A two-fer-one.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Great. Now I can't fall asleep after tonight's shootout loss. Whatever feelings of fatigue I had went right out the window as I fought back every fiber of my being to not yell, scream, and curse as loudly as I could, as I didn't want to shock the neighbors both upstairs and next door from me.
And I have class in eight hours. Ugh.
I'm being melodramatic, though. I know I shouldn't be this peeved about tonight's loss, based off a variety of reasons: the Jackets were outplayed due to penalties stifling any sort of rhythm they were trying to get in to. The Jackets were playing back-to-back games. The Ducks had practically been licking their chops -- or bills, rather -- in preparation for this game, both due to their 4-game losing streak, and the chip on their shoulder from that Jared Boll hit on Travis Moen (completely clean) on opening night. The Ducks got three of their regulars back all at once.
And don't forget, no matter how much us Blue Jackets' fans may want to think otherwise, this team will lose at times. I know, it's hard to believe when your starting netminder leads the league in a variety of goalie statistics, and your team as a whole actually has a winning record for the first time ever after the first month of the season.
I'm obviously not being fair by focusing on this loss, and simply glossing over the win against the Kings just the night before. So let's go back to said game, and think happy thoughts before we mull any more on those not-so-happy thoughts from tonight.
October 31st: Blue Jackets at Kings
Much like it'd be folly to expect the Jackets to never lose after such a great opening month, it'd also be silly to expect the Jackets to never give up another power play goal. You got to admit, at times it feels as though the Blue Jackets won't ever give anything up on the PK ... so when the Kings' Kyle Calder scored on the power play and broke the Jackets' club-record 18 penalty kills without letting in a goal, I couldn't help but feel a little bummed.
But beyond that, and the peppering of shots that the Jackets' allowed Pascal Leclaire to face, they put on a strong game. In particular, Jason Chimera was a beast, Sergei Fedorov played smart, Gilbert Brule got his first goal of the season (good for him), and Rick Nash picked up an empty netter along with an assist, to add to his team-leading point total (currently sitting at 15 points in 11 games).
Before Leclaire was recognized as the 2nd star of the month by the NHL, I had a feeling that he would have to put together a great game against the Kings just to prove that all the positive attention he had been receiving was well-deserved. And although he wasn't able to add to his already impressive four shutouts, he played a very strong game, about as strong as the game he played against St. Louis on Saturday.
All in all, a great win against a Los Angeles team that -- even though the loss put them back below .500 -- was riding a four-game winning streak. It's not always about beating the team with the best record, after all ... sometimes it's about beating the teams that are currently hot. And this win, combined with the win over the Blues last Saturday, was good stuff.
... so enough about that. Let's get to tonight.
November 1st: Blue Jackets at Ducks
Michael Arace called tonight's game "awesome television" in his entry at Puck Rakers. I was sooner prepared to call it something else. I don't exactly have a phrase for it, but it made me want to repeatedly bang my head against the wall.
But maybe that's why it was awesome television reminiscent of a playoff game. It reminded me of the kind of stress I felt way back in 1999-2000 during the Stanley Cup Finals, when the Devils and the Stars slugged it out in seemingly endless overtime in both games 5 and 6. Not that a regular season game in November can legitimately compare to a possible Cup-clinching game, but you get the idea.
But truthfully, I wasn't happy with the play of the Jackets tonight as a team, with the exception of Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev, who every so often gets flak for his play last season and not racking up goals left and right this season despite the fact that despite playing hard since game one, was the very reason that the Jackets managed to bring this game to overtime, when he helped a slightly struggling Jackets' power play unit tally the tying goal just a few minutes after Fredrik Norrena had been beat by Rob Neidermeyer 13 seconds in to the third period.
Watching the shootout may have been why I was so livid after the game. Not only have the Jackets lost both of their shootout games this season, but they've done so without even tallying a single shootout goal. When I touched on how last season, Ken Hitchcock resorted to simply having a shootout drill at the end of each practice and letting the winners be the shooters during any possible shootout in the next game, I probably overlooked the fact that by that point in the season, there was nothing to lose by using such a simplistic method to deciding who got picked for shootouts.
Now, however, shootouts are very important to a Blue Jackets' team that'll need to win a few if they want to stay above .500.
Before trying to finally get some sleep, I just want to say that I hope Fredrik Modin's injury is nothing too serious. Being taken out of the game that early, I believe, had a notable impact on the ability to roll four lines, let alone cut through the top line's efficiency like a hot knife through butter. It'd be vexing if, after being out for several games, he has to go back to the IR. But from the sounds of it, this was something else beyond any muscle strains of pulls, like he'd been dealing with.
And now, to hopefully get some sleep.
And I have class in eight hours. Ugh.
I'm being melodramatic, though. I know I shouldn't be this peeved about tonight's loss, based off a variety of reasons: the Jackets were outplayed due to penalties stifling any sort of rhythm they were trying to get in to. The Jackets were playing back-to-back games. The Ducks had practically been licking their chops -- or bills, rather -- in preparation for this game, both due to their 4-game losing streak, and the chip on their shoulder from that Jared Boll hit on Travis Moen (completely clean) on opening night. The Ducks got three of their regulars back all at once.
And don't forget, no matter how much us Blue Jackets' fans may want to think otherwise, this team will lose at times. I know, it's hard to believe when your starting netminder leads the league in a variety of goalie statistics, and your team as a whole actually has a winning record for the first time ever after the first month of the season.
I'm obviously not being fair by focusing on this loss, and simply glossing over the win against the Kings just the night before. So let's go back to said game, and think happy thoughts before we mull any more on those not-so-happy thoughts from tonight.
October 31st: Blue Jackets at Kings
Much like it'd be folly to expect the Jackets to never lose after such a great opening month, it'd also be silly to expect the Jackets to never give up another power play goal. You got to admit, at times it feels as though the Blue Jackets won't ever give anything up on the PK ... so when the Kings' Kyle Calder scored on the power play and broke the Jackets' club-record 18 penalty kills without letting in a goal, I couldn't help but feel a little bummed.
But beyond that, and the peppering of shots that the Jackets' allowed Pascal Leclaire to face, they put on a strong game. In particular, Jason Chimera was a beast, Sergei Fedorov played smart, Gilbert Brule got his first goal of the season (good for him), and Rick Nash picked up an empty netter along with an assist, to add to his team-leading point total (currently sitting at 15 points in 11 games).
Before Leclaire was recognized as the 2nd star of the month by the NHL, I had a feeling that he would have to put together a great game against the Kings just to prove that all the positive attention he had been receiving was well-deserved. And although he wasn't able to add to his already impressive four shutouts, he played a very strong game, about as strong as the game he played against St. Louis on Saturday.
All in all, a great win against a Los Angeles team that -- even though the loss put them back below .500 -- was riding a four-game winning streak. It's not always about beating the team with the best record, after all ... sometimes it's about beating the teams that are currently hot. And this win, combined with the win over the Blues last Saturday, was good stuff.
... so enough about that. Let's get to tonight.
November 1st: Blue Jackets at Ducks
Michael Arace called tonight's game "awesome television" in his entry at Puck Rakers. I was sooner prepared to call it something else. I don't exactly have a phrase for it, but it made me want to repeatedly bang my head against the wall.
But maybe that's why it was awesome television reminiscent of a playoff game. It reminded me of the kind of stress I felt way back in 1999-2000 during the Stanley Cup Finals, when the Devils and the Stars slugged it out in seemingly endless overtime in both games 5 and 6. Not that a regular season game in November can legitimately compare to a possible Cup-clinching game, but you get the idea.
But truthfully, I wasn't happy with the play of the Jackets tonight as a team, with the exception of Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev, who every so often gets flak for his play last season and not racking up goals left and right this season despite the fact that despite playing hard since game one, was the very reason that the Jackets managed to bring this game to overtime, when he helped a slightly struggling Jackets' power play unit tally the tying goal just a few minutes after Fredrik Norrena had been beat by Rob Neidermeyer 13 seconds in to the third period.
Watching the shootout may have been why I was so livid after the game. Not only have the Jackets lost both of their shootout games this season, but they've done so without even tallying a single shootout goal. When I touched on how last season, Ken Hitchcock resorted to simply having a shootout drill at the end of each practice and letting the winners be the shooters during any possible shootout in the next game, I probably overlooked the fact that by that point in the season, there was nothing to lose by using such a simplistic method to deciding who got picked for shootouts.
Now, however, shootouts are very important to a Blue Jackets' team that'll need to win a few if they want to stay above .500.
Before trying to finally get some sleep, I just want to say that I hope Fredrik Modin's injury is nothing too serious. Being taken out of the game that early, I believe, had a notable impact on the ability to roll four lines, let alone cut through the top line's efficiency like a hot knife through butter. It'd be vexing if, after being out for several games, he has to go back to the IR. But from the sounds of it, this was something else beyond any muscle strains of pulls, like he'd been dealing with.
And now, to hopefully get some sleep.
