COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Alex Nylander joined the Columbus Blue Jackets via trade last month, he was only looking for an opportunity to resuscitate his NHL career.
The Blue Jackets, truth be told, were more excited about the conditional pick they landed in the trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Emil Bemstrom, but they were willing to give Nylander a look the rest of the way.
Nobody could have imagined this.
In just his fifth game with Columbus, Nylander scored the first hat trick of his NHL career, leading the way among a batch of improbable scorers in a most improbable 6-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, the defending Stanley Cup champs.
“They’ve been great here, letting me play and helping me out to play the best I can,” Nylander said. “It’s a great group of guys. My linemates (Alexandre Texier and Cole Sillinger) have been helping me out a lot.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been a great first week.”
NYLANDER BANKS HIS 3RD FOR HIS 1ST @NHL HATTY! 🎩@Nationwide | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/WAuuZfMgKT
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 5, 2024
Nylander scored at 13:11 of the first period and 3:23 and 18:49 of the third period, an empty-net goal that put an emphatic stamp on his night as well as the Blue Jackets’ second straight win.
Chuckle at that if you will — is two wins in a row even a streak? — but the Jackets hadn’t won consecutive games since Nov. 22 and 24, a span of 40 (!) games.
That’s the third-longest streak in franchise history, bested only by two teams in the very early days of the franchise.
“The magic happens when you start adding confidence in your teammates,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. “That’s what we’ve been seeing recently. They’re starting to believe in each other and play for each other and that changes everything.
“And when you win, it reinforces good habits.”
The Blue Jackets got goals from fourth-line winger Justin Danforth, who had gone 24 games without a goal, and another from third-pair defenseman Erik Gudbranson, just his fourth of the season.
They also got a big goal from Yegor Chinakhov to push the lead to 5-3 at 11:20 of the third period, just 1:04 after the Golden Knights cut the lead to 4-3.
But the night belonged to Nylander, who now has 4-2-6 in five games since the trade. He’ll face his former club on Tuesday when the Blue Jackets play in Pittsburgh.
“Our line is doing great,” Nylander said. “We’ve found great chemistry out there. We have a lot of energy. So, just keep going like this every night.”
It was Texier’s elusive puck play along the end boards that led to Nylander’s first goal, a second-effort shot from the crease.
Nylander is making himself right at home! 🤩@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/dDZWN07veE
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 5, 2024
Nylander’s second was scored off the rush, a wrister from the left circle that beat Vegas goaltender Adin Hill that made it 4-2.
Texier assisted again on the empty-netter, making a breakout pass from the defensive zone to Nylander, who was breaking free through the neutral zone.
In his 103rd NHL game, for his fourth NHL club, he sparked a rainstorm of hats in Nationwide Arena.
“I didn’t let that get in my head (after the second goal), I was just focusing on winning and letting the chance come to me,” Nylander said. “Play good D, and if we’re up two, maybe going for it. I wasn’t thinking about it until the end.”
The Blue Jackets could never quite figure out how to unlock Bemstrom’s game over the past five seasons. It’s possible that Buffalo, Chicago and Pittsburgh would say the same about Nylander, but we also know this much is true:
The NHL is full of players who bounced around for a few seasons before figuring it out and taking off. It would be a stretch to say Nylander has achieved that already. He’s a restricted free agent this summer, and the Blue Jackets, who don’t currently have a GM, are a long way from deciding how to proceed.
But Nylander is doing everything he can to make it a tough decision.
NYLANDER LOVES THE CANNON!
#92 notches his second of the night 🤯🔥@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/iPKKP7LUYb
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 5, 2024
“We knew he had great speed and good skills,” Vincent said. “We’ve seen it in the past where it’s not the right fit and not the right fit until it’s the right fit.
“He’s really excited to be here. He’s a smart hockey player. I like his brain and the way he plays the game. It’s a good start for him and it’s good for us, as well.”
Gudbranson knows what it’s like to bounce around. He’s on his seventh club since 2019, but he’s been an NHL fixture since 2013-14.
Nylander played only 14 games in Pittsburgh the last two seasons, spending the rest of his time in the AHL. There’s a certain hunger in the way he’s playing.
“He’s been good; he’s been really good,” Gudbranson said. “He’s got a lot of hockey sense. He’s got hands. A really good passer. He sees the ice well. And he’s got finishing ability, as you saw tonight.
“He’s added quite a bit to this room since he’s been here.”
(Photo: Ben Jackson / NHLI via Getty Images)
