The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Philadelphia Flyers behind stellar play from Sergei Bobrovsky, Seth Jones, and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 2-1 shootout win sends the Blue Jackets into the holiday break with 46 points, tied with the Washington Capitals and one point behind the New Jersey Devils for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Here are five thoughts from the big win at Nationwide Arena.
POWER PLAY GOOD?
It's too early to say that the power play is a strength for the club, but it did convert for the fourth consecutive game. I don't think much fundamentally has changed in terms of power play strategy or alignment (though we've seen new wrinkles with Artemi Panarin in the middle), but the confidence is showing, and that bodes well for the team.
Panarin looks especially dangerous, and when he passed to Oliver Bjorkstrand, Seth Jones had some space at the top of the zone. He rifled a quick shot through traffic that beat Brian Elliott. Turns out that Jones guy can play, am I right?
SETH JONES: PLAYER
Seth Jones has been a man on a mission since Zach Werenski went down with an injury. Markus Nutivaara and Jones dominated the game, and Nutivaara deserves more credit than he's been getting. The pairing was excellent tonight, as evidenced by their absurd CF% numbers. Jones finished with a 63.41% and Nutivaara with a 64.29 CF% at 5v5, driving play for the third consecutive game together.
Jones logged a game-high 27:58 and tallied his 21st point of the season on the aforementioned power play goal. He's now riding a four-game point scoring streak, in which he's tallied 3-2-5.
This Jones shot hits Provorov in front and it gets past Elliott. Good things happen when you put the puck on net.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/KghTx3tsI1
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) December 24, 2017
BOB's ON POINT
I almost took this blurb exactly from the Penguins game (or many other 5 Thoughts from this year), but Bobrovsky was simply outstanding again for the Blue Jackets. He stopped 30 of 31 shots in regulation and overtime, then turned away all three Flyer's shooters in the shootout.
It feels like we're running out of words to appropriately encapsulate Bobrovsky's play, but it's impossible to imagine this team competing for a playoff spot without him.
Oh, and it was probably a bit sweeter to beat his former team.
Protect Sergei Bobrovsky at all costs. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/eyn6FNtIVj
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) December 24, 2017
FLYERS: STAY AWAY FROM NWA
File this away in the 'hard to believe that's real' part of your brain, but the Blue Jackets have now beaten the Flyers 11 consecutive times at Nationwide Arena dating back to December 13 of 2005.
Consider this: pre-season games aside, not one Philadelphia Flyer has won a game at Nationwide Arena (shut up, Jake Voracek, you don't count).
Even more remarkably, the past seven wins have been decided by just one goal. I don't know if it's bad karma for the Flyers trading Bobrovsky years ago, but Nationwide Arena has been an absolutely nightmare for these Flyers.
PLD ON A TEAR
Is Pierre-Luc Dubois turning into a fan favorite in his rookie season in Columbus?
After the embarrassing loss to the Boston Bruins, Dubois sounded like a veteran in discussing his team's futile effort, especially in the third period.
Just a few days later, and Dubois has been on a tear. He scored a power play goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs, then followed it up with a goal and an assist in a 3-2 shootout loss in Pittsburgh. Against the Flyers, Dubois was excellent, again. Though he didn't produce any points, he drove play at a 60% CF% clip (5v5). John Tortorella rewarded the 19-year old by selecting him for his first NHL shootout attempt, and he didn't disappoint.
Dubois gets the shot off quickly and he beats Brian Elliott. Picks a spot and absolutely nails it. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/zFMpIUh0jt
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) December 24, 2017
Like Bobrovsky, it's hard to imagine where this team would be without Dubois. Especially with the injuries to Alexander Wennberg and Brandon Dubinsky, this team is already razor thin at center. If Dubois couldn't play center - let alone on the top line - it's hard to imagine they'd be having this type of success. Good on you, PL.
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