Labels: Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, post-game, shootout
Mmm ... shark fin soup.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Oh, gee, thanks a lot, Minnesota. I thought expansion brothers were supposed to look out for one another! But, no, you went and let Colorado beat you, and bump us down to 5th in the West as a result. Thanks so much. Seriously.
... okay, all kidding aside, let's get to Saturday's game, since I feel at least mildly refreshed after napping the afternoon away. I swear, that music quiz took more out of me than I thought it would.
Sunday's game was ... well, it was something special.
-First game of the season where the Jackets won after being behind during the course of the game. Given, they were only behind for all of about a minute and a half, but it's all about the fact that they pushed harder than ever when they realized that if they didn't act quickly, they could very well get dragged into a proverbial quagmire. And seeing how rough that game was, they really could have been pulled into a sluggish game.
-First win for Pascal Leclaire where he didn't get a shutout, as well as his first win when he started the previous game (which he also won). Although the shot count was quite low, 18 to 17 in favor of Columbus, he still made some key saves that ensured that the Jackets' would stay in the game. Beyond that, this was all about getting past mental blocks. He had yet to put together two solid, back-to-back games ... and he had yet to win without keeping the opposing team off the score sheet. Congratulations, Pazzy ... like the guys at Puck Rakers have been saying, it'll be a bloody travesty if you don't get one of the Stars of the Month from the NHL.
-The ice was just plain bad. Via a connection or two, I heard that one of the ice technicians has recently left to work for the New Jersey Devils, who played their first home game at The Prudential Center on Saturday. It looks like he left after the home game against the Blues on Thursday, no less. So don't hold it against the rest of the crew, who probably had to carry the extra workload on their own shoulders until they find someone new to take over this guy's position. There's a week before the next home game, so there's time to check things out ice-wise and also find someone new.
-The Sharks were chippy, choppy, and at times dirty. I don't deny that the Blue Jackets' play a rough and tumble style of game, especially now with Ken Hitchcock ingraining that in to the team mentality, but the Sharks took it beyond a hard-hitting game with high sticks to both David Vyborny (which was completely ignored or unnoticed by the referees, despite the blood) and Nikolai Zherdev. There was more than one questionable hit of players in to the boards beyond the one that Steve Bernier was called for in the 3rd period. And Jeremy Roenick's banging around of Leclaire after he was knocked in to the crease at the end of the game was bush league. I'm sorry you couldn't get your two goals against the "weak" Blue Jackets, but suck it up.
In other news, as was first reported in a post today by Tom Reed at Puck Rakers, both Duvie Westcott and Fredrik Modin are back in practice and depending on how well they do, could be in the lineup against Los Angeles on Wednesday, when the team tangos with the Kings at the Staples Center. I have to admit, the Nash-Peca-Modin line intrigues me. Two big guys that can cause tons of havoc in front of the net can be pretty brutal, if done right. I wonder if Mike Peca will feel any sorts of height inferiority complex standing next to those two (I kid, I kid).
There's also the fact that Nash and Modin are both considered left wingers. And besides that line, there was also a line with Sergei Fedorov, Gilbert Brule, and Jared Boll. To tell you the truth, that one confuses me more than anything, since both Brule and Fedorov are centers. And Boll, even though he has been a force to be reckoned with on the ice in terms of drawing penalties and just plain pest-ing it up, still just has two points (both goals) on the season so far. I'll wait to pass judgment, however, until I see such a line in action (if it does, indeed, stay intact for Wednesday's game).
Attendance was 400 peoples (heh ... peoples) more than Thursday's game against St. Louis, so the Jackets' are starting to draw fans back little by little. But they need to continue to play the way they have been playing. A long week away from home with two late games on the west coast could also hurt their attempts to stay within the mentality of Columbus and Ohio sports fans who are pre-occupied with the Buckeyes, and possibly a better-than-average Cleveland Browns team. And with the NBA season just around the corner, some doofus named "King James" who reigns in Cleveland might pull some attention away from the Jackets, too.
Now, I have some laundry to take care of.
... okay, all kidding aside, let's get to Saturday's game, since I feel at least mildly refreshed after napping the afternoon away. I swear, that music quiz took more out of me than I thought it would.
Sunday's game was ... well, it was something special.
-First game of the season where the Jackets won after being behind during the course of the game. Given, they were only behind for all of about a minute and a half, but it's all about the fact that they pushed harder than ever when they realized that if they didn't act quickly, they could very well get dragged into a proverbial quagmire. And seeing how rough that game was, they really could have been pulled into a sluggish game.
-First win for Pascal Leclaire where he didn't get a shutout, as well as his first win when he started the previous game (which he also won). Although the shot count was quite low, 18 to 17 in favor of Columbus, he still made some key saves that ensured that the Jackets' would stay in the game. Beyond that, this was all about getting past mental blocks. He had yet to put together two solid, back-to-back games ... and he had yet to win without keeping the opposing team off the score sheet. Congratulations, Pazzy ... like the guys at Puck Rakers have been saying, it'll be a bloody travesty if you don't get one of the Stars of the Month from the NHL.
-The ice was just plain bad. Via a connection or two, I heard that one of the ice technicians has recently left to work for the New Jersey Devils, who played their first home game at The Prudential Center on Saturday. It looks like he left after the home game against the Blues on Thursday, no less. So don't hold it against the rest of the crew, who probably had to carry the extra workload on their own shoulders until they find someone new to take over this guy's position. There's a week before the next home game, so there's time to check things out ice-wise and also find someone new.
-The Sharks were chippy, choppy, and at times dirty. I don't deny that the Blue Jackets' play a rough and tumble style of game, especially now with Ken Hitchcock ingraining that in to the team mentality, but the Sharks took it beyond a hard-hitting game with high sticks to both David Vyborny (which was completely ignored or unnoticed by the referees, despite the blood) and Nikolai Zherdev. There was more than one questionable hit of players in to the boards beyond the one that Steve Bernier was called for in the 3rd period. And Jeremy Roenick's banging around of Leclaire after he was knocked in to the crease at the end of the game was bush league. I'm sorry you couldn't get your two goals against the "weak" Blue Jackets, but suck it up.
In other news, as was first reported in a post today by Tom Reed at Puck Rakers, both Duvie Westcott and Fredrik Modin are back in practice and depending on how well they do, could be in the lineup against Los Angeles on Wednesday, when the team tangos with the Kings at the Staples Center. I have to admit, the Nash-Peca-Modin line intrigues me. Two big guys that can cause tons of havoc in front of the net can be pretty brutal, if done right. I wonder if Mike Peca will feel any sorts of height inferiority complex standing next to those two (I kid, I kid).
There's also the fact that Nash and Modin are both considered left wingers. And besides that line, there was also a line with Sergei Fedorov, Gilbert Brule, and Jared Boll. To tell you the truth, that one confuses me more than anything, since both Brule and Fedorov are centers. And Boll, even though he has been a force to be reckoned with on the ice in terms of drawing penalties and just plain pest-ing it up, still just has two points (both goals) on the season so far. I'll wait to pass judgment, however, until I see such a line in action (if it does, indeed, stay intact for Wednesday's game).
Attendance was 400 peoples (heh ... peoples) more than Thursday's game against St. Louis, so the Jackets' are starting to draw fans back little by little. But they need to continue to play the way they have been playing. A long week away from home with two late games on the west coast could also hurt their attempts to stay within the mentality of Columbus and Ohio sports fans who are pre-occupied with the Buckeyes, and possibly a better-than-average Cleveland Browns team. And with the NBA season just around the corner, some doofus named "King James" who reigns in Cleveland might pull some attention away from the Jackets, too.
Now, I have some laundry to take care of.
Labels: attendance, injuries, post-game, San Jose Sharks
Setting up the goaltender guidelines.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
After Pascal Leclaire got his fourth shutout on Thursday against St. Louis, and Fredrik Norrena got his first win of the season in a brutal, high-scoring game against Chicago on Tuesday, I concluded that there are now a couple sets of rules instead of just the "We win if we get a shutout/we lose if we don't." Here's how things go, nine games in:
If Fredrik Norrena is in net:
-The Blue Jackets will win in a wild score-fest.
-The Blue Jackets will lose in a nail-biter, one-goal game/SO loss/OT loss.
If Pascal Leclaire is in net:
-The Blue Jackets will win via a shutout.
-The Blue Jackets will lose ... badly.
As always, these rules are subject to change. Suffice it to say, the one impediment that Leclaire has left to overcome is his current inability to record consecutive wins when he is in net, right after a game he won. And this is a big impediment at that, if the Jackets want to push for something more than .500 hockey. And just from watching them, they really believe they're better than just .500 hockey.
I'm going to presume that Leclaire will start tonight when the Jackets' welcome the San Jose Sharks to Nationwide, and win or lose, Norrena will get the call when the team flies out to Los Angeles for a game with the Kings on Wednesday. Of course, considering how my presumptions usually go, you don't want to bet on that statement.
