Final Score: Blue Jackets 4 – Flames 1
Game Summary
It continues. The Blue Jackets picked up their eighth straight win with a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames. This game went very much like the last game these two teams played. The difference was the Flames did not get an otherworldly performance in net from Chad Johnson. The Jackets held a 25-13 shot advantage through two periods, before score effects took over in the third. Boone Jenner got things started with fifth goal of the season. David Savard walked in and put a shot on net. Boone was right there in front of the net creating havoc and was able to put the rebound away.
jenner on the spot! pic.twitter.com/z5lbLTWa7g
— ColumbusBlueJackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 17, 2016
Boone was playing alongside William Karlsson and Cam Atkinson for that shift because John Tortorella was forced to shuffle the lines because Alexander Wennberg of all players was in the box for fighting. I don’t agree with players like Wennberg fighting, but the team really seemed to feed off it and thankfully he wasn’t hurt.
Wennberg seemed energized too, picking up the primary assist on the Jackets second goal.
good luck pic.twitter.com/oR06XGZu2z
— ColumbusBlueJackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 17, 2016
Brandon Saad just rifles this puck, Johnson had no chance. That goal gives Saad nine on the season and 23 points. For Wennberg that was his team leading 19th assist. His development as a player has been fantastic to follow this year. He has really stepped up his entire game and has become the number one centre this team has needed.
The third goal has been awarded to Sam Gagner but it should definitely be Zach Werenski’s. The play starts with Werenski making just an incredible play to hold the puck in at the line.
#skills pic.twitter.com/69WW9abiTB
— ColumbusBlueJackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 17, 2016
That’s such a little play in the grand scheme of things but it’s the little things that make Werenski such a tremendous player. If that puck gets by him Calgary can get a change and get new penalty killers out there. Instead it ends up as a Blue Jackets goal.
that kills pic.twitter.com/GO0Bn33pZi
— ColumbusBlueJackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 17, 2016
This is again what makes Werenski so good. He doesn’t have the hardest shot, but can find the lanes and get pucks though. His skills with the puck are incredible, especially for a defencemen. He now has 20 points on the season, tied with Duncan Keith for eighth in the NHL among defencemen, and tied for fourth among rookies.
Finally, Matt Calvert concluded the scoring with his second goal in two games. This one was of the short-handed variety. Calvert as he done so much this season stole the puck at the blue line and was gone on a breakaway.
matty's nice. pic.twitter.com/YxAvu55Gty
— ColumbusBlueJackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 17, 2016
Calvert made no mistake this time scoring his second short-handed goal of the season. Calvert is such a fun player to watch. He isn’t the fastest or most skilled player but gets the most out of his abilities. He doesn’t play a ton of five on five minutes but plays a huge role on the penalty kill. Those type of role players are what good teams have. They give your top end guys a chance to rest and when you play like Calvert you can create scoring chances and score goals.
Stat of the Night
Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Hockey-Reference.
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