Panarin flashing the skill that Jackets sought
Jarmo Kekalainen’s words from last summer have been often repeated when the arrival of left winger Artemi Panarin to the Blue Jackets is brought up.
When the team dealt winger Brandon Saad to Chicago for Panarin, Kekalainen said it was to give his team a highly skilled player it sorely needed.
“He is one of the most dynamic forwards in the league,” the general manager said at the NHL draft in June where the deal was made.
Panarin’s game-breaking ability has made the deal look better and better for the Blue Jackets. Although Kekalainen and coach John Tortorella are quick to offer praise for Saad whenever the trade is brought up, there is little doubt the Jackets got exactly what they hoped for in Panarin.
“He is obviously a talent the Blue Jackets added that they didn’t have,” Washington coach Barry Trotz said, “maybe ever.”
Panarin was one of the driving forces to the Blue Jackets’ offense throughout the season and helped lead the way into the playoffs.
As the season came to a close and the Jackets needed every win they could get, Panarin was at his best. From March 1 on, he had nine goals with 21 assists in 18 games. In all but three, he registered at least a point.
In the playoffs, Panarin has made the Capitals snap to attention whenever he is on the ice. He scored the tying goal on a breakout play with right winger Cam Blue Jackets left wing Artemi Panarin, left, celebrates with teammate Pierre-Luc Dubois after scoring the tying goal against the Capitals in Game 3 on Tuesday. Panarin has two goals and seven points in the playoffs.
Atkinson in the third period to help force overtime.
In these playoffs, Panarin has two goals and seven points in three games, and he has put up multi-point games in his past eight.
Tortorella said earlier this season that he is prone to gambling a bit when it comes to challenging goaltender interference, saying, “I’m taking a chance. I think there is an opportunity. You never know what you’re going to get there.”
On Tuesday, Tortorella didn’t feel he was rolling the dice when he challenged a
Washington goal that would have given the Capitals a 2-0 lead in the second period.
Video review backed up Tortorella’s challenge. Winger Brett Connolly was shown to be offside, and the play in front of the net — on which goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky hit the ice and could not make a play on Connolly’s shot — never should have taken place.
Tortorella credited assistant coach Dan Singleton for making the quick and decisive call to alert officials that the Blue Jackets wanted to have them look at it on video.
“(Heck) of a job by my video coach,” Tortorella said. “Great job by Danny.
That’s offside.”
Tortorella explained the quick process which goes into whether to challenge a goal. First, Singleton gets all the views he can, then relays what he sees to assistant coach Brad Shaw, who in turn tells Tortorella. They then look at it on monitors on the bench before informing on-ice officials.
“The league gives us a few seconds to do all this,” Tortorella said.
The NHL announced that Game 5 would be played at 3 p.m. Saturday and be broadcast nationally by NBC.
Game 5, to be played at Capital One Arena in Washington, will be carried locally on NBC but might be on NBCSN in other parts of the country.
Plans for a Game 6, to be played at Nationwide Arena if necessary, have not been announced.
Tuesday marked the first game in the series in which a team was held without a power-play goal as the Blue Jackets went scoreless in four chances — including one in overtime when Washington defenseman John Carlson was called for tripping Jackets counterpart Zach Werenski with 4:18 left.
Washington has six power play goals in the series, and it scored on its third chance on Tuesday — an extended 5-on-3 chance with winger Brandon Dubinsky and defenseman Ryan Murray both in the box for slashing.