WASHINGTON ― It was a play that showed there's more to Mathieu Olivier than a bloody face.
The Blue Jackets ' toughest forward has squared off in plenty of fights during his first season in Columbus, but his fifth goal showed how working with skills coach Kenny McCudden is paying off. Using an inside spin and backhand-to-forehand shot Sunday at Xcel Energy Center, Olivier converted Eric Robinson's forecheck into the first score in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild .
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"A few times this year, Kenny's drills have come in handy," said Olivier. "It's fun to see it get rewarded, whether it's with shooting, whether it's going to the net, working on things around the net and with scoring a goal like that one. We work at it hard and he's always there."
McCudden is in his seventh season with the Blue Jackets since arriving in June 2015 after a 16-year stint in a similar role with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. He's creative, innovative, tireless and rarely declines an opportunity to help a player when asked.
And Olivier asks a lot.
"I came up to him at the start of the year and it was pretty obvious that him and I were going to work together a lot," said Olivier, who was acquired from the Nashville Predators last summer primarily to make the Blue Jackets a tougher team. "I'm always following him around. I don't see it as a problem, but every day we work on something, as much as we can. He's always there and every day he knows I'm going to ask him for 30 extra minutes before practice."
Going into Tuesday's game in Buffalo, Oliver had five goals, eight assists and 13 points in 55 games during the most extensive NHL action of his career. He had a combined 3-4-7 in 48 games over the three seasons with Nashville and made it his objective to prove himself in Columbus as a tough power forward who can contribute in more ways than throwing haymakers.
The start was rough for Olivier, Robinson and center Sean Kuraly as coach Brad Larsen's top checking line, but they've had a lot more success lately. They're starting to pin opposing forwards into their own zone with strong forechecking, winning puck battles and applying more offensive pressure.
Olivier led the charge offensively with 2-4-6 in 10 games before facing the Sabres, and he's also setting an example for young teammates thanks to his pre-practice skill sessions with McCudden.
"Some days, we're banged up or you've got to take a little bit off, but as much as possible we're on the ice together, and a lot of other guys have joined too," Olivier said. "That's part of our growth, too, so that's fun to see."
A lengthy injury report has forced Larsen to get creative with 3-on-3 overtime scenarios and he's pulled out some doozies lately.
Boone Jenner , Kuraly and defenseman Erik Gudbranson were sent onto the ice for the faceoff that preceded the Arizona Coyotes' OT winner Feb. 19 in Tempe, Ariz. and he started OT Sunday in Minnesota with Kuraly, Robinson and rookie defenseman Nick Blankenburg.
"I had a pretty good feeling (Wild coach Dean Evason) was going to start (Kirill Kaprisov)," Larsen said. "Coaches instinct there, right? So, I just talked to those guys: 'Just try to take away his time and space.' If we can allow him not to score, it sets up for my next shift, right? Those guys have been giving me really good minutes for a big chunk of this year, so I wasn't worried putting them out there one bit."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mathieu Olivier adds scoring punch for Columbus Blue Jackets
