COLUMBUS -- When Blue Jackets winger Nick Foligno first arrived in Columbus in 2012, he instantly bonded with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
After every win, the team skated over to congratulate the goaltender. Usually guys tapped Bobrovsky on the helmet or shoulder. Foligno usually lurked by the end of the line and greeted Bobrovsky with both arms outstretched.
"When we were going on that run the first year, we missed the playoffs by a point ... every game just got bigger and bigger," Foligno says. "At first it was just a little hug, and then it just got bigger and bigger, because we kept winning and gave ourselves a chance.