This team is exhausting

The on again off again Jackets were off again last night. After an emotional 5-1 win of the Red Wings in Detroit the Jackets responded with a horrible effort against a Blues team that was playing their 3rd game in 4 nights.

This team is exausting. No consistancy at all. Its to the point where you might as well just guess how they'll perform b/c there is no patter here. This team is all over the map.

Lit it up

How bout nobody.

Dim the light

Brule-Brassard-Fritchse line was really the only line that did anything of substance last night.

My hat off to Dan Fritsche for sticking up for his goalie and taking on a seasonsed fighter in Barret Jackman. Why Jackman would go with Fritsche is just stupid. That was maybe Fritsche's second fight ever -- nice to see Jackman bloodied up there - serves him right for going after a non-fighter. I don't want to hear the face shield argument either -- Jackman picked the fight, that's what he gets.

Nash got a shorty.

Busted bulbs

7 penalties. Many of the undisiplined kind by the team's veterans. Unnacceptable, especially this time of year.

Jackets give up 3 powerplay goals to the league's worst powerplay. Again just completely unnacceptable.

Jackets unwilling to pay the price. Oustide of the 4th line, nobody on the Jackets were willing to match the Blues' intensity. They came out hitting from the first whistle and the Jackets had nothing to match them. This game was never in doubt.

So much for getting any kind of boost from Sergei Fedorov.

The Jackets outshot, outhit, outplayed and ultimately outscored.

Certainly not one of Leclaire's best games. Some fluke goals and tip ins but he had some nasty rebounds and this was the second time in two weeks he's let one pop in the air on him and go in behind him. He did make quite a few saves early on or this score could have been worse.

Foote / Hejda -- out there for 4 goals against. They were a mess.

Klesla. Completely blew the coverage on the McDonald break-away. Horrible.

Michael Peca. Two dumb slashing penalties. Pathetic.

Vyborny, Chimera, Zherdev -- did they even play last night?

How much does this team miss Jared Boll? Sad really how soft this team can look without him.

3 bright lights on the night

1. Dan Fritsche - sticking up for his goalie and giving Jackman a real go

2. Brassard & Brule - this line is making some things happen out there, they'll get rewarded soon

3. CBJ youth team - they showed more emotion in the stands than the entire team did on the ice

This team will probably bounce back in Toronto tomorrow night and make us all think there's still a chance to back in to these playoffs but the reality is this team is just way to inconsistant.

What really amazes me are how prior to the All Star break they only two losses of 4 goals or more. Since the break, in just 9 games they have two. Either 1. the league has figured out how to beat the Jackets 2. the Jackets are burning out their d-men or 3. the Jackets as a whole are just flaming out. Regardless, the defense and checking that made them successfull early on just hasn't been there since the break.

GM Scott Howson must know that regardless if this team stays in the hunt or not he's got to unload some of these veterans at the deadline for either picks or roster players that will be part of the long term solution here. I really think that this team would have just a good of a chance to make the playoffs without guys like Fedorov, Vyborny or Peca than it would with them.

This team just cannot get it done in its current state and nows the time to start building this team the right way. The gutting of this roster has to start now.

-LTL