Chicago 5 - Columbus 2 11-26-5, 5th in Central Div., 15th in Western Conf.
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Columbus by a score of 5-2 on Tuesday night in Todd Richards debut as the interim head coach of the Blue Jackets. For the Blackhawks, it snapped a four game winless streak. For the Blue Jackets it was the end of brutal four game road trip.
1. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes Reeling from the firing of Scott Arniel and injuries to Mark Letestu (broken hand) and Jeff Carter (separated shoulder), the Blue Jackets limped into Chicago for the debut of Todd Richards behind the bench. Richards first order of business was to announce that under his watch playing time would have to be earned. The problem, at least for his first game, was that given the circumstances of losing two top six guys on the tail end of an extended road trip he didn't have a lot of options.
Richards' pairings shaped out like this: Nash-Brassard-Prospal (seems reasonable), Vermette-Johansen-Kubalik (yikes!), Umberger-Pahlsson-Dorsett (love it), and Boll-D-Mac-Russell (sure, why not). Clitsome was the healthy scratch on the blue line (hmmmm) and the pairings were Tyutin-Nikitin (no brainer), Moore-Methot (seems reasonable) and Savard-Johnson (and prayers). The results were about what you would expect. The Jackets were adept at moving the puck out of their zone and through the neutral zone, but once past the blue line they lacked cohesion and chemistry. Still, they showed some quickness and battled hard, keeping the Hawks from registering their second shot until 12:30 into the first period. They would go on to out-shoot the Hawks 34-25 for the game, but quality scoring chances were too few and far between to stay competitive with the Hawks.
Anaheim 7 - Columbus 4 11-25-5, 5th in Central Division, 15th in Western Conference
[Edited by DBJ to correct the time/date stamp and get the blog in proper chronological order. The author for this piece was Greg May.]
In the third game of this four game road trip, the Blue Jackets lost to the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 7-4. It was a wild one on several levels.
1. Why? That is the question many Blue Jackets fans were asking when they learned Steve Mason was getting the start over Curtis Sanford, who had just posted the team's first shutout of the season one night earlier against a red-hot L.A Kings team. Counting the San Jose game, his first game back since injuring his right hip two weeks ago, Sanford had stopped 68 of 70 shots on this roadie, a .971 save percentage.
Mason, on the other hand, hadn't started since riding herd on a kick-in-the-gut 4-2 loss to Washington at home on New Years Eve, a game in which he surrendered all four goals in the third period to eviscerate a 2-0 Jackets lead. For whatever reason (and who really cares what it was), Arniel opted to go with Mason against the Ducks. If Mason's New Year's resolution was not to give up four goals in a period again, it only lasted eight days.
Mason got beat every which way in the first period, giving up four goals on 16 shots. After letting in a high glove-side snapper by Andrew Cogliano off a juicy rebound, Mason proceeded to get beat high glove side again by Corey Perry, on a wrap-a-round by Teemu Selanne after it appeared Mason quit on the play and lost the puck behind the net, and finally on a five-hole wrister by Saku Koivu. I will add the usual caveats: the team came out flat, turned the puck over charitably and got outshot 16-8 in the first period. Still, even Arniel had seen enough of Mason at that point.
So, for those counting at home, that's 8 goals against on 24 shots for Mason in his last two periods. With Mark Dekanich now rehabbing in Springfield, the Blue Jackets might finally have a viable alternative to keeping Mason on the roster. As for the long term, here's something to consider that DBJ himself dug up (which he tweeted to me from his "undisclosed location'). Seems like a reasonable expenditure of a million and some change at this point, doesn't it?
The herd is thinning, and statistical output likely will play a role in determining who makes Columbus' opening day roster.
I've been more than a little snakebit with regards to watching Columbus Blue Jackets preseason hockey. Thus far, I've seen two whopping periods of hockey across six possible games. My first game in person will be on Thursday against (oh boy) Minnesota, but enough hockey has come and gone to start poring through the box scores and do a little statistical comparison-making as we consider what the opening night lineup will look like. Stats surely don't mean everything, especially in training camp when things like chemistry, playing style, maturity and other intangibles come into the decision-making mix...but overlooking statistical performance is never wise.
