Even strength play couldn't even keep the Jackets in this one tonight as the Jackets suffered their first shutout loss to the LA Kings.... and it was ugly boy, real ugly.
STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW
GREEN
* Credit to the Kings.. they capitalized on their chances and shut the Jackets down. They kept them on the perimeter all night and they looked the best I've seen them in years defensively.
YELLOW
* I liked Methot quite a bit. He carried the puck... was physical.. showed some emotion out there.
* I give Boll credit for trying to get his team into this one by taking on a true heavy in Ivanans..
* Commodore and Hejda played okay I thought even though Commodore took the hook on O'Sullivan which resulted in a penalty shot and Hejda redirected the 2nd goal.
* Well the PK didn't allow goal (yeah, I"m reaching here).
RED
* Exactly what I was afraid of happening happened... no energy....although they didn't get snowballed as bad as I thought they would. No excuses as the Kings played Friday night and the Jackets had it off. This team's competitive inconsistency is entirely to consistant.
* Absolutely no flow. Everyone was out of sync. They couldn't break out of their own zone.. they couldn't break into the oppositions.. when they did get in it always seemed to be off some broken play when the only player gaining the zone with any kind of speed was the puck carrier which eventually led to a dump in right to a Kings' player.
* A combined 5 shots in the first period....if anyone was having trouble staying awake for the start of this one they were surely sound a sleep by the end of the first 20... that was some brutal boring hockey.
* PP is an embarrassment at this point. No shots on the first two PPs...one chance on the 3rd one. Again it fails to take advantage early in a game. What exactly were Backman and Brassard doing on the play that resulted in a turnover and subsequent penalty shot? Playing keystone cops? I am serious when I say Hitch should just role the even strength lines as is with a man up..why not?
* Russell is playing like he is afraid of making mistakes and getting sent down. He's had some opportunities to pop up in plays but he playing is very safe which will get him sent back down.
* Jackets couldn't seem to win a faceoff when it mattered most.
* Mason has to stop that 1st goal.. Backman set one hell of a screen and I think he even tipped it. I wish he'd just scratch himself.
* Kings win a faceoff and their point man gets shot on net...a deflection later off of Hejda and its in the net. Again offense starts from the points..
* Goat line invisible. Nash line ineffective. Jackets offense as a whole a no-show.
* Speaking of the goat line.. I think its safe to say the rookies have officially hit a wall... Brass with 11 minutes.. Jake with 13.. and the way they have been playing lately its hard to disagree with the reduced minutes. The problem is we need them being productive to be successful consistently.
3 BRIGHT LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT
None
The loss drops the Jackets to 11-12-3 on the season and 0-2 so far on this trip. They take on the Anaheim Ducks tonight at 8 EST.
This is shaping up to be one brutal trip and I'm not holding my breath that the Jackets can salvage a win against the Ducks tonight.
-LTL
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Kings crown Jackets
Pre-game thoughts: Don't underestimate Kings
This Kings team is no push over and that is the message the Jackets have to take into the Staple Center tonight. They site 10-11-4 with 24 points which is one less than the Jackets at 25. The Kings could easily leap frog the Jackets in the Western Conference standings with two regulation points tonight.
The Kings have also lost 3 in a row coming off a 5-4 shoot out loss to Edmonton last night. They are certainly viewing this game as a much needed remedy to their losing ways.
The Jackets are coming off a hard fought 1 goal loss against the NHL's best squad in San Jose. They cannot afford to take the night off against 
LA and lose even more traction in the standings.
KEYS TO LIGHTING THEM UP
* Bring the same energy level you brought against San Jose. If you play at that level you can win this game. Its that word consistency. Its easier said than done to bring that kind of game every night but that is what its going to take to be a playoff team.
* They have got to do a better job at converting on their chances. There have been long stretches of solid play this season but they haven't gotten as rewarded as they should in the goal scoring department.
* The Kings are a young squad with a decent amount of firepower. Guys like Kopitar (aah what could have been!) Frolov, Brown and Quincey lead this team in scoring with young guns like Moller, O'Sullivan and Doughty contributing. These guys have energy and talent but also make mistakes -- Jackets have to capitalize on those mistakes.
