What It Means:

Atkinson scored his third goal and 16th of the season with 25 seconds remaining in the game. It's his third career hat trick and first of the season. He tied the game at 1-1 with a goal at 14:40 of the first period, and he gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead with his second goal of the night at 2:52 of the second period. Brandon Dubinsky and Boone Jenner drew assists on all three goals. Dubinsky now has 18 assists on the season while Jenner has 13. Brandon Saad had a good night for the Blue Jackets, as well. He picked up his 17th and 18th goals, both in the third period.

Atkinson has tallied 16 goals and 14 assists in 49 games. Our models project him to record 10 more goals with nine more assists over the remainder of the season. His 51.9 Corsi For Percentage and 5.1 Relative Corsi For Percentage at Even Strength are career-best numbers outside of a 35-game season in 2012-'13.