Atkinson, Foligno back in scoring column
As Nick Foligno whipped a high shot past Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, coach John Tortorella took two steps and unleashed a vigorous fist pump.
The significance within the context of the game was that Foligno’s thirdperiod goal provided the Blue Jackets a cushion Friday during a 5-2 win. But the extra emotion stemmed from the Jackets captain snapping his 13-game goalless streak, which dated to Oct. 25.
“Nick shot the puck, that was the most encouraging thing for me,” Tortorella said. “There was hesitation in his shot. So maybe that will help him.”
Foligno wasn’t the only Blue Jackets player to break out of a slump. Forward Cam Atkinson scored twice after not having any goals in eight games.
“It felt like I haven’t scored a goal in a couple of years,” Atkinson said. “But it’s nice to contribute. That’s my game.”
Foligno and Atkinson have taken solace in getting opportunities to score. But for Tortorella, nothing regains confidence like scoring a goal.
“It’s easy to say chances are great, but goal scorers want to score,” he said
The win over the Senators extended the Jackets' winning streak to six games, despite the team having scored three or more goals once during that stretch.
Much of the Blue Jackets' success has come from stellar defense and impeccable goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky. The five goals against Ottawa were the Blue Jackets’ most since recording a season-high seven against Florida on Nov. 2.
Seeing what can happen when the most skilled offensive players such as Atkinson and Foligno chip in was encouraging for the Blue Jackets and offers a glimpse of what the team’s potential might be.
“You see some other guys pitch in that haven’t. That’s important for our team,” Foligno said. “You can’t rely on the same guys. But that’s not to let the foot off the pedal for the other guys, too. But you need other guys stepping up. Especially the guys that are supposed to.”
Josh Anderson has been the Blue Jackets’ biggest surprise in scoring, with a team-high eight goals. Although he didn’t score a goal against Ottawa, he flashed his skill set and picked up an assist on Markus Nutivaara’s second-period goal.
“I’ve always said to Andy: Get noticed,” Tortorella said. “We all know you’re a fast skater, but get noticed. You have to be around the puck, too. His first two games with me when I started coaching him, he looked like a million bucks, but he never had the puck.
“He’s really improved as far as getting noticed. I’ve said it from the getgo: He’s probably been our most consistent forward from the beginning of the year until now.”
The hope moving forward is that the Blue Jackets benefit from newfound talent such as Anderson and that top-line players such as Foligno and Atkinson put their slumps behind them.
“I’m really proud of our team because I’ve said we’ve been playing to our identity for a little while here, and ... just creeping forward you can see it,” Foligno said. “Our team's starting to build toward that.”