Lost in the beastly play of not only Leclaire, but Rick Nash's 5-game goal scoring streak (with 9 points in all during that same period), one other player has been consistently producing for the Jackets the past two games as well, notching 3 goals and 1 assist. No, it's not Nikolai Zherdev, or even Mike Peca. It's actually Jackets' centerman Jiri Notovny, who I've admittedly -- and regrettably -- overlooked.
I admit, it's hard to say much about the guy, but in a sense, that's a good thing. He just seems to ... be there, whenever he tallies a point. He only seemed to appear from the very mist he's been concealed in when, before a befuddled Nationwide crowd on Thursday, he was given an automatic goal on what would have normally been a penalty shot. This happened due to the fact that he was in on a breakaway in the opposing zone while the Blues had an empty net, only to be hooked from behind enough to not be able to toss the puck home.
Even I had to take a second to figure out what was going on. Having never before seen a goal awarded in such a way before, but knowing the rule existed, I wasn't sure if he'd just be given the tally, or if he actually had to go through the process of an actual penalty shot on an empty net, and just flip it in. I got to admit, that would've been hilarious if he did have to do that. Well, until he ended up missing the gaping net, a la Dallas/Edmonton from last year. Not that he would!
Speaking of the crowds at Nationwide, they're still regrettably sparse. Thursday's crowd was a couple hundred short of 13,000 ... that extra 1,000 or so fans compared to the previous two home games must be dejected Cleveland Indians' fans. But, you know what? That's okay. Really. The team needs to show that this good start to the season isn't just some fluke. And while I don't want to jinx it, even if they end up blowing up in the final two games of the month, they'll still finish at .500 for the month of October, which would be their best opening month in team history.
Three things I want to see tonight:
-The Chimera/Malhotra/Fritsche line getting a point, after all that hard work they put in Thursday.
-David Vyborny hopefully continuing to shake off whatever was ailing him at the start. He has a three-game point streak going (3 assists), and he needs to just keep on chugging along.
-The Jackets' pouring it on hard in the beginning. The Sharks are wounded, and pissed from last night's bludgeoning at the hands of Detroit. I could tell that much from the snippets I watched on Center Ice, especially seeing Joe Thornton lashing out at times.
Labels: post-game, pre-game, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues
Epiphanies abound!
Monday, October 22, 2007
In lieu of Sunday's epiphany, I had another one just this morning, after sleeping off the hangover which was a 4-1 loss to a sub-par Vancouver Canucks team:
If you do not shut the other team out, you will lose.
Now, whether or not this rule applies to other teams in the NHL doesn't matter. What does matter is that seven games in to the season, this rule -- as well as last night's "shutout = win" rule -- is valid as it pertains to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Setting aside everything and anything that I've already read from either The Dispatch or other bloggers about Sunday's game, here's what I thought stood out to me the most:
-Curtis Sanford is not God, no matter how much praise people in Vancouver might give him for turning away 35 of 36 shots. If I had a video of last night's game in full to dissect, I'd probably only see maybe a handful of those shots come from anywhere that was not the blue line, or the general area of the outer offensive perimeter.
Right now, the only player that seems to be ready to crash the net and bang around is Rick Nash, who had last night's lone goal on that very sort of play on a 5-on-3 opportunity. Other than that, you'll only see flashes of other players daring to run interference between a few opposing players and the goalie. And more often than not, such as on goals from Jan Hejda against Dallas and Mike Peca against Buffalo, they'll only go in to that 'red zone' if the puck is free after a rebound, or after someone else caused a ruckus in front of the net.
-Conversely, Pascal Leclaire is also not God. Like a friend of mine said as we were talking after the game, expect to see him have some streaky highs and lows this season. Even though he has three shutouts already after just five games, he shouldn't be held to that standard of play all season long ... and frankly, to do so would be folly. He's still young by goaltender standards, and is going to go from brilliant to bomb in a matter of moments every so often.
I just wish it hadn't been on the very first shot against him last night.
-I lied; I'm going to touch on something I did read. Even though in The Dispatch there seems to be this impression that the Blue Jackets controlled most of the play -- and admittedly, it's hard to argue that when they held the Canucks to a big, fat goose egg when it came to shots in the 2nd period -- I simply didn't see it. Sure, they might have had possession of the puck more often, but that didn't do them much of anything when they got in to the Canucks' zone. The Canucks, for the most part, seemed actually quite calm when in their own zone, which led to the issue of no net crashing, no ruckus stirring, and nothing but slapshots from other zip codes that Sanford could easily brush aside.
-The penalty kill is no longer perfect at home. It was fun while it lasted, though.
-I really feel no desire to single out anyone who I haven't already singled out for good or bad play. Suffice it to say, it was hard to even stay interested in this match. And that's saying a lot, considering I gleefully followed the Devils during their glory years, when the neutral zone trap was at its best (or worst, depending on your opinion of it).
Tuesday the Jackets face the stronger, faster, better, younger, better coached, and better managed Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago. Despite Rocky Wirtz's recent declaration that he'll have the Blackhawks on Comcast SportsNet as soon as humanly possible (and seriously, the guy deserves praise for such a quick change from his daddy's -- recently departed Bill Wirtz -- opinion of television coverage), this particular game won't be on television anywhere. FSN Ohio isn't sending ol' Rimer and Gare on the road for this one, so neither FSN nor a feed via Center Ice will give you the Jackets on your television.
As a result, I'm spending tomorrow studying and tinkering on my Music mid-term project!
If you do not shut the other team out, you will lose.
Now, whether or not this rule applies to other teams in the NHL doesn't matter. What does matter is that seven games in to the season, this rule -- as well as last night's "shutout = win" rule -- is valid as it pertains to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Setting aside everything and anything that I've already read from either The Dispatch or other bloggers about Sunday's game, here's what I thought stood out to me the most:
-Curtis Sanford is not God, no matter how much praise people in Vancouver might give him for turning away 35 of 36 shots. If I had a video of last night's game in full to dissect, I'd probably only see maybe a handful of those shots come from anywhere that was not the blue line, or the general area of the outer offensive perimeter.
Right now, the only player that seems to be ready to crash the net and bang around is Rick Nash, who had last night's lone goal on that very sort of play on a 5-on-3 opportunity. Other than that, you'll only see flashes of other players daring to run interference between a few opposing players and the goalie. And more often than not, such as on goals from Jan Hejda against Dallas and Mike Peca against Buffalo, they'll only go in to that 'red zone' if the puck is free after a rebound, or after someone else caused a ruckus in front of the net.
-Conversely, Pascal Leclaire is also not God. Like a friend of mine said as we were talking after the game, expect to see him have some streaky highs and lows this season. Even though he has three shutouts already after just five games, he shouldn't be held to that standard of play all season long ... and frankly, to do so would be folly. He's still young by goaltender standards, and is going to go from brilliant to bomb in a matter of moments every so often.
I just wish it hadn't been on the very first shot against him last night.
-I lied; I'm going to touch on something I did read. Even though in The Dispatch there seems to be this impression that the Blue Jackets controlled most of the play -- and admittedly, it's hard to argue that when they held the Canucks to a big, fat goose egg when it came to shots in the 2nd period -- I simply didn't see it. Sure, they might have had possession of the puck more often, but that didn't do them much of anything when they got in to the Canucks' zone. The Canucks, for the most part, seemed actually quite calm when in their own zone, which led to the issue of no net crashing, no ruckus stirring, and nothing but slapshots from other zip codes that Sanford could easily brush aside.
-The penalty kill is no longer perfect at home. It was fun while it lasted, though.
-I really feel no desire to single out anyone who I haven't already singled out for good or bad play. Suffice it to say, it was hard to even stay interested in this match. And that's saying a lot, considering I gleefully followed the Devils during their glory years, when the neutral zone trap was at its best (or worst, depending on your opinion of it).
Tuesday the Jackets face the stronger, faster, better, younger, better coached, and better managed Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago. Despite Rocky Wirtz's recent declaration that he'll have the Blackhawks on Comcast SportsNet as soon as humanly possible (and seriously, the guy deserves praise for such a quick change from his daddy's -- recently departed Bill Wirtz -- opinion of television coverage), this particular game won't be on television anywhere. FSN Ohio isn't sending ol' Rimer and Gare on the road for this one, so neither FSN nor a feed via Center Ice will give you the Jackets on your television.
As a result, I'm spending tomorrow studying and tinkering on my Music mid-term project!
Labels: post-game, Vancouver Canucks
Great googly moogly!
Friday, October 19, 2007
It's late, and I am sooo tired. And honestly, I am shocked -- shocked! -- at tonight's results, having been able to catch a good amount of tonight's game on the television at the Dispatch Ice Haus, even as I made sure my cousin didn't oogle the Junior Blue Jackets players too much.
So, keeping that in mind, here's a short version of how I feel about tonight's game:
A longer version may come tomorrow, or packaged in with the pre-game for Sunday's game against Vancouver.
So, keeping that in mind, here's a short version of how I feel about tonight's game:
A longer version may come tomorrow, or packaged in with the pre-game for Sunday's game against Vancouver.
