Phoenix Coyotes: Super Geniuses.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Oh, yeah? Well, Jeremy Roenick's mother sucks eggs! Yeah! How about that, Phoenix!?
Here's what we learned tonight:
-The Blue Jackets are having some pretty disgusting struggles with penalty issues. I chalk part of that up to having Don frickin' Koharsky for four consecutive games as the referee, but the other part is that the Jackets have been extremely undisciplined at times. It's hard to really tell how things will go on a game by game basis in the penalty department, as the team has sort of flip flopped from responsible to brash at times. Remember that even though they drubbed Ottawa 6-2 on Sunday, they also gave up seven power play opportunities. So this has actually been a nagging issue, only hidden by amazing penalty kill. Tonight, with a vulnerable penalty kill, this became very apparent.
-Fredrik Norrena, no matter how awesome he has been and how much we owe the amazing Finn, is still mortal. While two goals did indeed come on the power play, two other goals showed that Freddy was out of his comfort zone for much of this game. He seemed to start picking it up in the tail end of the third period, but soon after that it was too late, and the game became nothing but a crap shoot in the shootout.
-Rimer and Gare were absolutely right about one thing during the FSN Ohio telecast: the Phoenix Coyotes' "run and gun" game plan is what the team had to worry about, and as a result they got burned; and badly. Throughout overtime and the tail end of the second period, the CBJ did manage to pump up the volume and fire right back, but you can't always beat fire with fire.
-DON [EXPLETIVE] KOHARSKY!!
-Tellqvist might be nothing more than Maple Leafs' droppings, but he became big money from the end of the third period all the way through overtime, and into the shootout. I'm going to have nightmares about that save on Svitov(?) he made in overtime, despite the slick spin-o-rama.
Either way, a loss was invevitable sooner or later. I refuse to be some "THE SKY IS FALLING!" doomsayer over one loss, but this will bring up some good questions: how will the team handle a loss after such a strong winning streak? What will Ken Hitchcock do in response to this? Can the power play, which was on fire at the start of the weekend against a distraught Ottawa team, be salvaged?
Take solace in the fact that this was an overtime loss, Blue Jackets fans, meaning we still get a point. Also take solace in the fact that the team a step above us in the Central division standings, the Blackhawks, lost tonight to the Red Wings.
Lastly? Take solace in the fact that Rick Nash really does look like he's coming around, along with David Vyborny and Sergei Fedorov. We can all appreciate the energy that Nash put out tonight, as he practically gave this team a win they really should have had no right to have.
Here's what we learned tonight:
-The Blue Jackets are having some pretty disgusting struggles with penalty issues. I chalk part of that up to having Don frickin' Koharsky for four consecutive games as the referee, but the other part is that the Jackets have been extremely undisciplined at times. It's hard to really tell how things will go on a game by game basis in the penalty department, as the team has sort of flip flopped from responsible to brash at times. Remember that even though they drubbed Ottawa 6-2 on Sunday, they also gave up seven power play opportunities. So this has actually been a nagging issue, only hidden by amazing penalty kill. Tonight, with a vulnerable penalty kill, this became very apparent.
-Fredrik Norrena, no matter how awesome he has been and how much we owe the amazing Finn, is still mortal. While two goals did indeed come on the power play, two other goals showed that Freddy was out of his comfort zone for much of this game. He seemed to start picking it up in the tail end of the third period, but soon after that it was too late, and the game became nothing but a crap shoot in the shootout.
-Rimer and Gare were absolutely right about one thing during the FSN Ohio telecast: the Phoenix Coyotes' "run and gun" game plan is what the team had to worry about, and as a result they got burned; and badly. Throughout overtime and the tail end of the second period, the CBJ did manage to pump up the volume and fire right back, but you can't always beat fire with fire.
-DON [EXPLETIVE] KOHARSKY!!
-Tellqvist might be nothing more than Maple Leafs' droppings, but he became big money from the end of the third period all the way through overtime, and into the shootout. I'm going to have nightmares about that save on Svitov(?) he made in overtime, despite the slick spin-o-rama.
Either way, a loss was invevitable sooner or later. I refuse to be some "THE SKY IS FALLING!" doomsayer over one loss, but this will bring up some good questions: how will the team handle a loss after such a strong winning streak? What will Ken Hitchcock do in response to this? Can the power play, which was on fire at the start of the weekend against a distraught Ottawa team, be salvaged?
Take solace in the fact that this was an overtime loss, Blue Jackets fans, meaning we still get a point. Also take solace in the fact that the team a step above us in the Central division standings, the Blackhawks, lost tonight to the Red Wings.
Lastly? Take solace in the fact that Rick Nash really does look like he's coming around, along with David Vyborny and Sergei Fedorov. We can all appreciate the energy that Nash put out tonight, as he practically gave this team a win they really should have had no right to have.
Labels: Blue Jackets, Coyotes, post-game
Three weeks ago, I would have been happy with a shootout loss for other reasons. Last night, after being down 4-2, it was good to see the guys battle back for a point.
Would I rather have gotten two, you bet. But if you had told me halfway through the second period that we'd manage a point (right after my remote sailed through the living room), I'd have given you quite an odd look.
The next game will tell a lot about the team. Let's hope they can put a full-on effort together on Saturday. The cliched "four-point swing" would be huge.