I could really go for a coffee right about now ...
Sunday, March 18, 2007
I would have preferred that we went out of the playoff hunt (the mathematical one) with a roar and not a whimper. But apparently asking for that was just too much.
Going in to the game back on Friday against San Jose, the Jackets had to either lose two game, or the Flames had to win two games (or a combination of the two) to be mathematically and 100% eliminated from the playoffs. Even though Mirtle's "95 points or bust" standings guide says the Jackets were "eliminated" ages ago, just keep in mind that we may very well see both conferences have #8 seeds that either just barely make the point total, or even end up below it due to a combination of reasons. Not that that would've been enough for the Jackets, or anything.
But I'm straying off topic. The Blue Jackets have now been officially eliminated from the playoff hunt as of last night, when the Jackets were backhanded like a backtalking woman by a misogynous man by the Kings. Brian Boucher was, unfortunately, very poor in net. A soft goal to start things off, followed by a power play goal while the Jackets were reeling from a 5-on-3 due to some rather suspicious penalty calling by the referees, who dolled out the minutes to Alex Svitov as though he'd just won the penalty lottery.
Maybe my opinion can be changed about giving him 19 minutes in penalties if one thing is clarified for me. Svitov wasn't simply given an instigator penalty coupled with an unsportsmanlike, but the scoresheet labels it as Instigator - face shield. I'm going out on a limb here and assuming that this means he picked a fight with someone who had a face shield on, or ripped off the guy's helmet despite their having a face shield. Would I be correct or not?
(Thanks, Sarah and Drew. You can't really argue with something as clean cut as "you can't pick a fight unless you drop the visored helmet." Though, still, 19 minutes all at once ... something seems off about that. In fact something about the reffing the whole game seemed off.)
To an extent, I don't blame Svitov for going at Dustin Brown the way he did, especially as I watched the end result of Brown's hit on Rusty Klesla, wherein Klesla all but writhed and threw himself around on the ice for several seconds after that board check given to him, before finally laying motionless. But to go flying across the ice like that just begged some sort of additional penalty beyond just fighting.
While Fredrik Norrena can be given some slack for coming in cold after a long game against San Jose the night prior, he still has to play hard, and play smart. Both goals against Norrena were shoddy, and that's even keeping in mind that one of them was on the 5-on-3.
It's unfortunate, but this is the first Blue Jackets' game since early in the season that I actually just turned off after a certain point. It became evident that this wasn't going to end with any miracles, or any kinds of amazing comebacks. I really felt like it was for sanity's sake that I turned off the TV, put on some music, and simply went to bed after seeing this team go from a rousing (but still futile effort) against a 'better' team like the Sharks, to something so bush league against the Kings. Something so ... undisciplined. So wretched, to say the least.
There was only one silver lining to be found last night, and that was in the play of the Nash/Platt/Zherdev line. After finally relegating Svitov somewhere else thanks to the slew of injuries causing regular line mash-ups due to Sergei Fedorov now playing both defense, Platt was again given a chance with some high quality forwards. He didn't disappoint, potting two of the team's three goals, along with an assist on Nash's goal. Zherdev didn't notch any goals, but assisted on all three, the last goal with about a minute left in the game a very pretty back pass to Platt, who came flying in to the zone from the left of the net.
Well, make that two 'silver linings', actually. For all the hemming, hawing, and slack-jawed calling for Anders Eriksson (note: if you ever see me being snarky about comments towards Eriksson, nine times out of ten it's a direct response to the "Bubba hate" I almost religiously see of him at the CBJ HFBoards) not to be with the team next year, he continues to pad his +/- and prove that he isn't a washed up "Bubba" just yet, now sporting a +8; ahead of the next best rated players (David Vyborny and Platt), who are just +3. While everyone is enamored with first round picks such as Klesla, or young guys like Marc Methot and O.K. Tollefsen, Eriksson just quietly has done his job.
Feh. I shouldn't be up this early on a Sunday. I need to go find something constructive to do.