Labels: Buffalo Sabres, insanity, post-game
These (Texas-sized) boots were made for kicking ...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Well, then. If that wasn't a kick to the you-know-whats ...
... five games in, and the top concern I have is the Jackets' lack of a killer instinct in the two close games they've played in so far. While the 4-0 drubbing of the Ducks, and the 3-0 win over the Coyotes were foregone conclusions by the time that the 3rd period had rolled around, the Jackets seem to have some sort of issue with delivering the final blow, or at the very least keeping cool under pressure, when they either have the lead in the 3rd, or take the lead at some point during the final period.
I'm not going to say that the Jackets controlled a majority of the game time like The Columbus Dispatch is; as time went on, the Stars started to become more and more comfortable within the confines of Nationwide, even if they weren't pressuring too much in the Jackets' zone. But even so, the Jackets had enough of a grip on the game that this should not have happened. By 'this', I mean the floundering, blundering, complete loss of any idea of what was going on around them when the Stars tied things up with just over a minute left in regulation.
You couldn't even blame it on the extra attacker once Stars' netminder Mike Smith was pulled. The Stars had already gotten things rolling in the Jackets' zone by the time he had come on, and with a couple of unforced passes, Brenden Morrow one-timed a shot right past Fredrik Norrena.
It's vexing. I'm feeling quite ... vexed right now.
This morning in Puck Rakers, Tom Reed makes an offhanded note about the Jackets' overall record in the shootout, which is 13-9. You know, I recall some two seasons ago when the shootout was first implemented, I could have sworn that they only lost twice in the damn thing. What I am wondering is, what in the world happened? The players who were normally called upon for the shootout back then are the same ones we have now, with the exception of one Jaroslav Balastik, who's currently stranded somewhere in Europe.
Why is it that the team seems to have progressively gotten worse at it since last season? Jackets' fans may recall a time last season when the results were so ugly, that Ken Hitchcock resulted to shootout tryouts during each practice, giving the "winners" the opportunity to take part in a shootout if it came to that during the next game.
Sigh.
Well. Looking beyond the fact that this was a SOL, at least Nikolai Zherdev continues to show that he's working his ass off. Would you believe me if I had said before the start of the season that at any point in time, he would be leading the team in assists? Because that's just what he is doing right now, with 5 in 5 games. Frankly, at this point, I don't care if he never scores another goal again, so long as he is one of the driving reasons that someone else bangs the puck home.
Rick Nash managed to shake off the doldrums that he's been in since the second game of the season, tallying a goal and an assist as well to put him at 6 points on the season (3 g, 3 a), despite the fact he was nursing a sore groin. And I want to commend Freddy-No on what was an otherwise a strong game by him, in my opinion. He was forced to keep himself awake while the Stars hardly tested him until the third period, at which point he handily stood up to a 15 shot flurry, only allowing one of those shots in ... unfortunately, it was also the tying goal. But them's the breaks.
Friday's game has the Jackets' in Buffalo. I would have preferred a winning record heading in to Sabres' territory. Forgive the pessimistic tone, but I got an ominous feeling about this upcoming game.
One final thought: Where has David Vyborny been so far this season? Normally the most reliable Jackets' player in terms of steady production (he's led the team in points the last two seasons), V has only 1 assist and no goals in 5 games. This couldn't happen at a worse time, considering how he'd said he hoped he could stay in Columbus on something long-term during the pre-season.
... five games in, and the top concern I have is the Jackets' lack of a killer instinct in the two close games they've played in so far. While the 4-0 drubbing of the Ducks, and the 3-0 win over the Coyotes were foregone conclusions by the time that the 3rd period had rolled around, the Jackets seem to have some sort of issue with delivering the final blow, or at the very least keeping cool under pressure, when they either have the lead in the 3rd, or take the lead at some point during the final period.
I'm not going to say that the Jackets controlled a majority of the game time like The Columbus Dispatch is; as time went on, the Stars started to become more and more comfortable within the confines of Nationwide, even if they weren't pressuring too much in the Jackets' zone. But even so, the Jackets had enough of a grip on the game that this should not have happened. By 'this', I mean the floundering, blundering, complete loss of any idea of what was going on around them when the Stars tied things up with just over a minute left in regulation.
You couldn't even blame it on the extra attacker once Stars' netminder Mike Smith was pulled. The Stars had already gotten things rolling in the Jackets' zone by the time he had come on, and with a couple of unforced passes, Brenden Morrow one-timed a shot right past Fredrik Norrena.
It's vexing. I'm feeling quite ... vexed right now.
This morning in Puck Rakers, Tom Reed makes an offhanded note about the Jackets' overall record in the shootout, which is 13-9. You know, I recall some two seasons ago when the shootout was first implemented, I could have sworn that they only lost twice in the damn thing. What I am wondering is, what in the world happened? The players who were normally called upon for the shootout back then are the same ones we have now, with the exception of one Jaroslav Balastik, who's currently stranded somewhere in Europe.
Why is it that the team seems to have progressively gotten worse at it since last season? Jackets' fans may recall a time last season when the results were so ugly, that Ken Hitchcock resulted to shootout tryouts during each practice, giving the "winners" the opportunity to take part in a shootout if it came to that during the next game.
Sigh.
Well. Looking beyond the fact that this was a SOL, at least Nikolai Zherdev continues to show that he's working his ass off. Would you believe me if I had said before the start of the season that at any point in time, he would be leading the team in assists? Because that's just what he is doing right now, with 5 in 5 games. Frankly, at this point, I don't care if he never scores another goal again, so long as he is one of the driving reasons that someone else bangs the puck home.
Rick Nash managed to shake off the doldrums that he's been in since the second game of the season, tallying a goal and an assist as well to put him at 6 points on the season (3 g, 3 a), despite the fact he was nursing a sore groin. And I want to commend Freddy-No on what was an otherwise a strong game by him, in my opinion. He was forced to keep himself awake while the Stars hardly tested him until the third period, at which point he handily stood up to a 15 shot flurry, only allowing one of those shots in ... unfortunately, it was also the tying goal. But them's the breaks.
Friday's game has the Jackets' in Buffalo. I would have preferred a winning record heading in to Sabres' territory. Forgive the pessimistic tone, but I got an ominous feeling about this upcoming game.
One final thought: Where has David Vyborny been so far this season? Normally the most reliable Jackets' player in terms of steady production (he's led the team in points the last two seasons), V has only 1 assist and no goals in 5 games. This couldn't happen at a worse time, considering how he'd said he hoped he could stay in Columbus on something long-term during the pre-season.
Labels: Dallas Stars, Fredrik Norrena, Nikolai Zherdev, post-game, Rick Nash
I hear Coyote meat is a little gamey, but good.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Rewind to early February of this year, last season. One of the worst winter storms I've had to brave was on in full force in Columbus, as I bravely trudged a half mile down the jam-packed, snarled traffic-ed road that led to Nationwide. The Coyotes were in town that evening and the Jackets were reeling from that nasty road swing through Canada, where the penalty kill had pretty much imploded, and sucked everything inside of it like a black hole of death.That Phoenix game was delayed for a half hour because of the storm, by the way. The Jackets would lose that game 3-0, before a very sparse crowd of maybe 10,000 or so in attendance (13,285 tickets distributed, but with the storm and all ...), and I've been wanting to see the Coyotes suffer at the hands of the Jackets since then.
So it goes without saying that I was positively ecstatic with last night's results.
Now given, the Coyotes have been projected by many different writers and media pundits to do even worse than the Jackets this season, and their lack of cohesion was on display last night. Despite some strong flurries in the second period, coupled with some modest power play pressure -- though they still lack any PP goals whatsoever in their first three games -- the 'Yotes looked highly discombobulated, and incapable of working as a team.
On the other side of the ice? The Jackets' came on strong with the style of play that got them that win against the Anaheim Ducks in their season opener. Even though all of the lines seemed to be clicking well last night, only one managed to stuff the goodies into the net behind Phoenix netminder David Aebischer, and that was the Jason Chimera - Manny Malhotra - Jared Boll group.
Tenacious, strong on the forecheck, and generally a real pain on the backcheck, they were giving the Coyotes fits all night long. To me, it seemed almost as if they had some sort of mental connection going on. We've known Chimera and Malhotra to play on the same lines together as far back as the 05-06 season, however Boll -- who is quite fresh and now all of three NHL games old as a rookie -- has practically hit it off with both Manny and Chimmer very quickly. Look no further than Manny's feed pass to a waiting, broken out Boll, who charged in on Aebischer like a freight train before deking, and sliding the puck home to cement the Jackets' 3-0 win.
But they shouldn't get all the credit, even though they deserve a lot of it. A ton of credit has to, once again, go to Pascal Leclaire, who now has back-to-back shutouts in his first two games of the season. While largely untested early on, once the Coyotes started to come on stronger in the second, as well as during their power play opportunities in the third, Leclaire kicked it up a notch and then some.
