MEDIA CLIPS Columbus Blue Jackets Vs
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MEDIA CLIPS Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Detroit Red Wings November 21, 2019 Columbus Blue Jackets Blue Jackets 5, Canadiens 2: 3-2-1 rundown By Brian Hedger – The Columbus Dispatch – November 20, 2019 It wasn’t their best look, but the Blue Jackets finally put a few pucks in the net in a 5-2 victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena. It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, the Blue Jackets’ best game. They were outshot (32-26), gave up more scoring chances than they created, failed to get the puck out of their own zone and – if we’re being honest here – were outhustled far too often Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. They won, 5-2, at Nationwide Arena, after coughing up a 1-0 lead and roaring back with four unanswered goals to win their second straight game despite those hiccups.That cannot be discounted, especially for a team that improved to 8-8-4 and won consecutive games for just the third time in its first 20 games – first since October. The Blue Jackets also set a season-high with five goals, scored more than three in a game for the first time in nearly a month and got an outstanding night in net from Joonas Korpisalo (30 saves). They also got some "puck luck," on a strange goal by rookie Emil Bemstrom in the third, which ended a 2-2 tie after a friendly bounce off the glass behind the Canadiens’ net. That all has to count for something, even though the Jackets’ could’ve played better overall. "Yeah, and that’s the good news," coach John Tortorella said. "I saw some really good offensive plays. I saw some confidence with the puck. I saw us get out of our end zone under control. There were certainly some hiccups with it, but I thought we played better offensively. So, that’s really good news. That shouldn’t take away from how hard we have to play." Here is a 3-2-1 rundown of the Jackets’ pick-me-up – three takeaways, two questions and one more thing to know: Three takeaways 1) Another Bemstrom bounce After going 15 games into his NHL career without scoring a goal, Bemstrom has scored three in the past five games – not to mention a career-high five-game point streak after his goal and assist against Montreal. His goals, however, haven’t exactly been works of art – unless, of course, you’re into some sort of new wave abstract surrealism. The first, scored Nov. 7 in Arizona, followed his wrist shot that goalie Darcy Kuemper deflected to the end boards. Bemstrom chased it down, flipped a shot back toward the right post and the puck squirted through on the short side. The second, scored the following game against the Colorado Avalanche, capped a power play – when Bemstrom redirected the puck into the net off a blocked shot that sent it right to his stick. The third one topped them all, though. After getting the puck in front of the net from Sonny Milano, Bemstrom sent a backhand over the crossbar. It hit the glass behind the Canadiens’ net, caromed back toward Montreal goalie Carey Price and bounced in off the goalie’s blocker. "I was trying to go backhand and missed the net," Bemstrom said. "Then, it somehow bounced back on the goalie and went in. I just saw the net going up a little bit and then it was in the net, so I didn’t know if it was a good goal." The goal did, indeed, count. It was a big one too, giving Columbus a 3-2 lead at 6:54 of the third. Jenner made it 4-2 on a power play four minutes later and Dubois scored his second of the game at 14:33 to cap the scoring. "It’s not like clear shots, you know?" said Bemstrom, who has a one-timer that helped him become the youngest player to lead the Swedish Hockey League in goals (23) last season. "They’ve been, like, bouncing pucks, behind the net. It’s a good start, I think." 2) Another lull, another escape It is something that is becoming a trend the Blue Jackets need to shake sooner than later. Despite playing well for stretches, lapses in effectiveness and dips in effort lead to the puck spending too much time in the Columbus zone. The past two games, against the St. Louis Blues on Friday and Tuesday against Montreal, it has led to 1-0 leads turning into 2-1 holes. That isn’t a recipe for long-term success and a team trying to dig out of the Metropolitan Division’s basement cannot afford to let it continue much longer. The Blue Jackets were simply outworked for much of the second period and parts of the third, as proven by the edge the Canadiens had in total attempts. Montreal had a whopping 73.5 percent of the 5-on-5 attempts in the second and third (36-13), but Columbus capitalized on a couple scoring chances to build a multiple-goal lead. "I think we have to be a harder-working team more consistently in the games," Tortorella said. "Listen, I’m happy they found a way; we made some offensive plays that we weren’t (making) in the prior games, but I think we’ve lost ourselves in terms of the identity, as far as how hard you have to work. That has to be a staple for this hockey club. It has been for quite a while. I think we lost a little bit of that and we’re going to have to find it pretty quickly." 3) Korpisalo saves the day This time, Canadiens players were the ones shaking their heads in disbelief. It’s been the other way around most of the season, which is a big reason Columbus was tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division going into this game. The Jackets gave up too many scoring chances, again, even after seizing the lead in the third, but Korpisalo stopped every one of them. He made a number of difficult saves, but especially in the second and third periods. He was able to hold the Canadiens at bay until Columbus mounted a comeback. "I’m relaxed and I feel like I’m just being me in there, playing with my strengths," Korpisalo said. "I’m not thinking too much Just going in there and enjoying the game, trying to help the team win." His performance didn’t go unnoticed. "Korpi gives us a chance," Tortorella said. "He made some terrific saves at key times for us. You know, we’re certainly not used to playing with a three-goal lead with three-or-four minutes left. He made some key saves, in the second period too. We just watched them play in the second period. He made some huge saves at that time." Two questions 1) Is the power play coming around? It’s too soon to say the Jackets have a full-fledged weapon on the man-advantage, but they’re showing encouraging signs after a brutal start. After going 1-for-2 against Montreal, the Blue Jackets have scored at least one power-play goal in four of the past five games and six of the past nine. They are 6-for-29 in those past nine games, clicking at 20.7 percent – or 5.1 percent higher than their overall season percentage (15.6 percent). They also look more confident with their passing game within the offensive zone, which has helped set up some of the goals. 2) Who comes out for Foligno? This was the final game of captain Nick Foligno’s three-game suspension for an illegal hit Nov. 9 on Colorado Avalanche center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Eric Robinson was recalled prior to the first game of the suspension, last week in Montreal, and has scored in both games against the Canadiens. In fact, Robinson’s speed and skill were eye-opening, especially while teaming with Josh Anderson –another power forward who’s a blur at top speed. Does Tortorella disrupt that chemistry by removing Robinson on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings or will somebody else get the hook? Or will Foligno, who has struggled like the rest of the Blue Jackets, have to wait for an opportunity to open? "Robbie has played two really good games for us," Tortorella said. "Got a decision to make. Nick’s coming back in. I’m not sure what we’re going to do as far as the lineup. I don’t think it’s going to be the same cast we look at to take out. We’ll look at the video and figure out what we’re going to do. Or, are we going to change the lineup? I don’t know." Other options who could be scratched to make room might include center Riley Nash – who has already been scratched once – and center Alexander Wennberg, even though he picked up the secondary assist on Robinson’s goal and is playing well on the power play. If Robinson comes out, which could happen, it’s going to be a tough call. He has blinding speed, but also looks comfortable with the puck on his stick. He also showed an impressive one-timer to beat Price for the game’s first goal. "I’ve always liked Robbie because he stands out tremendously with his speed," Tortorella said.