So here you go...the story thus far for what I consider the Blue Jackets' forwards who are sitting on the roster bubble:
Note that in addition to totals, I've posted game-by-game results for each player as well. Click on the player's last name at the bottom of the spreadsheet to see their numbers.
Ken Hitchcock was coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets from November 22, 2006 to February 3, 2010. He is the winningest coach in Blue Jackets history, compiling a record of 285 G, 126W, 123L, and 36OTL. Depending on how you fall out on your view of the shootout, he is the only coach in CBJ history to have a winning record.
In my last post I made the assertion that although many names had changed, the talent level of the team plateaued at about the 2003-04 level. As evidence for that, I point to Ken Hitchcock's coaching record. Prior to coming to Columbus, as a head coach he had never coached a team in the NHL for the entire year and not made the playoffs. That is, until he coached the 2007-08 CBJ squad.
Don't get me wrong. I think he was kind of fond of that team, because he believed that the team had maxxed out. That they had given him everything that they had. But it wasn't enough, they simply lacked the talent to be a playoff team. But I am jumping ahead.
Ken Hitchcock's coaching career for the CBJ served as a bridge between two General Managers, Doug MacLean and Scott Howson. As such, Coach Hitchcock holds a very important place in CBJ history.
In their last 10PM start of the 2010-2011 season, the Columbus Blue Jackets lost, 3-0, to the Phoenix Coyotes in front of 215 people at Jobing.com Arena.
Word is that Rick Nash and R.J. Umberger held a closed-door, players-only meeting after the game. The DBJ blog had a mole in the room, and thus we offer:
THE TOP 10 COMMENTS OVERHEARD AT THE BLUE JACKETS' PLAYERS-ONLY MEETING
1. Rivet, Moreau, Clark, Murray, Hejda, Stralman - Out. You're not going to be here next year anyway.
2. Guys, the season isn't over yet. It's really OK to keep scoring.
Not to beat this horse too hard, but Tom Reed's piece in today's Dispatch is the perfect postscript to yesterday's discussion of the Bob Probert/CTE bombshell.
Boll read the Globe And Mail story of how the late Bob Probert - one of the NHL's most celebrated tough guys - suffered from a degenerative disease that might be linked to years of absorbing head shots.
Then, Boll sat down and read the story again.
"It's scary to think about how it could affect you down the road," said Boll, 24. "You know, that's part of how I fight. I take a lot of punches, it's part of my strategy. I have been doing it for years now, and it's the risk you take playing."
It reads to me like Boll probably figured that risks like CTE were possible for some time, but the scientific confirmation of Probert's case made him take pause. It would make me take pause, too.
The only way out of the enforcer's trap (fight or be cut) is to put another tool in the hockey toolbelt. Boll once was a decent scorer in juniors, and he's displayed flashes of that skill over this season. For his sake, I hope he starts burying the chances that he gets.
The Columbus Blue Jackets left for a week-long road trip on the right foot, dispatching with the Phoenix Coyotes, 5-3, in front of nearly 17,000 fans at Nationwide Arena.
The obvious big story is that rookie Matt Calvert, in his 20th NHL game, dropped a natural hat trick on Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. That makes 9 goals in 20 games. What more needs be said? How about this picture...instead of a thousand words:
Hats rained onto the ice for minutes after Matt Calvert scored his third goal.
(Photo from the Columbus Blue Jackets)
Gone but not forgotten - Tommy Sestito left his mark...
literally...on the NHL in his nine games with Columbus.
The Columbus Blue Jackets gave the AHL Springfield Falcons a huge (literally) Christmas present in the person of 6'5", 228-pound forward Tommy Sestito, who apparently was the odd man out in a roster squeeze that resulted from the imminent return of Derek MacKenzie from injured reserve.
In nine games with the Blue Jackets, Sestito tallied 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points. Looking at the perspective of the scoring-anemic CBJ, those four points are nothing to sneeze at. Sestito not only used his size to barrel his way through the defense, but he also appeared to be the "missing link" in the power play, setting up shop in the crease with such force that even the vaunted Roberto Luongo started complaining. One of the long-envied aspects of the Detroit Red Wings' game is the ability of Tomas Holmstrom to control the crease and make goalies' lives miserable. For nine games, it looked like we might have our own such player.
The rested Columbus Blue Jackets got to take advantage of the road-weary Calgary Flames tonight at Nationwide Arena to the tune of a 3-1 win in regulation.
