Pierre-Luc Dubois Scores First Career Hat-Trick
The Columbus Blue Jackets won their 12th game in 13 thanks to a starring performance from rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his first career hat-trick as the Blue Jackets beat the Calgary Flames 5 – 1 on Thursday. It was Blue Jackets’ coach John Tortorella’s 128th win, moving him past Todd Richards on the club’s all-time list.
Dubois’ first goal came at 12:23 of the first period. After being set up by Panarin, he hit a one-timer past rookie Jon Gillies to make it 2 – 0. He scored his second at 3:55 of the second, after a sensational end-to-end rush by Atkinson.
He earned his hat-trick at 15:23 of the third with a power-play goal. Pierre-Luc Dubois now has 18 goals on the season, a Columbus team record for goals scored by a rookie. The previous record of 17 was set by Rick Nash in 2002 – 2003.
The 2016 fourth overall pick has 44 points on the season. Dubois is three points shy of Zach Werenski’s record for points by a rookie, set last season.
Markus Nutivaara also scored for Columbus (44-29-5). Panarin and Atkinson had two assists apiece. The Blue Jackets wrap up their three-game road trip in Vancouver on Saturday.
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“We have a lot of experience in this room,†said Dubois. “I’m lucky enough to play with guys like Artemi Panarin and Cam (Atkinson), who are two amazing players.â€
“I want to keep winning and keep improving. It’s a great environment to learn in.”
It was the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 6th win in a row. They are third in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins in second place.
“We can’t control what the other teams do but if we keep winning, I think we’ll put ourselves in a pretty good spot,” Dubois added.
