It was his first goal as a Blue Jacket. It was also the kind of play that showed exactly why the Blue Jackets traded Brandon Saad back to the Chicago Blackhawks to get Panarin.
Columbus needed a guy with Panarin's skill set, and now that he's here, the challenge for Tortorella is finding the right combination of linemates for him. Thus far, Wennberg and Atkinson are the best options.
Neither is Patrick Kane, whom Panarin bonded closely with in Chicago, but there's only one Patrick Kane on the planet. Wennberg and Atkinson play similar styles, though, and each has a high skill level.
"You can see there's some chemistry, especially with [Atkinson]," Tortorella said. "There's some there already. The couple guys he's playing with aren't bad players. Kaner's Kaner, but these guys are pretty good players, too, that he's playing with. Wennberg is one of the top distributors that you can find, so we'll just let it play out."
Statistical measures indicate that's a good idea.
Through five games, Panarin has seven points (one goal, six assists), Wennberg has five points (one goal, four assists) and Atkinson has scored twice - including a key goal Saturday in the third period of the Jackets' 5-4 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild.