A sign of things to come?
It had gotten so frustrating for Cam Atkinson that his head coach made him watch most of the third period on Saturday in Philadelphia. This is a player who represented the Blue Jackets at the All-Star Game this year.
Josh Anderson had been sitting on 16 goals for a dozen games, and his second period goal brought the Blue Jackets back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game at 2-2 on Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The second period on Sunday was a big one for the Blue Jackets, who didn't want to wilt away as they'd done in recent games, and they were able to take a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes thanks to timely goals from important pieces to their puzzle.
Anderson is one of them, and while the goals haven't been there as often lately, he's certainly had chances. His goal Sunday, his 17th in an impressive rookie season, was equal parts nifty and powerful; he took advantage of a Jake Gardiner miscue and blew down the right wing before ripping a shot past Curtis McElhinney.
Josh Anderson ties it up and man, this is one heck of a shot to beat McElhinney.
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 9, 2017
It's his first goal in twelve games. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/OmNL2XrVPE
Back to Atkinson: it's hard to fathom him "struggling" when he scored his 35th goal of the season on Sunday, but he's been snakebitten in his last dozen or so games. As Jason Priestas pointed out yesterday, Atkinson has been fighting it:
| Date | Opponent | G | A | P | +/- | S | TOI | Shifts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8 | @ PHILADELPHIA | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 13:33 | 16 |
| Apr 6 | vs WINNIPEG | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 3 | 16:26 | 19 |
| Apr 4 | @ PITTSBURGH | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 | 15:19 | 21 |
| Apr 2 | vs WASHINGTON | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 22:39 | 24 |
| Mar 31 | @ CHICAGO | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 4 | 19:49 | 24 |
| Mar 30 | @ CAROLINA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:58 | 23 |
| Mar 28 | vs BUFFALO | 1 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 2 | 18:06 | 21 |
| Mar 25 | vs PHILADELPHIA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:06 | 18 |
| Mar 23 | @ WASHINGTON | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 19:37 | 22 |
| Mar 22 | vs TORONTO | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:48 | 22 |
| Mar 18 | @ NEW JERSEY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13:49 | 22 |
Needless to say, it's a welcome sight to see Atkinson's name on the scoresheet again. His goal stood up as the game-winner in the Blue Jackets' 50th victory of the season, and it was Atkinson's ninth game-winner of the campaign.
Another player who needed a goal in a big way is Matt Calvert, who has found himself shuffled in and out of the lineup as John Tortorella has searched for the right mix in his forwards. Calvert scored his first goal in 16 games in Sunday's second period, concocting a deft backhand move at the front of the net to beat Curtis McElhinney five-hole.
Calvert also picked up an assist on Atkinson's shorthanded tally, giving him his first multi-point game of the season. His last multi-point outing? April 6 of last season, at Air Canada Centre against the Maple Leafs. Funny game, this is.
Disclaimer: only time will tell if these players use Sunday as a springboard to the Stanley Cup playoffs, which begin next week at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The Blue Jackets, in the midst of a weird offensive spell at kind of the wrong time, could sorely use depth scoring when they face a loaded Penguins team without many weaknesses. If you'll recall, Calvert was a key player in the first-round series between Columbus and Pittsburgh three years ago.
Honorable mention also goes to goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, who was 1-4-0 in his last five starts and needed a strong showing. He picked up his second win over the Maple Leafs this season.
