This one felt a little like deja vu, didn't it?
Nothing doing in the first 40 minutes. The chances, when they came, either just missed or fizzled out quickly. But one play in the third period changed the game for the Blue Jackets, who came from behind to steal one from the Winnipeg Jets.
It was 2016-17 all over again.
The Blue Jackets improved to 7-3-0 heading into Saturday's game in St. Louis against the Blues, who also won 2-1 on the road at Carolina on Friday.
Here are some observations and anecdotes from tonight's fun at Nationwide Arena:
Light The Spark
Cam Atkinson was rejuvenated after John Tortorella reunited him with Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky late in Wednesday's win over the Sabres. Tonight, when the Blue Jackets were plodding along and looking for an equalizer in the third period, Atkinson came through and made something happen.
The puck was chopped toward the net, but didn't get to Steve Mason (who played a strong game for Winnipeg). Atkinson found it bouncing around in front of the net and got the backhand of his stick blade on it, squeaking it past Mason to tie the game midway through the third period.
It was a jolt to the Blue Jackets and they carried it the rest of the way. A questionable penalty call was exterminated later in the third period and they kept the play alive twice before Josh Anderson's OT winner.
Stick With It
The first couple of periods were...quiet.
In the third period, Tortorella reminded his team that they were in familiar territory. A year ago, they trudged through every few odd games and collected points even when they weren't playing well. Tonight's game felt eerily similar and the Blue Jackets kept hanging around, thanks in part to the stellar play of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
"I don't think we gave them much. When we did...Bob made some key saves," Tortorella said.
"These are the games we won last year. I'm thrilled about the win. Do we have some things to work on? Yeah. Are a number of guys struggling? Yeah. I am thrilled we win this type of hockey game."
Slow Start
John Tortorella was miffed over the Blue Jackets' poor first period on Wednesday night. He wasn't any happier about their opening 20 in this one. The Jets were faster all over the ice, at one point holding a 11-2 shots advantage and drew the first three penalties of the game. Winnipeg drew first blood and could've had one or two more before the Blue Jackets balanced the ice later in the period.
Power Play Goes Begging
While the Jets had their share of power play chances in the first period, the Blue Jackets had plenty of their own the rest of the way. There wasn't much generated on the Columbus end, which led Tortorella to shake up the team's two power play units; Alexander Wennberg was dropped to a second unit along with Cam Atkinson in the third period, while Josh Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand were elevated. The message? Clearly, shoot the puck. For whatever reason, the Blue Jackets aren't getting dangerous chances on the power play and after scoring twice in their previous five attempts, they were ordinary tonight.
This One's For You, Billy
The powers that be did something right when they graced us with Bill Davidge. One of the most wonderful people you'll meet got the best news earlier today: he is in "complete and total remission" from a long battle with multiple myeloma. The battle rages on, but Billy's spirit has pulled him through this fight. Couldn't be happier for him.
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