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Blue Jackets surprise Gaborik with their speed

Marian Gaborik

NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 4: Marian Gaborik #10 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates the puck in to the zone against Roman Josi #59 of the Nashville Predators during an NHL game at the Bridgestone Arena on April 4, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)

Marian Gaborik’s first game with the Columbus Blue Jackets is in the books.

He played a key role in Thursday’s 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators and liked what he saw from his teammates.

“I was a little bit surprised by the speed of this team,” Gaborik said, according to the Columbus Dispatch. “The young guys, the small forwards ... they were flying. We were supporting each other out there, everybody contributing. And ‘Bob’ was tremendous, making save after save.

“It’s going to be fine. I feel good about this.”

The fact that Gaborik is embracing his new home shows how far this franchise has come in such a short time.

They never seemed to be able to get Jeff Carter to warm to the idea of being a Blue Jackets player after acquiring him in the summer of 2011. They ended up cutting their losses with Carter and then even the face of their franchise, Rick Nash, decided it was time to abandon ship.

Now the Blue Jackets are in the playoff hunt, thanks in large part to goaltender Sergei “Bob” Bobrovsky, and Gaborik was willing to waive his no-trade clause to come in from the New York Rangers.

Gaborik netted the game-winning goal in his debut. If you missed it earlier, you can view it below: