Columbus Blue Jackets topple Minnesota Wild: 5 things we learned

ST. PAUL, Minn. ― What a weekend the Blue Jackets just had.

In the span of 24 hours, they grinded out a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames, lost Patrik Laine to injury, lost Liam Foudy to waivers, gained respect in a tough back-to-back, celebrated Adam Fantilli’s first NHL goal, outshot a team 54-28 and left Xcel Energy Center on Saturday with a 5-4 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild on Jack Roslovic’s first goal of the season.

Got all that?

The Blue Jackets (3-2-0) also moved into third place of the Metropolitan Division and may have sent notice that things could be different this year in Columbus.

Here are five things we learned after the Jackets' big weekend:

Pascal Vincent’s ‘vision’ for Columbus Blue Jackets taking shape

Early in the Jackets’ camp, a couple days after he’d been elevated to the role of head coach by Mike Babcock’s resignation, Pascal Vincent talked about his “vision” for the Blue Jackets.

A first-time NHL coach who's waited three decades for the opportunity, Vincent foresees his unheralded group learning to play fast, stay connected, win battles, dominate possession, attack relentlessly and, most importantly, outwork their opponents. Five games into the season, minuscule sample size or not, the Blue Jackets are doing a lot of those things to turn their coach’s visionary plan into reality.

The proof was on display against the Flames and Wild, and it was a sight to behold. The Blue Jackets didn’t just sweep a tough back-to-back. They did it impressively.

After toppling Calgary in a game that ended with a scuffle caused by Rasmus Andersson’s illegal hit to Laine’s head, the Jackets played even better Saturday. They won without their Finnish star and racked up a whopping 54-28 shot advantage that finished tied as the fourth-highest regular-season shot total in franchise history.

“At the end of the day, Xs and Os, they only matter so much,” Vincent said. “(Our guys) want to work together. The team is tight. It’s only five games, but that’s a good picture of what I imagined and the vision I have for this team.”

Adam Fantilli shows elite skill on first NHL goal for Columbus Blue Jackets

As first goals go, they don’t get much better than Fantilli’s.

After being robbed by Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom on Friday and clanging a hard shot off the post in the second period against the Wild, the third overall pick of this year’s draft hit the back of the net with a huge goal in the third.

After tying up Brandon Duhaime’s stick, he capped a power play with a drag shot between Duhaime's legs and under the crossbar for a 4-3 Blue Jackets lead. As Fantilli celebrated, Cole Sillinger scooped the puck out of the net and skated it over to its rightful owner.

“I was really happy with the way I was playing up until that point,” Fantilli said. “We’d been creating a lot, our whole line. We were just staying on offense, staying in the (offensive) zone the whole time and eventually it was just able to go in, so I was really happy about that.”

His teammates were too.

As Fantilli talked with reporters, Mathieu Olivier snuck up and smashed a shaving cream “pie” into his face with a towel. The remainder of the interview was conducted with the tingling remnants of it coating Fantilli’s face and hair.

Jack Roslovic played key role in Columbus Blue Jackets' sweep

Welcome to the party, Jack Roslovic.

After a muted start, the talented two-way forward and hometown product of the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets developmental program sent a reminder of the impact he can have on a game when focused and motivated.

Roslovic buzzed the net in both games, helping two separate lines have success creating scoring chances and goals. He combined with Justin Danforth and fellow Ohio AAA Blue Jackets alum Sean Kuraly to form a dominant group against the Flames and did the same Saturday in Minnesota with Fantilli and Alexandre Texier.

That was Laine’s group, which remained a threat with Fantilli at center, Texier at left wing and Roslovic on the right. It wasn’t a surprise to Vincent, who saw Roslovic play that way plenty of times while coaching the AHL Manitoba Moose for the Winnipeg Jets.

“He’s strong on his stick,” Vincent said. “When he competes hard like he does right now, he’s a really, really good player. And we’ve seen it. We’ve seen a glimpse the last two games of what he can do. Now for Jack, it’s a matter of ‘keep going.’”

Roslovic doesn’t like talking about himself but did say Vincent’s plan to turn the Jackets into a puck-hounding force appears to be working.

“We play very aggressive,” he said. “It suits our team. We’re a lot of fast skaters, a lot of energy, and I think the more we hunt, the more we track (defensively) … it really sounds like what a lot of teams would say, but I think the ‘buy in’ is getting there. It’s five games, but I’d say we’re off to a pretty good start.”

Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner leads the way against Minnesota Wild

Whenever a team scores five goals on 54 shots and 91 attempted shots, there are going to be some standout performances on the postgame scoresheet.

Boone Jenner’s name jumped off the page against the Wild.

The Jackets’ captain played 22:46 while centering the top line and finished with his fourth goal of the season, eight shots, one hit, one takeaway, five blocked shots and an 81% success rate on faceoffs (17 of 21).

Jenner was also in the penalty box when the Wild took a 4-3 lead in the third, but even that turned out OK after a coaching challenge for offsides overturned Mats Zuccarello’s goal.

Justin Danforth shining in unheralded role for Columbus Blue Jackets

Zach Werenski and Damon Severson deserve mention for outstanding performances in both games, but the Blue Jackets’ top defense pair gets paid handsomely. They’re expected to make a big impact in games, so when they do it’s not that surprising.

It also shouldn’t be a surprise when Justin Danforth does it, but he’s a completely different story. Danforth, 30, flies under the NHL radar because of a career path that didn’t get him to the league until two years ago, but he’s shaping up to be a key asset for the Blue Jackets.

More: Columbus Blue Jackets: Laine 'day-to-day' after Andersson hit, Predators claim Foudy

Danforth, playing on the fourth line with Kuraly, scored the first goal against Minnesota by scooping and scoring off his own rebound at the left post. He finished with five shots and now has four points in five games on three goals and one assist.

The Blue Jackets’ decision to sign Danforth to an extension for next season at $1.1 million looks better by the game.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 things we learned about Columbus Blue Jackets after back-sweep