The current NHL campaign has certainly been nothing short of entertaining, mind-boggling, and unprecedented.
In a season where abnormal is the norm, five (!!) Blue Jackets notched their first NHL goal as the Blue Jackets turned to their youth amidst heavy injuries.
In chronological order, let's revisit them.
First up, it's Emil Bemstrom, who notched his first NHL goal on November 7th against the Arizona Coyotes.
Known for his wicked shot, Bemstrom had his initial effort saved by Darcy Kuemper. Undeterred, he worked his way to the rebound and banked the puck in off of Kuemper for a power-play goal and the first tally of his promising career.
Next, Eric Robinson grabbed his first against the Montreal Canadiens on November 12th.
It started with some quick passing between Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. Werenski then fires a shot on net, which was saved. The rebound fell to Bemstrom, who drew the defender in front of the net. With the crease wide open, Bemstrom found Robinson for a one-time finish.
Kevin Stenlund scored his first NHL goal on December 17th against the Detroit Red Wings.
Stenlund, who has emerged as a threat on the power play, showed off his prowess here. Cam Atkinson found Stenlund with a cross-ice pass, putting the Swede in a great shooting position. Rather than shoot, Stenlund elected to pass across the crease, looking for a deflection off of Alexander Wennberg's stick. He certainly got a deflection, but not from Wennberg. Instead, Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley tipped the puck past his own goaltender.
The fourth Blue Jacket to get his first NHL goal was Jakob Lilja, who achieved the feat on December 27th against the Washington Capitals.
A floated clear from David Savard found its way to Ryan MacInnis, who made a nice play to control the puck as he entered the zone. MacInnis then took a big hit, but was still able to find Riley Nash darting through the Capitals' offensive zone, giving the Blue Jackets a mini 2-on-1. Nash brought out the dangles, then found Lilja for a one-time tap-in.
Bringing up the rear, it's Andrew Peeke, who scored his first NHL goal on February 16th against the New Jersey Devils.
Pierre-Luc Dubois took advantage of a poor pass and made a nice play to keep the puck in the Devils' zone, finding Sonny Milano with speed. Milano threw the puck on net, but had his effort saved. As chaos in the crease ensued, Peeke located the rebound and buried it.
Although the Blue Jackets struggled with several injuries throughout the course of this season, the youth movement in Columbus is gaining traction. As one of the youngest teams in the NHL, the Blue Jackets should certainly be excited and optimistic about the future of the franchise.
