Slumping Atkinson benched; Milano starts
Three weeks after signing a seven-year, $41.125 million contract extension with the Blue Jackets, right wing Cam Atkinson has been benched.
Coach John Tortorella made Atkinson a healthy scratch Saturday night against the Arizona Coyotes at Nationwide Arena, replacing him in the lineup with rookie Sonny Milano, who was recalled from minorleague Cleveland.
“I know people get all jittery about it. I look at this as part of the process of getting him back,” Tortorella said. “Do you want to go down this road? No. …You may think I’m crazy, but I do feel I’m helping Cam.”
Tortorella said it was “not a tough call” to sit Atkinson because his performance is instrumental to the team’s success and added that he spoke with Atkinson about the decision.
The team’s leader in points the past two seasons, Atkinson has six goals, three assists and a minus-1 rating in 25 games. He hasn’t recorded a point in his past six games since scoring two goals against Ottawa on Nov. 24 and has a minus-5 rating during that stretch.
“I’m not going to pick him apart. Cam doesn’t deserve to be picked apart,” Tortorella said. “I look for that guy in every situation. I want to feel comfortable again in looking at that guy in every situation. It’s not working this way right now.”
Atkinson, who wasn’t available to speak to the media before the game, didn’t play in the third period Friday during a 5-3 win at the New Jersey Devils after he was beaten for the puck near the wall, leading to Blake Coleman’s tying goal with 20 seconds left in the second.
Tortorella wouldn’t give reasons for his removal of Atkinson from the lineup but noted, “Obviously, when you take a player out, you don't think he's playing well enough, and some of the other things you've tried to do with the player haven't worked. So now we're at this stage." Milano returns
After a “good” week in Cleveland, Milano said, “I’m ready to prove myself here.”
“I learned a lot before I got sent down,” he added. “And getting the feel back, and confidence back, down there definitely helps.”
Bob back in goal
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky started both ends of the back-to-back Friday at New Jersey and Saturday at home. In seven previous backto-backs this season, Bobrovsky played both games twice.