Anderson enjoying breakout season with Blue Jackets

WASHINGTON --The only thing Josh Anderson didn't do against the Washington Capitals on Saturday was score.
The Columbus Blue Jackets right wing finished with a game-high seven shots on goal and 17 shot attempts, and his line with Artemi Panarin and rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois pressured the Capitals for long stretches, but couldn't produce the tying goal in a
4-3 loss
.

They came close, though. Anderson fed Dubois for a shot from the right circle that went off Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby's right side and dropped on the ice behind him before stopping short of the goal line. Panarin raised his stick thinking the puck was going into the net, and Capitals center Jay Beagle cleared it away to safety with 1:48 remaining in the game, ending the Blue Jackets' best chance to complete their comeback from trailing 4-2 in the third period.
It also ended Anderson's five-game point streak (3-4-7), but Panarin scored and Dubois had two assists in the defeat.
"We're jelling together really well," Anderson said. "We're finding each other and we're creating scoring chances. So every time we get put on the ice, we want to be an effective line and we get more ice time out of it."

Anderson, 23, is enjoying a breakout season in helping the Blue Jackets lead the Metropolitan Division at 17-9-1 with 35 points, one more than the second-place New Jersey Devils, who visit Columbus for the first game of a home-and-home series on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, MSG+, NHL.TV).
Anderson leads the Blue Jackets with 10 goals in 25 games, and his 17 points are second behind Panarin's 20 (seven goals, 13 assists). He also leads Columbus with three game-winning goals, including two in overtime.
The 6-foot-3, 221-pound Burlington, Ontario native even fought 6-foot-9, 250-pound Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, holding his own in a second period bout on Oct. 30.
"He's one of the guys on our team that's brought it every single night," Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. "He's having a huge year for us, so moving forward [people] are going to start to know who he is a lot more. And I don't expect him to slow down at all either."
Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella is pleased with the growth in Anderson, a fourth-round pick (No. 95) in the 2012 NHL Draft, over the past two seasons. After getting a taste of the League with the Blue Jackets in 2014-15 (one assist in six games) and 2015-16 (goal, three assists in 12 games), Anderson had 29 points (17 goals, 12 assists) in 78 games last season.
He's on pace to finish with 32 goals and 54 points this season. Rewarding his strong play, Tortorella has increased Anderson's ice time from 12:01 per game last season to 17:14 per game this season.
"He has demanded more ice time just by his play this year," Tortorella said. "I think he's just matured. The mental part of the game, I just think he feels he's a better player and isn't just playing the game to try to stay in the lineup. He's playing the game to make a difference and he's certainly done that from the get-go this year. A very important player for us right now."

Tortorella wasn't sure what to expect from Anderson after he missed training camp because of a contract dispute. After Anderson signed a three-year contract reportedly worth $5.55 million (average annual value of $1.85 million) on Oct. 3, he sat out the first two games before making his season debut at the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 10.
But the lack of a training camp and preseason games hasn't appeared to hurt his play.
"I had a really good summer," Anderson said. "I worked really hard and I knew that I had to get off to a good start. It was really important to be here with my teammates. But when every line is playing well and your team is playing well, it helps your confidence for sure."
Anderson concentrated in the offseason on improving his skill, working on his stickhandling and on his shot, and it's shown in his play. Tortorella said, "I still don't agree with him missing camp," but admitted he's impressed by how well Anderson has played.
"From a coach's point of view, as coaches think, imagine if he had a camp. Maybe there's another level," Tortorella said. "There is another level. I think he's going to get there. Maybe he gets there quicker if he was in camp. But he's handled himself well."
It was clear the Blue Jackets had big plans for Anderson this season after general manager Jarmo Kekalainen maneuvered to ensure he would not be selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
The Blue Jackets did not have room to fit Anderson or 23-year-old backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo among the 11 players they protected, (seven forwards, three defensemen, one goaltender). So they traded the contract of injured forward David Clarkson, a first-round pick (No. 24) in the 2017 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in 2019 for Vegas agreeing to take center William Karlsson.
"I was really excited when they made that happen," Anderson said. "You start out your career in Columbus, you want to stay here as long as you can."
Now, he's showing the Blue Jackets were wise to go to such lengths to keep him.
"I always knew the type of player that I can be and I am," Anderson said. "I just wanted to come into this year and prove that I am a good player in this league, and they know that. I just want to continue to do good things."