There have been better nights for the power play.
You just watched the game. Odds are you thought a certain player had a great night, and you're wondering if the numbers back up what your eyes told you. Even if that's completely false, "Battery Mates" is here to help.
We'll pick our own three stars based on Game Score, a comprehensive individual performance metric developed in the hockey analytics community. For more on how Game Score works, read this.
These are 1st Ohio Battery's three stars from Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Toronto:
DAVID SAVARD [GAME SCORE: 1.98]
It's not much of a secret: the Blue Jackets' power play struggled mightily in this game. At even strength, though, they were pretty good and carried the play for long stretches. Savard and defense partner Jack Johnson drew some tough assignments (as they usually do), but they were also able to drive offense from the back end. Savard was a +13 in 5-on-5 shot attempts and played more than 22 minutes, and scored an important goal that put Columbus on the board in the second period.
BOONE JENNER [GAME SCORE: 1.69]
This has been a prolonged run of noticeable games for Jenner, which is good news for the Blue Jackets as the postseason draws closer. He was around the net tonight, looking for second opportunities and trying to make a difficult night for Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen. Jenner's line with Brandon Dubinsky and Josh Anderson was a terror at even strength, creating several shifts of multiple chances that Toronto's defense struggled to contain. Jenner was +16 in 5-on-5 shot attempts and finished with a 5-on-5 Corsi of 70%.
BRANDON SAAD [GAME SCORE: 1.43]
Just when you think Saad may be going through a quiet stretch, he shows up and has a strong outing. His goal - a deflection of Zach Werenski's seeing-eye shot from the point - brought the Blue Jackets back even from a 2-0 deficit and injected some life after a dreary opening period. Losing Oliver Bjorkstrand in the third period caused John Tortorella to do some line shuffling, but Saad and Sam Gagner managed to make things happen in the offensive zone; Saad's 5-on-5 Corsi was 56% and he had his share of scoring chances in and around the Toronto net.
