Stars of the Night: CBJ @ TOR

3rd Star: Ryan Murray
Murray, Murray, Murray. What more can I say about arguably this team’s most complete defenseman? I have no problem awarding him a star of the game based on having a two point night with 1G and 1A. He tallied 3 blocked shots on the evening to help make Bob’s efforts towards a shutout easier. It’s clear that Coach Richards trusts this kid with him logging another 20 minutes tonight, 4 of which came on special teams.

2nd Star: Sergei Bobrovsky
I know there’s an unwritten rule that if a goalie gets a shutout, writers are obligated to award him a star of the game. Makes enough sense as it takes a Herculean effort to land one, right? While Bob had a solid game, he really wasn’t challenged much this evening. It’s a credit to the skaters in front of him blocking an impressive 20 shots and spending so much time in the Toronto zone. The shots he did face, he had a clear view of them and was square quickly. I’d love to make room in the three stars for Jack Skille or Boone Jenner but I suppose I’ll allow the #1 cop on the force to enjoy his #2 star.

1st Star: Ryan Johanson
It’s hard not to be pleased with Ryan Johanson’s play tonight and as of late. He had an impressive 3 points coming in the form of 2 goals and an assist two of which points came on the power play. He was big, he was physical, he was in the right places at the right time and most importantly he capitalized on his opportunities. In an evening where the roster was seemingly composed of any body that could skate and saw defenseman Dalton Prout lined up as a forward due to injury, he and the rest of the team were completely unfazed and took care of business. This kind of game builds confidence in continuing to put him on the ice for important power plays or draws on the penalty kill.

Stud
Jack Skille. Holy cow, this guy played tonight like he never wants to lace up an AHL jersey ever again. Immediately after driving to the net to score his first goal of the game he creates another great scoring chance and was denied. His legs were moving all night long and was causing Toronto skaters fits. It’s always great to get scoring from a call up and if he continues to play this well, we can rest easy knowing there’s no need to rush back any of our injured forwards until they’re completely healthy.

Dud
Um. Injuries? Nikita Nikitin took a blast off of the inside of his skate boot and was clearly in pain. We didn’t see him on the ice after that. Artem Anisimov took a monster hit in open ice from Dion Phaneuf that was mistakenly called as a hit to the head at the time. I’m sure the league will give the hit their requisite once-over and promptly realize it was clean. Clean doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Anisimov left the ice clearing in pain and clutching at his shoulder. In his post-game presser Coach Richards indicated that he doesn’t think Artem will miss any time which is a relief but it was a scary moment at the time.

All-in-all, tonight was a great game by the Jackets and they got contributions from everyone. If they can sustain this recipe and energy level they’re sure to gather more points.