Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine find chemistry in Blue Jackets' preseason win

Less than four hours after one group of Blue Jackets lost 3-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime at PPG Paints arena, a second group for each team took the ice at Nationwide Arena to finish out the split squad doubleheader.

The second matchup was more favorable for the Jackets, as they dressed a lineup mostly consisting of NHL regulars against a largely AHL lineup for the Penguins. Johnny Gaudreau tallied three assists, Justin Danforth scored two goals with one assist and Jakub Voracek scored one goal with two assists in a 5-1 win.

Here are three takeaways from the Jackets' second preseason game.

Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau finding chemistry

Jackets coach Brad Larsen doesn't often like to discuss his potential line combinations, but he made no secret of the fact that wingers Laine and Gaudreau would begin the season together.

"I wanna see if there’s chemistry between the two," Larsen said. "It’s not rocket science here. I think everybody thinks that they’re gonna do well together, including me."

The duo were centered by Victor Rask in the first training camp scrimmage and have since been matched with Kent Johnson, the No. 5 overall pick from the 2021 draft, for the second scrimmage and Sunday's game. Though they're still early in the process of finding how their games fit together, it was evident Sunday that Laine and Gaudreau have undeniable chemistry.

Gaudreau had the secondary assist on Laine's goal in the second period and as a trio, Gaudreau, Johnson and Laine looked like a threat to score on every shift.

"I felt like it was way better than any of the scrimmages already," Laine said. "I feel like we’re finding each other. Still gotta find the balance between when to shoot it and just remember to have one guy at the net and not just three guys rolling all over the place. I feel like it was a really good step for us three, not just the two of us."

Both Laine and Gaudreau praised Johnson, and assistant coach Pascal Vincent, who ran the Jackets' bench for the game, was pleased with how the rookie played between his two experienced wingers.

"We talked about (defensive) zone coverage and neutral zone coverage," Vincent said. "That’s where my eyes were. That’s what I was watching, especially a young player like him. I thought he did really well. He wants to play in the middle, obviously feels comfortable there. ... I wanted to see how he would react between those two. There’s a factor to it, a young player like him, you can try to move the puck too quick because you have those two players on your line. I thought he was confident enough to hold onto the puck at times."

Laine, always quick with a deadpan quip, offered a simple summation of Johnson's performance.

"We were joking in the intermission that he’s running for Calder (best rookie) and Selke (best defensive forward) this year," Laine said. "He was that good in the d-zone."

Justin Danforth continues to impress Blue Jackets

Three players had three-point games for the Jackets, and while that production is almost expected from players like Gaudreau and Voracek, Danforth's offensive abilities fly somewhat under the radar, though he scored 10 goals in 45 games last year.

Danforth opened the scoring with a tip on a point shot from defenseman Jake Christiansen and scored his second goal with 3:37 left in the third period on the power play. He centered the second line between Voracek and Gustav Nyquist while also playing in the slot on the top power-play unit.

Vincent wasn't surprised by Danforth's strong performance.

"He just keeps improving," Vincent said. "We look at the results of the (physical) testings. He’s one of the best. He’s in phenomenal shape. He’s got an engine. He can go. He’s willing to go to the hard areas. He’s got a good shot. Can play wing, can play center. He’s got some speed, and he’s got the right mindset. ... He’s a player we started to appreciate more last year because we see him every day in practices and in games.

"What you see is what you get. That’s what he gives you all the time. Pretty impressive performance tonight, but not surprised."

Requisite preseason physicality comes from surprising source in Josh Dunne

It's almost expected that there will be a fight in a given preseason game, as players on the fringes of the roster look to make an impression with their physical play.

Mathieu Olivier, acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators in June, largely for his physical presence at 6-2 and 210 pounds, would've been a betting favorite to be the one to drop the gloves. But instead, it was Josh Dunne, who the Jackets signed as an undrafted free agent out of Clarkson University in March 2021.

After Danforth scored his second goal late in the third period, Dunne dropped the gloves with Penguins defensemen Xavier Ouellet on the ensuing faceoff. The scrap was short-lived, but that didn't stop Dunne from grinning ear to ear as he skated off the ice.

Dunne played just 29 games with the Cleveland Monsters last season before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. In his first game since mid-January, he skated 12:54 with two hits and played a key role on the penalty kill.

bjohnson@dispatch.com

@BaileyAJohnson_

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets beat Penguins in preseason, Gaudreau Laine chemistry