Patrik Laine and Gus Nyquist combined for two goals in the Blue Jackets' 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday evening at Nationwide Arena.
Generally speaking, Laine is the shooter and Nyquist the playmaker, particularly comparing the two player's profiles. And so it was interesting that the two combined for two gorgeous goals, one quintessential and consistent with expectations, the other the opposite.
Laine Finds Nyquist
Patrik Laine with the beautiful dangle into the slot, setting up Gustav Nyquist on the power play! Columbus retakes the lead at 2-1!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/JXw3ZuhLxN
— Hockey Daily 365 (@HockeyDaily365) March 19, 2022
The first of the two was the goal where the two players 'swapped roles', so to speak. The play started on the Blue Jackets' power-play breakout, where Jakub Voracek skates the puck until he has pressure, then drops the puck back to the second wave, who on this play was Oliver Bjorkstrand. This creates a speed differential, allowing the Blue Jackets to gain the offensive zone with possession. Bjorkstrand enters the zone through the middle of the ice, which allows him to kick the puck wide to either side.
Here, he finds Laine on the right flank, which is typically the less dangerous side of the ice for Laine. He plays better on his off-wing where he's a threat to one-time the puck, and his forehand is in the middle of the ice. But, being an NHL star, he's perfectly content to play on his strong side, which he does here. Laine splits between two Blues' penalty killers, Robert Thomas and Justin Faulk. Now in a threatening position, Laine slides the puck across the royal road, finding Nyquist, who was skating directly across the zone towards Laine. He one-touched the puck against the grain, leaning heavily on his bottom hand, and beat Ville Husso to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead.
This Reddit user had an incredible view of the reverse angle from near-ice level.
Nyquist Finds Laine
Gustav Nyquist with the gorgeous no-look dish to Patrik Laine who lifts one home short side to double the lead for the Blue Jackets, 3-1 Columbus!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/HeNoooi9mV
— Hockey Daily 365 (@HockeyDaily365) March 19, 2022
All great playmakers are adept at understanding pressure points on the ice. Nyquist and Voracek, in particular, understand that the most dangerous passes happen after moving a defender from a spot.
Like Laine on the first goal, Nyquist attacks the middle of the ice with speed. By playing between the two defenders, he is able to draw in both players, which allows for additional space elsewhere. Nyquist knows he isn't going to split the defense, and he has no intention of shooting the puck from the high slot on a 1v2. Instead, he's interested in creating a better opportunity for his teammate. He hesitates and freezes the defenders, which was the catalyst for the goal.
Credit Laine, not known as a burner, for getting up ice into a spot where he could become available. Defenseman Torey Krug could see this play from a mile away, but he was helpless to get a stick on the eventual kick-out pass that found Laine burning down the dot-lane with speed.
Nyquist puts the puck perfectly on Laine's stick, in stride, and Laine uses his world-class release (and a bit of luck with a deflection). to beat Husso high to the near side.