* I haven't watched the Kings much this season but if they are anything like last season they play a run and gun style and like to pot goals off the rush. Jackets have to be smart in the neutral and pick their spots to jump into the play. Form there use turnovers for counter-attacks and use their size and quickness to cycle down low to wear out their opponents.
* Special teams... yeah.. broken record.
* Looks like Jason LaBarbera gets the pipes tonight for the Kings. He's got 4W 6L 2.79GAA and .894 Save%. Jackets need to do their best to not make this guy look like a Vezina winner.
* On the flip side Mason needs to continue to play the way he has and make the big saves to keep his team in it.
* This is a game I expect the Jackets young guns to shine. Why? The Kings are a young team like the Jackets with a Calder candidate of their own in Drew Doughty... Its kind of a game within a game? Can the likes of Brass/Voracek/Mason out perform the likes of Kopitar/Doughty/Moller? That could be your game.
GAME SPOTLIGHT
I'll be watching the Jackets energy level early. Can they sustain the level of play they brought in San Jose?
Also will be fun to watch the battle of Calder candidates. Drew Doughty is right up there with Brass in terms of Calder discussions. Steve Mason is also starting to creep into those conversations. Who has the better game?
This game strikes me as one of those that I can see a blow out on either side. I think the first goal is huge, especially for Columbus, and I could see things snowballing if they come out underestimating these Kings.
Puck drops at 10:30.
GO JACKETS!
-LTL
Friday, December 5, 2008
Clay gets the call
According to Puck-rakers its 25 year old defensemen Clay Wilson who is getting the callup with Torres on the IR. Lindsay Kramer of the Crunch media also comments on the promotion:
The most deserving player on the Syracuse Crunch was recalled on Friday, although I'm a little suprised at the position tapped.
The Blue Jackets brought up veteran defenseman Clay Wilson to join them on their West Coast trip. Wilson leads all AHL defensemen with eight goals and is third in Crunch scoring with 15 points.
Read more from Kramer here .
Whelp... count me as one guy who never saw this one coming not when you consider the Jackets A. lost a forward in Torres and B. were already carrying 7 defensemen.
Now that I think about it though, I shouldn't be surprised at all.
This move clearly shows that Jackets management is just as concerned about our powerplay as the fans -- why else call up an offensive d-man when you already have 7 d-men on the roster?
There is no other explanation although the thought of a trade does creep into my mind... more on that in a bit.
So now the question becomes who sits? We know one will be Tollefsen with Norrena being another.
Could it finally be...dun dun dun.....Backman? I hope so.
A combo of Russell and Wilson on the points sounds intriguing although we are talking about a pair of small d-men.
Unfortunately I think it will be Russell who gets more time in the press box b/c for some odd reason (probably 3.4 million worth of reasons) the Jackets will not scratch Backman. I just want to see what this lineup looks like just once without him.
Another option is the Jackets could carry 7 d-men and scratch a forward like Novotny.
Wilson should get some prime time PP time so it will be interesting to see what he can do with it. He showed some nice flashes at the end of last season so maybe he can provide a much needed spark this time around.
Be sure to check out this coverage on Nikita Filatov and how he is adapting to North America. Lindsay Kramer does a fantastic job with these stories and there is a great pic of Filatov and his mom Yelena.
Check out this trade rumor from Philly.com:
Defenseman Randy Jones (hip) hopes to return to the lineup around Dec. 16. Jones reportedly has drawn interest from Columbus, coached by former Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock
Here is the skinny from Forecaster.ca on the 27 year old defensemen:
ASSETS: Has good size and upside. Is still young enough to develop into a bona fide NHLer.
FLAWS: Is not a typical Flyer, since he's 6-2, 200 pounds but doesn't play a big man's game. Must tighten up his defensive-zone coverage.
CAREER POTENTIAL: No. 6 or 7 defenseman.
That breakdown doesn't give me a lot of warm and fuzzies and quite frankly I don't know much about this guy.
Looking over his stats he did put up 5g and 26a for 31p and was a +8 in 77gp last season while the season before he threw up 22p in 66g so there certainly appears to be some offensive upside here.
He's signed for this year at 2.5 mil and next year at 3 mil before becoming an UFA.
From what I understand Philly is going to have to move someone once he comes off the IR on the 16th to stay under the cap so perhaps that someone may be him.
