The Opponent:
The Anaheim Ducks come into the game with an 8-3-0 record on the season and is third in the Pacific Division, 4th in the Western Conference. They are lead by Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, each with 11 points, Perry with 5 goals and 6 assists while Getzlaf has 4 goals and 7 assists. Perry's 5 goals lead the team in that category. Also, the legendary Teemu Selanne has 41 points in 39 career games against the Blue Jackets. The Ducks plus-minus leader is Hampus Lindholm with a +10, which is tied for the league lead in that category. In net, the Ducks are led by Jonas Hiller, who has a 4-2-0 record and a 2.64 GAA with a .911 saves percentage, however rookie Frederik Andersen is expected to make his second career start coming off his win in Ottawa on Friday night. The expected lines according to ducks.nhl.com are:
Maroon--Getzlaf--Perry
Etem--Bonino--Selanne
Cogliano--Koivu--Palmieri
Winnik--Holland--Smith-Pelley
Lindholm-Beauchemin
Fowler-Lovejoy
Allen-Vatanen
Andersen
The Blue Jackets:
The Jackets come into the game in the midst of a 3-game winning streak, sitting on a 5-5-0 record, good for 4th in the Metro Division and 9th in the East. They played one of their best games of the season on Friday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, winning 5-2. The Jackets' scoring leader is Marian Gaborik with 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points in 9 games played. The 5 goals are also a team-leading stat. The plus-minus leader is David Savard with a +5. Among the defense only James Wisniewski, Jack Johnson and Dalton Prout are in negative territory. According to bluejackets.nhl.com the team will be without Derek MacKenzie and Boone Jenner from Friday's lineup. They will be replaced by Ryan Craig and Springfield call-up Michael Chaput.
Projected lines:
Foligno-Anisimov-Gaborik
Chaput-Dubinsky-Atkinson
Comeau-Johansen-Umberger
Craig-Letestu-Boll
Tyutin-Prout
Johnson-Savard
Murray-Wisniewski
Bobrovsky
The Prediction:
The outcome of this game is a little murky as the Ducks' goaltender Andersen is a relatively unknown quantity. However, the Blue Jackets took 2 of 3 from the Ducks last season, with the wins both coming in overtime as the Jackets made their playoff push (the loss was during the dreadful first month of the campaign and was in the middle of the six-game road trip just after the firing of Scott Howson and just before the 12-game point streak. It's never easy to discount a team with Teemu Selanne, especially with his history against the Blue Jackets. However, if the Jackets can bring the energy and fight that they had Friday night, particularly in the first and third periods, the outcome should be in their favor.
Blue Jackets win, 4-2
27 October 2013
Game 10 in Review - Blue Jackets 5, Maple Leafs 2
The Good:
Not sure that I can single out any two or three elements because so much of this game was so darned good (with the exception of the second period, but we'll get to that). Good energy, good passing, good puck control, good goaltending, good defense. This was a team that looked like a contender. Not just a contender for a playoff spot, either; but for the whole enchilada with an early summer parade down High Street. It's not an effort I expect to see every night (though I certainly would not complain about that, just being realistic), but knowing that they are capable of playing at that level makes me very happy with what JD and Jarmo have put together. It also makes the nights, past and present, when they have loafed and looked like a pee-wee team just that much more frustrating.
The Bad:
The second period - After a beautiful first period, where the Leafs tried to suck the Jackets into their high-tempo game, and the Jackets quickly turned that around and dictated the level of the game, and took a 1-0 lead into the intermission, the boys in Union Blue came out flat and seemed to think that they could just coast the rest of the way. However, the Leafs scored early in that period to tie the game and the ice tilted heavily toward that end until the later part of the period. Adjusting the to level score took too long, and while it did come before the intermission, it seemed most evident afterwards.
The Ugly:
The Toronto fans - As the Blue Jackets took control of the game in the third period some of the sizable blue-and-white clad Leafs contingent felt it necessary to show their disapproval for what they felt was poor officiating by throwing trash onto the ice. When one of the belligerents was being being shown the way out by an usher, a member of Columbus's finest came down the aisle to assist and was greeted by a swing from the Toronto partisan. I cannot imagine it was much better in the Arena District and Short North afterwards, especially with Highball festivities fueling the alcoholic frenzy. This was probably one of the ugliest opposing contingents I've seen at a Blue Jackets home game.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
Brandon Dubinsky was, without a doubt, the top player on the ice for the Blue Jackets. He did it all on the evening; he had a goal (the game winner, a shorthanded marker in a 3-on-4 situation, the first such goal for the Blue Jackets since 2005-06, and only the third in team history; oddly enough, all three were game-winning goals), an assist, was a +1, and won 76% of his faceoffs. By the end of the game I would not have been shocked to see a group of at least 100 fans surrounding him, wanting to rip the "A" off of his sweater and replace it with a "C". Also, let me throw in an honorable mention to Ryan Murray, who got his first NHL goal on the initial tally of the night, and played one of his most solid games of the season. And another special mention to Cam Atkinson, who did not show up on the scoresheet, but did certainly seem to want to end up there with the hunger he showed for the puck. During the game I compared his game to that of Theron Fleury, who earned the nickname "The Gnat" during his storied career in the late 1980s and 1990s. Small, speedy, pesky and with a nose for the puck; never underestimate the value of such a player.
Looking Ahead:
The Blue Jackets face the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday at 6 at Nationwide. The Ducks are 8-3-0, good for 3rd in the Pacific Division. They won their last game on Friday night in Ottawa, 2-1, and along with the Blue Jackets are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, however they only have a 3-3-0 record on the road.
Record: 5-5-0, 10 pts., 4th in the Metropolitan Division (on ROW), 9th in the Eastern Conference
Not sure that I can single out any two or three elements because so much of this game was so darned good (with the exception of the second period, but we'll get to that). Good energy, good passing, good puck control, good goaltending, good defense. This was a team that looked like a contender. Not just a contender for a playoff spot, either; but for the whole enchilada with an early summer parade down High Street. It's not an effort I expect to see every night (though I certainly would not complain about that, just being realistic), but knowing that they are capable of playing at that level makes me very happy with what JD and Jarmo have put together. It also makes the nights, past and present, when they have loafed and looked like a pee-wee team just that much more frustrating.
The Bad:
The second period - After a beautiful first period, where the Leafs tried to suck the Jackets into their high-tempo game, and the Jackets quickly turned that around and dictated the level of the game, and took a 1-0 lead into the intermission, the boys in Union Blue came out flat and seemed to think that they could just coast the rest of the way. However, the Leafs scored early in that period to tie the game and the ice tilted heavily toward that end until the later part of the period. Adjusting the to level score took too long, and while it did come before the intermission, it seemed most evident afterwards.
The Ugly:
The Toronto fans - As the Blue Jackets took control of the game in the third period some of the sizable blue-and-white clad Leafs contingent felt it necessary to show their disapproval for what they felt was poor officiating by throwing trash onto the ice. When one of the belligerents was being being shown the way out by an usher, a member of Columbus's finest came down the aisle to assist and was greeted by a swing from the Toronto partisan. I cannot imagine it was much better in the Arena District and Short North afterwards, especially with Highball festivities fueling the alcoholic frenzy. This was probably one of the ugliest opposing contingents I've seen at a Blue Jackets home game.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
Brandon Dubinsky was, without a doubt, the top player on the ice for the Blue Jackets. He did it all on the evening; he had a goal (the game winner, a shorthanded marker in a 3-on-4 situation, the first such goal for the Blue Jackets since 2005-06, and only the third in team history; oddly enough, all three were game-winning goals), an assist, was a +1, and won 76% of his faceoffs. By the end of the game I would not have been shocked to see a group of at least 100 fans surrounding him, wanting to rip the "A" off of his sweater and replace it with a "C". Also, let me throw in an honorable mention to Ryan Murray, who got his first NHL goal on the initial tally of the night, and played one of his most solid games of the season. And another special mention to Cam Atkinson, who did not show up on the scoresheet, but did certainly seem to want to end up there with the hunger he showed for the puck. During the game I compared his game to that of Theron Fleury, who earned the nickname "The Gnat" during his storied career in the late 1980s and 1990s. Small, speedy, pesky and with a nose for the puck; never underestimate the value of such a player.
Looking Ahead:
The Blue Jackets face the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday at 6 at Nationwide. The Ducks are 8-3-0, good for 3rd in the Pacific Division. They won their last game on Friday night in Ottawa, 2-1, and along with the Blue Jackets are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, however they only have a 3-3-0 record on the road.
Record: 5-5-0, 10 pts., 4th in the Metropolitan Division (on ROW), 9th in the Eastern Conference
25 October 2013
Game 10 preview - Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs - 10/25/13
The Opponent:
Tonight the Blue Jackets take on the NHL's version of the Chicago Cubs, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Like the Cubs, the Leafs have a storied history, dominating the early years of the league, and have suffered a severe title drought that runs to the present day. And while they have not won the Cup in nearly half a century, they have had good seasons sprinkled among the bad, and this is one of the good ones (so far). The Leafs are led by Phil Kessel's 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 10 games. Defenseman Dion Phaneuf leads the team in plus/minus rating (+5) and forward Joffrey Lupul has the most goals (6 goals) for the blue and white clad visitors. Lupul, however, did not participate in the morning skate due to a foot injury. Jonathan Bernier is expected to start in net for the Leafs, sporting a 5-3-0 record, with a 2.12 GAA and .936 saves percentage.
The Blue Jackets:
The Blue Jackets are coming off a second consecutive win on Tuesday night, when they beat Cory Schneider and the New Jersey Devils, 4-1. The Jackets will feature the same lineup that took the ice that night, including Sergei Bobrovsky starting in net. The Jackets' leading scorer is Marian Gaborik, with 9 points in 8 games (4 goals, 5 assists), who is also the team's leader in goals. The plus/minus rating leader is defenseman David Savard (+5). Bobrovsky is sporting a 3-5-0 record, with a 2.49 GAA and .921 saves percentage.
Projected lines:
Foligno-Anisimov-Gaborik
Jenner-Dubinsky-Atkinson
Comeau-Johansen-Umberger
Letestu-MacKenzie-Boll
Tyutin-Prout
Johnson-Savard
Murray-Wisniewski
Bobrovsky
The Prediction:
The Jackets take on one of the top teams in the league (to this point) and will have to be on top of their game. They need to play the sort of 60-minute, total-team-effort that they did Tuesday night. If they can do this, they will be able to more than hold their own in the game. But if they put together the sort of effort they did in the final two games of the road trip last week, well, the Union Blue faithful will be in a for a long night. The goalies are both among the best in the league, and offensively the teams can go toe-to-toe. If the Blue Jackets defense shows up, they can and should feed off the energy of the home crowd for the win.
Blue Jackets win, 4-3/SO
Tonight the Blue Jackets take on the NHL's version of the Chicago Cubs, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Like the Cubs, the Leafs have a storied history, dominating the early years of the league, and have suffered a severe title drought that runs to the present day. And while they have not won the Cup in nearly half a century, they have had good seasons sprinkled among the bad, and this is one of the good ones (so far). The Leafs are led by Phil Kessel's 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 10 games. Defenseman Dion Phaneuf leads the team in plus/minus rating (+5) and forward Joffrey Lupul has the most goals (6 goals) for the blue and white clad visitors. Lupul, however, did not participate in the morning skate due to a foot injury. Jonathan Bernier is expected to start in net for the Leafs, sporting a 5-3-0 record, with a 2.12 GAA and .936 saves percentage.
The Blue Jackets:
The Blue Jackets are coming off a second consecutive win on Tuesday night, when they beat Cory Schneider and the New Jersey Devils, 4-1. The Jackets will feature the same lineup that took the ice that night, including Sergei Bobrovsky starting in net. The Jackets' leading scorer is Marian Gaborik, with 9 points in 8 games (4 goals, 5 assists), who is also the team's leader in goals. The plus/minus rating leader is defenseman David Savard (+5). Bobrovsky is sporting a 3-5-0 record, with a 2.49 GAA and .921 saves percentage.
Projected lines:
Foligno-Anisimov-Gaborik
Jenner-Dubinsky-Atkinson
Comeau-Johansen-Umberger
Letestu-MacKenzie-Boll
Tyutin-Prout
Johnson-Savard
Murray-Wisniewski
Bobrovsky
The Prediction:
The Jackets take on one of the top teams in the league (to this point) and will have to be on top of their game. They need to play the sort of 60-minute, total-team-effort that they did Tuesday night. If they can do this, they will be able to more than hold their own in the game. But if they put together the sort of effort they did in the final two games of the road trip last week, well, the Union Blue faithful will be in a for a long night. The goalies are both among the best in the league, and offensively the teams can go toe-to-toe. If the Blue Jackets defense shows up, they can and should feed off the energy of the home crowd for the win.
Blue Jackets win, 4-3/SO
23 October 2013
Game 9 in Review - Blue Jackets 4, Devils 1
The Good:
Total team effort - Everybody showed up and played their guts out (some more literally than others) for the full 60 minutes. Four goals from 4 different players. If one guy was having a bad shift, his linemates were picking up the slack. Sticks were down on defense. Heads were up on offense. Most times when there was offensive pressure there was at least one man down low, near a post, looking for a deflection. I think it's safe to say that barring illness or practice-induced injury we will be seeing the same lineup against Toronto on Friday night.
Jaromir Jagr - Other than his assist on Jersey's one goal and his crybaby antics when he was called for holding, Jagr was practically invisible. The less you notice a future Hall-of-Famer on the opposition's side, the better your team is playing. Jagr was pretty much a non-entity through most of the game.
29-0-0 - The Blue Jackets' record when entering the 3rd period with a lead while under the leadership of head coach Todd Richards.
The Bad:
Giving up the first goal - This playing from behind habit needs to be one that the Jackets break. It was giving up the early goals that hurt them on the four-game skid. It's not that this team isn't capable of coming from behind; it's that you don't want to have to be doing it every night.
The Ugly:
The pinkish stains left on the ice by a certain defenseman who was playing sick.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
At the rink last night I called the three players who would be the three stars, but I had them in a different order than the media had them slotted. The in-house first star was Brandon Dubinsky for his Gordie Howe hat-trick (as I charitably call his mugging of Anton Volchenkov a "fight"). My pick at the game was Sergei Bobrovsky for his 24-of-25 performance in net, including a few good stops in dangerous situations. But for this pick, I will honor my second star, the in-house third star, James Wisniewski. He was a "game-time decision" to play do to a battle with "flu-like symptoms" that saw him being sent home before morning skate even began. And when Coach Richards decided to put him in the lineup, Wiz only went out and put up his best game of the season so far, including a goal, 2 assists, +2 rating and just over 19 minutes of ice-time. On top of that, he "left it all on the ice" at least twice during the game. He was the epitome of "giving 110%", and that deserves recognition.
Looking Ahead:
The Jackets next face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night. And as many Canadian players, especially from Ontario, will tell you, it's always a special night when you face the Leafs. This is even more true this season as the Leafs are 7-3-0 and hold first place in the Atlantic Division. They are lead by Phil Kessel's 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) and are coming off a 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night.
Total team effort - Everybody showed up and played their guts out (some more literally than others) for the full 60 minutes. Four goals from 4 different players. If one guy was having a bad shift, his linemates were picking up the slack. Sticks were down on defense. Heads were up on offense. Most times when there was offensive pressure there was at least one man down low, near a post, looking for a deflection. I think it's safe to say that barring illness or practice-induced injury we will be seeing the same lineup against Toronto on Friday night.
Jaromir Jagr - Other than his assist on Jersey's one goal and his crybaby antics when he was called for holding, Jagr was practically invisible. The less you notice a future Hall-of-Famer on the opposition's side, the better your team is playing. Jagr was pretty much a non-entity through most of the game.
29-0-0 - The Blue Jackets' record when entering the 3rd period with a lead while under the leadership of head coach Todd Richards.
The Bad:
Giving up the first goal - This playing from behind habit needs to be one that the Jackets break. It was giving up the early goals that hurt them on the four-game skid. It's not that this team isn't capable of coming from behind; it's that you don't want to have to be doing it every night.
The Ugly:
The pinkish stains left on the ice by a certain defenseman who was playing sick.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
At the rink last night I called the three players who would be the three stars, but I had them in a different order than the media had them slotted. The in-house first star was Brandon Dubinsky for his Gordie Howe hat-trick (as I charitably call his mugging of Anton Volchenkov a "fight"). My pick at the game was Sergei Bobrovsky for his 24-of-25 performance in net, including a few good stops in dangerous situations. But for this pick, I will honor my second star, the in-house third star, James Wisniewski. He was a "game-time decision" to play do to a battle with "flu-like symptoms" that saw him being sent home before morning skate even began. And when Coach Richards decided to put him in the lineup, Wiz only went out and put up his best game of the season so far, including a goal, 2 assists, +2 rating and just over 19 minutes of ice-time. On top of that, he "left it all on the ice" at least twice during the game. He was the epitome of "giving 110%", and that deserves recognition.
Looking Ahead:
The Jackets next face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night. And as many Canadian players, especially from Ontario, will tell you, it's always a special night when you face the Leafs. This is even more true this season as the Leafs are 7-3-0 and hold first place in the Atlantic Division. They are lead by Phil Kessel's 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) and are coming off a 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night.
22 October 2013
Game 9 preview - Blue Jackets vs. New Jersey Devils - 10/22/13
The Opponents:
The Blue Jackets look to get a second straight home win tonight against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils last played on Saturday, where they won their first game of the season at home against the New York Rangers. The Devils are 1-4-3 on the season, with an 0-4-2 road record. The Devils are lead by top scorer Marek Zidlicky, who has 7 assists so far this season. Their top scorers are Michael Ryder and former Red Wing Damien Brunner with three goals a piece. They have split starting duties in the net between Martin Brodeur and Cory Schneider. Schneider has the better numbers at 1-2-1, 1.99 GAA and .927 saves percentage and is expected to be the starter. Patrik Elias and Ryan Clowe are out for the Devils and Damien Brunner is questionable.
The Blue Jackets:
The Blue Jackets come into the game off of a Sunday night win against the Vancouver Canucks. That game saw Curtis McElhinney get his first start of the season, where he gave up 1 goal in the 3-1 victory. The Jackets are led by Marian Gaborik, who has 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points. Artёm Anisimov has a 3-game points streak entering tonight as the Jackets seek to level their home record. Defenseman James Wisniewski is a game time decision, having missed morning skate due to not feeling well. Sergei Bobrovsky returns to the net for the Blue Jackets tonight.
Projected lines for tonight:
Foligno-Anisimov-Gaborik
Jenner- Dubinsky-Atkinson
Comeau-Johansen-Umberger
Letestu-MacKenzie-Boll
Tyutin-Prout
Johnson-Savard
Wisniewski/Nikitin-Murray
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Prediction:
The Devils are not the team that they have been in years past, and while they have outstanding goaltending, only allowing one or two goals a game does you no good when your team is is scoring nearly one fewer goal per game. The Jackets have allowed .25 goals per game fewer than the Devils, and they have scored .12 more. And in doing so, the Devils opponents have had a 30-30-8 combined record with a combined goal difference of -25. The Blue Jackets are a team that really need to string a few wins together on this four-game homestand to get themselves back into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Jackets win, 4-1
The Blue Jackets look to get a second straight home win tonight against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils last played on Saturday, where they won their first game of the season at home against the New York Rangers. The Devils are 1-4-3 on the season, with an 0-4-2 road record. The Devils are lead by top scorer Marek Zidlicky, who has 7 assists so far this season. Their top scorers are Michael Ryder and former Red Wing Damien Brunner with three goals a piece. They have split starting duties in the net between Martin Brodeur and Cory Schneider. Schneider has the better numbers at 1-2-1, 1.99 GAA and .927 saves percentage and is expected to be the starter. Patrik Elias and Ryan Clowe are out for the Devils and Damien Brunner is questionable.
The Blue Jackets:
The Blue Jackets come into the game off of a Sunday night win against the Vancouver Canucks. That game saw Curtis McElhinney get his first start of the season, where he gave up 1 goal in the 3-1 victory. The Jackets are led by Marian Gaborik, who has 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points. Artёm Anisimov has a 3-game points streak entering tonight as the Jackets seek to level their home record. Defenseman James Wisniewski is a game time decision, having missed morning skate due to not feeling well. Sergei Bobrovsky returns to the net for the Blue Jackets tonight.
Projected lines for tonight:
Foligno-Anisimov-Gaborik
Jenner- Dubinsky-Atkinson
Comeau-Johansen-Umberger
Letestu-MacKenzie-Boll
Tyutin-Prout
Johnson-Savard
Wisniewski/Nikitin-Murray
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Prediction:
The Devils are not the team that they have been in years past, and while they have outstanding goaltending, only allowing one or two goals a game does you no good when your team is is scoring nearly one fewer goal per game. The Jackets have allowed .25 goals per game fewer than the Devils, and they have scored .12 more. And in doing so, the Devils opponents have had a 30-30-8 combined record with a combined goal difference of -25. The Blue Jackets are a team that really need to string a few wins together on this four-game homestand to get themselves back into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Jackets win, 4-1
20 October 2013
Game 8 in Review - Blue Jackets 3, Canucks 1
The Good:
Resilience - After what had been a horrible outing in DC on Saturday night, and late night travel getting the team home in the wee hours of the morning, the Jackets bounced back beautifully. Even in the second period, when the Canucks tied the game on a questionable no-call, the Jackets seemed the fresher, more energetic team. The defense corrected a number of the issues that plagued them in both Montréal and Washington; sticks were on the ice in most of the passing lanes, and bodies were cleared from in front of the net. Passing was improved, and players were getting into the greasy areas down low, looking to screen the goalie, make redirects as Gaborik did on the opening goal, or to punch in rebounds.
The Bad:
The "little things" - There are not a great many things that need to be fixed here, but there are some little things that still need some work. Sticks need stay down more along the board, to more easily dig out the puck in tie-ups on the boards. The penalty kill was better, but still gave up the Canucks goal. But there were no glaring issues otherwise.
The Ugly:
The officiating - I hate to harp on this, because I know this is the second time this season already, but the officiating was rotten. In fact, "rotten" may be too mild of a term for it. The refs missed an egregious elbowing call in the second period, then called two very weak hooking calls, at least one of which could have had a diving call going to the Canuck who was hooked to go with it. Then there was the Canucks goal. A shot was put on net and McElhinney covered it, and it could not be seen between his legs under him. But sticks kept poking and no fewer than two Canucks players plowed into him and pushed him into the cage before the puck trickled out between his legs. I've seen no fewer than three Blue Jackets goals waved of for lesser interference, and at least twice a penalty was assessed in addition to the waved-off goal. When fans in Columbus talk about "Rule 614 of the NHL Rulebook" this is the sort of inconsistency that they are talking about.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
There are so many options for this one tonight, but there really is only one player it should go to; Curtis McElhinney. In his first start of the season he did nothing more than snap a 4-game skid, stopping 37-of-38 shots, and the one that he failed to stop should have been waved off. It was his first win in the NHL in nearly two years. He proved himself to be a more-than-capable backup to Sergei Bobrovsky. A definite first-star for the night.
