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| Philadelphia 5 - Columbus 4 |
With the win, Philadelphia climbs to 36 standings points and, for the moment, takes over the all-important third place spot in the Metro. The Blue Jackets stay pat at 32 points in seventh place.
It's honestly hard to say anything positive when shell-shocked by the third period. So let's once again roll out Charley Kane, who has a habit of watching Blue Jackets games in Philly...
Five goals. FIVE GOALS. IN ONE PERIOD. You said it, Charley.
Here's the haiku:
Play the whole game, guys
Play the entire damn game
Really, the whole game
NEXT UP: The Blue Jackets host the Flyers at Nationwide on Saturday night at 7PM.
Those who let this critical game slip away need to be held accountable. Coaches? Players?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I thought this was an instance where not having a captain really hurt them. There was no person for the players to look to in order to stem the panic. You cannot use a committee in the heat of battle, you need a leader.
ReplyDeleteTaking nothing away from the two early goals, the first twenty minutes was a sloppy, drunken makeout session on a dance floor at 2am. The game was unsettling. The Jackets went into "Play not to lose" than using the normal strategies when playing with a slim lead mid-way thru the 3rd. And this captain thing kills me. The leadership is there or it isn't. Gluing a C on someone's chest is to make mommies and fans happy.
ReplyDeleteOk, I'm a fan boy, so I count right? Make me happy! Ha, ha, ha! I get to play in the next round of making Morgan mad. If I accept what you say, which I generally do, then we are left to conclude that the leadership isn't there. At least last night. Perhaps it will emerge in the coming days.
ReplyDeleteWhat would a leader do or say in last night's game? "Hey Umby, if you can't be stronger on your stick, get off the ice?" Or, "Dubi, you may be the big fish in the small pond here, but you've got to finish!" Perhaps a leader would say something like "Curtis, you play like Mason, and look what happened to him."
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be a long season and no amount of social media magic is going to make it any better.
Fair points, no doubt. So what lit the fire under the Flyers? That is the flip side of that coin. They out stunk our team for two periods, did they suddenly say "oh gee, mayhap we ought play some hockey", or did someone get in their face, particularly Jake's? Enquiring minds want to know!
DeleteGee, how about "We are not going to lose to Columbus, one of the worst teams in the NHL." Or "They have a goalie who has never stuck on an NHL roster." Look, the leadership issue is a diversion away from the fact that the team still does not have a solid defense, scoring from more than a couple of players, and roster spots filled by guys with big contracts.
ReplyDeleteNah, I'm not buying. I didn't say they wouldn't have lost if they had a captain. I said it was 'an instance' where it might have hurt them. Who do you suppose mouthed those words in the Flyers locker room? Mason? The leadership issue is one of many for this team. And I think its minor issue, among many.
DeleteThis isn't a team that is somehow failing to defend its Stanley Cup, its a team that went on a crazy run and just missed the playoffs, and pissed all over our draft picks. The holes on this team are the same ones that were there at the start of the season.
So what constitutes a 'solid' defense? Arguably, Commodore and Hjeda are the most successful defensive pairing the franchise has ever had. Would we have been better off with both of them in the lineup last night? Would you say that the Flyers have a solid defense?
This is probably the best defense in franchise history. That said, it doesn't mean that a trip to playoffs is even in the cards. Its nothing short of a miracle that they are still in the race at all. And they won't be for long if they keep crapping away third period leads.
The number one goal tender went down with an injury. It looked for a bit like we might be able to get away with it, but now, probably not. This season has always been about whether or not they could hold on by the skin of their teeth till the big contracts got on the ice, and then we would see what its ceiling was going to be. And it still is. Thank God we're in the Metro, or we'd already know that answer.
Big contracts? What do you call Dubinsky, Wisniewski, and Umberger? Johansen is great, Ryan Murray will be a superstar, Bob is a foundation in goal to build upon, and I am positive about Calvert, Atkinson, Foligno, and Jenner.
DeleteI want Jack Johnson to be the player we all thought he was. I want more goals and more defense from him. Is he a Duncan Keith kind of defenseman? That's what we we thought he was when we acquired him, but his numbers and play have gone south. Tyutin and Nikitin can play better and Savard is showing promise.
You are the one who brought up the leadership issue and I sarcastically responded. The team finds a way to lose games and we all look for reasons and lack of leadership is one that The Dispatch and others bring up. Maybe the team simply needs to play better and harder and wee what will happen. I've made known who I think don't play well; Umberger and Wisniewski. Both of them have fat contracts, the compensation that is given to guys who are Top Ten players. I would release Umby tomorrow if I ran the team and use Wiz as a PP specialist, cutting back his regular ice time to that of a third pair.
My love of hockey has been challenged by the lockouts and what it has done to the game. A greedy bunch of owners couldn't control themselves and compete, so they took the game away from us. When the lockout ended, nothing changed for us in Columbus. In fact, according to Forbes, the value of the franchise went down.
Watching that game on Wednesday was liking watching Tony Romo find a way for the Dallas Cowboys to lose. We had a 3-0 lead in the third and 4-2 with ten minutes left. For crying out loud, Jackets, find a way to win!
It seems as though this group is always waiting for something to happen, be it good or bad. With the exception of a couple of games, its always a flat start, score a goal or two, get some energy and a checking game going, and then go into a defensive cocoon.(read as try not to lose) I honestly don't think there IS a quality guy to kick them in the ass and get them going. I also don't believe that to be a coaching problem. Cliche time; this is a YOUNG team. They are learning some hard lessons on the fly. And whether anyone wants to admit it, 20% of the starters are not in the line-up. Take away two lucky bounces and we're talking about a possible sweep instead of an ugly loss. I was probably as angry as anyone at the way this game ended, but one team was playing to WIN and the other was just trying to finish. They have had little trouble staying with the Pens or Bruins, teams that should BURY THEM!!! When it comes to teams with similar make-up or skill level, they just can't seem to stay focused for a full 60. Maybe this will change as regulars begin to get back.Or this just may be a season where the injury report is the most telling stat in the season.
ReplyDelete