The two points in the standings for the CBJ represents the first regulation win since December 11's 3-1 win over the New York Rangers.
The game itself was competitive, highlighted by nice, tough goals by Jake Voracek and Jared Boll - not to mention another strong effort from Mathieu Garon in net. Calgary tried to muster a little gusto in the second and third, but it was pretty much all CBJ tonight.
In fact, I'll go as far as to say that it could have been a lot worse for the Flames - if not for the Blue Jackets.
The Columbus Blue Jackets led the Montreal Canadiens wire-to-wire, eventually shutting out the Habs by a score of 3-0 at Nationwide Arena.
What I found most exciting out of the evening was not the great Rick Nash wrister over Carey Price's shoulder nor the Derick Brassard cleanup goal off of a Jake Voracek breakaway. No, what I was most impressed by was the total control of the game that the Blue Jackets displayed over the Northeast Division-leading Canadiens. This, by my estimation, was the finest win that the Jackets have posted this season.
2009-2010 numbers: 68 games played, 4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points, -8, 149 penalty minutes, 7:12 avg. time on ice
One of the more maddening things about the National Hockey League to me is the way in which the league has systematically taken fighting out of the realm of "enforcement" and into the realm of "energy" - or, perhaps better said, "circus sideshow." A fight on the ice should be an act of retaliation for an excessive action by the other player (or other team). Instead, let's let Jared himself explain why he fights:
"I was just trying to get the rest of the guys going."
That was following a beating that Boll took at the hands of then-Wild enforcer and uber-fighter Derek Boogaard. So...he lets himself get pounded in the name of team unity? Man, that's one helluva way to make a living. Boll has had moments when he's had the upper hand, but his fight card could be a lot prettier.
The Era of Square Pegs and Round Holes is gone. It has been replaced by the Era of Group Hugs.
They say that every sports coaching change is like a pendulum swing for a club, going back and forth between the harsh taskmaster and the players coach. There's no question that Ken Hitchock was the former, and now Claude Noel is trying his hardest to be the latter. He's chosen to play the nice guy, the cheerleader...and maybe that's what the Columbus Blue Jackets need right now.
The team played a little ragged, which stands to reason when your (interim) head coach Noel proclaims that he's going to stop the over-thinking and ditch the X's and O's at the door. Again, part of the post-Hitch decompression.
1. The Columbus Blue Jackets, jumped out to an early lead against the Nashville Predators in the first period but seemed to be swimming in molasses for the rest of the night, collecting penalties like they were this year's hot Christmas gift and eventually losing in the shootout, 4-3. Here are the highlights:
1a. With 27 points, the Jackets sit in the 6th seed in the NHL's Western Conference and only 3 points behind the division leading (and #2 seed) Chicago Blackhawks.
2. The story of the night was the incredible number of penalties that the Jackets took in the 3rd period. And they were perfectly spaced, too....2:34, 5:39, 9:48, 12:38. To the Jackets' credit, they killed all 4 penalties. However, they were losing their legs by the time that the second of the penalties was killed off. It was just a matter of holding on for dear life through the rest of the game - with a little lift on a game-ending power play to keep it interesting.
2b. Considering the fatigue factor - probably the worst I remember seeing out of the CBJ - the Jackets were fortunate to get a point. Nashville could have very easily pounced on them, scored on a power play or two and ended it. That didn't happen, which speaks to the grit and character of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
3. The positive story of the night was the performance of Steve Mason. When his defensive support failed him (and the penalties forced the team to play short-handed), he came up with save after save...and some of the very impressive kind. 45 saves on 48 shots is a LONG night, and Mase held up.
3a. I'm not ready to say that he has his groove back - I've more or less resigned myself that he's going to have a yo-yo type of year - but, for one evening, he was darned close to dominant.
3b. I'll take it a step further. Mase stole the point for us last night, one the CBJ really didn't deserve to get.
4. R.J. Umberger got two goals on the night, both in the 1st period, including this wild stickball shot:
4a. R.J. is perhaps THE unsung hero on this team. He is selfless and versatile, meaning that Hitchcock plugs him into every situation on nearly every night. Center the first line? Sure. Winger on the checking line? No problem. Sit in the crease and take a pounding on the power play? Okey dokey. And he never complains (at least publicly), just goes where he's asked and does a bang-up job wherever he lands. I was thrilled that he got the two goals last night and only wished he could've pulled out a hat trick as reward for his contributions.
