Knights’ front line neutralized
William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault started Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jackets with the three highest plus-minus ratings in the NHL.
Combined, those forwards on the Vegas Golden Knights’ top line were plus-105 with 184 points. Against the Jackets, however, they were minus-8 with zero points. Conversely, the Jackets’ top line of Artemi Panarin, PierreLuc Dubois and Cam Atkinson tallied seven points.
“That was the focus — to make sure we check them and try to make it hard on them,” Jackets coach John Tortorella said.
Even with Markus Nutivaara and Dean Kukan out indefinitely, the Jackets have “three solid pairs” in Zach Werenski-Seth Jones, Jack Johnson-Ryan Murray and David Savard-Ian Cole. Such depth gives assistant coach Brad Shaw flexibility matching up against opponents’ top lines, Tortorella said.
The burden of that responsibility largely has fallen on Werenski and Jones this season, and that has “affected Z’s game,” Tortorella noted, but the Jackets now have better balance with their defensive duos. “The key to those pairings is Savard and Cole,” who have been “very good together,” he said.
Killer Jackets
After surrendering a power-play goal in eight of nine games — a stretch in which opponents scored on 10 of 20 opportunities — the Jackets have killed off 24 of the past 27 (88.9 percent) entering a game Thursday against Colorado.
At the same time, their power play has slumped again. They’re 3 of 25 (12 percent) over the past 11 games.
Breadman baking
With a goal and two assists Tuesday, Panarin recorded his 12th multi-point game of the season. He has six goals and six assists in the past nine games, and at least one point in eight of those games.
“His game dipped a little bit six or seven games ago, but he’s beginning to come alive here,” Tortorella said. “He’s a game-breaker, and that’s important for us as we’re trying to get some wins.”
During one of the team’s breaks in January, Panarin approached Dubois and told him, “‘Make sure you get in the weight room. Make sure you keep working,’ ” Tortorella recalled. “That’s how (Panarin) thinks. And that’s why he’s one of the top players in this league.”
Making his mark
With 15 games left, Dubois is tied for second among Jackets rookies all time in multi-point games ( seven), third in goals ( 15), fourth in points ( 35) and fifth in assists ( 20).
Praised by his peers
In a recent NHL Players' Association poll, players were asked which goalie in the league is most difficult to score on.
The Jackets' Sergei Bobrovsky received the fourth- largest percentage of votes ( 8.2), behind Carey Price ( 41.0), Jonathan Quick ( 12.1), and Pekka Rinne ( 9.3) and ahead of Braden Holtby ( 5.0).