Looking Ahead:
The Blue Jackets return to home ice on Tuesday night as they take on the New Jersey Devils. The Devils are 1-4-3 so far this season, the first win coming against the Rangers on Saturday by the score of 4-0. The Tuesday night game will be their next, so their standing will not change before then. There have been some waiting for Lou Lamoriello's infamous itchy trigger finger to pull and fire Pete DeBoer, and a loss in Columbus could bring that outcome closer to reality.
Record: 3-5-0, 6 pts., 4th in the Metropolitan Division on goal difference
Resilience - After what had been a horrible outing in DC on Saturday night, and late night travel getting the team home in the wee hours of the morning, the Jackets bounced back beautifully. Even in the second period, when the Canucks tied the game on a questionable no-call, the Jackets seemed the fresher, more energetic team. The defense corrected a number of the issues that plagued them in both Montréal and Washington; sticks were on the ice in most of the passing lanes, and bodies were cleared from in front of the net. Passing was improved, and players were getting into the greasy areas down low, looking to screen the goalie, make redirects as Gaborik did on the opening goal, or to punch in rebounds.
The Bad:
The "little things" - There are not a great many things that need to be fixed here, but there are some little things that still need some work. Sticks need stay down more along the board, to more easily dig out the puck in tie-ups on the boards. The penalty kill was better, but still gave up the Canucks goal. But there were no glaring issues otherwise.
The Ugly:
The officiating - I hate to harp on this, because I know this is the second time this season already, but the officiating was rotten. In fact, "rotten" may be too mild of a term for it. The refs missed an egregious elbowing call in the second period, then called two very weak hooking calls, at least one of which could have had a diving call going to the Canuck who was hooked to go with it. Then there was the Canucks goal. A shot was put on net and McElhinney covered it, and it could not be seen between his legs under him. But sticks kept poking and no fewer than two Canucks players plowed into him and pushed him into the cage before the puck trickled out between his legs. I've seen no fewer than three Blue Jackets goals waved of for lesser interference, and at least twice a penalty was assessed in addition to the waved-off goal. When fans in Columbus talk about "Rule 614 of the NHL Rulebook" this is the sort of inconsistency that they are talking about.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
There are so many options for this one tonight, but there really is only one player it should go to; Curtis McElhinney. In his first start of the season he did nothing more than snap a 4-game skid, stopping 37-of-38 shots, and the one that he failed to stop should have been waved off. It was his first win in the NHL in nearly two years. He proved himself to be a more-than-capable backup to Sergei Bobrovsky. A definite first-star for the night.
Looking Ahead:
The Blue Jackets return to home ice on Tuesday night as they take on the New Jersey Devils. The Devils are 1-4-3 so far this season, the first win coming against the Rangers on Saturday by the score of 4-0. The Tuesday night game will be their next, so their standing will not change before then. There have been some waiting for Lou Lamoriello's infamous itchy trigger finger to pull and fire Pete DeBoer, and a loss in Columbus could bring that outcome closer to reality.
Record: 3-5-0, 6 pts., 4th in the Metropolitan Division on goal difference
Game 8 preview - Blue Jackets vs. Vancouver Canucks - 10/20/13
The Opponents:
Today the Blue Jackets return home to face the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks are 5-3-1 so far this season, and are coming off a shootout loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a matinee game yesterday afternoon. The Canucks' leading scorer is Henrik Sedin with 1 goal and 10 assists for 11 points. Roberto Luongo is their top goaltender, sporting a 2.47 GAA and a .910 saves percentage in eight starts. However, the Canucks may start backup Eddie Lack in Luongo's place as they are on the back end of back-to-back games.
The Blue Jackets:
The Jackets are coming off of an abysmal performance last night in Washington, losing 4-1 to the Capitals in a game that should have been the perfect opportunity to snap the current skid. Instead, the loss dropped the Jackets behind the Caps in the divisional standings. Based on comments by head coach Todd Richards earlier in the week, look for Curtis McElhinney to get his first start of the season in net for the Blue Jackets today. Also, look for Nikita Nikitin to be a healthy scratch after an awful showing last night, which included two turnovers that led directly to Washington goals. Nick Foligno's availability for tonight's game is uncertain. If he is available, look for him to join Johansen and Umberger, and Comeau to drop to the fourth line, with Skille getting the scratch.
Projected lines for tonight:
Atkinson-Anisimov-Gaborik
Jenner-Dubinsky-Letestu
Comeau-Johansen-Umberger
Skille-MacKenzie-Boll
Tyutin-Johnson
Murray-Wisniewski
Prout-Savard
McElhinney
Bobrovsky
The Prediction:
The Jackets really need to pick themselves up off of the mat and put an end to this skid. That may be a tall order against the Canucks, but if head coach John Tortorella goes with Eddie Lack in net, it may be easier to pull off. Then again, the Jackets seem to have a knack for making the other team's backup look like an All-Star. The Jackets need to improve defensive play (STICKS ON THE ICE, LADS!), increase offensive zone pressure, and get guys into the greasy areas around the net to pick up rebounds. These are things that they were doing well at the end of last season and have been lacking this season, especially over the current losing streak. Get things right, and this could be a good win, but continue to play in the vein of the last two games and it will get ugly fast.
Canucks win, 5-2
Today the Blue Jackets return home to face the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks are 5-3-1 so far this season, and are coming off a shootout loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a matinee game yesterday afternoon. The Canucks' leading scorer is Henrik Sedin with 1 goal and 10 assists for 11 points. Roberto Luongo is their top goaltender, sporting a 2.47 GAA and a .910 saves percentage in eight starts. However, the Canucks may start backup Eddie Lack in Luongo's place as they are on the back end of back-to-back games.
The Blue Jackets:
The Jackets are coming off of an abysmal performance last night in Washington, losing 4-1 to the Capitals in a game that should have been the perfect opportunity to snap the current skid. Instead, the loss dropped the Jackets behind the Caps in the divisional standings. Based on comments by head coach Todd Richards earlier in the week, look for Curtis McElhinney to get his first start of the season in net for the Blue Jackets today. Also, look for Nikita Nikitin to be a healthy scratch after an awful showing last night, which included two turnovers that led directly to Washington goals. Nick Foligno's availability for tonight's game is uncertain. If he is available, look for him to join Johansen and Umberger, and Comeau to drop to the fourth line, with Skille getting the scratch.
Projected lines for tonight:
Atkinson-Anisimov-Gaborik
Jenner-Dubinsky-Letestu
Comeau-Johansen-Umberger
Skille-MacKenzie-Boll
Tyutin-Johnson
Murray-Wisniewski
Prout-Savard
McElhinney
Bobrovsky
The Prediction:
The Jackets really need to pick themselves up off of the mat and put an end to this skid. That may be a tall order against the Canucks, but if head coach John Tortorella goes with Eddie Lack in net, it may be easier to pull off. Then again, the Jackets seem to have a knack for making the other team's backup look like an All-Star. The Jackets need to improve defensive play (STICKS ON THE ICE, LADS!), increase offensive zone pressure, and get guys into the greasy areas around the net to pick up rebounds. These are things that they were doing well at the end of last season and have been lacking this season, especially over the current losing streak. Get things right, and this could be a good win, but continue to play in the vein of the last two games and it will get ugly fast.
Canucks win, 5-2
19 October 2013
Game 7 in Review - Blue Jackets 1, Capitals 4
The Good:
It wasn't a shutout!
The Bad:
Effort - There were only six players who gave consistent effort throughout the game. When you have 19 guys playing, you cannot survive with less than one-third giving their all. No need to name names, but if you watched the game, you know who they were. There were no fewer than three defensemen who seemed to loaf their way through the game. The lack of heart from some players was frightening.
The Ugly:
The penalty kill - The Jackets had started the season with one of the strongest PKs in the league, going 9-for-10 over the first four games. In the three since the kill has just been dreadful. And when you're not scoring on your own power plays, you cannot afford to be giving up goals when you are short players.
The fans - Pronouncing the season over and talking about "same old Jackets" two straight bad losses (because face it, yes the losses to the Bruins and the Wings were disappointing, but they were solid games against good opponents) is the very definition of overreaction. Yes, I'm as frustrated and pissed off at the lack of effort in the first half Thursday and the entire game today. But we're only seven games into an 82-game season. That's less than 10% of the season. There's a lot of time left. Hockey is not college football, and the Jackets are going to lose, and there are going to be strings of losses. The important thing is that they get up off the mat and run some wins together. The Jackets are 1-1-0 in games in the division. There's still much to look forward to.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
Artёm Anisimov - He scored the only Blue Jackets goal, avoiding the bagel, late in the game. He was one of the few to show any effort on the evening.
Looking Ahead:
The Blue Jackets return home tonight and face the Vancouver Canucks at Nationwide tomorrow at 6 PM. The last meeting between the two clubs at Nationwide last season saw one of the Sedins attempting to take Sergei Bobrovsky's head off with his stick late in the game. Hopefully the Blue Jackets will get Nick Foligno back into the lineup with this game. The Canucks played in Pittsburgh today in a matinee match-up, losing 4-3 in a shootout.
A final note:
There have been a number of calls now for Vinny Prospal to be resigned by the Blue Jackets. Don't get me wrong, because I'm as big of a Vinny fan as anyone else, but that would be precisely the wrong direction to go. First of all, you're talking about committing $2 million-plus a year to a guy who is 40 years old, since that's what he's asking for. There's a reason why teams who needed a player like him in the off-season spoke to his agent and then looked elsewhere. Second, there's bad blood that developed between Vinny and the management over his perception of the team reneging on the "personal services" promise that Scott Howson made to Vinny that that Jarmo refused to state that he would honor. Thirdly, team management and the coaching staff expressed confidence in the moves that they made and the roster that they put together in the off-season. Signing Prospal now would be admitting a mistake and indicating a lack of confidence in the players you have here, who you'd told you had confidence in them. Finally, where would you stick Vinny in the lineup now? In Atkinson's spot? In Joey's? In Boone's? And what do you do when Nathan Horton comes off IR? Who do you send down? The only player you'd be able to send down without exposing them to waivers is Jenner. Quite simply, there's nowhere to play Vinny. The only way to possibly bring him into the club would be as coaching staff, and he doesn't seem ready to concede that he's on to that stage in his career. Do we miss his leadership on the ice and in the locker room? I'm confident in saying that we do. But there's just no room on this team for a 40-plus forward making $2-plus million and who will not have a spot on the roster when our injured off-season free-agent coup is ready to go.
Record: 2-5-0, 4 pts, 7th place in the Metropolitan Division
Game 7 preview - Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals - 10/19/2013
The Opponent:
Tonight the Blue Jackets travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Capitals. The Caps are probably one of the teams most negatively impacted by the off-season realignment of the teams. The went from the strongest team in the SouthLeast Division to the one of the teams scrapping it out for one of the wildcard spots in the Eastern Conference. Going into tonight they are 2-5-0 and trail the Blue Jackets on games played for 6th in the Metropolitan Division. They last played on Wednesday night, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Rangers.