While it's only three games in to the season, and Pazzy's only played two of them, it's hard to curb your enthusiasm for the guy. Berated by fans for being physically weak and injury prone, Leclaire is playing as though he has a giant chip on his shoulder, and has something to prove to anyone who's doubted him up until now. And honestly, good for him.
Lastly, before I drag my tired, cold-suffering 'self down to the bus to get to my classes, Mike Peca had his Blue Jackets' debut last night. While modest during regular shifts throughout the game, I was greatly impressed with his penalty kill prowess. One thing that stuck out to me was how on one shorthanded opportunity, he bided his time as the Coyotes never put pressure on him, then tossed a pass off to Adam Foote for a great chance on net. While Foote didn't score, it showed me that Peca isn't the type to get rid of the puck like a hot potato, even during penalty kill situations. And that sort of poise is something that takes a long time to grasp.
By the way, my mid-terms are this week, hence the lack of updates since the weekend. Apologies, folks. Once I am done with them this Friday, I'll be able to breathe a little easier.
Labels: Jared Boll, Jason Chimera, Manny Malhotra, Mike Peca, Pascal Leclaire, Phoenix Coyotes, post-game
Lost in the woods. Please send help.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
I dislike the Minnesota Wild for the very reason that I like the New Jersey Devils: they're defense-oriented, they are highly analytical, and they neutral zone trap you to death. Don't worry, I'm not one of those people that cries foul over 'The Trap' being used ... I just understand how damnably vexing it is when it's being used -- efficiently, I might add -- against you.With that said, the game was pretty brutal to watch from start to finish. Although the Wild didn't take the lead until around 6:35 of the 3rd period on a goalpost clanger from Brent Burns, they controlled the flow of the game nearly all night long, with the exception of around the latter half of the 2nd period, when Adam Foote stunned just about every one watching by scoring a shortie on the Wild, and temporarily putting the Jackets up 2-1.
One thing that I noticed right off the bat was that the Jackets seemed to revert to their old ways of being unable to -- or not making the honest effort to -- break out of their own zone, instead spending too much time passing the puck back and forth. Of course, part of that could be a result of the way the Wild play, which isn't the easiest to break out against. But if this team truly is as good as their home opener seemed to show, they need to be able to push back against that sort of challenge.
Foote deserves credit for playing modestly well, including the aforementioned shorthanded goal. I wasn't pleased with Kris Russell's play tonight, as he seemed to be trying too hard, and at times pinching in much too deep. One play in particular, though it didn't lead to a goal, was the result of Russell staying out way too long on the ice -- apparently of his own volition during a line change -- and proceeding to cough up the puck as he tried to keep it in the Wild's zone.
Rick Nash, David Vyborny, and Sergei Fedorov? All kept off of the score sheet tonight. Nikolai Zherdev, although he notched two assists by helping with both Jackets' goals, unfortunately was also on the ice for all three Wild goals.
Fredrik Norrena was hung out to dry, despite a solid effort on his part. Saving 28 of 31 shots, he had to face way too many odd-man rushes, breakaways, and a variety of other shots and Wild scoring chances because of total breakdowns by the defense. Blue Jackets' players seemed to be falling all over themselves in the defensive zone, which only further cluttered and caused chaos in front of Freddy.
Still, give the Wild credit for playing their game. I'm going to have nightmares of Brian Rolston skating lightning-fast circles around me, taunting me as he zips around like a pest. A pest that can score, at that.
Now the Jackets have until Wednesday to return to Columbus, practice, rest, practice some more, have Ken Hitchcock mentally browbeat them until they remember how to break out of their own zone again, then take on the Wayne Gretzky-led Phoenix Coyotes.
As for me, I'll be taking Sunday off.
Labels: Adam Foote, David Vyborny, Kris Russell, Minnesota Wild, Nikolai Zherdev, post-game, Rick Nash, Sergei Fedorov
Quack.
It took until the third goal at 7:58 of the 3rd period for me to finally exhale last night. Having remembered the collapse during last season's home opener against the Vancouver Canucks, could you blame me for being more frightened than enthusiastic over a 2-0 lead heading in to the 3rd?But here I am the morning after, finding out that this dominant win over the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks was not a dream. I mean, who would have thought that the result would be a 4-0 blowout, let alone in such a dominant fashion?
Before I get in to the game, though, let me just say that it's a real shame that this game wasn't a sellout. Shy by somewhere around 500 seats or so, this is one of those games that you wish had the arena packed to capacity and then some, just because of how perfect it would have been for fans who are currently feeling disenchanted or otherwise frustrated by the Jackets' past season woes. But still, this team does need to convince the people of Columbus that they deserve better attendance, and after one game, so far so good.
Also, the cannon? A thing of frikken' beauty! You couldn't have asked for a better way to kick the game off, let alone celebrate each and every goal. Show of hands, readers: how many of you expected that baby to be fired a total of seven times in the very first game of the season (start of game, goal, goal, goal, goal, two for winning)? That's one Helluva way to break that baby in, I know that much. And if that trumpeter who was standing next to the cannon is there for every game, too? That just makes it even more awesome. When he started blasting his bugle in the 3rd period, the 17,700+ in the arena started to rock that place.
Now, as for the game ...
-Rick Nash is on pace for 328 points (164 goals, 164 assists). Come on, you know he's going to get that many.
-Pascal Leclaire played great when he had to, especially during the flurries the Ducks had around him at key points. I'll admit, there were points where it seemed like he was a little iffy on some rebounds, which was tough to watch. But at the same time, the majority of his rebounds did seem to me as though they were intentionally directed elsewhere to ensure they'd be difficult for the Ducks to take advantage of. This is also Leclaire's second career shutout, which means he's already matched his season record for shutouts (1) from last season.
-The hit that Jared Boll landed on Travis Moen seemed to me less in the vein of something that was dirty, and more in the vein of something that a rookie does when they're too damn enthusiastic. It's clear in the replays that he left his skates, which is a big no-no. However he did not use his elbow, only using his shoulder for the hit. However the hit was also high and to the head, as was evident by the video of a bloodied Moen on the bench.
If he's suspended for a couple of games, I won't be too upset. Any more than two games would be a bit much, however.
-Jason Chimera looked like a hell hound with the way in which he zipped all over the ice. And I lost track of the opportunities that Fredrik Modin had to bury one in the back of the net, only to be rebuffed by some great goaltending by the Duck's Ilya Bryzgalov.
-How about the energy that Nikolai Zherdev played with, too? A far cry from the seemingly unenthusiastic slogging through the pre-season done by Z, he was bold enough to stand up Ducks' players in the neutral zone, was aggressive on both the backcheck and the forecheck, and whether you'll believe it or not, his bag of tricks -- which does indeed include his trademark toe drag -- were actually working. Perhaps the problem isn't so much whether Z overuses things such as the toe drag, but whether or not he personally believes that he can pull it off. Something that's more mental than anything else.
I could go on and on, really, with the players who deserve to be mentioned for their great games. But honestly, you get the idea. I'll wrap things up by saying that last night's effort by the Jackets was simply great. They were methodical, ruthless, relentless, and with the exception of a gruelingly long 2nd period in large part due to the 5 minute major the Jackets' had assessed near the end of it, they never really slowed down.
Now, let's see if they can keep it up tonight in Minnesota.
Labels: Anaheim Ducks, CBJ Players, Fredrik Modin, Jared Boll, Jason Chimera, Nikolai Zherdev, Pascal Leclaire, post-game, Rick Nash
Blue Jackets: 1 ... Predators: 3
Monday, September 17, 2007
Five thoughts on last night's game:
1) Although I had missed the full first period due to getting to the arena late (a technician from my cable provider took a day and then some to get to my house to figure out what the frack was wrong with my digital cable, and I couldn't very well leave until he came), I heard all about the injury to David Vyborny. Fortunately, as was reported on The Dispatch website later this morning, Veebs is only going to be out of commission 2-3 days with a knee sprain.
No word on whether or not Predators' forward Martin Erat will receive any sort of suspension or fine for his role in the hit. He was assessed an interference major (a new NHL rule as of this season allows for interference majors to be called now), and ejected from the game with a game misconduct.
2) Pascal Leclaire, as much as it pains me to say this, looked largely ... average. Despite a pair of fabulous saves that I was able to spot, he really flubbed communication with Jan Hejda in allowing that first shorthanded goal, and although Jed Ortmeyer's shorthanded goal -- during that same penalty -- was on a breakaway, something just didn't seem right. Possibly a result of so much time since the last time he played against anyone not in a Blue Jackets' uniform? Maybe. If he and Fredrik Norrena are being split in to separate groups for each pre-season game, he still has three more games to prove his mettle.
3) Ever the pest, Dan Fritsche drew a high sticking penalty, and also scored shorthanded on a great combined effort between him and Manny Malhotra. Fritsche looks to be back to his usual self, which is a good thing. Although Jason Chimera will be playing with the other group that is rolled out on Tuesday -- and presumably Malhotra and Fritsche will not since they played Sunday -- the combination of those three on a line is tempting, considering the tenacity those three have when it comes to grinding and staying on the puck. Additionally, Chimmer is also known for his ability to pour the pressure on during the penalty kill. Put him and Fritsche together on the PK, and you have two cautious yet highly persistent forwards who can cause havoc.
