With the Blue Jackets clinging to a one-goal lead and five or six minutes left Thursday against the Islanders, Coach John Tortorella told himself that no matter the outcome, this was a game to be happy about.

“Some good things were going on here with some players we’ve been waiting for,” Tortorella said after the 6-4 win. “It’s great we get the result. More importantly, for me, I saw some guys play with a little bit of confidence and had the puck more than usual.”

That was most evident with much-maligned center Alexander Wennberg. He had two assists – the primary on Markus Nutivaara’s goal, the secondary on Nick Foligno’s goal. Those two points matched his total (one goal, one assist) for the previous 13 games he had played. More than by getting his name on the scoresheet, though, Wennberg proved his presence with how he handled the puck.

“It’s the most I’ve noticed him in a game,” Tortorella said. “The indication of when Wenny is playing well is you notice him carrying the puck through the neutral zone. You notice his legs are moving carrying the puck through the neutral zone. It’s the most I’ve seen him do that since even towards the end of last year to this point. It’s been that long of a struggle for him. So that was encouraging.”

Wennberg said he’s had multiple conversations with Jackets coaches and recently had “a good talk” with assistant Brad Shaw, who stressed to him the importance of possessing the puck more. Wennberg called their conversation “a turning point” for him.

“It’s one thing I heard and I built on it,” he noted. “It’s no secret: When you find your way, and you start building on something, you get more confidence with it.”

Wennberg, who was plus-3 against the Islanders while playing 17:50, said he felt “right away that I was playing better than the games before.”

“It just felt like I was more involved with the puck,” Wennberg said. “I was holding on to it longer. That’s what I wanted to do. That’s why I felt like it was a good game for me.”

Wennberg said he’s not sure why he hadn’t done the same thing consistently this season, but knows he needs to keep doing it again because “one good game doesn’t make a difference.”

Wennberg has two goals, 11 assists, and a plus-6 rating in 26 games this season, statistics that don’t correlate to his production in 2016-17 – career highs in goals (13), assists (46) and points (59) and a plus-9 rating in 80 games – or the six-year, $29.4 million contract extension he received in September. General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen said before Thursday’s game that perhaps the expectations that have come with his first significant contract have affected him.

“He’s going to have to figure out that, ‘I’m going to have to get back to the level that earned me the contract,’” Kekalainen said. “I believe 100 percent he will.”

Wennberg repeatedly has been critical of himself in media interviews and accepted blame for his lack of production. He did so again Wednesday after practice, before which he spent about a half-hour voluntarily working on the ice with assistant coach Kenny McCudden and a handful of other Jackets players.

“Right now we talk about it and talk about it,” Wennberg said. “I just have to find a way out there [on the ice]. It’s pretty obvious that I’m not playing the way I want to, but enough talk. It needs action.”

Wennberg pitched in Thursday as one of 10 different Jackets to record at least one point.

“It sucks because [Brandon Dubinsky] is out, but…guys needed to step up,” said Foligno, who scored his fourth goal in the past 10 games. “It’s weird. Sometimes you wonder why that needs to be a case in order for guys to wake up a little bit, but here’s an opportunity for guys to play a little bit more and have more responsibility. And we need guys to step up in that situation.

“You saw that from guys tonight,” Foligno continued. “Wenny was lugging the puck right up the ice, Cam [Atkinson] had a lot of jump, myself, Boone [Jenner] was looking really good. We took it upon ourselves, as the guys in here that needed to get going, to help this team move forward. It was a point in our season where we had to.”

Of Wennberg, Foligno noted, “When Wenny wants the puck and when he holds onto it, man, there’s not a lot of guys that can do what he does. He sees things and he’s so good at skating while looking for options and plays. …He takes one right to the net and we score a goal because of it. He’s so dangerous when he plays like that, and it was really good to see.”

Said Tortorella: “The key thing for him to solve it is he’s just got to stop thinking. He knows that. A lot of conversations, a lot of video with him. Now we can show him some video with some really good stuff. It’s a step in the right direction. He’s got to keep on moving from there.”

Slap shots

Defenseman Ryan Murray skated and shot pucks while wearing full gear prior to Friday’s practice, the first time he’s done so since suffering an upper-body injury that has kept him out eight games. Murray previously skated in a track suit. …

With his 100th goal as a member of the Blue Jackets Thursday, Foligno became the fifth player in franchise history to reach that mark. Teammate Cam Atkinson is second on the all-time list with 127. …

The Jackets won for the first time Thursday when an opponent has notched a hat trick against them. Prior to Josh Bailey achieving the feat, they had lost all 33 games in which that happened. …

Oliver Bjorkstrand’s three assists established a new career high for assists and points in a game. …

Atkinson’s assist on Seth Jones’ goal marked Atkinson’s first point in his past seven games played. …

The Jackets improved to 14-3-1 when scoring first this season and 12-1 when leading after two periods.

sgorten@dispatch.com

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