Jakub Voracek, Patrik Laine combination already clicking for Columbus Blue Jackets
Dynamic forward duo has combined for two goals, five assists and seven points in just two preseason games.
Brian Hedger
The early returns are promising.
It’s still the preseason and they’ve still played only a couple of games, but Patrik Laine and Jakub Voracek look like a good match for the Blue Jackets. The opposing wingers with opposing strengths — Voracek passing the puck, Laine shooting it — are showing chemistry.
In two exhibition games, they’ve combined for two goals, five assists and seven points. Voracek notched four points on a goal and three assists, while Laine has added three points on a goal and two assists.
“It’s obviously been fun to play with him and just try to kind of build chemistry,” said Laine, who struggled to mesh with anybody after being traded to Columbus last season. “I felt like we had some good looks right away when we got put together (in training camp) and (we’re) still learning about each other, how we play.”
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That’s the interesting part.
The regular season hasn’t even begun, the Blue Jackets have scored five goals in both exhibitions they’ve skated, and it looks like a dynamic duo that’s just getting warmed up. Finding a center who’s equipped to play with them is the next challenge.
Rookie Cole Sillinger, 18, drew that responsibility early in camp. On Monday in Buffalo, a 5-3 victory for the Blue Jackets, it was veteran forward Boone Jenner. It turned out to be a good combination, as all three scored goals and combined for six points (three goals, three assists).
Voracek and Jenner capped power plays with goals. Laine scored his first goal of the preseason with a nice shot after receiving an even better feed from Voracek below the goal line. Spotting Laine near the slot, he sent a pinpoint pass to the Finnish sharpshooter through the legs of Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, the NHL’s No. 1 overall pick in 2018.
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“It’s pretty simple on that kind of situation,” Voracek said. “You have Jenner go in on the first guy to try to cut that pass across (on the forecheck), and usually when you pick (the puck) up, there’s going to be somebody open in front of the net. It’s a good thing it was Patty.”
Good thing it was Voracek who passed it.
Voracek also set up Jenner’s a goal 1:35 into the second to cap a power play, sending him a pass from the blue line to the net-front for a great scoring chance. Jenner had time to wheel around and slide the puck between goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s pads for a 3-1 lead.
It was the second game in a row Voracek has hit Jenner with a pass to the front of the net for a power-play goal. That’s about chemistry too, along with Jenner reading keys whenever Voracek gets the puck.
“When I’m under pressure, he needs to pop a little further from the net, so he gives me that (pass) option,” Voracek said. “If I’m not under pressure, he can stay in front. It’s about chemistry, and obviously we’re working on it and talking about it all the time. It’s been working well so far, but it’s the preseason. It’s going to be a different animal in the regular season.”
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That might be true, but it’s hard to ignore what’s happening in the preseason with Laine and Voracek. In fact, they’re starting to show why Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen made the stunning decision to trade Cam Atkinson to the Philadelphia Flyers for Voracek in July.
Adding Jenner, a defensively responsible center who hounds pucks for retrievals, to the middle of their line is also interesting.
“I like them,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “I liked their line tonight. They brought energy. You see what Jake brings to a line. He’s got passion for the game. Even in a preseason game, he’s got some juice on the bench and it’s good to see.”
Voracek is also a realist.
Asked what type of center would pair best with he and Laine, two defensively challenged wingers, he smiled and cut straight to the obvious.
“I’d say a really responsible center defensively,” Voracek said. “Let’s be honest about that.”
bhedger@dispatch.com
@BrianHedger