Three points including OT winner Gaudreau scored the overtime winner and added two assists, one on the power play, in Friday's 6-5 victory over the Maple Leafs. Impact The Blue Jackets' $68 million man is finally looking like a player worth a sky-high AAV. Gaudreau's game-winner was a slick piece of work, as instead of trying to deflect home a Damon Severson shot from the point, he caught Ilya Samsonov going the wrong way by tapping the puck to his backhand and calmly slotting it into the net. Gaudreau has two three-point performances in the last seven games, a stretch in which the 30-year-old has broken out for three goals and 10 points, and it's perhaps no coincidence that the veteran's revival has come while skating on a line with dynamic rookie Adam Fantilli.
DECEMBER 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE