The Aftermath Game 29: Blue Jackets at Vancouver

Calgary Flames v Vancouver Canucks

For a game that started at 4 p.m. Pacific, the Jackets Vancouver match up looked every bit like a sleeper Sunday afternoon match up until the Jackets put up a special teams offensive in the second, only to be countered by a Canucks surge in the third. It would take overtime to settle this one.  When the dust settled, the Jackets set a new franchise record win streak, 19 year old Zach Werenski had tied the Columbus rooking scoring record with 53 games yet to go in the season, and head coach John Tortorella had won his 500th NHL game as a head coach, making him the first US born coach to do so.

This game was a story not so much for what happened on the ice, but more so for what milestones it represented off of it, so, with apologies, I’m going to divert from our normal superlatives to focus on that just a bit.

The Good. The Goal…and the Reaction.

Zach Werenski gets a lot of credit for his calm, unflappable approach to the game. And perhaps the same attention for his defensive partner, Seth Jones, pays the price for that. But don’t sleep on the 22-year-old Jones. He may not be on the score sheet as much as “Z”, but his speed, strength on transition play, and tutelage of Werenski are huge pieces of why this team is playing like it is. We see Jones so often speaking in his level-headed demeanor about his story, his play, his team. But tonight, as he scored the game winner (off a remarkable Cam Atkinson pass) seeing the emotion from the defenseman was a revelation.

The Better. The Quietly Really Good Guys.

“Quietly flashy” is the term I’ve coined for Saad. And it seemed to fit tonight. Saad had two goals, including one set up by another guy who doesn’t get a lot of flashy press, Scott Hartnell. The 24-year-old led the team in individual shot attempts with six, and Hartnell himself had three attempts, all on target. It’s exciting to talk about the young(er) guys coming up in Columbus but don’t sleep on the players who may not get as much media attention as others. You’re not going to find the skill of Saad in many, and you’re not going to find the seasoning and experience that Hartnell brings from a player who is staying right on his point per game pace year after year in few other places.

The Best. The Super Secret Sauce.

What is the question du jour in the NHL right now? Well, it’s either “what is going on with the Blue Jackets?” or “Are the Blue Jackets for real?” When you look at a roster that had relatively little turnover, it’s an easy step to look to the team’s leadership and coaching, and that is John Tortorella (supported by Brad Larsen, Brad Shaw and others).

Tonight, Tortorella got to his 500th NHL win. That’s something. After the win in the city where he last coached and was unceremoniously fired, Jackets captain Nick Foligno gave Tortorella the game winning puck.

The win is one thing. But there’s a lot to unpack in this photo. Look at Cam Atkinson – a player who has exploded in his production under Tortorella who is on his feet. Look at the focus from Brandon Saad and the expression on Brandon Dubinsky’s face who played first for Torts in New York and then was reunited with him in Columbus. Appreciate the smiles from the coaching staff in the doorway.

There are no apologies or wiping away for transgressions Tortorella has made in his career. That’s not what this is about. But now, in Columbus, it seems we have a man who is allowing himself to be challenged in how he leads a team to play while still fervently protecting a group of players in which he believes. And crazy as it all seems, it’s working! As of this writing, the Jackets are fourth in the NHL and third in the Metro. No one saw that coming. Seriously. No one. You can’t not think that Tortorella is part of that – and it’s pretty nuts, and pretty fun.

The Jackets finished off their West Coast swing with three wins, and now return home for three in four before the Christmas break. Is this team for real? Well for right now they are…why not start to believe? Maybe it’s a Christmas miracle.

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