The Capitals are led by Alex Ovechkin, who leads the team with 6 points and 3 assists for 9 points. However, "Alexander the Great" has a -5 plus-minus rating, highlighting the defensive struggles that are plaguing the Caps. They have lost three of the first four games on their current homestand. Braden Holtby is leading their goalies with a 3.28 GAA and .899 saves percentage. The Caps have scored only 7 times in their homestand, versus 12 goals scored against.
The Caps' lines for tonight:
Johansson-Backstrom-Ovechkin
Erat-Laich-Brouwer
Chimera-Grabovski-Ward
Volpatti-Fehr-Wilson
Alzner-Carlson
Schmidt-Green
Urbom-Oleksy
Holtby
The Blue Jackets:
The Jackets are coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the Canadiens on Thursday night. After fighting their way back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game, they gave up a goal with just over a minute remaining and then an empty-net tally, for a 5-3 loss. The young guns for the Blue Jackets came through, with Boone Jenner scoring the first two goals of his NHL career and Ryan Johansen getting the middle marker. Tonight they will look to the veterans to match their efforts in hopes of getting back on the winning side of the ledger.
The Jackets have made a roster move, returning Sean Collins to the Springfield Falcons and calling up Jack Skille. The Jackets have also mixed up the lines, as listed below:
Atkinson-Anisimov-Gaborik
Jenner-Dubinsky-Letestu
Comeau-Johansen-Umberger
Craig-MacKenzie-Boll
Tyutin-Johnson
Nikitin-Savard
Wisniewski-Murray/Prout
Bobrovsky
The Prediction:
The Blue Jackets have always played well against the Caps, even in years when the Caps have been among the best and the Jackets among the worst. With the way that the Caps are struggling out of the gate, this provides the Jackets with a great opportunity to get some points out of this first extended road trip. Having scoring leader Marian Gaborik back in the lineup after a bout with the flu will be a definite boost to the Union Blue. Sergei Bobrovsky will want to repay the confidence that Todd Richards is showing in him to bounce back from a less-than stellar outing against the Habs. All signs point to the Jackets jumping out to a fast start and a strong game against the Caps, and that's a danger to the Caps.
Blue Jackets win, 5-2
Tonight the Blue Jackets travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Capitals. The Caps are probably one of the teams most negatively impacted by the off-season realignment of the teams. The went from the strongest team in the SouthLeast Division to the one of the teams scrapping it out for one of the wildcard spots in the Eastern Conference. Going into tonight they are 2-5-0 and trail the Blue Jackets on games played for 6th in the Metropolitan Division. They last played on Wednesday night, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Rangers.
The Capitals are led by Alex Ovechkin, who leads the team with 6 points and 3 assists for 9 points. However, "Alexander the Great" has a -5 plus-minus rating, highlighting the defensive struggles that are plaguing the Caps. They have lost three of the first four games on their current homestand. Braden Holtby is leading their goalies with a 3.28 GAA and .899 saves percentage. The Caps have scored only 7 times in their homestand, versus 12 goals scored against.
The Caps' lines for tonight:
Johansson-Backstrom-Ovechkin
Erat-Laich-Brouwer
Chimera-Grabovski-Ward
Volpatti-Fehr-Wilson
Alzner-Carlson
Schmidt-Green
Urbom-Oleksy
Holtby
The Blue Jackets:
The Jackets are coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the Canadiens on Thursday night. After fighting their way back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game, they gave up a goal with just over a minute remaining and then an empty-net tally, for a 5-3 loss. The young guns for the Blue Jackets came through, with Boone Jenner scoring the first two goals of his NHL career and Ryan Johansen getting the middle marker. Tonight they will look to the veterans to match their efforts in hopes of getting back on the winning side of the ledger.
The Jackets have made a roster move, returning Sean Collins to the Springfield Falcons and calling up Jack Skille. The Jackets have also mixed up the lines, as listed below:
Atkinson-Anisimov-Gaborik
Jenner-Dubinsky-Letestu
Comeau-Johansen-Umberger
Craig-MacKenzie-Boll
Tyutin-Johnson
Nikitin-Savard
Wisniewski-Murray/Prout
Bobrovsky
The Prediction:
The Blue Jackets have always played well against the Caps, even in years when the Caps have been among the best and the Jackets among the worst. With the way that the Caps are struggling out of the gate, this provides the Jackets with a great opportunity to get some points out of this first extended road trip. Having scoring leader Marian Gaborik back in the lineup after a bout with the flu will be a definite boost to the Union Blue. Sergei Bobrovsky will want to repay the confidence that Todd Richards is showing in him to bounce back from a less-than stellar outing against the Habs. All signs point to the Jackets jumping out to a fast start and a strong game against the Caps, and that's a danger to the Caps.
Blue Jackets win, 5-2
17 October 2013
Game 6 in Review - Blue Jackets 3, Canadiens 5
Striking while I'm still hot tonight...
The Good:
The "young'uns" - Boone Jenner and Ryan Johansen combined for the three Blue Jackets goals, and the two best defensemen on the ice for the Jackets were Ryan Murray and David Savard. Cam Atkinson, while not on the scoresheet for the night, played with his usual intensity and was pesky down low. They played with heart and toughness, even when the Blue Jackets fell behind early and pulled the team even. They were what the entire team needs to be.
The Bad:
How to put this diplomatically? Hmmm...if you were a defenseman whose first name starts with a "J", you were bad tonight. Bad passes, bad shots into traffic, bad skating...just bad.
The first 30 minutes - Really, this team needs to learn to play with a complete, full-throttle effort for the entire sixty minutes, but tonight it wasn't until the mid-way point and the Habs staking themselves to a 3-0 lead that the Jackets finally put forth the effort that they need to carry through the entire game. It is frustrating to see this problem rearing its head again, because it was hoped that this was something that was left behind when the Jackets went on their run at the end of last season.
The Ugly:
Two shorthanded goals in one game - One shorthanded goal is rare, and even forgivable, to a degree. Two in one night is inexcusable. One of those coming when the goalie is pulled and there is a two-skater advantage is beyond words. Again, lackadaisical defensive play with the net empty cost the Blue Jackets a goal.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
Without a doubt, Boone Jenner. He scored his first career goal to spark the comeback, and later followed up with his second when he tied the game. The spark he provided carried over to the rest of the team throughout the remainder of the game. Ryan Johansen gets an honorable mention as he played his best game of the year and could have easily had more than the one goal he tallied.
Looking Ahead:
Next up for the Blue Jackets is a trip to Washington to face the Capitals. The Caps are 2-5-0, trailing the Blue Jackets on the games played tie-breaker. They lost their last game, a 2-0 shutout, against the New York Rangers.
Record: 2-4-0, 4 pts., 5th in the Metropolitan Division
The Good:
The "young'uns" - Boone Jenner and Ryan Johansen combined for the three Blue Jackets goals, and the two best defensemen on the ice for the Jackets were Ryan Murray and David Savard. Cam Atkinson, while not on the scoresheet for the night, played with his usual intensity and was pesky down low. They played with heart and toughness, even when the Blue Jackets fell behind early and pulled the team even. They were what the entire team needs to be.
The Bad:
How to put this diplomatically? Hmmm...if you were a defenseman whose first name starts with a "J", you were bad tonight. Bad passes, bad shots into traffic, bad skating...just bad.
The first 30 minutes - Really, this team needs to learn to play with a complete, full-throttle effort for the entire sixty minutes, but tonight it wasn't until the mid-way point and the Habs staking themselves to a 3-0 lead that the Jackets finally put forth the effort that they need to carry through the entire game. It is frustrating to see this problem rearing its head again, because it was hoped that this was something that was left behind when the Jackets went on their run at the end of last season.
The Ugly:
Two shorthanded goals in one game - One shorthanded goal is rare, and even forgivable, to a degree. Two in one night is inexcusable. One of those coming when the goalie is pulled and there is a two-skater advantage is beyond words. Again, lackadaisical defensive play with the net empty cost the Blue Jackets a goal.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
Without a doubt, Boone Jenner. He scored his first career goal to spark the comeback, and later followed up with his second when he tied the game. The spark he provided carried over to the rest of the team throughout the remainder of the game. Ryan Johansen gets an honorable mention as he played his best game of the year and could have easily had more than the one goal he tallied.
Looking Ahead:
Next up for the Blue Jackets is a trip to Washington to face the Capitals. The Caps are 2-5-0, trailing the Blue Jackets on the games played tie-breaker. They lost their last game, a 2-0 shutout, against the New York Rangers.
Record: 2-4-0, 4 pts., 5th in the Metropolitan Division
Game 6 preview - Blue Jackets at Montréal Canadiens - 10/17/2013
The Opponent:
The Blue Jackets face the Canadiens for the first time since December 2011 tonight in Montréal. The last meeting was also in Montréal, and was won by the Blue Jackets 3-2 in a shootout. So far this season the Canadiens are 4-2-0 and in 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They beat the Winnipeg Jets in their last outing by a final of 3-0 on Tuesday night. Their top scorer is defenseman P. K. Subban, with 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points. He also leads the club in plus-minus with a plus-6 rating. Their netminder for tonight's matchup is Carey Price, who has a 3-2-0 record with a 1.81 GAA and .944 save percentage.
The Blue Jackets:
The Blue Jackets enter the game at 2-3-0 after a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. The team put in one of their better efforts of the season to this point, but too many of the shots that the team took were right at the goalie rather than the open spaces around the edges. The leading scorer for the Blue Jackets is Marian Gaborik, who has 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points for the Jackets. Unfortunately, he was a late scratch for the game (flu). David Savard is leading the Jackets in plus-minus with a plus-3 rating. Sergei Bobrovsky will once again get the start in net. He is 2-3-0 with a 2.18 GAA and .929 save percentage.
Tonight's lines:
Atkinson-Dubinsky-Jenner
Anisimov-Johansen-Umberger
Collins-Letestu-Comeau
Craig-MacKenzie-Boll
Johnson-Tyutin
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Prediction:
The Jackets will need to jump out quick and keep the pressure on the Habs if they want to win tonight. Carey Price, while prone to streakiness, is currently on a hot streak. As a result, the Jackets should not expect any easy goals tonight. This is a team that the Blue Jackets need to win games against if this season is going to result in a trip to the playoffs. At this point in time, the Jackets still seem to be searching for that gear, but they need to find it fast, as they don't want to let too many games slip away.
Montreal wins, 4-2
The Blue Jackets face the Canadiens for the first time since December 2011 tonight in Montréal. The last meeting was also in Montréal, and was won by the Blue Jackets 3-2 in a shootout. So far this season the Canadiens are 4-2-0 and in 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They beat the Winnipeg Jets in their last outing by a final of 3-0 on Tuesday night. Their top scorer is defenseman P. K. Subban, with 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points. He also leads the club in plus-minus with a plus-6 rating. Their netminder for tonight's matchup is Carey Price, who has a 3-2-0 record with a 1.81 GAA and .944 save percentage.
The Blue Jackets:
The Blue Jackets enter the game at 2-3-0 after a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. The team put in one of their better efforts of the season to this point, but too many of the shots that the team took were right at the goalie rather than the open spaces around the edges. The leading scorer for the Blue Jackets is Marian Gaborik, who has 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points for the Jackets. Unfortunately, he was a late scratch for the game (flu). David Savard is leading the Jackets in plus-minus with a plus-3 rating. Sergei Bobrovsky will once again get the start in net. He is 2-3-0 with a 2.18 GAA and .929 save percentage.
