"I'm just trying to read the play," he said after his second OT winner of the season. "Use my awareness to get open, get in the right spot. Me and Luc and Bread have some pretty good chemistry in overtime, so I know those guys are going to make plays and I'm just the guy who gets open."
He's being a tad modest, of course. Sure, there's a little bit of luck at play with Jones being at the top of the league in extra time - there are plenty of talented players not just on the Blue Jackets but in the NHL who could be doing the same - but his skill set is suited to the open ice.
Included his Jones' aggressive nature and his understanding that if he needs to recover and get back, his long reach and speed make it possible to do so.
"He reads the ice really well, and obviously his legs get him where he wants to go when there's an opening," Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella said. "He's not safe. He trusts himself as far as joining (the play), and he knows that he has the ability to get back. I just like his mind-set in those types of situations."
Jones has been selected an All-Star for the third time and will be playing for the second time, as he got the flu a season ago and could not participate, ceding his spot to teammate Zach Werenski.
This time around, if he's healthy, Jones should be an impact player in the game. The man who in three shorts years is already third all-time among Blue Jackets defensemen in goals will have a chance to star in the setting in which he shines the most.
"He's a defenseman, but he has that forward approach where he can sniff offensive situations and find open space and read off the players he's on the ice with," Dubois said. "He's a D, but he can find those opportunities like a forward."
