Friday’s game was one of those games that makes you love hockey. The Blue Jackets welcomed Metro division rival Pittsburgh to town and Nationwide Arena was packed to the gills. The fourth largest CBJ crowd ever started raucous and got only more so as the two teams battled up and down the ice and goal tenders stood tall in front of a total of 140 shot attempts between the two teams. It would take just over a minute of extra time to decide this one.
Through the course of regulation, the Arena became a pressure cooker as each side could muster only one goal. Ryan Murray scored his second of the season off a William Karlsson feed and Pittsburgh answered quickly in the form of Ian Cole who potted one off a faceoff in the offensive zone. This of course doesn’t not include the two Jackets goals that were nullified due to official stoppages that no one but them seemed to know happened. And so, to bonus hockey we went.
Seth Jones, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson were the starters for Columbus and while Pittsburgh would manage two changes in the 67 seconds of overtime, the same three Jackets defended the ice. Finally, the boys in union blue got the puck moving their way as Jones passed across the width of the neutral zone to Atkinson. A deft touch pass fed the streaking Dubinsky who lifted the puck top shelf past Matt Murray to score his first ever overtime goal and secure the win for the Jackets.
The cannon fired, the streamers flew (just like they do every game, you see), and the hometown fans went home happy as ever.
Let’s take a look at the superlatives.
The fun. The Pace.
The status of Pittsburgh-Columbus being an NHL rivalry is still up for debate, but boy do these games have a tenor to them that is looking, feeling and sounding like a rivalry. Feisty play, very few whistles, and a lot…a lot…of liberties. If you were watching, you weren’t sitting back calmly taking in this game, oh no. This was edge of your seat stuff.
Presented without comment. #CBJ #Pens pic.twitter.com/V0MH5dfwq6
— Sam Blazer (@Sam_Blazer) February 18, 2017
“It was a fun game to be a part of,” Tortorella said. “I thought both teams played hard, played honest. I thought we stuck with it. The first period was a bit of a struggle for us. One thing Pittsburgh doesn’t get enough credit for, because everyone talks about how they are a highly skilled team, is that they win a lot of one on one battles. That where I was really happy, after the first period, I thought we really started turning that around. It gave us a chance to get back in the flow of the game.”
The earned. Dubinsky’s game winner.
Your opinion of Brandon Dubinsky is based largely on your team affiliation. If you do not like the Blue Jackets, you probably think Dubinsky is a) not good b) a dirty player c) an ass. But if you claim the union blue as your team, Dubi , and the way he prepares for games against Pittsburgh in particular, delight you.
Dubi comes by it honestly. He said he could hardly take his pre-game nap before Friday’s game. And his affection for facing off against Sidney Crosby is well known.
But add into that emotional equation that Dubinsky and his linemates have been the group carrying the Jackets as of late. In the nine games since the All-Star break, Dubi has four goals and six assists. Jenner is 2-3–5, and Atkinson has three goals. To get the win, and in the manner that he did, sure was a nice coda to 61 minutes of passionate hockey.
Little iso cam on Dubinsky here. What a shot from him. He has been on an absolute tear. 10 points in the past 8 games. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/xpbALRl9Fb
— Buckeye State Hockey (@BuckeyeStHockey) February 18, 2017
The great. Bobrovsky.
Sometimes it feels redundant to talk about how good Bobrovsky is. But Friday was yet another night where he was brilliant in net, especially in the first period when the team was admittedly a bit ‘nervy’ according to Dubinsky.
Bob with a nice save in tight. Game still at zero late in the first. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/KBu0b4Uszv
— Buckeye State Hockey (@BuckeyeStHockey) February 18, 2017
In Bob we trust, indeed.
Tweet of the Game.
This from /u/EF614 on Reddit has made my night. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/anGxiTSmar
— Sam Blazer (@Sam_Blazer) February 18, 2017
The Jackets face off against Nashville Sunday before taking their bye week. Getting two more points before five days off would be a delightful finish to this segment of the season.
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