4b. Does the fact that the Jackets "won" the day with the Neal suspension and the Umberger goal mean that we've turned a corner in the minds of the folks in Toronto?
5. Mad props to Derick Brassard, who worked his tail off, got two assists and didn't give up all night long. He's a talent, I tell ya...
6. I love Anton Stralman's shot from the point....
7. Where in the world was the first line? Especially Rick Nash.
8. Poor Jared Boll got speared in between the legs.
8a. Male hockey fans across Ohio curled over in sympathy.
8b. The witty wordsmiths amongst us got to play with Jared getting it in the "Bolls." Sigh.
9. Strangely I don't hate Nashville. I don't like 'em, sure. But I respect the hell out of 'em. They always give the Jackets a tough, tough game.
9a. I think that my respect in the Preds is rooted in the fact that I think that Barry Trotz is an incredible coach. To do what he's done over the life of that franchise is nothing less than miraculous. Does he have his boys ready to play or not?
10. I'll be crossing my fingers that the Jackets can regroup and rest up to finish the road trip. Such a long night, with all of those penalty kills, can take a little while from which to recover. Let's hope Hitch gives them adequate rest. If we're rested and ready, we can definitely get three if not more points from the Rangers, Habs and Sens.
Next Up: Monday night in Madison Square Garden. Maybe Nash was resting up for his command performance on Broadway...?
1. Somehow linked to playing one of the worst teams in the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets "50 Minute Men" made a reprise appearance...in reverse...last night, offering roughly 10 minutes of inspired play and still beating the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2.Your highlights:
1a. The win catapulted the Jackets back into first place in the NHL Western Conference's Central Division with 20 points. It's only a 2-point lead over Chicago, who plays the Kings on Monday night, so there's a likelihood that the CBJ will slip back out of contention.
1c. Despite their performance, I'm glad that Carolina came to town as I love their jerseys.
2a. Mase even got an assist on the Boll goal. I love it when goalies get assists...you really know the machine is humming on all parts of the ice!
3. With only 7:26 of ice time to his name - though it sure seemed like more, Nikita Filatov got the CBJ's first score of the night and his second of the season. Playing fourth line minutes with fourth line talent doesn't give you the best opportunity to shine, but Filatov is pushing through and getting noticed. He won't ever be the Nash-like power forward that Ken Hitchcock clearly covets (going back to Mike Modano in Dallas), but he has the tools and spunk to be a goal-scoring step up from Kristian Huselius in the not-too-distant future.
4. Speaking of, did anyone really feel the absence of Huselius from the roster last night? As in, "But for the Huselius injury, the game would have gone in a totally different direction?" I didn't. And Juice is worth $5 million against the CBJ's already-restricted salary cap.
4a. If I was Scott Howson, I'd see if Hitchcock could push Filatov along a little more aggressively and market Juice as trade bait. The CBJ could get some impressive talent at $5 million per year, talent that might be of bigger utility to playing Hitch-hockey.
4b. Is Freddy Modin planning on coming back? Any time this season, perhaps? And do the CBJ want him to come back?
5. On the subject of coming back, Mike Commodore returned after recovering sufficiently from what has to be the worst charley horse in human history. At 14:26 of ice time, 3 shots and a -1 rating, he appears to have done OK for a recovery/rehab game.
5a. When I hear the term, "charley horse," I still think of a calf cramp caused by lack of potassium. A banana or two fixed it in about an hour. Clearly, Commie had something different, but I can't help but think, "Just eat a banana and get back on the ice!"
5b. Happy birthday, Mike. It was your 30th yesterday, and your being one of the "older players" on the roster reinforced how old I really am.
5c. Mike's interviews on Fox Sports Ohio last night reinforce my thinking that that the man should have a job in the booth when he gets out. Plain-spoken, clear-spoken and kinda fun to listen to. You just want to hang out with Commie after listening to him.