4) Without Vyborny around for the 2nd and 3rd periods, Fritsche was the replacement on the line with Rick Nash and Nikolai Zherdev. Nash looked to be sort of somewhere between on his game and sort of slogging around, while Zherdev really looked to be taking the body whenever he could and had no qualms about sharing the puck. However with Fritsche on the other wing instead of Vyborny, it just didn't seem to be clicking for them.
Zherdev did, however, seem to abstain from any desire to pull a toe drag from out of his magic bag of tricks. And honestly, that was a good sign. While certainly that sort of move has its place, it's when it is overused that you become predictable. So don't go wiping that move from your repertoire, Z ... just don't overdo it.
5) Jared Boll likes to beat the everliving crap out of people, and also check them as though they were rag dolls.
I'm off to ice my arms ... both of them. The exercises I did yesterday morning came back as I woke up today with a total vengeance.
1) Although I had missed the full first period due to getting to the arena late (a technician from my cable provider took a day and then some to get to my house to figure out what the frack was wrong with my digital cable, and I couldn't very well leave until he came), I heard all about the injury to David Vyborny. Fortunately, as was reported on The Dispatch website later this morning, Veebs is only going to be out of commission 2-3 days with a knee sprain.
No word on whether or not Predators' forward Martin Erat will receive any sort of suspension or fine for his role in the hit. He was assessed an interference major (a new NHL rule as of this season allows for interference majors to be called now), and ejected from the game with a game misconduct.
2) Pascal Leclaire, as much as it pains me to say this, looked largely ... average. Despite a pair of fabulous saves that I was able to spot, he really flubbed communication with Jan Hejda in allowing that first shorthanded goal, and although Jed Ortmeyer's shorthanded goal -- during that same penalty -- was on a breakaway, something just didn't seem right. Possibly a result of so much time since the last time he played against anyone not in a Blue Jackets' uniform? Maybe. If he and Fredrik Norrena are being split in to separate groups for each pre-season game, he still has three more games to prove his mettle.
3) Ever the pest, Dan Fritsche drew a high sticking penalty, and also scored shorthanded on a great combined effort between him and Manny Malhotra. Fritsche looks to be back to his usual self, which is a good thing. Although Jason Chimera will be playing with the other group that is rolled out on Tuesday -- and presumably Malhotra and Fritsche will not since they played Sunday -- the combination of those three on a line is tempting, considering the tenacity those three have when it comes to grinding and staying on the puck. Additionally, Chimmer is also known for his ability to pour the pressure on during the penalty kill. Put him and Fritsche together on the PK, and you have two cautious yet highly persistent forwards who can cause havoc.
4) Without Vyborny around for the 2nd and 3rd periods, Fritsche was the replacement on the line with Rick Nash and Nikolai Zherdev. Nash looked to be sort of somewhere between on his game and sort of slogging around, while Zherdev really looked to be taking the body whenever he could and had no qualms about sharing the puck. However with Fritsche on the other wing instead of Vyborny, it just didn't seem to be clicking for them.
Zherdev did, however, seem to abstain from any desire to pull a toe drag from out of his magic bag of tricks. And honestly, that was a good sign. While certainly that sort of move has its place, it's when it is overused that you become predictable. So don't go wiping that move from your repertoire, Z ... just don't overdo it.
5) Jared Boll likes to beat the everliving crap out of people, and also check them as though they were rag dolls.
I'm off to ice my arms ... both of them. The exercises I did yesterday morning came back as I woke up today with a total vengeance.
Labels: CBJ Players, Nashville Predators, post-game
Downed by the Blackhawks, and a goalie with a martian mascot on his helmet. Film at 11.
Friday, March 30, 2007
When words fail you, simply turn to YouTube.
Labels: Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Jackets suck, post-game
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
[Insert random title here]
Sunday, March 11, 2007
I found myself further vexed, as I watched last night's game, at the fact that Geoff Platt continued to be relegated to fourth line duty ever since Alex Svitov returned.
There's really only so much I can say about that situation before I go in to the blame game, or start to question who is responsible for this decision. While last night I did say that this was Hitchcock's move, I have to consider the possibility that other powers in the organization might be behind giving Svitov more time.
Remember earlier this year, when Joe Motzko started to receive a lot of praise from Hitch after being called up. It was only a little bit later that Motzko was traded away, along with Mark Hartigan, to the Ducks for Zenon Konopka and Curtis Glencross.
Remember that Svitov is a draft pick ... a high one at that, even if he was picked by another team (Tampa Bay). More is expected of Svitov, and so he might be given more opportunities to shine. I won't discount the possibility that this may all very well be a matter of Hitch's decisions, but I can't help but question whether Doug MacLean had a hand in this. This is all just presumptions and theories, of course ... so don't this all too seriously.
The point is that leading up to the Stars game, that top line was working so well. Why try to fix something that wasn't broken? And more suspicious is the fact that not only was Platt dropped from the top line, but that he was dropped to the fourth line, alongside Jody Shelley. That makes this whole situation even more curious. If he's scoring a goal and getting assists, why do that? Why not put him with some other scorers like Nikolai Zherdev or Fredrik Modin?
Well, there isn't much else to say about that, I guess. I can only hope that there's some method to this madness.
As for the game? I don't know. To tell you the truth, half of my attention was elsewhere, but the other half was on watching the game. And what I saw when it came to the two goals against the Jackets was frustrating. The first goal by Paul Kariya was a direct result of more than one miscue by Fredrik Modin, both in coughing up the puck, then not properly playing the puck in his own zone.
The other goal annoys me more, though. The one that David Legwand got. Legwand was all but left totally unmolested in front of the net. Admittedly, Legwand all but came streaking right in to the zone, and in less than five seconds of flashing across the screen from the neutral zone, he looped around the net, and knocked a rebound in past Fredrik Norrena. But even factoring in Legwand's speed, no one even tried to pick him up. Marc Methot was too busy diving to the ice to block a close shot, and so he never had a prayer when it came to getting up, and doing anything about the rebound.
Other than that, well ... it's already painful enough that the Predators, the hated expansion rivals, have swept the Blue Jackets this year. If anything, you could say that this is the most perfect, most prime example of the gap between the two teams in their development over the years. Where the Predators are threatening for a Stanley Cup, the Blue Jackets are threatening to take over Jack Niclaus' golf course here in Columbus yet again.
A couple of one-timers before I set to work trying to better update the draft post, and then watch tonight's NBC game.
-I was mistaken about FSN Ohio picking up the game against the Blues on March 25th just to be nice and help out. Or rather, they're still doing it to be nice and help out, but contractual obligations require FSN to now drop a game so that they continue to air only 75 games this season. The game they're dropping? This Wednesday's game at Anaheim.
I don't know. I don't really like that decision, to not air an away game, but pick up the home game. Now CBJ fans are stuck having to listen to 1460 The Fan or CD101 if they want to hear anything on the game. And while George Matthews and Bill Davidge are one-of-a-kind when it comes to their coverage of games, it's still not enough for the visual aspect that we'll be missing.
-On Friday, we happened to get some new types of memorabilia sticks in to sell at The Blueline! A month or so ago we'd run out of our other sticks, which were two CBJ sticks and two NHL Draft sticks (wooden, and a goalie stick and forward stick for each type). I'm not trying to advertise them, but I really like these sticks. Why? Because they have the Union Army cap logo on them now. There's also this new font used to write out "Columbus Blue Jackets" on the shaft of each stick, which I find really appealing. Which brings me to my final comment today ...
-With the retiring of the Jackets' "CBJ" logo at the end of this season (and the switch to the third jersey logo), what happens with the font that is used when writing out the team's name on things such as the jerseys, and on their helmets, and the like? For those not sure about what I'm talking about, I'm referring to this:
If the "CBJ" is being retired, it only stands to reason that this way of writing out the name would also be retired ... maybe. I know I'd like to hear about whether or not there'll be a change in the team's font use when writing out the name, just because I really liked what I saw on our new wooden sticks.
But that's it for me. With no games until Wednesday (and then no games I can even watch until Friday), things might be a little quiet. But that also means an opportunity to finally work on my draft post. Hurrah!
There's really only so much I can say about that situation before I go in to the blame game, or start to question who is responsible for this decision. While last night I did say that this was Hitchcock's move, I have to consider the possibility that other powers in the organization might be behind giving Svitov more time.
Remember earlier this year, when Joe Motzko started to receive a lot of praise from Hitch after being called up. It was only a little bit later that Motzko was traded away, along with Mark Hartigan, to the Ducks for Zenon Konopka and Curtis Glencross.
Remember that Svitov is a draft pick ... a high one at that, even if he was picked by another team (Tampa Bay). More is expected of Svitov, and so he might be given more opportunities to shine. I won't discount the possibility that this may all very well be a matter of Hitch's decisions, but I can't help but question whether Doug MacLean had a hand in this. This is all just presumptions and theories, of course ... so don't this all too seriously.
