Anderson shakes off clean, but painful, hit by Capitals’ Wilson
After absorbing a big hit Tuesday from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, the Blue Jackets’ version of Wilson crumpled to the ice in a heap.
Josh Anderson stayed down for a couple of minutes, struggling to regain his breath, but he later said it was a good, clean shot by Wilson — who has gained more recognition for hits that were the opposite of clean.
“I’m coming off the bench, off a change, and I’m going full speed at him,” said Anderson, who missed the remainder of the first period in the Jackets’ 3-0 victory at Nationwide Arena. “The puck was closer to me, so I’m thinking to hit him first, but it was too close. So, I just tried to poke it and I opened myself up for him, and he got the best of me.”
Wilson’s hit brought back memories of a game against the Capitals last Feb. 26, when Anderson suffered a knee sprain in the waning minutes of a 5-1 win at Nationwide.
Anderson suffered a twisted knee after a hip check by Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov and missed 18 of the Jackets’ final 19 regular-season games, Blue Jackets right wing Josh Anderson lies on the ice after a hit from Capitals right wing Tom Wilson during Tuesday’s game. Anderson said the hit caused the muscles in his abdomen to seize up after he went to the locker room.
finishing with 19 goals, the number he has now. Had what happened Tuesday been more serious, he could have been stuck on 19 — his career-high — again.
All Anderson cared about at the time were painful muscle spasms in his lower abdomen.
“When I came back from the dressing room, I kind of relaxed a little bit and felt OK, and then probably about five minutes later, my muscles started seizing and it was, like, a pain that I’d never felt before,” he said, pointing to an
area beneath his rib cage. “I thought there was something serious wrong there. (After) about 10 minutes, the seizing kind of stopped and then in the intermission it really calmed down.”
Anderson finished the game and assisted on Artemi Panarin’s empty-net goal to seal it.
No dekes for ‘Duke’
Anthony Duclair opened the scoring against Washington with his 11th goal and first since Jan. 13 against the New York Rangers. He found the net with a low wrist shot that beat Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby between the pads.
The goal was a reward for Duclair, who is now refraining from deke moves during open scoring chances. Coach John Tortorella lamented Duclair’s penchant for losing the puck off such moves after the Jackets’ 2-1 loss Jan. 19 in Minnesota, before the Jackets’ extended midseason break. Now Duclair is firing more wrist shots.
“I’m not deking anymore,” a smiling Duclair said after Tuesday’s game. “Torts told me not to deke anymore, so I’m kind of not allowed to deke anymore. Every time I get a chance, I just want to put a puck on net.”
Not for chewing
Cam Atkinson logged his 500th career NHL game Tuesday and got a game puck to commemorate it. He said the puck likely will be placed in his infant son Declan’s room.
“He’s chewing on everything right now,” Atkinson said. “At least he can’t swallow it.”