Looking at his numbers I can certainly see where the Jackets could have some interest. He isn't that right handed shot we desperately need but at this point we can't be too picky assuming he can launch the bombs from the point.
I'm going to have to find some highlights of this guy or check out some Philly games once he comes of the IR (if not traded by then) to see what this guy could bring to the table for us.
Hypothetically though if the Jackets were to make a move for this guy you'd have to think some money would go the other way. They certainly won't take Backman off our hands as they are trying to clear salary but a guy like Tollefsen may interest to them in addition to a draft pick or prospect.
Heck I'll throw a Klesla for Jones swap?
Keep in mind though this could all be the media connecting the dots in terms of the Jackets real need for offensive skill on the blueline and using the Hitch-Philly connection to fuel the rumor fires.
Fire away - thoughts on the Wilson callup or the Jones rumor?
-LTL
Boys deserved better fate
I caught the last half of the game last night at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Dublin (they had the Jackets rocking on about 10 screens btw!) and man did those guys play their asses off.
You always hate to lose but I was very proud of the way those guys competed last night. I didn't see one player not working his tail off every shift.
Unfortunately this game came down to special teams and the Sharks won in that area notching two PP goals and the game winner off a delayed penalty. The PK did kill off an extended 5-3 but they couldn't stay out of the box and a team like the Sharks will eventually make you pay and there was your game. Another shining example of how special teams win you games.
The Jackets grabbed two even strength tallies by Nash and Modin and had some glorious opportunities to tie it late but couldn't solve Nabokov.
It was good to see Brass get on the scoreboard and he was skating really hard. Boll looked pretty good and Tyutin was really skating the puck out with the most authority I've seen from him yet this year. All good signs.
Still the Jackets have nothing to hang their heads about, at least from the parts of the game I saw (and by all accounts they were even better in the 1st). This Sharks team has just tied the record for most points ever by an NHL team with the 44 Canadiens... they are that good. Their blueline is absolutely sick with Boyle/Black/Valasik and the way they can move that puck. Then of course they have All-Star Nabokov to clean up any mistakes.
I plan to watch the first half tonight so I may throw in some additional comments.
I would just love to see what this team could do with a half decent PP and PK. They could be dangerous but they don't seem to be gaining any traction in either area so until they do, expect more games like this.
We'll see if the Jackets can bring that same type of energy tomorrow night against a Kings team that is certainly no pushover. They desperately need some points out of these next two tilts.
Fire away - thoughts on last night's game? Do you take anything positive away from this loss?
-LTL
ATTN GAMERS: EA Big Head Hockey
A buddy of mine just sent me this link about a new hockey game EA will be releasing. Here are the details:
EA will officially announce NHL Arcade tomorrow, a three-on-three hockey game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, IGN reports. It is not, we repeat not, a re-release of EA's NHL 94 for the Genesis.
Now that you've come to terms with that distressing fact, what is NHL Arcade? It's "lightning-paced, no rules hockey" according to IGN Sports, with "game-changing power-ups" and giant-noggined professional hockey players. And it runs just ten bucks.
Sounds like a new version of NHL Hitz and from what I understand it will include real players.
I love my NHL sims but its also fun to have some arcadey stuff to play around with as well. I'm looking forward to this announcement.
-LTL
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Join us for our Holiday Game Watching Party this Sunday 12/7!
*********
We are starting at 5 with our Officers’ Meeting – you’re welcome to join us anytime…
Jackets play the Anaheim Ducks – pre-game at 7:30; puck drops at 8 pm
So Mark your Calendar for this Sunday, December 7th 2008, 5:00 pm at the Garage Bar – till postgame celebration for another Jackets victory!
The Garage Bar is located at 147 Vine Street, Arena District, Columbus, OH.
Reasonably priced parking is available just across the street.
If you’d like a chance to trade some of your old Jackets collectibles…
Here’s your chance to bring that extra game face of Jody Shelley that’s collecting dust…
Or any extra bobbleheads on that corner shelf?
Maybe you’ll pick up one of those Carry the Flag posters you don’t have yet…
Bring an item if you want and get your choice of someone else’s hidden treasure.
Pre-game thoughts: Why not us?