6. Continuing the "Who is this person and what have you done with Jared Boll?" theme, last night spotlighted the "Boll the Sniper" persona (as opposed to the "Boll the Feared Pugilist" persona of the other night). Taking a feeder pass from Stralman (via Mason), Boll skated virtually untouched down the ring, did a couple dekes that I'm still trying to master on NHL 10, and top-shelfed against the Carolina backup goalie. Dang. If he can do that consistently, put that man on the shootout crew!
7. In the DBJ media critic section, let's start by giving the fine folks at Fox Sports Ohio a hearty applause for playing with their format and using a throwaway game (Carolina isn't setting the world on fire) to try out some different approaches to their broadcast. I will never criticize those who say, "Why not?" and attempt to innovate. You never know when something great will happen as a result. We got some hits and misses, which I will catalog below:
7a. The opening of the "All Access" game broadcast put a camera in the locker room and followed the team out onto the ice. It used an innovative angle to show the team taking the ice and gave the viewers the feeling of emotional investment through the entire sequence. I LOVED IT and hope that this becomes a staple of all Blue Jackets broadcasts.
7b. The behind the scenes looks at the broadcast trailer and the booth shots were novelty, to be sure, but good for only one such display per season.
7c. If you're going to mike up a player, make sure you use more of his live commentary than, "Let's go, boys!" one hundred times.
7d. The in-game interviews with Ken Hitchcock at the conclusion of the intermissions were gold. Keep it if you can.
7e. The behind the scenes look at the game ops? See my take from 7b.
7f. This is a philosophical discussion, so bear with me. There appears to be two basic schools of thought on how to broadcast a sporting event. One school suggests that one should broadcast it as a journalistic endeavor, reporting objectively on what happens on the ice and throughout the game. The Columbus Dispatch takes that approach in their writing, for example, and the major broadcast networks do, too, in their tv broadcasts of sports of all types. The other school of thought is that the broadcast is promotion of the event as entertainment, which reduces the journalism and plays up the glitz and glamour. Both are reasonable arguments. The "All Access" game clearly emphasized the latter over the former. The problem was, the devastating Cam Ward injury warranted a shift on the fly to the journalistic mode. Fox Sports should have had a camera following Ward down the tunnel to the locker room and on the ambulance pulling out of Nationwide. They should have inserted a Cam Ward question into every interview of the night (in this case, making sure to interview Carolina players and coaches as well as CBJ'ers). This was one of the biggest stories in the NHL last night, and Fox Sports was interviewing the organ player.
8. Anton Stralman is in a quiet groove, getting his 15:11 of ice time, grabbing an assist and not making a showing performance. Is this a European thing - the quietly efficient, professional hockey outing? Anyway, I miss seeing his authoritative control of the point and the slap shots on the power play. But that's nit-picking...I'm just glad he's on the roster.
9a. I feel horrible for the guy - the injury might knock him out of the Olympics and - more importantly for his employer - keep the Hurricanes far away from viability for quite a while. He's a talented goaltender regardless of his team's record, and he should be on the ice.
9b. The Rick Nash skate cutting his leg (knee?) was a fluke. A really, really unfortunate fluke. But as Mase mentioned, Ward doesn't wear knee guards under his big leg blockers.
Ward is one of the goaltenders who doesn't wear knee protectors under his padding, Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason said.
"We have the option to wear them, and he chooses not to," Mason said. "You hope everything is OK and it's not too serious, but there was a lot of blood. That's a pretty scary situation and it could happen to anybody, but that's why I wear the knee pads, and (Mathieu Garon) wears the knee pads."
Might want to rethink that, Cam.
9c. I've already mentioned how Fox Sports Ohio fell down on covering this, but it's a big enough point that I'll mention it one more time.
9d. Kudos to Twitterer "derdrache" for being the first to mention that Ward was being taken away in an ambulance. You scooped the "real media" - a hard thing to do when the Dispatch does such a great job in covering the CBJ.
9e. I'm not sure I've ever seen so much blood on the ice, nor have I ever seen it take so long to get all of that blood off the ice. That hockey, it can be a dangerous sport...
10. This was a classic game in the "Only we can beat ourselves" mode. The Hurricanes really didn't play that well. The Jackets played to their level for 40-50 minutes and used the 3-minute, 3-goal spurt to push themselves over the top. They won't get away with this type of play every night, so enjoy it while you can, guys.
