John Tortorella gives a very blunt assessment of his top line from Saturday night

Never too shy to speak his mind, Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella had a very blunt assessment of the team's top line during Saturday night's game against the Nashville Predators, a 4-2 losing effort.

"It sucked," asserted Tortorella, whose top line of Jack Roslovic, Patrik Laine and Cam Atkinson was a combined -6 and went pointless on the night.

Roslovic had an uncharacteristically poor night, being limited to just 12:24 of ice-time in the contest and registering the lone shot on goal for his line, after having tallied 10 points in 12 games since arriving in Columbus, alongside Patrik Laine in the deal that sent disgruntled forward Pierre-Luc Dubois to Winnipeg.

Laine didn't fare much better in the ice-time department on Saturday, logging just 15:33 and managed just 1 single blocked shot and no shots on goal, which does not bode well for the sniper moving forward. If he cannot be a consistently reliable player for John Tortorella, he may find himself with less and less time to try to work his magic on the out ice and more time working in his butt-groove on the bench.

Atkinson played just under 19 minutes of ice-time on the night, leading his line, but not generating a shot on goal and also managing just one blocked shot as far as tangible contributions go.

At this time, it's unclear as to whether Torts will give the boys another kick at the can, or whether he will plan to put the lines back in the blender in hopes of sparking the Columbus offense on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

MUST READ

13 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Angry John Tortorella Calls Out One Flyers Player: Trade is Likely Per Elliotte Friedman

14 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Quinn Hughes Ejected: Suspension May be Coming for the Reigning Norris Winner

15 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Matvei Michkov Stuns With Crazy Quote in Post-Game Interview Following OT Winner

17 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Jeremy Swayman on the Verge of Losing the Starting Role in Boston: His Contract Looks Like a Disaster

20 hours ago  |  By TJ Tucker Detroit Red Wings Place Massive Six-Foot-Six Forward on Waivers

22 hours ago  |  By Graham Montgomery Connor Bedard's Struggles Prove Chicago Blackhawks are in Dire Need of a Coaching Change

23 hours ago  |  By Graham Montgomery NHL Analyst Believes Toronto Maple Leafs are Exploring Possible Reunion With Nazem Kadri

Nov 23  |  By Graham Montgomery 800-Game NHL Veteran Nick Bonino Signs an Unexpected New Professional Contract

MORE STORIES