If the Jackets are looking for an opponent to play up to....they certainly found one tonight in San Jose.
This Sharks team is an absolutely beast right now who is tearing apart anyone who stands in their way. Through 25 games the Sharks are 23-3-1 with no regulation losses at home. The Jackets have only won 
once in 15 tries at the Shark Tank.
There aren't many flaws in their game. They are great on special teams (6th on PP; 7th on PK), great even strength... they can play you any way you want.. have world class skill up front and on the blueline as well as in net.
Yeah, maybe its a good thing this one isn't televised.
The positives with a record like the Jackets have against this squad is what do they have to lose? They are huge underdogs and the Sharks have probably already penciled in 2 points for this one so why not use that as motivation and show up and outwork this squad? They have also played well on the road this season going 4-5-2 and have hung in just about every game this season. Heck it wouldn't be a lie to say this team has looked better on the road than at home.
KEYS TO LIGHTING EM UP
* Have to outwork this team first and foremost. If the Jackets come out flat San Jose will leave tire marks.
* Keep the play in their end as much as possible. I'm talking long grind out shifts...cycle cycle cycle.. look for those low to high plays in front of the cage and get those madusa goals. I'm talking winning ugly tonight.
* Convert on your chances! Remember the last time we played San Jose we really outplayed them the 1st half of the game but we didn't convert on our chances and then fell apart. This time around the Jackets have got to bury em!
* Would certainly be a key game for the Jackets special teams to come alive.....
* Nash's line is going to get keyed on especially hard since San Jose has the last shift change so tonight is also a key night for the goat line to get it going on the score board again. Need that secondary scoring.
* If one line takes a night off then that's all a team line San Jose will need to put up the 'W'. Every Jacket must be into it and pulling their weight to have a shot.
* The Sharks don't give up much defensively (only 59 goals against) so the Jackets can't either. Mason has to be sharp..again.
GAME SPOTLIGHT
Really the story is can the Jackets stay with and take a point or two from this squad at home and carry that momentum towards the rest of this road trip. Are they up for the challenge?
Apparently there is a live stream for this game at this link. I have my own hockey game at 10:30 but am certainly DVRing and certainly catching what I can after. I hope the boys bring it and knock these guys off at home... someone has to right? Why not us?
GO JACKETS!
-LTL
Week 8 Power Rankings: Status quo
TSN.ca
Rank: 17 (+5)
Whether Pascal Leclaire is healthy or not, it's looking more and more like 20-year-old Steve Mason has to be the number one goaltending option for Columbus. Key Injuries: D Rostislav Klesla (ankle).
CNNSI.com
Rank: 18 (unchanged)
Steve Mason's play is gluing Pascal Leclaire's skinny behind to the bench. Rick Nash finally is providing leadership on (12 goals) and off the ice. But the Jackets may as well leave on the skate guards if they don't get their befuddled power play on track. Two-for-49 is no way to go through life, son.
CBSSports.com
Rank: 18 (+2)
Speedy Jason Chimera is earning lots of ice time and putting up the best numbers of his seven-season career at age 29.
CBC.ca
Rank: 19 (-2)
Seem mired in ninth or 10th in the West.
ColumbusDispatch.com
Rank: 15 (-1)
Needed to be better than 10-10-3 at this point. They play 15 of their next 23 on the road, including four trips out West.
Sportsnet.ca
Rank: 17 (-1)
Nash pops seven goals in eight games and takes over the team scoring lead from rookie Derick Brassard.
Yahoo.com
Rank: 20 (unchanged)
Hmmm. Giving thanks. OK, I know there’s something. … Just give me a minute.
FoxSports.com
Rank: 20 (unchanged)
Columbus dropped two of the three games it played in Week 8. Including their 3-0 win over Washington, the Blue Jackets power play was out to lunch all week, going 0-for-17 on their man-up chances.
Espn.com
Rank: 17 (-2)
The Columbus Dispatch reported that coach Ken Hitchcock has "sent tapes to several colleagues within the NHL and asked them to analyze the Jackets' recent power plays." Columbus has just two PP goals in 10 games.
Meta-score: 17.88 (last week 17.77)
This week things remain about the same as last week. Some drops but also some gains from folks who had us to low last week. More of the same story with the PP problems and Mason praise.
