After two overtime wins to snap a four-game winning streak, the Blue Jackets didn't need extra time to get the two points on Friday night, downing the New York Rangers by a 2-0 count.
The general thought after the game was Columbus played better in the shutout victory than it had in previous wins vs. Detroit and Montreal, and that started with head coach John Tortorella.
John Tortorella
On the win: "I don't think our first period was terrible. it was a little helter-skelter at times, but we still ended up with 10 or 11 chances in the first period. Our second period was probably one of the best periods we've played this year. (Henrik) Lundqvist made some huge saves. We stayed with it. We got a huge power-play goal to get a couple of goals. I'm happy. It's a good team win."
On not allowing the Rangers odd-man rushes: "It was the major point of emphasis in our meetings was we need to be under the hashmark. It's not about making plays to the hashmark. It's about getting it in. I thought that's the most we've been there in the past few games. You could see the concentration of the guys getting the puck there. In fact, sometimes, it was a 3-on-2, and we still dump it in. We're not looking to do that, but at least we're thinking that way."
On the play of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky: "What can you say? He is that good. ... He made some key saves in the first period, made some timely saves in the second period. I thought we outplayed them in the second, but he made some timely saves. It's hard to play when you look at the other guy down there. I think we had 12, 13 chances in the second period and he's watching chance after chance. They come down after a few minutes in our end zone and he has to make a save. That's hard."
On the progress of the team: "That was the question I put on the board tonight – who are we? ... We have to get straightened out who we are. ... We took a step in the right direction tonight."
Cam Atkinson
On the win: "Special teams was the most important. We won the special teams. The PK was solid and obviously we capitalized on the power play and got one, and that's huge for us. It gives us a lot of confidence, I think, going forward. We had a lot of chances even when we didn't score on the first couple."
On the goal by Artemi Panarin, his third in three games this year vs. Lundqvist. "I just wish he would have scored that empty-netter so I could have got on the score sheet. I told him, against this team, we need you tonight, and he stepped up big."
Sergei Bobrovsky
On the team's play: "We had lots of offensive zone time. Guys, I think, played as one. They worked in all facets of the ice, and it was fun to watch."
On the quality of shots he faced from the Rangers: "I don't think about what is outside, what is inside. I just try to be focused and when I'm needed, step up."
On the team's confidence: "We have a good atmosphere in the locker room. We've won three games and we're going to keep it rolling."
Brandon Dubinsky
On the win: "We didn't love our last two games. Tonight, I thought we got back to who we need to be a little bit more. Now it's just about trying to be consistent with it day in and day out."
On setting up Zach Werenski's opening goal: "We got a little bit of luck. It was (David) Desharnais that kind of slingshotted that puck, but you get some bounces and some luck on your side when you're working. We got out of our zone, we worked, and our D were up the ice and it made a huge difference. It was a huge goal for us."
