Cam Atkinson leads Columbus Blue Jackets to 4-3 win over Flyers

Cam Atkinson’s two goals helped the Columbus Blue Jackets win their third straight game, a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Columbus Blue Jackets lost to the Washington Capitals 4-0 on Dec. 8 and deservedly got called out by head coach John Tortorella. It’s safe to say the message was received. With the Blue Jackets 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, the team has won four of their six games since that loss. Cam Atkinson has been a huge part of it.

Atkinson stayed hot by scoring two goals against rookie goaltender Carter Hart. He’s been outstanding over his last 23 games, scoring 16 goals during that span, which started at the beginning of November. Atkinson has an eye-popping 10 goals and 13 points in 10 games against the Metropolitan Division.

More from Puck Prose

• Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
• This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
• 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
• 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
• This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings

He especially loves playing against the Flyers, as he has four goals against them in three games. Atkinson’s been doing more than just scoring goals, as his 37 points are tied for the team lead with linemate Artemi Panarin.

The Blue Jackets have been relying heavily on their offense to score, with their defense not performing up to their high standards. Two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky has been the largest offender. Atkinson and Panarin have done their part to bail out their at times leaky defense.

Additionally, center Pierre-Luc Dubois picked up three assists for his first game with at least three assists in his career. This gives him 31 points on the season. Since Dubois is the primary center for Atkinson and Panarin, each member of the Blue Jackets top line has at least 30 points.

However, they’ve struggled to get much from their other forward lines. No other Blue Jackets forward has more than 20 points, though defenseman Seth Jones does have 20 points despite missing a few games to start the season. Nick Foligno is the next best forward with 19 points while Josh Anderson is putting a nice baseball stat line with a 13 to 4 goals to assist ratio.

The Blue Jackets have won three straight and have gotten at least a point in six of their last 10 games. Depending on how the Caps’ game against the Ottawa Senators go, the Blue Jackets could end Saturday just two points out of the division lead.