Next up, a heavily wounded Red Wings club comes to Masonwide on Wednesday. (Here's hoping Jason Williams gets better soon. He was good to us as a Blue Jacket.) Should be an interesting challenge - to see if the CBJ can play with some snarl against the team that swept them from last year's playoffs.
Pulled from Puck Rakers, a perspective offered by "Evan" on Jared Boll that we may not always consider (offered in the context of Boll's starting against Pittsburgh over the scratched Nikita Filatov):
Gotta feel bad for Boll. Every time I think "maybe not, the kid's making a bunch of money to play the game he loves" I remember what might be happening to his brain every time he gets hit -- or takes a couple of head shots on a completely dirty play like Hordichuk's.
The kid is partly complicit given that he plays -- or used to be able to play -- an absurdly reckless style. As a friend once said "he checks himself into the boards more often than any opponent". But that's also how he's had to try and play to get and keep a job. He's also fought about twenty times each of the last two seasons: right near tops in the league. He used to be a decent middleweight. But trying to play heavyweight enforcer on a team without one has obviously been bad for his career. Let's hope not his long term health as well (read the recent New Yorker article on what hitting in football is doing to an increasing number of players' brains: alzheimers-type symptoms at forty). I'm actually a fan of hitting in hockey and also of some legit, fair fights. But the head shots have to stop. And unless and until the NHL seriously bans or deters fighting, it's better to leave the heavyweight role to heavyweights (which is why I voted yes in the most recent poll). Read an interview with Brad May the other day. Whatever you think of the guy, he's lasted til age thirty-eight in the league as mostly a fighter. Some of that might be luck. But he also knows what he's doing and can handle the role. Boll is in over his head. I used to think the Barch fight was an aberration and he'd bounce back. Doesn't look like it. What is he -- twenty-two or so years old?
Is Boll becoming a punch-drunk fighter? Has he already become one?
1. The 6-4 Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the 6-4 Phoenix Coyotes last night at Nationwide Arena and played roughly 25-30 minutes of reasonably solid hockey. The rest of the game made my nephew's squirt league look like NHL All-Stars. The Jackets lost, 4-1.
1a. It's been a tale of two seasons. The Jackets built on the lessons learned in the brief playoff run last year and went 5-1. They then lost Jan Hejda, lost their perspective and started sliding, going 1-4 over this most recent stretch. With Pittsburgh and Washington, arguably the best two teams in a weak Eastern Conference, on the docket for Friday and Sunday, a 1-6 streak is very possible.
2. Contrary to a healthy portion of the CBJ fan base, I do not blame Steve Mason. Let's analyze those goals, shall we? (Seems fitting that the NHL posted the Coyotes feed...)
Goal 1 (video time: 1:35) - Hanzal grabs a rebound while rushing the crease. Mase was on his knees and made the initial low block. The short rebound went right in front of him, and he opened his legs up to grab the puck. Hanzal dropped it in the slightly-ajar five-hole.
Goal 2 (video time: 1:55) - Puck was shot wide, but Tyutin's skate ricocheted it back in behind Mason. Not Mase's fault as he was in line with the shooter.
Goal 3 (video time: 3:35) - Michalek uses the power play activity on the other side of the ice to his advantage, gets a pass from another 'yote, and drops it in behind Mason. I think that was glove side high, which Mase left wide open. Note that the shorthanded CBJ defense bit just like Mason did, offering no backside protection.
Goal 4 (video time: 3:55) - Mase got schooled by Lang. Mase squared up, the angle was relatively challenging for Lang, and Lang blew the puck past Mason. Given Mason's apparent state of mind, I'm going to guess that he mentally had punched the clock on the night.
In my estimation, Mase was uniquely responsible for goals 1 and 4. Goal 2 was a dumb fluke, and goal 3 was a defensive failing on the penalty kill. With a 2-1 game, however, Mase's spirits would have been higher...and the Jackets sure had enough nice looks at LaBarbara to salvage a point if not win it outright.
2a. If we take goaltending guru Dave Rook at his word and believe that Mason is technically sound, then the team needs to focus on the grey matter between Mason's ears and the defense that plays in front of him. Is Mason going to win the Vezina Trophy this year? Most likely not. Will he be the cause for a team meltdown? Without some help, it'll sure seem like it.
2b. I sincerely hope that Mason has shelved the idea of playing in the Olympics for Team Canada and is focussed on getting his game turned around.
