Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips October 10, 2019 Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02 The Columbus Dispatch: Cam Atkinson gives Columbus Blue Jackets a needed scoring lift early on PAGE 04 The Columbus Dispatch: Joonas Korpisalo happy to get postgame hug after Columbus Blue Jackets’ victory Cleveland Monsters/Prospects NHL/Websites PAGE 05 The Athletic: Pronman: NHL rookie rankings to start the 2019-20 season 1 The Columbus Dispatch: Cam Atkinson gives Columbus Blue Jackets a needed scoring lift early on By Henry Palattella – October 9, 2019 At the start of training camp, coach John Tortorella said the Blue Jackets needed more out of Cam Atkinson. Through three games, Atkinson appears to be ready to step up to Tortorella’s challenge. The veteran right winger leads the Blue Jackets with two goals, both on the power play. “Every year is a little different,” Atkinson said. “I think this year we have a little different personnel where I have the puck a little more and can shoot more. I take a lot of pride in my game on the power play.” Atkinson’s goal scoring has come at a time while he’s still adjusting to a new linemate in Gustav Nyquist, who joined the Jackets in the offseason. “We’re trying to learn each other's tendencies,” he said. “I think it’s been pretty good so far.” Atkinson’s penchant for scoring on the power play was on display Monday when he found the net off a pass from Alexander Wennberg 10 seconds into a man advantage in the first period. The goal was the 40th of his career on the power play, tying him with R.J. Umberger for second in Blue Jackets history (Rick Nash had 83). Atkinson acknowledge that the milestone was “cool,” but he’s not focusing on individual accolades. “I don’t really think about those records,” he said. “If I’m scoring goals, that means I’m making things happen.” For the Blue Jackets to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, Atkinson will need to continue to score. He said he feels up to the task. “I’ve been in this league a long time; I don’t have to switch my game up,” he said. “I’ve been able to score goals; I love scoring goals. If I’m scoring goals, I’m helping the team win. That’s my best attribute.” Lilja, Nyquist impress While Jakob Lilja is second-to-last on the Blue Jackets in ice time, Tortorella still likes what he’s seen out of the rookie from Sweden. “I like his versatility and all the different spots I can put him in,” the coach said. “I still haven’t given him the ice time I’d like to.” Another new face who has impressed Tortorella is Nyquist, who quickly appears to be making a home for himself on the top line with Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois. “When we were protecting the lead, I put him out there. I trust him that way away from the puck," Tortorella said. "He’s a really good player.” Defensive shifting 2 The Blue Jackets have had a different defensive lineup in each of their three games, and if Wednesday’s practice is any indication, the pairings for Friday’s game against Anaheim will probably be different, as well. Seth Jones and Zach Werenski skated together at practice, as they did Monday night against Buffalo, but the other pairs were shuffled. Markus Nutivaara was paired with Ryan Murray, Vladislav Gavrikov with David Savard and Scott Harrington with Dean Kukan. “I need to rotate those guys a little bit,” Tortorella said. “I’m not sure what it’s going to be (on Friday). None of them deserve to sit out, but there are only six spots.” Josh Anderson was the only skater absent at practice Wednesday. He’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury. 3 The Columbus Dispatch: Joonas Korpisalo happy to get postgame hug after Columbus Blue Jackets' victory By Henry Palattella – October 9, 2019 Right after the Blue Jackets' overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo found himself in an unfamiliar place — in Nick Foligno's arms. In the years prior, Foligno and Korpisalo’s rituals after wins would vary, ranging from handshakes to headbutts. The hug, however, was almost always reserved for Foligno and starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky’s offseason departure left Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins as the Jackets’ goaltenders, and the two combined to give up 11 goals in the first two games. Korpisalo flipped that script Monday, stopping 15 of 18 shots in a 4-3 win, the first overtime victory of his career. “It feels good,” Korpisalo said. “It feels good for the whole team.” Korpisalo came into Monday’s game winless in nine career overtime games. “My game doesn’t change too much (in overtime),” he said. “You can see the game get a little bit slower, especially if they’re circling around the zone. "I think overtime is fun. It has a lot of scoring chances, and you get a chance to either make a big save or give up a big goal. There are two sides to that one. It’s a different feeling.” The Jackets’ took their first lead of the season Monday on first-period goals by Oliver Bjorkstrand and Cam Atkinson. That lead evaporated in the second period, however, as Buffalo's Marcus Johansson and Jeff Skinner got shots past Korpisalo to tie the score at 2. The only other goal he allowed was on a 6-on-4 Buffalo advantage in the final minutes of regulation. “Things change fast in a hockey game,” Korpisalo said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re up 10-0 or down 10-0. … My job doesn’t change — I stop the puck; it doesn’t matter how the team plays in front of me.” In addition to giving the Jackets their first win of the season, Monday’s victory also helped Korpisalo move past his rough season debut against Toronto, a showing he said was due in part to the nerves that come with starting a season. “You’ve been waiting the whole summer for that first game,” he said. “I think once I got in, I was trying too much. It was a little hard to control my body a little bit. You want to be a little relaxed, but you also don’t want to be trying too much.” That outing seemed like a distant memory Monday during his embrace with Foligno as the two jumped and met in midair. While it wasn’t perfect — Korpisalo joked Wednesday that his chest still hurts — it put the finishing touches on his first win as the Blue Jackets' primary goaltender. Korpisalo said he and Foligno are still trying to figure out what they want their official post-win ritual to be. Whatever they choose, Blue Jackets fans are hoping to see a lot of it. 4 The Athletic: Pronman: NHL rookie rankings to start the 2019-20 season By Corey Pronman – October 9, 2019 Today’s column is a look at the top projected rookies of the 2019-20 NHL season, players who I think can play significant roles for their NHL clubs this season. I waited to post this column until a week into the season to see who made their respective teams and to get an early indicator of usage, although both those variables can change quickly. Players must still have Calder Trophy eligibility, which excludes all players who have played more than 25 games in any single preceding season or in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons. Also, it excludes any player who was at least 26 years of age by Sept. 15, 2019. Inevitably someone will glaze over this part, but this is not a prospect ranking, merely this is projecting who will have the biggest single-season impact in 2019-20. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Makar starts the season as the favorite to win the Calder trophy. That is due to a combination of his elite skating and offensive ability, being one of the older players among the top rookies, how well he showed in the playoffs, and the fact that he’s on the first power play alongside some very talented players in Colorado. If he can handle his own defensive responsibilities to earn top-tier minutes, he should put up a ton of points and be a big part of Colorado’s team. Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey The first overall pick from this past draft is a player who should step in and be one of the best pure skaters in the league. The physicality of the league may be an adjustment as an 18-year-old at his size, but he should still make an impact offensively. I could see 50 points, if not more, from Hughes this season as someone who drives possession. Kaapo Kakko, LW, New York Rangers Kakko showed last season that he could be a top player versus men at the Liiga and World Championship levels, and I fully expect him to be a quality top-six forward for the Rangers. Even with his strong 2018-19, he is still 18 years old, and it’s not fair – like with Hughes – to expect Kakko to be a star right away. I still see 20 goals as doable and someone who will be an important player for the Rangers. Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Quinn Hughes is one of the top prospects entering the league and should be a top-four defenseman for the Canucks right away.