Tonight's lines:
Atkinson-Dubinsky-Jenner
Anisimov-Johansen-Umberger
Collins-Letestu-Comeau
Craig-MacKenzie-Boll
Johnson-Tyutin
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Prediction:
The Jackets will need to jump out quick and keep the pressure on the Habs if they want to win tonight. Carey Price, while prone to streakiness, is currently on a hot streak. As a result, the Jackets should not expect any easy goals tonight. This is a team that the Blue Jackets need to win games against if this season is going to result in a trip to the playoffs. At this point in time, the Jackets still seem to be searching for that gear, but they need to find it fast, as they don't want to let too many games slip away.
Montreal wins, 4-2
Game 5 in Review - Blue Jackets 1, Red Wings 2
The Good:
Offensive pressure - The Blue Jackets were taking the game to the Red Wings in a way that they had not really done yet this season. In the first period they had 17 shots on goal to 8 for the Red Wings. By the end of the game they had totaled 37 shots to 32 for the Wings. The only problem was that too many of these shots were into the pads and the glove of Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson.
The Bad:
Penalty Kill - After going 9 for 10 on the kill prior to this game, the Jackets gave up one goal while officially shorthanded, and the Wings' other goal came just as Jared Boll was emerging from the penalty box, so the team was still effectively short a player near the play. The penalty kill needs to return to their previous efficiency going forward, and hopefully that will be the case.
The Ugly:
The ugliest outcome of this game was the regulation loss; the first regulation loss to the Red Wings since losing 7-2 on March 26, 2012 in Detroit, with the Jackets going 5-0-1 in the games between.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
This could go to either of two players. Sergei Bobrovsky had another solid night in the net for the Jackets, stopping 30-of-32 shots faced and getting the third star in-arena. On the other hand, Cam Atkinson created several strong chances and scored what may be the goal of the season so far on his end-to-end solo rush against the Red Wings penalty kill, putting the rebound of his initial shot past Gustavsson with the practiced expertise of a veteran forward. But after a number of near-misses the award on this night will go to Bobrovsky.
Looking Ahead:
The Jackets will be in Montreal on Thursday night to face the 4-2-0 Canadiens. The game starts at 7:30 at Bell Centre. This is the first meeting between the teams since the Jackets visited Montreal in December 2011, and this is a very different Blue Jackets team from the one that made that trip.
Record: 2-3-0, 4 pts., 4th in the Metropolitan Division
Offensive pressure - The Blue Jackets were taking the game to the Red Wings in a way that they had not really done yet this season. In the first period they had 17 shots on goal to 8 for the Red Wings. By the end of the game they had totaled 37 shots to 32 for the Wings. The only problem was that too many of these shots were into the pads and the glove of Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson.
The Bad:
Penalty Kill - After going 9 for 10 on the kill prior to this game, the Jackets gave up one goal while officially shorthanded, and the Wings' other goal came just as Jared Boll was emerging from the penalty box, so the team was still effectively short a player near the play. The penalty kill needs to return to their previous efficiency going forward, and hopefully that will be the case.
The Ugly:
The ugliest outcome of this game was the regulation loss; the first regulation loss to the Red Wings since losing 7-2 on March 26, 2012 in Detroit, with the Jackets going 5-0-1 in the games between.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
This could go to either of two players. Sergei Bobrovsky had another solid night in the net for the Jackets, stopping 30-of-32 shots faced and getting the third star in-arena. On the other hand, Cam Atkinson created several strong chances and scored what may be the goal of the season so far on his end-to-end solo rush against the Red Wings penalty kill, putting the rebound of his initial shot past Gustavsson with the practiced expertise of a veteran forward. But after a number of near-misses the award on this night will go to Bobrovsky.
Looking Ahead:
The Jackets will be in Montreal on Thursday night to face the 4-2-0 Canadiens. The game starts at 7:30 at Bell Centre. This is the first meeting between the teams since the Jackets visited Montreal in December 2011, and this is a very different Blue Jackets team from the one that made that trip.
Record: 2-3-0, 4 pts., 4th in the Metropolitan Division
15 October 2013
Game 5 preview - Blue Jackets at Detroit Red Wings - 10/15/2013
A look at tonight's match-up against the Detroit Red Wings
The Opponent:
The Red Wings enter the game fresh off a win in Boston against the Bruins yesterday afternoon. Jonas Gustavsson will get the start again tonight for the injured Jimmy Howard (hand). Gustavsson stopped 28 of 30 Bruins shots, and the Wings became the first team to score more than one against Bruins keeper Tuukka Rask this season.
The Jackets won the season series from the Red Wings for the first time last season, going 4-0-1 against their top rivals. Their match-up on March 9 saw Sergei Bobrovsky garner his first career NHL shutout. The Jackets faithful are hoping for a similar performance from Bob in this evening's game.
The Blue Jackets:
The Jackets have had two days off since a Saturday matinee loss against the Bruins. In the days since they have placed Matt Calvert on IR (lower body) and called up Sean Collins from Springfield to take his roster spot. Blake Comeau is questionable to start (laceration) but Marian Gaborik is probable (flu). Nick Foligno is also expected to be a scratch (paternity).
Tonight is the 75th all-time meeting between the Jackets and the Red Wings, with the Jackets winning 6 of the last 10. Last season the Jackets killed 24 of 25 shorthanded situations against the Wings. The Jackets are also 10-4-2 over their last 16 road match-ups.
Tonight's expected lines:
Atkinson-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Jenner-Anisimov-Comeau
Letestu-Johansen-Umberger
Collins-MacKenzie-Boll
Johnson-Tyutin
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Prediction:
This Wings team is not quite the same as the team that the Jackets dominated last year with the addition of Daniel Alfredsson, though they have lost Valtteri Filppula as well. And even as the Jackets won all but one of their meetings, they were usually close contests. Tonight promises to be another tight affair, and the Jackets may have their difficulties facing a goalie they are less familiar with in Gustavsson.
Jackets win, 3-2
The Opponent:
The Red Wings enter the game fresh off a win in Boston against the Bruins yesterday afternoon. Jonas Gustavsson will get the start again tonight for the injured Jimmy Howard (hand). Gustavsson stopped 28 of 30 Bruins shots, and the Wings became the first team to score more than one against Bruins keeper Tuukka Rask this season.
The Jackets won the season series from the Red Wings for the first time last season, going 4-0-1 against their top rivals. Their match-up on March 9 saw Sergei Bobrovsky garner his first career NHL shutout. The Jackets faithful are hoping for a similar performance from Bob in this evening's game.
The Blue Jackets:
The Jackets have had two days off since a Saturday matinee loss against the Bruins. In the days since they have placed Matt Calvert on IR (lower body) and called up Sean Collins from Springfield to take his roster spot. Blake Comeau is questionable to start (laceration) but Marian Gaborik is probable (flu). Nick Foligno is also expected to be a scratch (paternity).
Tonight is the 75th all-time meeting between the Jackets and the Red Wings, with the Jackets winning 6 of the last 10. Last season the Jackets killed 24 of 25 shorthanded situations against the Wings. The Jackets are also 10-4-2 over their last 16 road match-ups.
Tonight's expected lines:
Atkinson-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Jenner-Anisimov-Comeau
Letestu-Johansen-Umberger
Collins-MacKenzie-Boll
Johnson-Tyutin
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Prediction:
This Wings team is not quite the same as the team that the Jackets dominated last year with the addition of Daniel Alfredsson, though they have lost Valtteri Filppula as well. And even as the Jackets won all but one of their meetings, they were usually close contests. Tonight promises to be another tight affair, and the Jackets may have their difficulties facing a goalie they are less familiar with in Gustavsson.
Jackets win, 3-2
14 October 2013
Game 4 in Review - Blue Jackets 1, Bruins 3
The Good:
Power play - The power play looked fairly well-organized throughout the game. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was probably as good as it's been all season, and it was on the power play that the Jackets got their one goal of the game, a screamer from up high by Jack Johnson.
The Bad:
The defense - Just when you thought that the defense was getting better, that it was solid, that the blue line depth was leading to good defensemen being scratched or demoted, there was a game like this. Wisniewski and Johnson looked like they couldn't be bothered, or the 2 pm start was too early for them, and they were mentally still in bed. There were points when I wished either of them was the scratch on defense instead of Nikita Nikitin. And that's keeping in mind that Johnson scored the games only goal. But Wisniewski may have been the worst of the blueliners.
The Ugly:
Boston's empty-net goal - When the Blue Jackets had pulled Sergei Bobrovsky for the extra attacker late in the game, they had established a small degree of pressure on Boston's netminder, Tuukka Rask. But after about 15 to 20 seconds, the Bruins got possession, and the puck was flipped out of the zone. Johnson skated back to get the puck and waited for it to come down to the ice, then skated back from it, allowing it to settle itself rather than settling it with his stick. Johnson seemed unaware of Milan Lucic bearing down on him, and as Johnson picked up the puck, Lucic poked it off his stick and between his legs. As Johnson spun around trying to find the puck under him, his skate kicked into the puck and directed it perfectly on-net. It was a finish fit for the 2011-12 Jackets.
Player of the Game:
Sergei Bobrovsky - Bob kept the Jackets in the game, making some outstanding stops when shorthanded, and showing excellent rebound control through most of the game. He deserved a win out of this game, but was not fortunate enough to get the goal support that he needed to get it.
Looking Ahead:
Next up for the Blue Jackets is a trip up Route 23 to Detroit to face the Red Wings. The Jackets were 4-0-1 against the Wings in the strike-shortened season earlier this year, but the Wings added future Hall-of-Famer Daniel Alfredsson in the off-season. The Wings will be coming off a matinee win over the Bruins in Boston this afternoon, 3-2. Jonas Gustavsson stopped 28 of 30 shots faced for the win. This would seem to indicate that the Blue Jackets are likely to face Jimmy Howard between the pipes.
Power play - The power play looked fairly well-organized throughout the game. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was probably as good as it's been all season, and it was on the power play that the Jackets got their one goal of the game, a screamer from up high by Jack Johnson.
The Bad:
The defense - Just when you thought that the defense was getting better, that it was solid, that the blue line depth was leading to good defensemen being scratched or demoted, there was a game like this. Wisniewski and Johnson looked like they couldn't be bothered, or the 2 pm start was too early for them, and they were mentally still in bed. There were points when I wished either of them was the scratch on defense instead of Nikita Nikitin. And that's keeping in mind that Johnson scored the games only goal. But Wisniewski may have been the worst of the blueliners.
The Ugly:
Boston's empty-net goal - When the Blue Jackets had pulled Sergei Bobrovsky for the extra attacker late in the game, they had established a small degree of pressure on Boston's netminder, Tuukka Rask. But after about 15 to 20 seconds, the Bruins got possession, and the puck was flipped out of the zone. Johnson skated back to get the puck and waited for it to come down to the ice, then skated back from it, allowing it to settle itself rather than settling it with his stick. Johnson seemed unaware of Milan Lucic bearing down on him, and as Johnson picked up the puck, Lucic poked it off his stick and between his legs. As Johnson spun around trying to find the puck under him, his skate kicked into the puck and directed it perfectly on-net. It was a finish fit for the 2011-12 Jackets.
Player of the Game:
Sergei Bobrovsky - Bob kept the Jackets in the game, making some outstanding stops when shorthanded, and showing excellent rebound control through most of the game. He deserved a win out of this game, but was not fortunate enough to get the goal support that he needed to get it.
