Nylander finding the right fit early in his CBJ tenure

After the Blue Jackets’ win in Chicago on Saturday, Cole Sillinger was asked about the immediate chemistry he and linemate Alexandre Texier have seemed to form with new addition Alex Nylander.

Sillinger noted Nylander was a smart hockey player with some skill, but it had only been four games since the line got together.

“We gotta keep it going,” Sillinger said.

Did they ever Monday night. Nylander posted his first career hat trick in just his fifth game with the Blue Jackets, pushing the team to a 6-3 win over the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights.

Nylander took a pass from Alexandre Texier and scored from the front of the blue paint in the first period to make it 2-0 Jackets; he increased the CBJ lead to 4-2 early in the third when he scored on the rush from the left circle after a pass from Sillinger; and he used his speed to clinch the game for the Jackets in the third with an empty-net goal.

“Obviously it’s unbelievable,” Nylander said of his hat trick. “Our line has been doing great. We’re finding great chemistry out there. We have a lot of energy and just keep going the same every night.”

Smarts, speed, skill and a good shot – that's how you catch some eyes in the early going with a new team, as Nylander was acquired late in February after a trade with Pittsburgh. 

“He was a first-round pick, right?” head coach Pascal Vincent said. “And there’s a reason for it. We knew that he had great speed, good skills. And sometimes I’ve seen it in the past, and I'm sure you guys did as well, it’s not the right fit, it's not the right fit – until it's the right fit. He was really excited to be here. We told him we’d give him a good opportunity, and he’s taken advantage of it.

“He’s a smart hockey player. The one thing we see is his speed, his skills. Of course he scored three goals tonight, which is really good for him but beyond that I like his brain and the way he plays the game. It’s a good start for him and it’s good for us as well.”

There are a bevy of stats that show just how magical the early run has been for Nylander with the Jackets. He and his new linemates have combined for seven goals in the last three games – four for Nylander, two for Sillinger and one for Texier – with six of them coming at even strength.

And how’s this for a brotherly duo – since Nylander’s first game on Feb. 23, his four goals are tied for eighth in the NHL, while brother William’s eight points are tied for seventh in the league. Somewhere, father Michael Nylander – a longtime NHLer whose No. 92 Alex wears with the Blue Jackets – has to be smiling.

“They’ll be really happy,” Alex said of his family members. “This is a really good spot for me. They’ve given me a great opportunity here, and I'm really happy. There’s a great group of guys helping me out to get more comfortable here. I’m just trying to work hard every day while I'm here.”

A 25-year-old who was taken eighth overall in the 2016 draft, Nylander has bounced around, moving from Buffalo to Chicago to Pittsburgh – ironically, the Jackets’ foe tonight – since the start of his pro career. He’s been a dependable scorer at the AHL level but struggled to find the right spot in the NHL, but perhaps, as Vincent said, Columbus ends up being the place.

“They’re letting me play and helping me out to play the best I can,” he said “It’s a great group of guys here. My linemates are helping me out really good. It’s been awesome. It’s been a great first week, and I’m just looking forward to every game here.”