Bow down to Sergei Bobrovsky, folks.
The Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender stopped 46 shots – all 46 shots, actually – against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, dragging Columbus to a huge victory and sole possession fo the first wild card slot.
Bobrovsky's performance deserves to be all three things in this Three Things segment. Let's dive right in.
The Bob Returns
Bobrovsky's season stats, on paper, don't look like a two-time Vezina winner, but tonight he was at his absolute peak form. Those 46 saves are the most that Bobrovsky has ever had in a shutout in his career – and that number could have easily been higher if not for nearly 40 blocked or missed shots.
Sergei thank you. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/3KJ13vjOvT
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 16, 2019
Time after time, Bobrovsky stepped up to save the Blue Jackets from being in danger tonight. Carolina ended the night with 83 shot attempts, 36 scoring chances, 19 high danger chances (!!!) and… well, zero goals.
The Blue Jackets offense basically didn't show up in the second or third period, while the Hurricanes were shooting from everywhere. In the game's last 40 minutes ago, Columbus generated just nine shot attempts. Carolina had 54(!) in that span.
Bow down to Bobrovsky.
Unlikely Scorers
The Columbus Blue Jackets have a league-high six 20-goal scorers on their roster at the moment. While Carolina goalie Petr Mrazek was in net, though, the only Columbus goals came from perhaps the most unlikely sources.
Bread to McQuaid to the net. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/KKiJI1DB2G
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 15, 2019
Adam McQuaid scored his first goal for the Blue Jackets to open the scoring on a pretty normal "throw it on net from the point" look that would typically be meant to generate a rebound, and David Savard added to the lead later in the period.
Savard's goal was a thing of beauty, though, and Josh Anderson's hustle play made it 3-0 late.
You know what's better than 1-0? 2-0. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/NvZNR7cwEY
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 15, 2019
#MoreHugs Meets KISS
Bobrovsky certainly turned in a rock star performance, but he wasn't the only one with those credentials in Nationwide Arena tonight. Gene Simmons – The Demon himself – was in attendance tonight for some reason, and perhaps the KISS vocalist and bass player was the team's good luck charm.
In Columbus watching a great event: The Columbus Blue Jackets vs Carolina Hurricanes. pic.twitter.com/K0je1X3Ih5
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) March 16, 2019
That's right, Simmons – who is indisputably an expert in rocking and rolling all night (and partying every day) – called tonight's Blue Jackets game "a great event," and it's tough to argue given that the man has played in front of countless sold-out venues.
Will this experience stick with Simmons? Hard to say, but we can't definitively rule out a KISS cover of "We Like Pizza" or the Airwolf theme now, can we?
