COLUMBUS, Ohio —
One. Tonight was Columbus Blue Jackets rookie Oliver Bjorkstrand’s time to shine. The 20-year-old forward, playing in just his second NHL game, scored not only his first NHL goal, but also his second.
Bjorkstrand’s game stat line reflected his performance, as he finished the night with six shots on goal, 10 shot attempts, 3:59 on the power play and a plus-2 rating. Though it is still very early in his career, tonight showed a glimpse of the NHL player Bjorkstrand can — and is expected to — be.
Two. Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky finally secured his first win since Dec. 17. That win looked to be in jeopardy as the New Jersey Devils overcame a three-goal deficit to tie the game in the late second/early third period, but a win is a win, no matter how it happens. Most importantly, Bobrovsky and Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno were able to have their well-known post-game hug–the first (Still sticking to the theory that rookie goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has the magic touch, as he served as Bobrovsky’s backup tonight).
Three. Tonight’s win is a sigh of relief for not only Bjorkstrand and Bobrovsky, but also the entire Blue Jackets team, as the 6-3 victory was the Jackets’ third in the last eight games. With the next game less than 19 hours away, how big of a relief it is remains to be seen. The New Jersey Devils will be out for revenge when the two teams face each other tomorrow night.
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