Three games and three wins for the Columbus Blue Jackets. They'll take those results 100 out of 100 times. Star players led the way but a cast of depth players may have given the team their most solid line to date.
It doesn't mean the tinkering and the toying with the lineup will stop though.
Three Boomers Up
Artemi Panarin
He was in this exact same slot last week. He may end up staying here until further notice with the way he has been playing. That is just how good he has been in the past week plus. Putting a couple goals under your belt is fine but these goals are timely. Add in all of the posts he continually hits, Panarin is a goal scorer that does bring the dynamic play that the Blue Jackets front office desired.
The good times are continuing to roll.
Sergei Bobrovsky
With some dreadful offensive showings at times, the Blue Jackets needed their trusty netminder to be big. And Bobrovsky was, as he always is. Over the course of the three games, he faced 97 shots saving 94 of them. His save percentage was a .969 and it also saw Bobrovsky post a shutout as well.
While his workload may need to be monitored considering the amount he has played thus far, Bobrovsky has been impressive in net and doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon.
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Similar to Panarin, I left Dubois in the exact same slot he has been in. People may not like his overall output thus far but it is undeniable what he is doing away from the puck and with it. He led all forwards this past week in Corsi For percentage and Scoring Chance percentage.
He is outperforming expectations and is beginning to put pucks in the net. He even did it with a rotating left winger, succeeding with both Tyler Motte and Panarin. He may be the internal answer the Blue Jackets need at center and what a huge relief to the team it would be.
Honorable Mentions: Starting Pierre-Luc Dubois against Montreal, David Savard smelling salts, the fake-out hug that Foligno and Bobrovsky pulled off.
Three Boomers Down
Nick Foligno
Much like Panarin and Dubois, Foligno occupies this slot on the Boomers Down, side of the ledger. Outside of the fourth line, he had the worst shot differential, goal differential, and scoring chance differential. He is in a real funk. If he isn't able to get out of it, it could mean real trouble for his production this year. If they can move him back to a normal wing role, it may jumpstart his game. For now, he is going to need to chip away each game.
Fourth Line Meh
I used this spot last week to complain about the 11 forwards and seven defensemen lineup. They replaced it with a fourth line that didn't play much. Insert Schroeder into the lineup and the Blue Jackets didn't see a remarkable improvement. It was never expected but with five or so minutes a night, it is tough for players to get into a rhythm.
Lukas Sedlak is returning to the lineup so there may be an overhaul of sorts to the unit. It desperately needs it and it will be a storyline to monitor as it affects the entire lineup.
Trade Rumor Season
You're going to see a lot of tweets and posts about how the Blue Jackets did this or the Blue Jackets did that. Here is advice that won't treat you wrong. Just follow Bob McKenzie and Elliotte Friedman. Check their account and if they haven't said anything, it is nothing to worry about. The rumor mongering is starting with the Blue Jackets looking for a center. Just remember who to trust.
Honorable Mentions: Robin Lehner's facial hair, Andrew Shaw still playing, near third-period collapse against the Sabres.
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