Gallos' Six-Pack for Game 3: Phoenix Coyotes

The Columbus Blue Jackets took to the road to play the Phoenix Coyotes in the first of back to back games, and lost 5-1.  Steve Mason started in goal, and the first period ended scoreless.  Not a work of art, but a good road period.  As Craig Hartsburg said during his in game interview with Natalie, both teams are checking well and waiting for the other guy to make a mistake.  The CBJ scored first during the first half of the second period when Brassard cycled the puck out high and Tyutin blasted one home with Derek Dorsett cruising the slot and making traffic.  Phoenix countered with two goals, one off a turn over, the other when a seemingly bad pass bounces to the D-man and is hammered home by Ekman-Larsson.  Once the third period started, the Blue Jackets unraveled, became disjointed, and started giving up goals.

Stick tap to Light the Lamp

1.  This adult beverage goes to John Davidson, for his interview at the first intermission.  This is the type of thing that is a HUGE addition to the franchise.  You also have to remember that the other announcers are going to interview JD too, every time he's in their building.  And every time he does one of those interviews the credibility of the organization takes a jump.  I liked his perspective, that 'you have to improve, but you have to recognize that everyone else is trying to improve too".  Good stuff.

2. My second beer for the evening goes to Assistant Coach Keith Acton, for telling Natalie in an interview how bad our defensive zone breakouts were.  Unfortunately, it only got worse as the night went on.

3. My third beer of the evening goes to Steve Sullivan for his hat trick.  What can you say?

4. My fourth beer of the evening goes to Antoine Vermette who dominated in the face off circle.  Had you done some of that last year in a Blue Jackets uniform you might still be here.  Of course if you had the choice of being coached by Dave Tippett or Scott Arniel, you'd obviously take the former.

5. My fifth and sixth beers of the evening strangely had a hole in the bottom of them when I got them out of the fridge, probably stolen by an enterprising Coyotes fan.  It was that kind of night.  Plus I didn't want to give any more beers to Coyotes players, in spite of the fact that they earned them.

The CBJ came out hustling in the first period, but couldn't get anything past Mike Smith, the starting 'Yotes goal tender.  He was injured, and replaced by Jason LaBarbera, who stoned the CBJ after giving up the one goal in the second.  Steve Mason's fragile confidence shattered in the second period, and by the latter part of the third period he couldn't stop pucks that he had good looks at.  The only good thing you can view out of this game is that Curtis McElhinney is returning to play in Springfield, and if I had to take a chance on passing  Mason or CMac through waivers, I'd definitely take that chance on Mason.  We don't have a 1 and a 1A goal tender situation.  We have a 1 and a distant 3.  The good news is that we got CMac from the Yotes in the Vermette trade, so we got something out of that.  Perhaps he would make a reliable 2.

Did the BlueJackets get out worked tonight?  You betcha.  It was bone ugly.  Best forget it as soon as possible.  We'll find out what that means tomorrow night.

GO JACKETS!!