Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips March 14, 2018 Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets | Nick Foligno adapting after switch from wing to center PAGE 04: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets | Defensemen provide boost with timely goals, assists PAGE 06: The Athletic: How subtle moves have changed the Blue Jackets' vital signs and led to a resurgence Cleveland Monsters/Prospects NHL/Websites PAGE 09: The Athletic: Mathew Barzal's journey from Vancouver youth hockey to the NHL comes full circle PAGE 12: The Athletic: On the ridiculousness that is performative anger in hockey PAGE 16: Sportsnet.ca: Down Goes Brown: Imagining the ideal 2017–18 NHL playoffs PAGE 22: Sportsnet.ca: The significance of Alex Ovechkin's 600th goal: Can he topple Gretzky? PAGE 24: Sportsnet.ca: Bobby Ryan on trade rumours with Erik Karlsson: 'We thought we were gone' PAGE 25: USA Today: Capitals star's 13-year contract has been bargain 1 http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20180313/blue-jackets--nick-foligno-adapting-after-switch-from-wing- to-center Blue Jackets | Nick Foligno adapting after switch from wing to center By George Richards – March 14, 2018 As captain of the Blue Jackets, Nick Foligno is figuratively the center of attention. Lately, it has become more literal. When Alexander Wennberg missed a game March 2 at Anaheim, coach John Tortorella moved Foligno off the wing and put him at center. So far, the move has stuck. Foligno has centered Sonny Milano and Oliver Bjorkstrand the past few games with that line finding immediate success in San Jose with Foligno and Milano each scoring a goal in the win — the first of the current five-game winning streak. “I was able to slot in, which I’m comfortable with, but it was a little unexpected coming down the stretch,” Foligno said Monday before a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. “It has been fun. I’m enjoying it.” For Foligno, moving back to center was eased by his familiarity with the position. Tortorella moved him there during preseason practice and he has spent time there off and on throughout the year. Being in the center of the action, so to speak, is something Foligno seems to enjoy. “I got my briefing on it over with, I have played there quite a bit this season,” he said. “This is a point where it’s not about me, it’s about the team. If this is where I need to be to help the team win, I’m ready. ... I enjoy playing with those guys and the responsibility that comes with it. I love being out there at very important times. I think it makes me a better player. I relish those moments when the pressure is up.” How long will Foligno’s run at center last? “The line was playing really well and has hiccuped a bit,” Tortorella said Monday afternoon. “I don’t think they have been bad but they haven’t produced enough zone time and offense, but I’m going to stay with them.” As far as Foligno’s goal goes, it wasn’t exactly a work of art but he’ll take it and run. The shot hit a few Montreal players before sneaking past goaltender Charlie Lindgren. “The game’s not hard enough; I have to bank it in off 14 things before it goes in,” Foligno said with a smile. Defensive goalie 2 Defenseman Zach Werenski wasn’t credited with a save against Montreal, but he probably should have been. During the second period with the Blue Jackets leading 3-1, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky got caught out of position when he went to his right to make a save. The puck went past him toward the end boards and ended up on the stick of Montreal’s Artturi Lehkonen, who shot at the open net. Werenski, however, was at the left post, got his stick on the puck and swept it out of harm’s way as Bobrovsky recovered. “He will do what he does and I will do what I do,” Bobrovsky joked. “It definitely feels good when you turn your head and the net is empty and someone stopped the puck.” Slap shots Artemi Panarin had an assist on Monday and has six goals and 15 points in his past 12 games. ... Wennberg matched a career-high with four points (goal, three assists) on Monday. Wennberg has two four-point games in his NHL career, both against the Canadiens. ... Lukas Sedlak was back in the lineup Monday because Matt Calvert was sick. 3 http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20180313/blue-jackets--defensemen-provide-boost-with-timely- goals-assists Blue Jackets | Defensemen provide boost with timely goals, assists By Steve Gorten – March 14, 2018 In a stretch of 15 games from New Year’s Eve through Feb. 9, the