Jackets’ Foudy hopes to build on first regular-season goal
It took a lot longer than Liam Foudy or the Blue Jackets expected, but the 23-year-old finally scored his first regular-season NHL goal in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars.
Foudy’s backhanded shot ended a string of 62 straight games over parts of four seasons that he had gone without scoring for Columbus. The 18th overall pick in 2018 has played in 36 games this season.
“It’s been a while, so to score and get the monkey off the back, it felt good,” said Foudy. “To be honest, I thought I did a pretty good job of putting (the goal drought) to the back of my mind. I didn’t really think about it. It was just hockey. I knew it was going to come eventually, so going out there I’ve just felt confident in my game lately, and for it to go in finally, it felt good.”
It helped that Foudy did have a postseason goal during the 2020 playoffs when the club eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Still, Foudy was five more games from tying former Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Picard for a dubious statistical anomaly. Picard, the eighth overall pick in the 2004 draft, didn’t score a single goal in 67 career NHL games and finished with a 0-2-2 scoring line. Foudy’s first goal moved his numbers to 1-8-9 in 63 games.
Fourth line makes impact
They’re technically the fourth forward line, but coach Brad Larsen is often generous with ice time for Eric Robinson, Sean Kuraly and Mathieu Olivier.
“We’ve been playing together most of the year, apart from injuries or illnesses, so our chemistry’s right up there,” Olivier said. “We know how we’ve got to play to be successful and what we can bring to this team. … so, it definitely feels good to contribute in more than one way.”
They’ve won over Larsen on the whole, but especially of late.
“Since the break, they’ve been one of the best lines for me,” Larsen said. “The minutes they’ve been getting, they’ve earned every bit of it. (It’s) who they’re playing against every night, the responsibility. They’re physical, they play with an edge, they play a simple game. I love to see those guys get rewarded on the scoresheet.”
Jackets’ jinx reaches Gaudreau
It felt like only a matter of time before the Blue Jackets’ injury plague caught up with Johnny Gaudreau, one of the NHL’S most consistent performers.
It finally happened Saturday, when Larsen announced the star forward was out with a lower-body injury that ended Gaudreau’s string of consecutive games played at 349 — third-longest among active NHL players.
“You kind of smile and go, ‘Yeah, that’s kind of how the season’s gone, ‘ ” Larsen said.
Gaudreau, who leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 52 points (15 goals, 37 assists) isn’t expected to be out long.
He’s considered day to day, despite not traveling with the Jackets on their twogame road trip out west. Gaudreau is the club’s ninth player out of the lineup, and the team has a handful of regulars missing since early November.
Lane Pederson, who faced immigration delays after the Blue Jackets claimed the former Vancouver Canucks forward off waivers on Jan. 28, made his Columbus debut as Gaudreau’s replacement. Center Sean Kuraly had an alternate captain’s ‘A’ attached to his jersey.
“He’s a guy that consistently brings it every night,” Larsen said of his reason for picking Kuraly. “He’s cut from the same cloth as (captain Boone Jenner) a little bit, as far as his intangibles – what he brings and consistency in his effort. … Putting an ‘A’ on him was an easy decision for us.” bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger
BLUE JACKETS 4, STARS 1
Columbus 1 0 3 - 4
Dallas 0 1 0 - 1
FIRST PERIOD: 1. Columbus, Foudy 1 (Roslovic, Bemstrom), 17:41. SECOND: 2. Dallas, Dellandrea 8, 6:29.
THIRD: 3. Columbus, Boqvist 2 (Kuraly, Olivier), 5:49; 4. Columbus, Olivier 4 (Robinson, Kuraly), 15:32. Penalties - Kuraly, CBJ (slashing), 3:20; Dellandrea, DAL (tripping), 8:53.
Shots on goal: Columbus 13-9-14 - 36; Dallas 15-7-7 - 29. Power plays: Columbus 0 of 1; Dallas 0 of 1. Goalies: Columbus, Korpisalo 9-10-3 (29 shots-28 saves); Dallas, Wedgewood 7-7-3 (36-33). A: 18,532. T: 2:26.