 5-on-5 work in the offensive zone, and also picked up an assist on Jack Johnson's goal.
JOONAS KORPISALO [GAME SCORE: 1.40]
Goaltending was the least of the Blue Jackets' concerns in this game. Korpisalo figured to get one of the two starts on the back-to-back set, and he was sharp early and often against a Hurricanes team that's in "win at all costs" mode. Though his 29-save effort wasn't enough to get the Blue Jackets a second point, he buoyed a subpar 5-on-5 showing and another lifeless outing from the power play.
SAM GAGNER [GAME SCORE: 1.24]
Gagner seemed to have a bit more jump tonight playing with Sedlak and Hartnell, and their line was unfortunately one of the Blue Jackets' best chances for an even-strength goal. Like Hartnell, he was a +9 in 5-on-5 Corsi (69.6%) in just under 11 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time.