The point is that leading up to the Stars game, that top line was working so well. Why try to fix something that wasn't broken? And more suspicious is the fact that not only was Platt dropped from the top line, but that he was dropped to the fourth line, alongside Jody Shelley. That makes this whole situation even more curious. If he's scoring a goal and getting assists, why do that? Why not put him with some other scorers like Nikolai Zherdev or Fredrik Modin?
Well, there isn't much else to say about that, I guess. I can only hope that there's some method to this madness.
As for the game? I don't know. To tell you the truth, half of my attention was elsewhere, but the other half was on watching the game. And what I saw when it came to the two goals against the Jackets was frustrating. The first goal by Paul Kariya was a direct result of more than one miscue by Fredrik Modin, both in coughing up the puck, then not properly playing the puck in his own zone.
The other goal annoys me more, though. The one that David Legwand got. Legwand was all but left totally unmolested in front of the net. Admittedly, Legwand all but came streaking right in to the zone, and in less than five seconds of flashing across the screen from the neutral zone, he looped around the net, and knocked a rebound in past Fredrik Norrena. But even factoring in Legwand's speed, no one even tried to pick him up. Marc Methot was too busy diving to the ice to block a close shot, and so he never had a prayer when it came to getting up, and doing anything about the rebound.
Other than that, well ... it's already painful enough that the Predators, the hated expansion rivals, have swept the Blue Jackets this year. If anything, you could say that this is the most perfect, most prime example of the gap between the two teams in their development over the years. Where the Predators are threatening for a Stanley Cup, the Blue Jackets are threatening to take over Jack Niclaus' golf course here in Columbus yet again.
A couple of one-timers before I set to work trying to better update the draft post, and then watch tonight's NBC game.
-I was mistaken about FSN Ohio picking up the game against the Blues on March 25th just to be nice and help out. Or rather, they're still doing it to be nice and help out, but contractual obligations require FSN to now drop a game so that they continue to air only 75 games this season. The game they're dropping? This Wednesday's game at Anaheim.
I don't know. I don't really like that decision, to not air an away game, but pick up the home game. Now CBJ fans are stuck having to listen to 1460 The Fan or CD101 if they want to hear anything on the game. And while George Matthews and Bill Davidge are one-of-a-kind when it comes to their coverage of games, it's still not enough for the visual aspect that we'll be missing.
-On Friday, we happened to get some new types of memorabilia sticks in to sell at The Blueline! A month or so ago we'd run out of our other sticks, which were two CBJ sticks and two NHL Draft sticks (wooden, and a goalie stick and forward stick for each type). I'm not trying to advertise them, but I really like these sticks. Why? Because they have the Union Army cap logo on them now. There's also this new font used to write out "Columbus Blue Jackets" on the shaft of each stick, which I find really appealing. Which brings me to my final comment today ...
-With the retiring of the Jackets' "CBJ" logo at the end of this season (and the switch to the third jersey logo), what happens with the font that is used when writing out the team's name on things such as the jerseys, and on their helmets, and the like? For those not sure about what I'm talking about, I'm referring to this:
If the "CBJ" is being retired, it only stands to reason that this way of writing out the name would also be retired ... maybe. I know I'd like to hear about whether or not there'll be a change in the team's font use when writing out the name, just because I really liked what I saw on our new wooden sticks.But that's it for me. With no games until Wednesday (and then no games I can even watch until Friday), things might be a little quiet. But that also means an opportunity to finally work on my draft post. Hurrah!
Labels: Blue Jackets, coaches, post-game, Predators, 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
CoyotOWNED!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
So I'm talking with my best friend's ex-girlfriend as I type this, just to see how she's doing. She recently moved to Canada, and she's going on and on with the giddiness of a schoolgirl about how hockey is so accessible there, and how now even she's getting in to hockey thanks to that. Additionally, apparently Tim Horton's is the Dunkin' Donuts of the North, except better ... by a mile.
Sigh.
But I shouldn't be so morose! I should be happy! The Blue Jackets finally beat a team that isn't in the playoff hunt for the first time since January 16th, when they managed to take down the Blackhawks in overtime on VERSUS ... since then, they had gone 0-6-1 against teams equal to, only slightly better then, or worse than them. Talk about your miserable droughts of miserably misery. In that same span, the Jackets proceeded to go 8-3-2 against teams that are in the playoff hunt or currently holding down a spot. I mean, wow ... that's insanity off the charts. That's just plain inconceivable, in the words of one favorite character from The Princess Bride.
Because in the grand scheme of things ... and I hate to rain on the parade of last night's hard-fought win against the Coyotes, if the Jackets had won just five of those games? They'd be 2 games under .500, and 9 points out of the playoff picture. Not that I would have expected them to make the playoffs even if they were within that distance of the 8th spot, but it puts some serious perspective on what could have been if the team hadn't thrown all these games against equally awful teams.
... I'm sad now. :-(
Ah well. Let's give a round of applause to Brian Boucher, who notched his first win since he, in an ironic twist, shut out the Jackets in November 1-0, and by affiliation sent Gerard Gallant on a one-way trip to the press box, where he now comfortably sits alongside Doug MacLean and 'scouts' the team. Although Boucher showed some real shakiness at times -- in particular when he flubbed on an only slightly screened shot from the blue line during a Jackets' penalty kill -- he managed to keep the ship steady for the most part. By the way, props on the "red tape" mask. I wouldn't be against him keeping that instead of re-painting the thing, if he decides to during a possibly short stint with the team until the end of the season.
Besides goaltending, it looks like we've finally found a bit of chemistry between some players. With Alexander Svitov out with what is apparently a mild concussion, feisty yet spritely Geoff Platt was nudged right up to the top line between Rick Nash and David Vyborny, starting with the game against Dallas on Friday. The results have been near-immediate, with Nash grabbing two goals in the 'Yotes game while Platt and Vyborny got assists on both goals. Prior to that, the line showed some energetic promise against the Stars, even though they came up empty.
Meanwhile, Manny Malhotra and Jason Chimera are once again clicking with one another, with Gilbert Brule thrown in as well. Brule now has two assists in two games, and both Manny and Chimmer have a goal and an assist in the same span. Also, Fredrik Modin has 5 points in 5 games, starting around just prior to the official public announcement of his re-signing. As long as Modin doesn't just pack it in now that the season's a wash and he has his money, he's O.K. in my book. But he needs to continue to prove that he's worth every penny he's now been signed to for the next three years.
On one final note of interest, there was an interesting note made in a recent article in the Edmonton Sun, where Bruce Garrioch muses aloud (thanks for posting that on your blog, Paul!) about the possibility of former Philadelphia Flyer's GM Bob Clarke coming to Columbus next season in the event that the trigger is pulled on the gun pointed at GMDM.
It's a little early to be making any judgments about such an out-of-left field comment, but maybe if more talk comes up about it in the near future, I might have to take some time to weigh and pros and cons of Mr. Clarke bringing his style of general management to the Blue Jackets, and whether it'd be a smart idea or not.
Before I go, I want to let everyone know that I should have an update to my NHL Draft post up sometime within the next ... 30 hours, I'd say. So stay tuned, as I'd like to continue laying things out and giving better information.
Sigh.
But I shouldn't be so morose! I should be happy! The Blue Jackets finally beat a team that isn't in the playoff hunt for the first time since January 16th, when they managed to take down the Blackhawks in overtime on VERSUS ... since then, they had gone 0-6-1 against teams equal to, only slightly better then, or worse than them. Talk about your miserable droughts of miserably misery. In that same span, the Jackets proceeded to go 8-3-2 against teams that are in the playoff hunt or currently holding down a spot. I mean, wow ... that's insanity off the charts. That's just plain inconceivable, in the words of one favorite character from The Princess Bride.
Because in the grand scheme of things ... and I hate to rain on the parade of last night's hard-fought win against the Coyotes, if the Jackets had won just five of those games? They'd be 2 games under .500, and 9 points out of the playoff picture. Not that I would have expected them to make the playoffs even if they were within that distance of the 8th spot, but it puts some serious perspective on what could have been if the team hadn't thrown all these games against equally awful teams.
... I'm sad now. :-(
Ah well. Let's give a round of applause to Brian Boucher, who notched his first win since he, in an ironic twist, shut out the Jackets in November 1-0, and by affiliation sent Gerard Gallant on a one-way trip to the press box, where he now comfortably sits alongside Doug MacLean and 'scouts' the team. Although Boucher showed some real shakiness at times -- in particular when he flubbed on an only slightly screened shot from the blue line during a Jackets' penalty kill -- he managed to keep the ship steady for the most part. By the way, props on the "red tape" mask. I wouldn't be against him keeping that instead of re-painting the thing, if he decides to during a possibly short stint with the team until the end of the season.
