This was more like it.
Something just felt different about the Blue Jackets this afternoon.
Perhaps it was the message sent by the front office on Friday, acquiring Matt Duchene in a blockbuster pre-trade deadline deal. Maybe it was a little wind in their sails after a 3-0 win over Ottawa on Friday night in Duchene's debut.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| SHARKS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Whatever it was, they'd like to bottle it.
Sergei Bobrovsky was masterful again, recording his second consecutive shutout in front of 19,000-plus at Nationwide Arena. Cam Atkinson recorded a multi-point game and Pierre-Luc Dubois got on the board, as well, en route to a 4-0 win over a really good San Jose Sharks team.
And considering what's going on around them (i.e. everyone is winning), this was huge for the Blue Jackets heading into Monday's trade deadline.
Boone Jenner opened the scoring by cashing in a tremendous Josh Anderson pass. Duchene made it 2-0 early in the second period, and he was also part of a late-period power play goal that gave Columbus a 3-0 lead going into the final 20 minutes.
Dubois capped it off with a "hey, I'll take it" goal in the third period, driving down the left side and sliding a weak shot through Martin Jones to make it a 4-0 game. The Blue Jackets have won back-to-back games and kicked off a five-game home stand in grand style, with another big one coming up on Tuesday.
Injury Update
Ryan Murray (upper body) remains on injured reserve and is expected to be out "a little while," according to head coach John Tortorella. Markus Hannikainen is also on injured reserve.
Next Up
The trade deadline awaits Monday at 3 p.m. ET, and the Blue Jackets are back in action Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena.
