After adding a couple new pieces, the Blue Jackets played their last home game before a three-game road trip and carried the day for a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals.
John Tortorella
On the game: "From a coach's point of view all the time, I know we talk a lot about the offense but I thought we defended the middle of the ice really well against a really good team."
On periods two and three: "I thought our decision making with the puck in the neutral zone and our decision making as far as staying above the puck when we don't have it in the neutral zone gave us a really good concentration of stopping their speed through it. That's a team that doesn't dump the puck in a lot, they're looking to try to get something off the rush. I thought we defended it really well."
On the penalty kill to start the second period: "If they get the second one on that power play then they get amped up, and it's a team that can turn the score over pretty quickly."
On Alexander Wennberg in front of the net: "It took the coaching staff a long time to realize his best position on the power play is there."
On the trade deadline moves giving the team a lift: "It gives ya some juice."
On trusting his fourth line more: "[Mark Letestu] settles down and I thought it was one of [Lukas Sedlak]'s better games and I get a pretty dependable guy on that line with [Matt Calvert]."
On Artemi Panarin moving to the left wing: "Bread can play both sides, bread's dangerous both sides.
"As long as [Panarin and Cam Atkinson] don't try to pass it into the net and keep on shooting, that's the key thing is we're shooting the puck."
On the trades boosting the team moving forward: "I've got to make some decisions here. When Vanek comes in and I mean I got 900 defensemen back there now, and some good ones, if we get healthy so there's gonna be a push as far as forwards. I watched Sonny [Milano] play tonight, I don't think there's many guys on our team who can score that goal he scored."
On what Alex Ovechkin said to him on the bench: "That's my fault. I thought he dove and I signaled to him and he took exception. I have no business making any gesture or saying anything to a player."
On Letestu: "The trainers have spoke volumes about him as far as his leadership and just what type of character he is. I can already see it on the bench and the things he says on the bench. I can see it when he scores that goal how happy the guys are for him."
Seth Jones
On the opening period: "Just came out with a jump. I don't know if it was the deadline or what went on but we'll take it for sure.
On playing a relaxed game: "Maybe mentally guys can take a deep breath and relax. It didn't look like we were thinking we were playing North. We played a pretty good game tonight I think as a D-core, we got the puck up quick to our forwards and you saw there was no hesitation."
On the power play goals: "My one-timer hasn't been great this year I don't have a lot of goals from the point on the power play, been missing the net quite a bit this year. I feel like it's nice to get one on net."
