Blue Jackets surprise again - this time for the better
Throw out what it is you know about the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Who predicted that after finally "arriving" while nose-to-nose with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs that they would go belly up in the season that followed - and rank 25th in the standings when they hosted the All-Star Game? Or when they healed up late that season and finished on a 15-1-1 run, who was it that had them pegged to lose seven straight out the shoot upon return, replace Todd Richards with John Tortorella, and morph into something truly beyond futile?
Surely there wasn't a soul who predicted they'd be the top team in the NHL at the holiday break, this season.
Except delusion has sorta become Columbus' thing.
The Blue Jackets thrashed the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins on Thursday (a statement win whether they want to admit it), and finally sit alone atop the overall standings as winners of 11 straight games and a team that has avoided a regulation loss across six weeks.
Tortorella's side have scored 108 goals relative to a league-low 64 pulled out of their own net, for a goal differential 11 points better than the next most efficient team. The power play has been outrageous, firing at 27 percent for the season, and at 81.8 percent, its penalty kill is proficient enough to maintain the league's second-best combined special teams. And while their PDO suggests they will have to come down a touch, strong possession metrics indicate the crash won't be too hard.
What's perhaps most amazing is that aside from bolstering a previously shoddy defensive corps with star rookie defender Zach Werenski, this is the same team that was walloped by opponents and critical media and fans alike throughout all of last season.
Brandon Saad's elevated his game to a superstar level after a strong, 30-goal debut season with Columbus. His even-strength points rate is higher than both Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, and he trails only the two megastars and Evgeni Malkin in primary points.
Columbus' scoring leader, though, is Cam Atkinson, owner of the NHL's fourth-best per-game scoring rate behind only Crosby, McDavid, and befallen Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos. Atkinson collected his league-best 16th power-play point versus Pittsburgh, and has two shorthanded goals to further underscore his specialty teams contributions.
There are career-best projections all over the lineup, from top center Alexander Wennberg to thrifty fourth-line find Sam Gagner. And most importantly, netminder Sergei Bobrovsky has sizzling numbers that compare to his Vezina Trophy campaign in 2013 through 27 starts.
Through a third of the season, and with one game left before the holiday break, the Blue Jackets are soaring at a 129-point pace - which would smash the club record by 36 points.
In the ultra competitive Metropolitan Division, the Blue Jackets cannot afford to sink too low when they inevitably approach a valley in their season. But with the progress made so far, even the sharpest 180 may not be able to prevent this from being the greatest season in their history - even by Blue Jackets standards.
Surprise, surprise.