Looking Ahead:
Next up for the Blue Jackets is a trip up Route 23 to Detroit to face the Red Wings. The Jackets were 4-0-1 against the Wings in the strike-shortened season earlier this year, but the Wings added future Hall-of-Famer Daniel Alfredsson in the off-season. The Wings will be coming off a matinee win over the Bruins in Boston this afternoon, 3-2. Jonas Gustavsson stopped 28 of 30 shots faced for the win. This would seem to indicate that the Blue Jackets are likely to face Jimmy Howard between the pipes.
12 October 2013
Game 4 preview - Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins - 10/12/2013
Looking to the matinee against the Bruins.
The Opponent:
The Bruins are the defending Eastern Conference champions, but have come out to a 2-1-0 start this season; the equal of the Blue Jackets in that regard. Their one loss was to the Colorado Avalanche, which is looking to be a quality loss as the Avs have been reborn under Patrick Roy.
The B's leading scorer is Milan Lucic, with 1-2-3, and 0 +/-. They have seven players with 1 goal each, nobody with more. Tuukka Rask has started all three games in net, and has a 1.01 GAA with a .966 save percentage. He figures to be the starter in net for the Bruins today, as well.
The Jackets:
The Blue Jackets will get a huge boost on the blue line today as Fedor Tyutin returns from injury. The Jackets assigned Tim Erixon to Springfield as a result. On the other hand, Matt Calvert sat out of Friday's practice and may not be available today. When Erixon was sent down, Ryan Craig was called up for the spare forward.
The Jackets are coming off a huge win in Buffalo, where they jumped out early, grabbed a 4-1 lead, and shut down the Sabres. The Jackets have gotten solid goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 26 of 27 against Buffalo. He's still in search of his first shutout of the season. Could it come today?
Lines for the CBJ today are expected to be:
Atkinson-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Jenner-Anisimov-Comeau
Foligno-Johansen-Umberger
Letestu-MacKenzie-Boll
Johnson-Tyutin
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Projection:
It's going to be a struggle against one of the conference's titans today, a strong test of how far this team has come so far. As a result, this matinee will be entertaining, and there may be some disappointment in the end. The teams do match up well, and the hope is that the Jackets defense can shut down the Bruins forwards and keep this one close enough that a well-timed deflection or a flukey rebound could provide the difference in the match-up.
Bruins, in a close one, 3-2/OT
The Opponent:
The Bruins are the defending Eastern Conference champions, but have come out to a 2-1-0 start this season; the equal of the Blue Jackets in that regard. Their one loss was to the Colorado Avalanche, which is looking to be a quality loss as the Avs have been reborn under Patrick Roy.
The B's leading scorer is Milan Lucic, with 1-2-3, and 0 +/-. They have seven players with 1 goal each, nobody with more. Tuukka Rask has started all three games in net, and has a 1.01 GAA with a .966 save percentage. He figures to be the starter in net for the Bruins today, as well.
The Jackets:
The Blue Jackets will get a huge boost on the blue line today as Fedor Tyutin returns from injury. The Jackets assigned Tim Erixon to Springfield as a result. On the other hand, Matt Calvert sat out of Friday's practice and may not be available today. When Erixon was sent down, Ryan Craig was called up for the spare forward.
The Jackets are coming off a huge win in Buffalo, where they jumped out early, grabbed a 4-1 lead, and shut down the Sabres. The Jackets have gotten solid goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 26 of 27 against Buffalo. He's still in search of his first shutout of the season. Could it come today?
Lines for the CBJ today are expected to be:
Atkinson-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Jenner-Anisimov-Comeau
Foligno-Johansen-Umberger
Letestu-MacKenzie-Boll
Johnson-Tyutin
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Projection:
It's going to be a struggle against one of the conference's titans today, a strong test of how far this team has come so far. As a result, this matinee will be entertaining, and there may be some disappointment in the end. The teams do match up well, and the hope is that the Jackets defense can shut down the Bruins forwards and keep this one close enough that a well-timed deflection or a flukey rebound could provide the difference in the match-up.
Bruins, in a close one, 3-2/OT
Game 3 in Review - Blue Jackets 4, Sabres 1
The Good:
Strong start - This is something that has been lacking in other games; a strong start, a full effort from puck-drop. Cam Atkinson scored 1:51 into the game and after the Sabres equalized the Jackets put 2 quick tallies on the board before the period ended, from Marian Gaborik and Nick Foligno, to go into the intermission with a 3-1 lead. Brandon Dubinsky added a fourth early in the second period, and a fifth goal was waved off and confirmed as "no goal" in Toronto even though the puck was visibly in Ryan Miller's glove, which was visibly across the goal line (Rule 614 conspiracy murmurs picked up with that one!).
The (not-so-)Bad:
Last half effort - Okay, it's not that the effort was lacking. There was plenty of effort. It was more a matter of allowing the perfect to be the enemy of the good-enough. A prime example being when Gaborik had Ryan Miller on his belly and faked a couple of shots before unloading. In the hesitation and second-thinking, Gaborik failed to elevate the puck when he finally did shoot, and the puck went right into Miller's glove. The players need to stay in their flow when the score runs up, not hold back, not try and make highlight reel plays. They need to stay with the good-enough that is working, rather than trying for the perfect and getting in their own way.
The Ugly:
Considering there wasn't really any ugly on the part of the Blue Jackets, indulge me here with a more "big picture" ugly on the night. The US Olympic goaltending situation. Ryan Miller was the star for the US National Team in 2010 in Vancouver, playing some of the best goal of the tournament. He struggled on Thursday night against the Blue Jackets. If USA Hockey is counting on him and on Tim Thomas as the top two goalies for Sochi, the US is not going to be on the medals stand at all, let alone on the top step. Fortunately there are other options, such as Corey Schneider, who will hopefully fill that role. But given that the hockey media continues to talk about Miller and Thomas, I still worry. The Blue Jackets should have had at least 6 goals on Miller, maybe as many as 8 or 9. In that regard, luck was on Miller's side, but it won't always be.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
Marian Gaborik - Again, this was a tough call. Sergei Bobrovsky had a great night in goal, and Cam Atkinson had a good night with two points and a couple of near misses. But Gaborik had a goal and two assists and should have had a second goal. It was easily his best night in the Union Blue. This is the player we were expecting that we got from the Rangers at the trade deadline, and this will hopefully be the player we see the rest of the season, even if it turns out to cost us an extra couple million on the renewal offer. And an honorable mention to Ryan Murray on the occasion of his first NHL point, an assist on Gaborik's goal.
Looking Ahead:
The Blue Jackets return home for a Saturday matinee against the defending conference champion Boston Bruins. This will be the sternest test of the Blue Jackets to date, and the crowd should be large and loud. The Bruins also enter the game 2-1-0, and will be looking to take a little pain from the team that snatched Nathan Horton away from them.
Record: 2-1-0, 4 pts., 4th in the Metropolitan Division
Strong start - This is something that has been lacking in other games; a strong start, a full effort from puck-drop. Cam Atkinson scored 1:51 into the game and after the Sabres equalized the Jackets put 2 quick tallies on the board before the period ended, from Marian Gaborik and Nick Foligno, to go into the intermission with a 3-1 lead. Brandon Dubinsky added a fourth early in the second period, and a fifth goal was waved off and confirmed as "no goal" in Toronto even though the puck was visibly in Ryan Miller's glove, which was visibly across the goal line (Rule 614 conspiracy murmurs picked up with that one!).
The (not-so-)Bad:
Last half effort - Okay, it's not that the effort was lacking. There was plenty of effort. It was more a matter of allowing the perfect to be the enemy of the good-enough. A prime example being when Gaborik had Ryan Miller on his belly and faked a couple of shots before unloading. In the hesitation and second-thinking, Gaborik failed to elevate the puck when he finally did shoot, and the puck went right into Miller's glove. The players need to stay in their flow when the score runs up, not hold back, not try and make highlight reel plays. They need to stay with the good-enough that is working, rather than trying for the perfect and getting in their own way.
The Ugly:
Considering there wasn't really any ugly on the part of the Blue Jackets, indulge me here with a more "big picture" ugly on the night. The US Olympic goaltending situation. Ryan Miller was the star for the US National Team in 2010 in Vancouver, playing some of the best goal of the tournament. He struggled on Thursday night against the Blue Jackets. If USA Hockey is counting on him and on Tim Thomas as the top two goalies for Sochi, the US is not going to be on the medals stand at all, let alone on the top step. Fortunately there are other options, such as Corey Schneider, who will hopefully fill that role. But given that the hockey media continues to talk about Miller and Thomas, I still worry. The Blue Jackets should have had at least 6 goals on Miller, maybe as many as 8 or 9. In that regard, luck was on Miller's side, but it won't always be.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
Marian Gaborik - Again, this was a tough call. Sergei Bobrovsky had a great night in goal, and Cam Atkinson had a good night with two points and a couple of near misses. But Gaborik had a goal and two assists and should have had a second goal. It was easily his best night in the Union Blue. This is the player we were expecting that we got from the Rangers at the trade deadline, and this will hopefully be the player we see the rest of the season, even if it turns out to cost us an extra couple million on the renewal offer. And an honorable mention to Ryan Murray on the occasion of his first NHL point, an assist on Gaborik's goal.
Looking Ahead:
The Blue Jackets return home for a Saturday matinee against the defending conference champion Boston Bruins. This will be the sternest test of the Blue Jackets to date, and the crowd should be large and loud. The Bruins also enter the game 2-1-0, and will be looking to take a little pain from the team that snatched Nathan Horton away from them.
Record: 2-1-0, 4 pts., 4th in the Metropolitan Division
10 October 2013
Game 3 preview - Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres - 10/10/2013
Looking forward to tonight's third game of the season at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.
The Opponent:
The Sabres enter the game with a record of 0-3-1, gaining their first point of the season in a 3-2 overtime loss at home to the Lightning on Tuesday night. The Sabres twice had one-goal leads in the game before Teddy Purcell scored on the power play early in the third period to tie. A minute-fifty in to the overtime Alex Killorn scored his first of the season on a backhander past goalie Jhonas Enroth.
The Sabres only injured regular starter coming into the game is Ville Leino, and the Sabres have tipped Ryan Miller as the starting netminder. Miller is 1.53 and .963% through 2 games this season, holding the Ottawa Senators to one goal on 46 shots in his last appearance, losing on a goal with 1:35 remaining; 1-0.
The Jackets:
The Blue Jackets enter the night after a four-night layoff, providing the team with more time to heal the few remaining injuries. As a result, Jared Boll is expected to be in the lineup for the Union Blue, with Boone Jenner expected to be the scratch in his place. Defenseman Fedor Tyutin is being looked at for a start on Saturday at home against Boston. The anticipated lines and pairs for this evening are:
Atkinson-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Calvert-Anisimov-Comeau
Foligno-Johansen-Umberger
Letestu-MacKenzie-Boll
Johnson-Prout
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Projection:
The Jackets will be facing a team desperate to tally their first win of the season tonight, so they need to come with the energy and the fight that they exhibited at the end of Saturday's game at the Islanders. The Jackets have historically played some strong games on the road in Buffalo, but have also had some poor performances. This needs to be one of the former. While the Jackets sit in a tie for 5th in the Metropolitan Division, they also have at least one game in hand on all of the other teams. A win tonight could strengthen their early-season position.
