Just find a way.
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 Friday's 4-3 thriller at Nationwide Arena:
SAM GAGNER [GAME SCORE: 1.56]
It's a really good sign for the Blue Jackets that Gagner is starting to find the net again. John Tortorella said his line with Gagner, Scott Hartnell and Oliver Bjorkstrand (spelled occasionally by Brandon Saad) has been Columbus' most consistent of late, and was an offensive difference-maker in last weekend's series against the New Jersey Devils. Gagner logged just shy of 15 minutes tonight and was a +10 (69.23%) in the 5-on-5 Corsi department. He scored the second of two Blue Jackets power play goals on a rocket slap shot that beat Robin Lehner cleanly; Gagner has five points (three goals, two assists) in his last four games and is playing with a lot more confidence.
Reminder: he was an August free-agent signing for $650,000. He has 17 goals and 41 points this season.
BRANDON DUBINSKY [GAME SCORE: 1.40]
Dubinsky is another player who is starting to find his groove in the later stages of the regular season. He was a force in all three zones tonight, playing nearly 20 minutes and chipping in an assist on Boone Jenner's game-winning goal in the third period. Dubinsky was a 52% Corsi tonight despite starting nearly 39% percent of his shifts in the defensive zone, but his line with Jenner and Cam Atkinson pushed the pace and dragged the Blue Jackets into the fight after a drowsy first period and a half.
BOONE JENNER [GAME SCORE: 1.38]
If this guy gets to scoring more frequently, the Blue Jackets are in business.
The season did not start well for Jenner, if you'll recall. Coming off a 30-goal season that opened some eyes around the NHL, there were high expectations for the 23-year-old alternate captain and he couldn't seem to get himself going. He won't score 30 goals this season, but he's up to 14 goals in 66 games and has scored in two of his last three overall. Those two goals (Sunday at New Jersey, Friday vs. Buffalo) were game-winners, and tonight, his go-ahead goal inside the final five minutes was a thing of beauty.
Jenner could have scored at least one other goal; he had two point-blank chances on a shorthanded sequence and nearly beat Lehner on a breakaway.
"If there's a guy that deserves a winning goal like that, it's that guy," Tortorella said.
Stats/data via Corsica.hockey
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