Blue Jackets managed to score more than two goals in regulation just twice. Since then, they’ve tallied three goals or more in 10 of 16 games, including all five during their current winning streak, and rank seventh in the NHL in goals scored (52) in that span. A 5-2 home win Monday against the Montreal Canadiens gave the Jackets 20 regulation goals during the winning streak, and defensemen can be largely credited for the spike in offensive production. Defensemen have scored eight of the Jackets’ past 16 goals — Seth Jones has four; Zach Werenski and Ian Cole have two apiece. The trio, along with David Savard and Ryan Murray, also have combined for nine assists on those 16 goals. “In the league, to create more offense on a team that has really been starved for offense, you need to get help from your back end,” coach John Tortorella said. ”(Werenski) is finding his game. Jonesy is a Norris Trophy candidate. He’s aggressive and he’s confident. Cole has kicked in some plays here. “Everybody is really trying to be aggressive. It’s not like it’s something special this team is doing. You have to do that to create offense in this league.” With his power-play goal on Monday, Jones became the sixth NHL defenseman to score his team’s winning goal in three consecutive games, joining King Clancy (1933), Eddie Wares (1941), Mike O’Connell (1982), Al MacInnis (1994) and Andrei Markov (2013). “Our defense is our engine. They dictate how we go,” Tortorella said. “We’re seeing more and more of that. Jonesy and (Werenski) are finding a different level.” Through Monday’s games, Nashville’s P.K. Subban and Calgary’s Dougie Hamilton, with 15 goals apiece, were the only NHL defensemen with more goals than Jones and Werenski, who share the franchise record with 14 this season. “It’s fun playing with him — we have a blast out there,” said Werenski, adding that perhaps he and Jones should wager a free dinner on who finishes with more goals. “I’m rooting for him to get as many as he possibly can, and I’ll be right there with him.” Should Jones miss multiple games after aggravating an upper body injury on Monday against the Canadiens, it would notably affect the Jackets’ offense. “It would be huge,” Werenski said of Jones being out. “Obviously, we would have to have other guys step up. But he logs a lot of minutes for us. He does a lot of things extremely well.” 4 Jones, who has more shots on goal (234) than every other NHL defenseman besides San Jose’s Brent Burns (280), was “a big part of our tempo and transition” before sitting out the third period, Tortorella said. The return of Markus Nutivaara, an offensively skilled, puck-moving defenseman, on Monday after missing 11 games because of an upper-body injury helped offset the absence of Murray, who didn’t play because he was “nicked up,” Tortorella said. The Jackets can use another solid scoring effort on Thursday in Philadelphia. They have three regulation goals in three matchups against the Flyers — a 2-1 shootout win on Dec. 23, a 2-1 overtime loss on Feb. 16 and a 2-1 loss on Feb. 22 — and trail the Flyers by two points for third place in the Metro Division with 12 games left for each team. A win would match the Jackets’ season-best six-game winning streak from Nov. 11-24. “It’s most important how we take care of our business, and not worry a lot about the other (teams),” goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky said. “If we win our games, I don’t think there’s any doubt we make the playoffs.” 5 https://theathletic.com/272003/2018/03/13/how-subtle-moves-have-changed-the-blue-jackets-vital- signs-and-led-to-a-resurgence/ How subtle moves have changed the Blue Jackets' vital signs and led to a resurgence By Aaron Portzline – March 14, 2018 Despite what you've been led to believe, Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella does have the capacity for subtlety. At least twice this season, when his club was teetering on the brink of collapse, Tortorella changed the narrative and changed the outlook. When the Jackets were gripping their sticks during a four-game losing streak in early February, the directive was put forth to shoot first and ask questions later. The barrage of shots — highlighted by a whopping 158 in a three-game stretch from Feb. 10-14 — seemed to lighten the mental load on several players, leading to the early stages of a warming offense. Later in February, Tortorella played a different card when it became clear to him that several of his players were melting under the lofty expectations created by their 2016-17 success, both as players and as a team.