Jackets win, 4-2
The Opponent:
The Sabres enter the game with a record of 0-3-1, gaining their first point of the season in a 3-2 overtime loss at home to the Lightning on Tuesday night. The Sabres twice had one-goal leads in the game before Teddy Purcell scored on the power play early in the third period to tie. A minute-fifty in to the overtime Alex Killorn scored his first of the season on a backhander past goalie Jhonas Enroth.
The Sabres only injured regular starter coming into the game is Ville Leino, and the Sabres have tipped Ryan Miller as the starting netminder. Miller is 1.53 and .963% through 2 games this season, holding the Ottawa Senators to one goal on 46 shots in his last appearance, losing on a goal with 1:35 remaining; 1-0.
The Jackets:
The Blue Jackets enter the night after a four-night layoff, providing the team with more time to heal the few remaining injuries. As a result, Jared Boll is expected to be in the lineup for the Union Blue, with Boone Jenner expected to be the scratch in his place. Defenseman Fedor Tyutin is being looked at for a start on Saturday at home against Boston. The anticipated lines and pairs for this evening are:
Atkinson-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Calvert-Anisimov-Comeau
Foligno-Johansen-Umberger
Letestu-MacKenzie-Boll
Johnson-Prout
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Projection:
The Jackets will be facing a team desperate to tally their first win of the season tonight, so they need to come with the energy and the fight that they exhibited at the end of Saturday's game at the Islanders. The Jackets have historically played some strong games on the road in Buffalo, but have also had some poor performances. This needs to be one of the former. While the Jackets sit in a tie for 5th in the Metropolitan Division, they also have at least one game in hand on all of the other teams. A win tonight could strengthen their early-season position.
Jackets win, 4-2
08 October 2013
Game 2 in Review - Blue Jackets 3, New York Islanders 2 (SO)
Sorry about the delay on the review. Got a little busy and this got put on the back burner for a couple days...
The Good:
The third period, overtime and shootout, well actually the last 12 minutes of the third period on, but let's just say the whole third. Coming into the period the Jackets trailed 2-0, and after getting their first power play of the game the Jackets got on the board during the advantage when Mark Letestu picked up a short pass from Cam Atkinson, who grabbed a rebound from in from of Evgeni Nabokov, and fired it home. A little more than four minutes later the Jackets equalized when Nick Foligno poked home a rebound in front of Nabokov after R.J. Umberger's shot on net. After killing off a penalty that bridged the end of the third period and the beginning of the overtime, the Jackets put a number of good shots on goal that Nabokov denied, preserving the draw and setting up the skills competition. Letestu, as the second shooter for the Jackets, put a beautiful wrister over Nabokov to give the Jackets the first goal of the shootout. The next shooter, Matt Moulson, fired a snap shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to keep the Isles in the game. The shootout was decided in the fourth round as Cam Atkinson pulled a nice backhand-forehand deke that drew Nabokov out to his right, and Atkinson tucked it behind him for the winner.
Resilience - The Blue Jackets played like a tired team in the first period, and like a team that didn't want to be in the game in the second period, but they bounced back in the third, like so many games in the 2013 short season. The defense that had abandoned Bobrovsky, in particular on the second goal, was back and strong. It's this sort of bouncing back that the Blue Jackets had not done nearly enough in seasons past, and to see it on the road, against a team they will be battling for a playoff spot, was a good indicator that the momentum built in March and April may well be carrying over to the new season.
The Bad:
Early game performance - The Blue Jackets came out on the ice on Saturday night looking like they wanted to be anywhere other than in Uniondale. Strides were heavy, sticks were up, and effort was missing. It could have been the long travel night, or the hangover effect from a loss that poor officiating played a role in. Whatever it was, it's not a good thing, and it's something that need to be rare in this season. Certainly the Eastern Conference isn't as physical as the Western is, but that doesn't mean a playoff spot will be handed to the Jackets. There are at lest 9 to 10 playoff-capable teams in the conference, meaning there will be good teams staying home in April. The Jackets don't want to be one of those. They need to play a stronger game, a full 60-minute game, if they want to reach late March with an "x" next to "Columbus" on the standings table.
The Ugly:
I was really hoping that I could leave this category out of this review, but alas I cannot. And while the penalty called on Jack Johnson for holding with 40 seconds left in regulation was a weak call, at best, it wasn't the truly ugly moment of the night. That didn't come until the shootout. It came when assistant Blue Jackets coach Craig Hartsburg looked at the end that the Jackets' shooters would be taking their shots on Nabokov and noticed that it did not look as if the ice had been resurfaced in that end. He brought this to the attention of head coach Todd Richards, who then called to referee Paul Devorski (not exactly a CBJ fan's favorite referee...) and had him take a look at that end of the sheet. Devorski almost immediately signaled for the Zamboni to be brought back out to redo the ice, after which time there was a sizable pile of snow that had been scraped up by the Zamboni that was left at the gate. CBJ play-by-play announcer Jeff Rimer stated that other teams in the past had complained that they did not feel like the ice was being resurfaced properly on the Island, so it's entirely possible that the Blue Jackets bench made sure to watch what was done and to challenge it should it look unfair. But it seems pretty obvious that, going forward, other teams will be watching for the Isles to be attempting to give their side an unfair advantage in the shootout.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
This is a tough call. A case could definitely be made for Sergei Bobrovsky, who kept the team in the game through the rough first couple of periods and with some nifty work on the end-of-regulation penalty kill. However, the game turned on the spark provided by one player in particular; Mark Letestu. The power play goal that Letestu scored ignited the Jackets' rally, and his beautiful wrist shot in the shootout helped get the extra point for the good guys that night. So the laurels on this occasion will go to Letestu.
Looking Ahead:
The Blue Jackets will be taking on the Buffalo Sabres at the First Niagara Center on Thursday night at 7:00. Will the Jackets go unbeaten on this trip through the Empire State? Stay tuned to find out!
Record: 1-1-0, 2 pts., T-4th in the Metropolitan Division
The Good:
The third period, overtime and shootout, well actually the last 12 minutes of the third period on, but let's just say the whole third. Coming into the period the Jackets trailed 2-0, and after getting their first power play of the game the Jackets got on the board during the advantage when Mark Letestu picked up a short pass from Cam Atkinson, who grabbed a rebound from in from of Evgeni Nabokov, and fired it home. A little more than four minutes later the Jackets equalized when Nick Foligno poked home a rebound in front of Nabokov after R.J. Umberger's shot on net. After killing off a penalty that bridged the end of the third period and the beginning of the overtime, the Jackets put a number of good shots on goal that Nabokov denied, preserving the draw and setting up the skills competition. Letestu, as the second shooter for the Jackets, put a beautiful wrister over Nabokov to give the Jackets the first goal of the shootout. The next shooter, Matt Moulson, fired a snap shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to keep the Isles in the game. The shootout was decided in the fourth round as Cam Atkinson pulled a nice backhand-forehand deke that drew Nabokov out to his right, and Atkinson tucked it behind him for the winner.
Resilience - The Blue Jackets played like a tired team in the first period, and like a team that didn't want to be in the game in the second period, but they bounced back in the third, like so many games in the 2013 short season. The defense that had abandoned Bobrovsky, in particular on the second goal, was back and strong. It's this sort of bouncing back that the Blue Jackets had not done nearly enough in seasons past, and to see it on the road, against a team they will be battling for a playoff spot, was a good indicator that the momentum built in March and April may well be carrying over to the new season.
The Bad:
Early game performance - The Blue Jackets came out on the ice on Saturday night looking like they wanted to be anywhere other than in Uniondale. Strides were heavy, sticks were up, and effort was missing. It could have been the long travel night, or the hangover effect from a loss that poor officiating played a role in. Whatever it was, it's not a good thing, and it's something that need to be rare in this season. Certainly the Eastern Conference isn't as physical as the Western is, but that doesn't mean a playoff spot will be handed to the Jackets. There are at lest 9 to 10 playoff-capable teams in the conference, meaning there will be good teams staying home in April. The Jackets don't want to be one of those. They need to play a stronger game, a full 60-minute game, if they want to reach late March with an "x" next to "Columbus" on the standings table.
The Ugly:
I was really hoping that I could leave this category out of this review, but alas I cannot. And while the penalty called on Jack Johnson for holding with 40 seconds left in regulation was a weak call, at best, it wasn't the truly ugly moment of the night. That didn't come until the shootout. It came when assistant Blue Jackets coach Craig Hartsburg looked at the end that the Jackets' shooters would be taking their shots on Nabokov and noticed that it did not look as if the ice had been resurfaced in that end. He brought this to the attention of head coach Todd Richards, who then called to referee Paul Devorski (not exactly a CBJ fan's favorite referee...) and had him take a look at that end of the sheet. Devorski almost immediately signaled for the Zamboni to be brought back out to redo the ice, after which time there was a sizable pile of snow that had been scraped up by the Zamboni that was left at the gate. CBJ play-by-play announcer Jeff Rimer stated that other teams in the past had complained that they did not feel like the ice was being resurfaced properly on the Island, so it's entirely possible that the Blue Jackets bench made sure to watch what was done and to challenge it should it look unfair. But it seems pretty obvious that, going forward, other teams will be watching for the Isles to be attempting to give their side an unfair advantage in the shootout.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
This is a tough call. A case could definitely be made for Sergei Bobrovsky, who kept the team in the game through the rough first couple of periods and with some nifty work on the end-of-regulation penalty kill. However, the game turned on the spark provided by one player in particular; Mark Letestu. The power play goal that Letestu scored ignited the Jackets' rally, and his beautiful wrist shot in the shootout helped get the extra point for the good guys that night. So the laurels on this occasion will go to Letestu.
Looking Ahead:
The Blue Jackets will be taking on the Buffalo Sabres at the First Niagara Center on Thursday night at 7:00. Will the Jackets go unbeaten on this trip through the Empire State? Stay tuned to find out!
Record: 1-1-0, 2 pts., T-4th in the Metropolitan Division
05 October 2013
Game 2 preview - Blue Jackets at New York Islanders - 10/5/2013
The Opponent:
The Islanders have their home-opener tonight after winning a 4-3 shootout decision at the Prudential Center against the New Jersey Devils last night. Michael Grabner scored twice for the Isles, and Matt Moulson tallied the only successful shot in the six-round shootout. Evgeni Nabokov was in net for New York and stopped 26 of 29 shots he faced. The top Isles line of John Tavares, Kyle Okposo and Moulson was held without a point on the night. While the Isles opened "away", they didn't have a long trip home to spend the night in their own beds; this isn't your typical "travel fatigue" situation that they will face.
The Jackets:
The boys in blue are coming off a tough loss to Calgary at home last night. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 of 30 in the loss. Few, if any changes are anticipated from the Friday night lineup. Jared Boll will be travelling with the team and is a gametime decision. If he is ready to go, he likely will step in to the lineup for either Boone Jenner or Matt Calvert. The anticipated lines and pairings are:
Jenner-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Letestu-Anisimov-Comeau
Calvert-Johansen-Atkinson
Umberger-MacKenzie-Foligno
Johnson-Prout
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Projection:
The defense needs to rebound from a down night at home last night. And just because the Isles were "on the road" last night, they were on the other side of the New York Metro area, and had much easier travel to reach their beds last night. The Isles tied with a less-talented Devils team, taking the extra point with the shootout win. On the other hand the Jackets lost outright to a less-talented Flames team. With a better defensive performance and stronger passing, the Jackets should have a slight advantage. If the Isles rest Nabokov, this could be an easier win for the Union Blue.
