DALLAS — It was a shot that brought Adam Boqvist some needed relief and his first goal of the season.
Prior to snapping a wrist shot past New Jersey Devils goalie Vitek Vanecek on Tuesday in the Blue Jackets' stinging 3-2, last-second loss at Nationwide Arena , the 22-year-old defenseman hadn't scored in his first 21 games this season.
In fairness, it's been an abbreviated season, because a broken foot sidelined him 24 games , But that, plus a goal drought of 11 games at the end of last year, meant Boqvist had gone almost 11 months without putting the puck in the net.
As an offensive defenseman who recorded 11 goals in 52 games in 2021-22, his first season with the Blue Jackets , it was a nagging source of frustration.
"Last year, I had 11 or something, but that's history now," Boqvist said. "I want to shoot a little bit more, but hopefully that took some weight off my shoulders so I can play better for the team and help the team to win."
Boqvist's play had already improved before scoring against the Devils, who feature his older brother, Jesper, as a speedy center on the third line.
The younger Boqvist had contributed 12 assists in the first 17 games since Dec. 31. His success running the top power-play unit was a key reason for the group's 23.3% success rate (7 for 30) in 10 games before playing the Dallas Stars Saturday night. Boqvist has also been playing better in his own zone, increasing his aggressiveness to win puck battles and using a quick stick to break up plays.
"It's a growth," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "That's where he needs to get to, and he's trying. It takes time. And he has to do it differently than (bigger defensemen). Your stick's your best weapon (plus) your feet, your angles and how you get into those confrontations."
Larsen said there are three things that good defensemen have in common while defending: One is challenging the puck with their stick, the second is using angles to direct traffic away from dangerous areas and the final one is physically stopping plays.
Boqvist is making progress in those areas.
"The good defensemen, they do one of those three things, and they put them into tough areas, they disrupt or they kill the play," Larsen said. "That's where we need him to get to."
There was a point last summer when Joonas Korpisalo's mind wandered to a place no goalie wants it to go. Following hip surgery , the 29-year-old netminder began to doubt whether he'd be able to stop the puck while dealing with stiffness and pain.
A strong start for the Blue Jackets calmed those nerves and Korpisalo has since unleashed an impressive rebound season .
"The way I started, that helped a lot because I was questioning myself too … 'How's my hip going to hold up and am I even going to play hockey again?' " Korpisalo said. "I was in quite a bit of pain (in the summer) and not at (full) mobility, so I was little surprised ... I played that well early."
His mobility isn't what it used to be, but Korpisalo is pain-free now. He's also more controlled in net.
"I don't think it's ever going to be the same as it was, say, five years ago," said Korpisalo, who improved his save percentage to .910 with a 37-save victory Thursday over the Winnipeg Jets . "I don't think I have the same mobility anymore, in terms of what I used to have, but I don't mind. In fact, I feel like it's made me play smarter, which was really good for me, because I'd always be the guy who was all over the place. It feels way better now."
Johnny Gaudreau's ironman streak of 349 consecutive games played ended with the Blue Jackets game Saturday in Dallas. The winger, who leads the Jackets in points with 52, is considered day to day with a lower-body injury, but as Gaudreau did not travel with the team for their two-game road trip, it's highly unlikely he would play Sunday against the Arizona Coyotes .
Coverage of Saturday's Blue Jackets-Stars game, at Dispatch.com
When: 8:30 p.m. SundayTV: Bally Sports OhioRadio: 97.1 FM
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets getting spark from defenseman Adam Boqvist