3. On a team with fewer and fewer players who are positive in the +/- on the season, the Jackets had to send defenseman Mathieu Roy back to Syracuse because they risked exposing him to waivers if they kept him around too much longer. This was a shame, as Roy was a reasonably solid d-man and would have been helpful.
3a. This move also signals that Jan Hejda is coming back to the team soon, and that won't happen quickly enough. The CBJ need that +8 on the season, with his settling influence, back in the lineup BADLY.
4. Kristian Huselius is a riddle wrapped in an enigma, but it's pretty clear that he doesn't have the chops to play Hitch-hockey. That's a damning statement when you consider that he's the team's second-highest paid player with a cap hit of $4.75 million, eating up just under 10 percent of the Jackets' salary money for the year. 10 percent of the team's money going to player who plays as erratic as Juice? Not wise.
4a. As a counterpoint, Antoine Vermette, with a $2.7265 million cap hit, is really playing quite well. He's driving to the net, working well with his linemates - especially Jake Voracek - and is around the scoring chances more often than not.
5. Jared Boll made his obligatory appearance and got in a fight with a guy who had a longer wingspan. Boll literally couldn't connect on nearly any of his punches, "lost" (if you really want to call it a fight), got a 5 minute major and was on the ice for a whopping 3:34 during the entire game. Someone remind me why he's on the roster?
6. Derick Brassard started getting out of his funk - finally! He netted a power play goal and got the CBJ out in front first for the first time in seven games. He also had his motor running for much of the game, notching 10:20 in ice time and warranting a promotion back up to the top 2 lines. Good to see on a whole number of levels. I like his competitive spirit.
7. Anton Stralman put in another solid night, with 15:36 minutes on ice, a couple shots and both power play and penalty kill service. And he comes across as eerily unflappable. Methinks we have another Hejda in the making.
7a. Another D-Man, Fedor Tyutin, must be getting tired. He was the Jackets' high minute player last night with 18:54 on ice, took 3 shots and only had a -1 on the night. Almost makes the ricocheted goal excusable.
8. I'm still not convinced that the team is missing anything significant with regards to skill or system. More and more, I think that this is a matter of team maturity. There is significant playoff/Stanley Cup experience on the team, but there's an even more significant number of young, young players on the squad. Until the young players begin to realize that they need to play the system to win - and that might be subjugating themselves and their talents to play in that system - it just won't happen for the CBJ.
8a. Even more importantly, there appears to be a lack of player leadership. We all know that Rick Nash is the strong, silent type of captain, one who leads by example on the ice, right? Well, leading by example last night equaled 3 shots and 2 minutes in the sin bin for 15 and a half minutes of play. That's not good enough - he was virtually invisible! He should expect more of himself, and he should DEMAND more of his teammates.
8b. I won't call it a crisis in player leadership, but I won't place the blame on the coaches for what we saw last night. Hitch has pulled rabbit after rabbit out of his hat to get this team moving in the right direction, and it's the players' responsibilities to do their part as well. It's just not happening right now.
8c. Do you think that Michael Peca would come back for cheap - say, Jared Boll's $743,333?
8d. To their credit, alternate captains R.J. Umberger and Mike Commodore both tried to get the team going. Commodore ran Hanzal after the early goal (and got penalized), and Umberger picked a fight in the crease with one of the 'yotes. There is veteran play, but are the youngsters catching on? The lack of fight in the team after the Jason Chimera hit in Los Angeles was downright scary. Where's the fire?
9. I usually don't talk much about the other guys, but Jason LaBarbara was incredible out there last night. As mentioned earlier, the Jackets had a handful of quality shots - all but one turned away by the Phoenix backup. As we CBJ fans know what good goaltending is and haven't seen it on our side in a while, it's only fair to offer compliments where we see it from the other side.
10. Recycling a post from just under a month ago, It's All About Desire. For some strange reason, I think I'll be going back to this well a few times over the next month or two...
Next up, a Malkin-less, 10-2-0 Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night. I am on record with friends in predicting that the Pens will drop between 7 and 9 goals on the Jackets on the presumption that the Jackets won't get the Hitchcock gospel. With Malkin out, I'm predicting between 6 and 8. I'm not being an alarmist, but I sure am being a realist. This is one tough team against which systemic damage can get repaired.