Going in to the game back on Friday against San Jose, the Jackets had to either lose two game, or the Flames had to win two games (or a combination of the two) to be mathematically and 100% eliminated from the playoffs. Even though Mirtle's "95 points or bust" standings guide says the Jackets were "eliminated" ages ago, just keep in mind that we may very well see both conferences have #8 seeds that either just barely make the point total, or even end up below it due to a combination of reasons. Not that that would've been enough for the Jackets, or anything.
But I'm straying off topic. The Blue Jackets have now been officially eliminated from the playoff hunt as of last night, when the Jackets were backhanded like a backtalking woman by a misogynous man by the Kings. Brian Boucher was, unfortunately, very poor in net. A soft goal to start things off, followed by a power play goal while the Jackets were reeling from a 5-on-3 due to some rather suspicious penalty calling by the referees, who dolled out the minutes to Alex Svitov as though he'd just won the penalty lottery.
(Thanks, Sarah and Drew. You can't really argue with something as clean cut as "you can't pick a fight unless you drop the visored helmet." Though, still, 19 minutes all at once ... something seems off about that. In fact something about the reffing the whole game seemed off.)
To an extent, I don't blame Svitov for going at Dustin Brown the way he did, especially as I watched the end result of Brown's hit on Rusty Klesla, wherein Klesla all but writhed and threw himself around on the ice for several seconds after that board check given to him, before finally laying motionless. But to go flying across the ice like that just begged some sort of additional penalty beyond just fighting.
While Fredrik Norrena can be given some slack for coming in cold after a long game against San Jose the night prior, he still has to play hard, and play smart. Both goals against Norrena were shoddy, and that's even keeping in mind that one of them was on the 5-on-3.
It's unfortunate, but this is the first Blue Jackets' game since early in the season that I actually just turned off after a certain point. It became evident that this wasn't going to end with any miracles, or any kinds of amazing comebacks. I really felt like it was for sanity's sake that I turned off the TV, put on some music, and simply went to bed after seeing this team go from a rousing (but still futile effort) against a 'better' team like the Sharks, to something so bush league against the Kings. Something so ... undisciplined. So wretched, to say the least.
There was only one silver lining to be found last night, and that was in the play of the Nash/Platt/Zherdev line. After finally relegating Svitov somewhere else thanks to the slew of injuries causing regular line mash-ups due to Sergei Fedorov now playing both defense, Platt was again given a chance with some high quality forwards. He didn't disappoint, potting two of the team's three goals, along with an assist on Nash's goal. Zherdev didn't notch any goals, but assisted on all three, the last goal with about a minute left in the game a very pretty back pass to Platt, who came flying in to the zone from the left of the net.
Well, make that two 'silver linings', actually. For all the hemming, hawing, and slack-jawed calling for Anders Eriksson (note: if you ever see me being snarky about comments towards Eriksson, nine times out of ten it's a direct response to the "Bubba hate" I almost religiously see of him at the CBJ HFBoards) not to be with the team next year, he continues to pad his +/- and prove that he isn't a washed up "Bubba" just yet, now sporting a +8; ahead of the next best rated players (David Vyborny and Platt), who are just +3. While everyone is enamored with first round picks such as Klesla, or young guys like Marc Methot and O.K. Tollefsen, Eriksson just quietly has done his job.
Feh. I shouldn't be up this early on a Sunday. I need to go find something constructive to do.
Labels: Blue Jackets, Kings, post-game, ranting
Queen to G-2; checkmate.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
And suddenly, the Jackets are streaking again!In a way, it's funny. Injuries cripple several Jackets players, and suddenly with what amounts to about a fifth of the team being Syracuse call-ups, they're winning games and doing it with style. It's true that you could chalk it up to youthful enthusiasm when it comes to guys like Geoff Platt, Zenon Konopka, Marc Methot, and the like ... but youthful enthusiasm and a desire to make the team next season doesn't automatically mean you're talented, nor skilled enough to make it. What these kids are doing is with their skill, and with the extra minutes and opportunities to be put on the right lines next to the right people.
Before I continue, let me just let everyone know: you all remember NHL Hitz? The NHL's and Midway's attempt at making up a game for the NHL a la NBA Jam? And how it revolved around 3-on-3 hockey?