Besides goaltending, it looks like we've finally found a bit of chemistry between some players. With Alexander Svitov out with what is apparently a mild concussion, feisty yet spritely Geoff Platt was nudged right up to the top line between Rick Nash and David Vyborny, starting with the game against Dallas on Friday. The results have been near-immediate, with Nash grabbing two goals in the 'Yotes game while Platt and Vyborny got assists on both goals. Prior to that, the line showed some energetic promise against the Stars, even though they came up empty.
Meanwhile, Manny Malhotra and Jason Chimera are once again clicking with one another, with Gilbert Brule thrown in as well. Brule now has two assists in two games, and both Manny and Chimmer have a goal and an assist in the same span. Also, Fredrik Modin has 5 points in 5 games, starting around just prior to the official public announcement of his re-signing. As long as Modin doesn't just pack it in now that the season's a wash and he has his money, he's O.K. in my book. But he needs to continue to prove that he's worth every penny he's now been signed to for the next three years.
On one final note of interest, there was an interesting note made in a recent article in the Edmonton Sun, where Bruce Garrioch muses aloud (thanks for posting that on your blog, Paul!) about the possibility of former Philadelphia Flyer's GM Bob Clarke coming to Columbus next season in the event that the trigger is pulled on the gun pointed at GMDM.
It's a little early to be making any judgments about such an out-of-left field comment, but maybe if more talk comes up about it in the near future, I might have to take some time to weigh and pros and cons of Mr. Clarke bringing his style of general management to the Blue Jackets, and whether it'd be a smart idea or not.
Before I go, I want to let everyone know that I should have an update to my NHL Draft post up sometime within the next ... 30 hours, I'd say. So stay tuned, as I'd like to continue laying things out and giving better information.
Labels: Blue Jackets, Coyotes, post-game, ranting
Power Play Bizarro Day, and Bob Marley heads to the South.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Top shelf, glove-side, across the body.
I dare anyone to say that to Hendrik Lundqvist if they ever have the opportunity to within the next week. I have a feeling that after tonight, King Henry of Sweden will be double-checking his glove to make sure some Blue Jackets' player didn't play a college prank and line it with heavy ball bearings. That actually sounds like something that either Jason Chimera or Dan Fritsche would do, too.
Jeff Rimer and Danny Gare were quick to point out during the FSN Ohio broadcast that tonight marked Rick Nash's first ever shortie. When you think about it, it's both a combination of a surprise ... and not that surprising at all. Nash's time on the penalty kill had been extremely limited leading up to Hitchcock's arrival in Columbus, and so he never got many opportunities prior to now. Still, limited PK role notwithstanding, you would think he'd have at least one in his career leading up to now.
Speaking of the penalty kill, what happened tonight? After blowing their first PK attempt in the first (and much to most CBJ fan's expectations), the team suddenly became ... well, good at it. And to me, the key reason for that suddenly explosive penalty kill?
Aggressive play.
They didn't play stupidly aggressive, like teams are apt to do when they're down a man. No, instead, they played smart aggressive. They picked the right times to pressure point men, drop away from the slot to pressure down low, and didn't get caught out of place all that much after the first power play goal against them by the Rangers. And even then, I have to admit the first power play for the Rangers had me dizzy. Did anyone else see how many Rangers jumped in to the air? I think it was three in all, who kept leaping up while clogging up the slot and crease area, while the point men passed to one another before Jaromir Jagr scored on a slap shot.
I was pleasantly surprised, once again, by the way Geoff Platt played, especially after just being called up today from Syracuse. Although Platt is literally snakebitten with a goose egg on the stats sheet in all his NHL games played, he continues to play with a Fritsche-esque jump to his step. A future energy line guy? Most likely. We'll have to see if he can make a more permanant jump up to the team next year, depending on how well he does and how much time he gets in the last part of this season.
Lastly, this post won't be complete without me throwing down the gauntlet and expressing my opinion about yesterday's Anson Carter trade. For those not in the know, this is what the deal was:
To Carolina:
Anson Carter
To Columbus:
5th Round Draft Pick, 2008 NHL Entry Draft
There's no way around this one, folks; this trade just plain stinks to the high heavens. Doug MacLean's bartering abilities for this trade were atrocious. Sure, MacLean might say in today's Dispatch article that "There was limited, limited interest (in Carter). I’ve been working on it for a couple of weeks. There was no movement whatsoever in the market.", but the fact of the matter is that this is horrible. It's not even that the pick is a fifth rounder (though to be fair, I expected a third rounder at most, and a fourth rounder at least). It's that it is a fifth rounder for the next draft.
I don't know what MacLean is thinking, but the last thing this team needs is to wait a whole year to just get their hands on some lower rung prospect that more than likely has the odds stacked against him when it comes to even making it in to the NHL. If MacLean is simply going to trade for picks (much to my and many fan's chagrins considering the already bankrupt levels of patience Columbus has for a roster capable of winning and making a playoff push), he needs to trade for picks for this draft. There is no more time left. This team has already worn out its welcome, and it's going to lose what devoted fans are left unless some sort of step in the positive direction for next season -- not the 2008-2009 season -- is made.
That's it from me. But one more thing ...
I dare anyone to say that to Hendrik Lundqvist if they ever have the opportunity to within the next week. I have a feeling that after tonight, King Henry of Sweden will be double-checking his glove to make sure some Blue Jackets' player didn't play a college prank and line it with heavy ball bearings. That actually sounds like something that either Jason Chimera or Dan Fritsche would do, too.
Jeff Rimer and Danny Gare were quick to point out during the FSN Ohio broadcast that tonight marked Rick Nash's first ever shortie. When you think about it, it's both a combination of a surprise ... and not that surprising at all. Nash's time on the penalty kill had been extremely limited leading up to Hitchcock's arrival in Columbus, and so he never got many opportunities prior to now. Still, limited PK role notwithstanding, you would think he'd have at least one in his career leading up to now.
Speaking of the penalty kill, what happened tonight? After blowing their first PK attempt in the first (and much to most CBJ fan's expectations), the team suddenly became ... well, good at it. And to me, the key reason for that suddenly explosive penalty kill?
Aggressive play.
They didn't play stupidly aggressive, like teams are apt to do when they're down a man. No, instead, they played smart aggressive. They picked the right times to pressure point men, drop away from the slot to pressure down low, and didn't get caught out of place all that much after the first power play goal against them by the Rangers. And even then, I have to admit the first power play for the Rangers had me dizzy. Did anyone else see how many Rangers jumped in to the air? I think it was three in all, who kept leaping up while clogging up the slot and crease area, while the point men passed to one another before Jaromir Jagr scored on a slap shot.
I was pleasantly surprised, once again, by the way Geoff Platt played, especially after just being called up today from Syracuse. Although Platt is literally snakebitten with a goose egg on the stats sheet in all his NHL games played, he continues to play with a Fritsche-esque jump to his step. A future energy line guy? Most likely. We'll have to see if he can make a more permanant jump up to the team next year, depending on how well he does and how much time he gets in the last part of this season.
Lastly, this post won't be complete without me throwing down the gauntlet and expressing my opinion about yesterday's Anson Carter trade. For those not in the know, this is what the deal was:
To Carolina:
Anson Carter
To Columbus:
5th Round Draft Pick, 2008 NHL Entry Draft
There's no way around this one, folks; this trade just plain stinks to the high heavens. Doug MacLean's bartering abilities for this trade were atrocious. Sure, MacLean might say in today's Dispatch article that "There was limited, limited interest (in Carter). I’ve been working on it for a couple of weeks. There was no movement whatsoever in the market.", but the fact of the matter is that this is horrible. It's not even that the pick is a fifth rounder (though to be fair, I expected a third rounder at most, and a fourth rounder at least). It's that it is a fifth rounder for the next draft.
I don't know what MacLean is thinking, but the last thing this team needs is to wait a whole year to just get their hands on some lower rung prospect that more than likely has the odds stacked against him when it comes to even making it in to the NHL. If MacLean is simply going to trade for picks (much to my and many fan's chagrins considering the already bankrupt levels of patience Columbus has for a roster capable of winning and making a playoff push), he needs to trade for picks for this draft. There is no more time left. This team has already worn out its welcome, and it's going to lose what devoted fans are left unless some sort of step in the positive direction for next season -- not the 2008-2009 season -- is made.
That's it from me. But one more thing ...
HUGE FONT ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Next week, a very important and informative post is going to be put out by me, with help from Drew at End of the Bench. This post is going to be on the topic of the upcoming 2007 NHL Entry Draft, which is taking place in Columbus from June 22nd to the 23rd. With just a under 4 months left before the draft, it's been decided that we -- the CBJ bloggers -- are going to do our best to roll out the welcome mat for all visitors to Columbus, especially fellow bloggers. Information on Columbus, on getting tickets (free admission tickets) to the draft, where to stay, where to eat, and a possible blogger reception/gathering will be in this post.
So stay tuned, folks. We hope to make this as great of an event as possible!
So stay tuned, folks. We hope to make this as great of an event as possible!
Labels: Anson Carter, Blue Jackets, nhl draft, post-game, Rangers, trades