Jackets win, 4-3/OT
The Islanders have their home-opener tonight after winning a 4-3 shootout decision at the Prudential Center against the New Jersey Devils last night. Michael Grabner scored twice for the Isles, and Matt Moulson tallied the only successful shot in the six-round shootout. Evgeni Nabokov was in net for New York and stopped 26 of 29 shots he faced. The top Isles line of John Tavares, Kyle Okposo and Moulson was held without a point on the night. While the Isles opened "away", they didn't have a long trip home to spend the night in their own beds; this isn't your typical "travel fatigue" situation that they will face.
The Jackets:
The boys in blue are coming off a tough loss to Calgary at home last night. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 of 30 in the loss. Few, if any changes are anticipated from the Friday night lineup. Jared Boll will be travelling with the team and is a gametime decision. If he is ready to go, he likely will step in to the lineup for either Boone Jenner or Matt Calvert. The anticipated lines and pairings are:
Jenner-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Letestu-Anisimov-Comeau
Calvert-Johansen-Atkinson
Umberger-MacKenzie-Foligno
Johnson-Prout
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
The Projection:
The defense needs to rebound from a down night at home last night. And just because the Isles were "on the road" last night, they were on the other side of the New York Metro area, and had much easier travel to reach their beds last night. The Isles tied with a less-talented Devils team, taking the extra point with the shootout win. On the other hand the Jackets lost outright to a less-talented Flames team. With a better defensive performance and stronger passing, the Jackets should have a slight advantage. If the Isles rest Nabokov, this could be an easier win for the Union Blue.
Jackets win, 4-3/OT
Game 1 in Review - Blue Jackets 3, Calgary 4
The Good:
The former Rangers - Marian Gaborik led the team (along with Jack Johnson) with 1 goal and 1 assist, and Artёm Anisimov rang up the third goal of the evening. Brandon Dubinsky had a good two-way game going all evening and contributed an assist on Gaborik's goal. Tim Erixon was scratched in favor of David Savard.
The Bad:
The defense - Too often the defense was seeming to spin in place at the blue line as Calgary would break out of the zone. A number of breakout passes were getting picked off or deflected. The second Calgary goal came off of a lazy pass from Ryan Murray, intended for James Wisniewski on the other point, but picked off by T.J. Gagliardi, who raced down on the breakaway for an easy goal. Confusion seemed to rein too often on plays down low in front of Sergei Bobrovski. The disciplined defensive play of the last half of last season was gone for most of the evening. On the fourth Calgary goal, Dalton Prout was more focused on checking David Jones, rather than breaking up the pass he sent cross-crease to Curtis Glencross, who was left unmarked at the left post by Jack Johnson, and Blake Comeau could not get to him before he poked the pass by Bobrovsky.
Passing - Passes were not crisp and clean. Wisniewski fired a couple of screamers, particularly to Gaborik, that just bounced right off the stick; those need to be a little bit softer. Also, passed made from D to D or headmanning an offensive push out of the zone need to be made with more awareness of the defense and if they can throw a stick into the passing lane to break up the play or even intercept.
The Awful:
The interference call on Jack Johnson with 1:09 left in the game - With just over a minute remaining, and with Bobrovsky out of the net in a 4-3 game, a Jackets' pass in the offensive end was broken up and collected by Calgary near the blue line. Johnson and Wisniewski rushed down ice after the Flames player (Mark Giordano, as I recall), catching up to him at the other blue line. Johnson had gotten a stride ahead by the top of the slot, and moved in to take the puck from in front of the opponent's stick. The Flames player fell, and referee Frederick L'Ecuyer raised his arm and blew the whistle. 18,151 rose to their feet in protest. Clearly Johnson had won possession of the puck before the opponent dove. How could you call interference on such a play? This has to have been one of the worst penalty calls I've seen. If the referee really believed an infraction occurred, Calgary should have been awarded the goal for interfering with a breakaway on an empty net. This call is a prime example of the "evidence" for a "Rule 614" conspiracy theory.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
This is where I buck the "media panel" who voted on the in-house three-stars. The only Blue Jackets player that was a star on the night was Jack Johnson. But my player of the game goes to Marian Gaborik. Gabby had 1 goal and 1 assist, was even for the evening. And while Johnson was a +1, he also was the defenseman who left Glencross alone on the opposite post to poke in what proved to be the winning goal.
Looking ahead:
The Jackets are back at it today. They caught an 11pm flight on Blue Jackets Air headed for LawnGuyLand, where they will take on the Blue and Orange tonight at 7 at Nassau County Veterans Memorial Coliseum. But more on that shortly!
Record: 0-1-0, 0 pts., T-6th in the Metropolitan Division
The former Rangers - Marian Gaborik led the team (along with Jack Johnson) with 1 goal and 1 assist, and Artёm Anisimov rang up the third goal of the evening. Brandon Dubinsky had a good two-way game going all evening and contributed an assist on Gaborik's goal. Tim Erixon was scratched in favor of David Savard.
The Bad:
The defense - Too often the defense was seeming to spin in place at the blue line as Calgary would break out of the zone. A number of breakout passes were getting picked off or deflected. The second Calgary goal came off of a lazy pass from Ryan Murray, intended for James Wisniewski on the other point, but picked off by T.J. Gagliardi, who raced down on the breakaway for an easy goal. Confusion seemed to rein too often on plays down low in front of Sergei Bobrovski. The disciplined defensive play of the last half of last season was gone for most of the evening. On the fourth Calgary goal, Dalton Prout was more focused on checking David Jones, rather than breaking up the pass he sent cross-crease to Curtis Glencross, who was left unmarked at the left post by Jack Johnson, and Blake Comeau could not get to him before he poked the pass by Bobrovsky.
Passing - Passes were not crisp and clean. Wisniewski fired a couple of screamers, particularly to Gaborik, that just bounced right off the stick; those need to be a little bit softer. Also, passed made from D to D or headmanning an offensive push out of the zone need to be made with more awareness of the defense and if they can throw a stick into the passing lane to break up the play or even intercept.
The Awful:
The interference call on Jack Johnson with 1:09 left in the game - With just over a minute remaining, and with Bobrovsky out of the net in a 4-3 game, a Jackets' pass in the offensive end was broken up and collected by Calgary near the blue line. Johnson and Wisniewski rushed down ice after the Flames player (Mark Giordano, as I recall), catching up to him at the other blue line. Johnson had gotten a stride ahead by the top of the slot, and moved in to take the puck from in front of the opponent's stick. The Flames player fell, and referee Frederick L'Ecuyer raised his arm and blew the whistle. 18,151 rose to their feet in protest. Clearly Johnson had won possession of the puck before the opponent dove. How could you call interference on such a play? This has to have been one of the worst penalty calls I've seen. If the referee really believed an infraction occurred, Calgary should have been awarded the goal for interfering with a breakaway on an empty net. This call is a prime example of the "evidence" for a "Rule 614" conspiracy theory.
Blue Jackets Player of the Game:
This is where I buck the "media panel" who voted on the in-house three-stars. The only Blue Jackets player that was a star on the night was Jack Johnson. But my player of the game goes to Marian Gaborik. Gabby had 1 goal and 1 assist, was even for the evening. And while Johnson was a +1, he also was the defenseman who left Glencross alone on the opposite post to poke in what proved to be the winning goal.
Looking ahead:
The Jackets are back at it today. They caught an 11pm flight on Blue Jackets Air headed for LawnGuyLand, where they will take on the Blue and Orange tonight at 7 at Nassau County Veterans Memorial Coliseum. But more on that shortly!
Record: 0-1-0, 0 pts., T-6th in the Metropolitan Division
04 October 2013
Opening night - Blue Jackets vs. Calgary - 10/4/2013
It's finally here! It's Jackets Time! Opening night! Time to join the battle again!
The Opponent:
The Flames come to Nationwide Arena tonight, fresh off a shootout loss in Washington last night. The Flames had shot out to a 3-0 lead, and later held a 4-1 advantage, before the Capitals tied the game with 5:50 left and then won the shootout 2-0. Karri Ramo got the start in net for the Flames, and stayed in for the full run. Neither team looked terribly impressive in the 5-4 outcome.
The Jackets:
This is opening night, so there isn't a lot to go on. Especially since the last preseason game for the Jackets was eight days ago, and the lineup was peppered with bubble players getting one last chance to make a case for staying up. But tonight it's all for real, and the guys who are playing will be the faces to expect to see long-term this year (except for Nathan Horton, who is starting the year on injured reserve). The expected lineups per bluejackets.nhl.com are:
Jenner-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Letestu-Anisimov-Comeau
Calvert-Johansen-Atkinson
Umberger-MacKenzie-Foligno
Look at those lines! Scorers on all of them, even the "checking" line. Looking at the lines and realizing these are what we have with Nathan Horton out? I'm getting giddy just thinking about it!
Defensive pairings are projected to be:
Johnson-Prout
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Erixon/Savard
These pairings are tentative based on Fedor Tyutin's performance in the morning skate, as he suffered a minor injury in practice Wednesday and is listed as day-to-day/gametime decision. And the depth on the blue line is also quite apparent when you look over these pairings. How far things have come in such a short period of time!
Oh, and the expected started in net is some guy named Bobrovsky.
The Projection:
It's opening night, and a sell-out crowd is expected. The energy is likely to pick up where it was left at the end of the finale in April. The team has gotten stronger in the off-season. The pundits are undervaluing the team using terms such as "fluke" in talking of last season's final-half run. There's something to prove and a lot of people to prove it to. And it's one of the weakest clubs in the league that gets to be cannon-fodder for this evening. Provided the defense plays to their abilities, this shouldn't even be close.
Jackets win, 5-2
The Opponent:
The Flames come to Nationwide Arena tonight, fresh off a shootout loss in Washington last night. The Flames had shot out to a 3-0 lead, and later held a 4-1 advantage, before the Capitals tied the game with 5:50 left and then won the shootout 2-0. Karri Ramo got the start in net for the Flames, and stayed in for the full run. Neither team looked terribly impressive in the 5-4 outcome.
The Jackets:
This is opening night, so there isn't a lot to go on. Especially since the last preseason game for the Jackets was eight days ago, and the lineup was peppered with bubble players getting one last chance to make a case for staying up. But tonight it's all for real, and the guys who are playing will be the faces to expect to see long-term this year (except for Nathan Horton, who is starting the year on injured reserve). The expected lineups per bluejackets.nhl.com are:
Jenner-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Letestu-Anisimov-Comeau
Calvert-Johansen-Atkinson
Umberger-MacKenzie-Foligno
Look at those lines! Scorers on all of them, even the "checking" line. Looking at the lines and realizing these are what we have with Nathan Horton out? I'm getting giddy just thinking about it!
Defensive pairings are projected to be:
Johnson-Prout
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Erixon/Savard
These pairings are tentative based on Fedor Tyutin's performance in the morning skate, as he suffered a minor injury in practice Wednesday and is listed as day-to-day/gametime decision. And the depth on the blue line is also quite apparent when you look over these pairings. How far things have come in such a short period of time!
Oh, and the expected started in net is some guy named Bobrovsky.
The Projection:
It's opening night, and a sell-out crowd is expected. The energy is likely to pick up where it was left at the end of the finale in April. The team has gotten stronger in the off-season. The pundits are undervaluing the team using terms such as "fluke" in talking of last season's final-half run. There's something to prove and a lot of people to prove it to. And it's one of the weakest clubs in the league that gets to be cannon-fodder for this evening. Provided the defense plays to their abilities, this shouldn't even be close.
Jackets win, 5-2
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