The Dispatch comes in the highest at #15 while both Yahoo and CBSSports have us the lowest at #20. The biggest change is TSN whom moved the Jackets up 5 spots on their list.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the Jackets fair on this 3 game west coast trip starting with an extremely good San Jose squad tonight.
-LTL
Stat of the day
Just read an article that posted the best local NHL TV ratings in the US and found it interesting.
Top US Local Ratings 2008-09 Season
NHL Teams Avg. Local HH Rating
Buffalo Sabres 8.9
Pittsburgh Penguins 5.7
Detroit Red Wings 3.3
Minnesota Wild 2.6
Philadelphia Flyers 2.1
Colorado Avalanche 1.9
St. Louis Blues 1.9
Boston Bruins 1.6
Washington Capitals 1.2
Chicago Blackhawks 1.2
San Jose Sharks 1.2
NY Rangers 1.2
I wasn't expecting the Jackets to be top 10 so needless to say I wasn't surprised that they didn't make the list. St. Louis being in that group is a bit surprising considering their recent struggles the past few seasons.
If anyone out there knows the Jackets local ratings and would like to share I'd love to see em! Just email or post in the comments.
-LTL
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
This and that
Phoenix's new 3rd jersey has made its debut but for me what is more interesting is that this is the first time I"ve seen a club publish other designs that were considered. Check em out here.
For you NHL Network subscribers and World Junior Championship fans I have some good news. USA Hockey has reached a 3 year agreement with the NHL Network that will include the following:
USA Hockey announced today a three-year partnership with the NHL Network that includes unprecedented coverage of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship and coverage of the upcoming Qwest Tour, featuring the 2009-10 U.S. Women’s National Team.
In each of the next three IIHF World Junior Championships, the NHL Network will provide live television coverage of all U.S. games and all games of the medal round - including all quarterfinal and semifinal games, the bronze-medal game and the gold-medal game.
I absolutely love the WJCs and this is THE tournament where the game's top prospects state their case for the upcoming NHL draft. Its their biggest stage with loads of scouts, management types and media on hand.
Of course not every player is draft eligible and some have already been drafted. Nikita Filatov and Maksim Mayorov are in this group and all indications point to them playing for Russia in this tournament.
Also remember last year when our own Steve Mason shined for Team Canada and backstopped them to not only the gold medal but also to tournament MVP honors.
Players have to be under 20 to participate.
Speaking of the WJCs, the US team has just been announced and there is one Jacket prospect in the mix. 2007 2nd round pick Ted Ruth will on the squad. If you recall Ruth was drafted in 2007 in the 2nd round by the Washington Capitals.. The Jackets acquired him at the trade deadline last year for Sergei Fedorov.
Ruth, a defensive defensemen, currently had 1g in 13 games for the Irish with 16 PIMs.
Lots of other stuff going on out there in the hockey world like the Sean Avery situation. If nothing else he's good for conversation I've had 4 casual sports fans approach me about him today... that is if you believe in the "there is no bad publicity" moto. Personally I think the Stars got what they paid for as controversy has followed Avery at every stop in his professional career.
Also we have the 3rd NHL coach fired this season just 24 games in as Peter Laviolette got the hook in Carolina earler today. Denis Savard and Barry Melrose have been the other two casualties. Paul Maurice replaces Laviolette who won the cup with the 'canes back in 2006. I don't think Laviolette will be out of work long.
No word yet on who is getting called up to replace Torres. Lindsay Kramer seems to think it will be a veteran this time around:
On another topic, MacFarland said no Syracuse forward has yet been recalled to replace injured forward Raffi Torres. But the Blue Jackets are at the minimum up front and heading out for a West Coast trip, so I expect that to change. I think Derek MacKenzie, Mike York and Craig MacDonald are the most likely candidates.
My money is on MacKenzie but be sure to cast your vote in the related poll!
Congrats to Ohio Buckeye's tender Dustin Carlson for being named CCHA Player of the Month!
During November, Carlson, from Forest Lake, Minn., posted a 6-1 record, with a 1.47 goals-against average, .954 save percentage and three shutouts.
