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The Columbus Blue Jackets entered last night's game free falling down the standings, and it looked like there was no end in sight early on against the Carolina Hurricanes.
After falling behind 3-1, the Blue Jackets rode a hot power play to tie the game, and later won in a shootout.
Some thoughts:
1) The Hurricanes aren't a great team, obviously, but what the Jackets did coming from behind was impressive. Having lost a ton of games of late they weren't playing with a lot of confidence, so it would have been easy to pack it in after falling behind by a couple on the road. They kept plugging away, though, and were able to draw some penalties that they managed to take advantage of. Columbus hasn't scored a lot this year, but they have a very good power play, so they're never out of games if the opposition doesn't stay disciplined. Last night was a perfect example.
2) Marko Dano didn't record a shot on goal, but he had six hits and a team-high 73CF%. His line was spoon-fed offensive zone starts, but it's still encouraging to see Dano succeeding at such an early stage in his career. He's going to be very good.
3) Another young gun who played a solid game: Alex Wennberg. Logging over 21 minutes Wennberg managed to get five pucks on net, tally three hits and drive possession while owning a 70CF% at even-strength. Again, his line was sheltered with quite a few offensive zone starts, but Wennberg did what he was supposed to do.
4) Rene Bourque must know his NHL career won't last much longer if he doesn't get it together. On top of his goal, he had three shots and six hits in almost 17 minutes of ice. It's still early, but he seems like the kind of player Todd Richards likes having around. If Bourque finishes the season strong he should have a spot on next year's team.
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