Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips Oct. 10, 2018 Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets notebook: Facing former teammates excites Matt Calvert PAGE 03: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets 5, Avalanche 2: Depth fuels Jackets' victory PAGE 05: Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets add High Bank Distillery to Nationwide Arena bars PAGE 06: The Athletic: G3: Offensive awakening? Nick Foligno scores twice in Blue Jackets’ 5-2 win over Avs PAGE 09: The Athletic: Welcome back Calvert. Avs forward returns to Columbus, a place he called home for eight NHL seasons Cleveland Monsters/Prospects NHL/Websites : PAGE 12: Sportsnet.ca: Definitive ranking of NHL's top 20 goalies over three seasons PAGE 20: The Athletic: Ranking the top prospects for the 2019 NHL Draft PAGE 25: The Athletic: The worst team I ever covered: NHL writers on pissed players, disastrous trades, and a butt goal 1 Blue Jackets notebook | Facing former teammates excites Matt Calvert By Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch – October 9, 2018 It is 11 steps from a giant photo of the goal that gave the Blue Jackets their first postseason win to their locker room at Nationwide Arena. On Tuesday, the man celebrating front and center in the photograph needed 27 extra steps down the hallway at Nationwide Arena to reach the visitors’ dressing room. Three games into his first professional season away from the Blue Jackets, Matt Calvert was back as a member of the Avalanche. “I kind of had to find my way (to the visitors’ dressing room) this morning,” he said with a smile following a morning skate on the main ice. The 2014 goal "was obviously a great memory. It was a big goal in this team’s history and my history. I was kind of surprised to see (the photo) still on the wall.” After going 72-77-149 in 416 games for the Blue Jackets spread across eight seasons, Calvert made the first move of his career when he signed with Colorado during the offseason. After arriving in town Monday night, Calvert said, he went to dinner with a group of former teammates: Nick Foligno, Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones, Boone Jenner and Alexander Wennberg. Defenseman Ian Cole, who joined the Jackets at the trade deadline last year and also signed with Colorado in the offseason, joined the group, too. Foligno made Calvert pick up the tab, Calvert said with a laugh. “Sharing old stories, it’s always fun,” Calvert said. “Then the hockey memories come in. It was a little tough sleeping (Monday) night. Your brain’s running a little bit, playing against your old teammates.” He endeared himself to a few of them and nearly came to blows with Josh Anderson during the third period, and he almost accidentally put the puck in his own net during the first. Both Calvert and Cole were on the ice for the opening faceoff, and Calvert received a warm greeting when a highlight video of his career was shown as he watched with a smile and a wave. Status quo for Rick Nash Former Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash has not decided to officially end his NHL playing career, contrary to a tweet posted Tuesday by a member of Barstool Sports in Boston. Joe Resnick, the veteran power forward’s agent, told TSN in Canada: “There is no truth to the tweet that Rick Nash is retiring today. Our position hasn’t changed since July 1.” Nash, 34, is an unrestricted free agent who finished last season with Boston Bruins. After suffering a concussion in March, he missed the rest of the regular season and returned for the playoffs. Nash, taken No. 1 overall by the Blue Jackets in 2002, opted to remain unsigned after free agency began July 1, and The Dispatch confirmed through a source Tuesday that his status hasn’t changed. 2 Blue Jackets 5, Avalanche 2 | Depth fuels Jackets' victory By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch – October 9, 2018 Depth is what the Blue Jackets touted heading into this season, after bolstering their roster with some unheralded free agents, and now they’re leaning on it. Seth Jones is missing on defense and Brandon Dubinsky is out up front, and that’s on top of some roster subtractions via free agency this past summer — which included forward Matt Calvert and defenseman Ian Cole both signing with the Colorado Avalanche. Patching holes like that isn't easy, but depth is the way to do it. “That’s part of being a team,” said Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno, who had two goals and an assist to lead the Jackets to a 5-2 win against the Avalanche on Tuesday at Nationwide Arena. “You