Speaking of Ohio State they are ranked for the first time this season on InsideCollegeHockey.com -- they come in at 18th out of 20:
The Buckeyes have won six of their last seven games. Based on the records of their opponents over the next 10 games — a combined 18 games below .500 — that run could extend for quite a while.
Thing are certainly looking up for this 8-6-1 squad whom by the way, play in Cleveland this Friday against Robert Morris at Quicken Loans Arena so if your looking for a hockey road trip, there ya go!!
-LTL
Legein gets second chance
"I don't think anything has changed with Stefan other than he wants to play again," Woods said. "He misses the game."
Howson's statement:
"Stef might have some bridges to build with teammates," said Howson, who spoke with Legein about 10 days ago. "I've said all along -- to him and about him -- that if he doesn't have the desire or the passion, we're OK with that. This is a difficult profession. You can't go in half-interested.
"If he's ready to do this, and display the necessary passion, I have compassion for him, and we'll welcome him back. I'm sure his teammates would, too."
Hey its a free world and everyone has the option to change their minds but I think Howson is right in that there is some serious bridge building that needs to occur here.
Take this for what its worth but according to a poster over on HF he's slated to join the Crunch in January. This was posted way before the news of his return was announced so I tend to believe it. Beyond that the timing makes sense... give the team a while to get used to the thought of Legein returning... start fresh in a new year after the holidays and this gives Legein a few weeks to get in hockey shape.
Well that and lets be honest here, he was a 2nd round pick and nobody wants to throw those away.
I will say that Legein will need to cash in on this chance and work hard because I don't see the Jackets giving him a third shot.
''I am planning to go to Columbus at the beginning of January and from there I hope to be going to Syracuse (of the American League),'' Legein told TSN. ''That's the plan. I am looking forward to it. It's time.''
I like this quote from Howson in the same story:
''That appears to be his intention,'' Columbus general manager Scott Howson told TSN. ''I got a phone call from Stef about 10 days ago and he told me wants to play again but he wants to get in shape first. We have no problem with that so long as he's fully committed. It's got to be all in for Stef. It can't be because he's running out of things to do with his time. It can't be because he's running out of money. It has to be because he wants to be a professional hockey player.''
Fire away - do you agree with the Jackets decision to give Legein a second chance?
-LTL
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Torres to the IR...who replaces him?
Also keep an eye on Craig MacDonald. He's another vet whose racked up 7g, 8a for 15 points in 22 games.
Of course the biggest draw back with the vets is the dreaded waivers. Once a player comes off IR chances are that veteran will get sent back down and all 29 other teams will have a shot at him... if he's playing well the Jackets could lose him.
HU-SANE!
Steve Mason's unbelievable backhand swooping cross crease save with seconds remaining... Rick Nash's ridiculous cross ice pass to Huselius for the equally impressive one timer in net for the go ahead goal... a PP goal! .... secondary scoring from Modin and Murray... winning a game where they were, for the most part, outplayed... finally winning a game where they didn't score first... it all added up to one insane night the guys in union blue!
I've got to tell ya... I didn't think that game was going to fall the Jackets way so believe me when I say I was thrilled to see it happen... and I completely agree with Hitch when he says we were due for one of these types of wins.
How many times have we been outplayed by the opposition only to make a late mistake or fail to hold onto a lead and come up empty in the points department? Quite a few. Its got to feel real good today for those players/coaches/mgmt to get out of that one with a big 2 points.
Got to hand it to Vancouver a bit.. they came to play last night and were throwing bodies all over the place and converting on their PP chances. That was certainly no easy win (are any of em?).
STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW
GREEN
*Steve Mason. This kid is just in the zone. He didn't look particularly sharp in the 2nd, especially after Vancouver got that 1st goal, but he stayed cool and calm and just shut everything down in the 3rd. Those plays/saves at the end were something really special.
*Down but not out. The was the first game where they have scored first but came back not once but twice to win. Got to love that risealency.
*Kristian "Husane" Huselius. This guy is just playing lights out for the Jackets right now. Sweet pass to Modin for the PP goal. Received a sweet pass from Nash for his...but even more than that is his ability to calm and slow the play down out there and create scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity... he had some get away from him but this guy is making everyone around him better everytime he's on the ice lately.
