Matthew Knies had a record setting debut for the Blue Jackets

A whirlwind week for the Blue Jackets was capped off by an electrifying performance from their newest player in his debut with the team. Matthew Knies was nothing short of outstanding for the Jackets last night, helping them to a win in their season opener.

Many of our questions were answered emphatically in the first game of the season. At the top of our list: how would Knies fit in on this team's top line? If his debut was any indication, he's going to be just fine here.

One of our keys to this whole thing clicking was this team figuring out its power-play. On their first opportunity, it was Knies himself who made the difference. As the net-front man, he makes a smart read and finds the open space, before ripping home a one-timer to give the Jackets their first lead of the season.

This goal answered our second question, as well: would he be happy here? He looks pretty darn happy to me, now that he's playing hockey. The best news of the night: he was only getting started.

Less than a minute later, he picks up an assist because of his hard work. He helped Adam Fantilli win a faceoff, chipping the puck to the point. Zach Werenski wasted no time, firing it through traffic, with Mo getting a deflection and giving the Jackets a 3-1 lead.

Those are the kinds of plays that win hockey games, folks. They might not always result in goals, which means they won't always show up on the scoresheet. But, that's a won battle; and when the goals dry up, that is all you can ask for out of your players.

Matthew capped off his night by scoring his second goal of the game, tipping in an Emil Andrae shot at 7:45 of the second period. This play was nothing short of brilliant. He's in excellent an excellent position at the blue line, playing above the puck with strong defensive posture.

Once the play is turned back into the zone, he times his drive to the net perfectly, arriving at the exact same time Andrae fires his shot; leaving him wide open for the tip-in goal. More of this, please:

A star performance.

When the final horn sounded, the story of Matthew Knies' first game in the Union Blue could be summed up with two words: first star. He was given #1 star honors, with 2 goals and 1 assist in his debut.

The 2 goals sets a new franchise record for a player's first game with the Jackets, while his 3 point effort ties Artemi Panarin for most points in a franchise debut. Matthew played 16:06, and registered 4 shots on goal, quite simply stealing the show.

Kirill Marchenko who?

We can't expect Knies to do this every night, but man, it was sure fun that it happened right off the bat. If he keeps up his strong effort on the puck, I can see the Blue Jackets pulling a win out of this trade after all. I wasn't sure we would be able to say that when the deal was made four days ago.

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