Next time you’re contemplating taking a sick day because of the sniffles, think about Cam Atkinson.
(Just kidding, take that sick day, champ.)
Prior to last night’s game against the Predators, Atkinson had missed four games due to a hip injury. That’s not an easy thing to come back from, and a bout with the flu compounded matters further. Not the kind of flu that some DayQuil and Gatorade can cure, either.
Heck of a flu for Cam Atkinson. Stuck in bed for three days. Lost eight pounds. #CBJ
— Alison (@AlisonL) November 7, 2017
Cam’s listed weight is 179 points, so he’s not exactly a heavy hitter to begin with. That’s not his game, obviously, although his size hasn’t impeded his career whatsoever. Still, rapid weight loss like that can throw even the best professional athletes off their game.
With all that in mind, it was encouraging to see Atkinson back in the lineup last night because the Blue Jackets need him. The big surprise came in the final box score.
Back on a line with Artemi Panarin and Alexander Wennberg for the majority of the game, Atkinson was tied for the team lead among forwards for shots on goal in the game, and that line arguably looked better than it has all year. For Atkinson, that was a positive sign moving forward for a line that was broken up recently.
"We definitely had some opportunities, Breadman made some great passes backdoor,” he said."We’re there, we’re close."
Atkinson – fresh off of an injury and one hell of a bug – played 23:45 in his first game back, leading all forwards by a wide margin. He was third on the team, too, with just Seth Jones (25:44) and Zach Werenski (24:18) playing more in the 3-1 loss.
"We played him a lot," Tortorella told reporters after the game. "As we talked about before, Cam's Cam. He brings a lot of energy."
There are just three instances where a Blue Jackets forward has skated more than that in regulation time (not counting overtime) this season – Nick Foligno vs. Boston last week (23:55 regulation, plus 1:35 in overtime), Artemi Panarin at Minnesota (24:13) and Panarin in the Blue Jackets' 2-0 loss at home to Tampa (24:30). None of those came off of a nasty flu, or immediately after being activated from injured reserve.
Panarin finished second last night with 22:37, as a pattern emerges that certainly would suggest that he (and Foligno, who played 21:21 tonight) is emerging as one of Tortorella’s go-to forwards. Last night’s minutes may be slightly inflated by the team dressing seven defensemen, but the point still stands – Panarin and Atkinson can give Tortorella a lot of quality minutes, and if they need offense, they have some horses who can handle it.
If that chemistry develops – and gets Alexander Wennberg rolling – the Blue Jackets are much better off.
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