... real 3-on-3 hockey is anything but. I got to admit, the about 2 minutes, give or take several seconds, of 3-on-3 hockey that happened at intervals throughout the overtime was interesting to watch, if only to see how the players would react. The thing about it is that you can't really do much, no matter if you have the puck or not. On the offensive side, you can't pressure with two men due to the fact that you could easily be caught with a 1-on-1 going down the opposite end of the ice as one opponent hangs out and watches a possible point man. Worse, you could end up with a 2-on-1 against your team. It literally becomes a game of Chess, and trying to outwit the opposing players without exposing any opportunities against you.
But how about that Platt kid, eh? His first goal in the NHL, and it's one helluva doozy. A bit of tic-tac-toe with David Vyborny and Rick Nash as they burst in through the offensive zone, Nash goes flicking the puck towards the net, and just at the perfect time, Platt goes falling face-first towards the ice as he's tripped up, stick making contact with the puck, and in it goes.
I've been praising Platt as far back as the pre-season, where I was ready to literally choke someone unless he made a roster spot opening night. After having just two shots on goal that night and playing over 15 minutes without notching a point, Platter was sent back to Syracuse until a couple of games in November, then yet again sent away until January for a trio of games. Now, with the exception of not playing in the game against Nashville on February 25th, Platt has hung around for five games since his most recent call-up. And having been placed alongside dependable Vyborny and star Nash, he's become like a missing link to a puzzle with these guys.
Don't assume that my praise for the spritely Platt means I'm disregarding the smash-mouth style of play that Alexander Svitov brought when he was placed with Veebs and Nasher. However I feel that the most chemistry I've seen out of anyone alongside these two has come from Platt, who has now had a hand in 5 of Nash's 46 points, and 5 of Vyborny's 58. You can't ignore something like this. And while Svitov and Vyborny have done moderately well working together when you see how often Veebs has had a hand in Svitov also getting an assist or a goal on a play, he hasn't clicked on the scoresheet once with Nash. That could most likely be Vyborny's natural ability to set most anyone up, though.
When Svitov returns, hopefully Friday against Dallas, the big question will be where is he slotted? If I was a betting man, I'd say he starts off with Jody Shelley and Curtis Glencross on the fourth line to break him back in after his mild concussion issues, then it's a matter of seeing if he'll click well with Jason Chimera and Manny Malhotra on that speedy third line, or if he'd be better off somewhere else on another line. Either way, Konopka is most likely going to be the odd man out, just based off of position.
Continuing with the topic of injuries, several players are as good as shut down for the rest of the season. Dan Fritsche will have to continue letting that nasty tendon cut heal, Adam Foote could very well stay out as well due to his sprain (and Methot's been doing a fine job as call-up from Syracuse with an assist and a +2 rating in 5 games so far, so give the kid more time to show his worth), Bryan Berard's been instructed to bow out due to back pain complications, Duvie Westcott's concussion symptoms continue to dog him and have done so for too long now, and everyone already knows that Pascal Leclaire has been given a permanent spot in the press booth while he recuperates his knee, which nagged him even after his return a few weeks ago.
All in all, the Jackets are finally learning how to beat the teams they should have no problems dispatching. There's still some mild concern in the way that the team allowed both the Coyotes on Saturday, then the Kings last night, to storm back and pull ahead 2-1 at one point in each of those respective games, and that is a matter of working on consistency. While a win is a win, especially when you work hard for it, the Jackets have to find a way to work on both their second period snoozes, and the stress-inducing penalty kill that has now let a goal in for at least nine games straight or so now.
Before I wrap up, I just thought I'd share a thought I had earlier this morning while browsing YouTube. Although I'm sure it'll be removed sooner or later over copyright issues, I found a clip of one of the scenes from Gettysburg ... in fact, probably the best scene when it comes to dramatic battles, save for Pickett's Charge. The scene involves the battle at Little Round Top:
I can't help but wonder about if they'd ever show something as dramatic as this during late-game rallies or charges, if they could somehow pick just the right moments in this scene to show to the crowd at Nationwide. I know I get chills watching this scene alone.
Labels: Blue Jackets, injuries, Kings, post-game
