10 Thoughts about Game 3: San Jose

1. It was San Jose, where the Blue Jackets have won ONCE since the club's inception.  It was the home opener for the Sharks.  The Sharks hadn't been playing all too well.  And they beat the CBJ, 6-3.  Is anyone really surprised?

2. Dany Heatley was one incredible pickup for the Sharks.  Hat trick and +6 on the night?  No wonder Rick Nash had so much fun playing with him at the World Championships.  That top line of Heatley, Thorton and Setoguichi is something to which the CBJ can aspire.

3. I saw a very profound insight on Mason's gradually crummier performance online, and I'll paraphrase it here: He lost his composure after getting run into the sidebar of the goal.  Up until that point, he was hanging in there.

3a. If we had last year's goalies, Hitch would've made Mason gut it out.

4. Klesla...sigh.  Let's hope it was "one of those days".

5. Anyone think that the extra day off between games had something to do with this loss?  The fact that they played well up front and tapered off at the end tends to make me think otherwise, but it's worthwhile conversation.  I personally would get sluggish if I was hanging around in a hotel for an extra day.

6. Rick Nash's post-second period interview was amusing.  Rick, it's OK to look at the interviewer when answering his question.  This isn't a glamour shot session - no need to mug for the camera.  (But Nasher is getting much more comfortable with the cameras, that's for sure.)

7. There are at least two bona fide warriors on this team, each in their own way.  RJ Umberger took hit after hit from the heavy-checking Sharks, limping off the ice, forcing Aaron Portzline to got check on his condition and then returning again and again.  He's all man.  And then there's Derek Dorsett, who put a couple shots on goal and wasn't backing down from anyone:





8. Managing the youth on the team while posting wins will be Hitch's biggest challenge.  This is a young, young team that jettisoned a lot of veterans in the offseason to make room for the whipper-snappers.  (And then there's poor Freddy Modin, who keeps getting injured...sigh.)  Young players have lots of skill, but their confidence can get paper-thin and that affects the outcomes of games.  What a balancing act for our Leader.

9. Me likey Stralman's right-hand shot.

10. We were never expected to go 82-0. We ARE expected to split our points when on the road. We've got 2 out of a potential 4, now onto a tough game in Phoenix's home opener. More on that game later...