lift each other up when guys go down. Just like guys have done on the back end, jumping in for (Jones), we’re going to do the same thing for (Dubinsky) up front.” Foligno led the charge, helping build a 2-0 lead with a goal and assist in the first period and then providing a two-goal lead, 4-2, in the third — scoring at 11:32 for his second goal of the game. Artemi Panarin scored the game-winner about six minutes earlier, breaking a 2-2 tie with his second goal of the season at 5:14 of the third — his second game-winning goal of the season. They weren’t alone in plugging holes. Riley Nash moved up to play in Dubinsky’s spot at center of the third line and defenseman Scott Harrington played his first game of the regular season — after returning from a concussion late in the preseason. Adding Nash in free agency was an unheralded depth move at the time it happened, on July 1, but it’s looking pretty good now. “You don’t want to have to use it, but when it happens, you’re really happy you made that move,” Foligno said. “The way he plays, he’ll be able to fill in (for Dubinsky) admirably. That’s what he’s so good about. He can play anywhere in the lineup.” Nash did exactly what was needed, playing 16:19, winning 75 percent of his face-offs and providing a solid presence on a third line featuring wingers Boone Jenner and Josh Anderson — whose short-handed goal into an empty net sealed it. Sergei Bobrovsky was also strong in net, making 25 saves and allowing just two goals — both scored in the second by Nathan MacKinnon and Carl Soderberg. In the first, the Jackets got exactly the kind of start they wanted, taking a 2-0 lead on goals by Foligno and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Playing their best 20 minutes of the season, they outshot the Avalanche 17-9 — aided by three power plays — and controlled the puck most of the period. 3 Foligno made it 1-0 at 6:49 by redirecting a great feed from Alexander Wennberg (two assists) into the net and then picked up his second point on Dubois’ goal — which capped a 5-on-3 power play to make it 2-0 at 10:32. 4 Columbus Blue Jackets add High Bank Distillery to Nationwide Arena bars By JD Malone, Columbus Dispatch – October 9, 2018 High Bank Distillery partners with Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena High Bank Distillery’s cocktails will be featured at Nationwide Arena thanks to a new partnership announced by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Grandview Heights distillery and restaurant is putting its name and aesthetic on a pair of bars in the arena, one on the main concourse near the team’s cannon and another on the club level. The Blue Jackets have partnered with local watering holes before. Last year the arena remodeled one of its party towers after locally-owned Pins Mechanical Co. 5 G3: Offensive awakening? Nick Foligno scores twice in Blue Jackets’ 5-2 win over Avs By Aaron Portzline, The Athletic – October 9, 2018 COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nick Foligno knows the numbers. To follow his goal production the last five seasons on a line chart is to nod your head three times: 15, 26, 12, 31, 18. The on-again, off-again goal-scoring has many possible explanations: frequent position changes, fluctuating shooting percentages, a drop in the volume of shots, ever-changing linemates, etc. But if Foligno wants to become a more consistent offensive producer — the Blue Jackets could certainly use that — he needs to start with another strong showing in 2018-19. He took a big step in that direction Tuesday, scoring two goals and adding an assist in the Blue Jackets’ 5-2 win over the Avs before 11,694 in Nationwide Arena. “It’s something that if I could fix the (offensive inconsistency), I would,” Foligno said. “But I’m not going to worry about it too much, either, other than ‘This is a new season, this is the way I’m going to play,’ and make sure I’m in that mindset. “A lot of times it’s getting off on the right foot, and that’s what I’m hoping to do here.” Alexander Wennberg had the primary assist on both of Foligno’s goals: the first at 6:49 of the first period to open the scoring and the second at 11:32 of the third, a knockout punch 4-2 goal. Wennberg, it should be said, had his best game of the early season, too. Speedy Anthony Duclair played on the right side of the line. “When you get passes like that from Wenny, it’s hard to miss,” Foligno said. “I’m learning more and more how Duke likes to play, but Wenny and I have some history playing together.” Foligno moved to center ice last season when Brandon Dubinsky and Wennberg both went down with injuries.