*Secondary scoring gets a big hell yeah. Modin needed one in the worst way as did the PP so that was huge. Same for Andrew Murray who has been workin real hard after his scratches.. he scored a big even up hard working goal in the 3rd... and how about his team leading 4 hits.
*Nice to see Boller win a decision... slowly but surely he's starting to look like last year's #40 out there.
YELLOW
*Love the dish by Nash for the game winner...that was real hockey beauty. I move him into the yellow b/c he did have multiple turnovers (I think teams have that cut to the middle play figured out).... still he was there to make the play when his team needed him the most and nobody was expecting that pass...
*The Jackets did an amazing job drawing penalties last night..the had 8 total. Unfortunately they could only pot 1 PP goal but b/c they got one in I'll give it a yellow. I can only hope its a start to turning the PP's fortunes around.
*I'm loving Russell out there. He's skating hard, moving well and jumping into plays.. he almost got caught once to far up ice but managed to recover. I'd like to see him paired with a guy like Klesla when he comes back.
*13k+ plus in attendance. Better than previous Monday games but after seeing that packed house on Saturday I want more more more! Spread the word folks!
*This is more of a general thought.. but when was the last time Commodore and Hejda played less than 20 minutes each? Commodore had 17+ while Hejda 16+ -- helps when your team is on the PP so much. Both finished a +1. Tyutin on the other hand put in over 25+ and it seemed like he was out there the entire game (he took a nasty hit too).
Thought the Brass line looked a little better and Chimera had some looks... still the rooks have cooled down as of late but imagine where we would be without them taking care of business over the first 15..? The good news is as they've cooled the big guns have heated. They'll also heat up again.
RED
The PK gave up 2 goals on 4 chances. I'll give them credit for killing off that final one when the game was on the line but they need to do a better job of getting out on those points and blocking/disrupting shots. Both Vancouver goals were generated from those point shots (..and I was one jealous fan watching those bombs).
Backman with over 7+ minutes of PP time... I just don't get it. He adds nothing when he's out there... what happened to Methot getting PP time.. he had a whopping 48 seconds and quite frankly I thought he did a better job in 48 seconds than Backman did in 7+ minutes. Yeah yeah the Backman hate.
Game ops.. what's up with more of those stupid movie clips? I thought those days were behind us.
..and one last gripe... fans cheering louder for t-shirts than the on ice game action? We can do better than that c-bus!!
3 BRIGHT LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT
1. Come from behind win againt a team that for the most part outplayed them.
2. Steve Mason's lockdown down play in the 3rd...and WOW that arm save!!
3. Big guns coming up big in critical moments!
The win moves the Jackets back over the .500 mark (11-10-3) as they embark on a tough west coast trip with stops in San Jose, LA & Anaheim. Its absolutely key that the Jackets won these past two games as they look to continue to build some momentum on the road. Ideally you'd love to see a Jackets sweep of this trip but if they can take 3 to 4 points on this trip then things will start to look really good.
Finally a BIG congrats to Steve Mason for being named the NHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH!
This is the second consecutive month a Jacket has won that honor. NHL rookies just got "Mased"!
-LTL
Monday, December 1, 2008
Stat of the day
Sorry for no pre-game thoughts today but its been one of those Mondays at work (yeah, I do work...really!).
Anyhow Scott Burnside had an interesting bit on powerplays today in his column:
3. Does it really matter how good your power play is?No. But we also think goaltending is overrated, scoring is luck and it's OK to announce your home crowd as 18,000 even if you've given away half your tickets and there are only 500 real human beings in the building.
OK, a little sarcasm there.
Yes; in this NHL, if you can't produce on the power play, your chances of making the playoffs diminish dramatically, and the probability of advancing in the playoffs starts to fall off the map.
Last season, seven of the top 10 power-play producers made the playoffs. Out of the top five -- Montreal, Philadelphia, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay -- only the Lightning didn't make the playoffs (they were dead last; go figure). Meanwhile, Montreal advanced to the second round, Philadelphia went to the Eastern Conference finals, Pittsburgh went to the Cup finals and Detroit won it all.
On the penalty-killing side, seven of the top 10 teams made the playoffs, but only one of the top five teams (Dallas) advanced in the postseason.
This season, Detroit is the runaway leader in power-play efficiency (32.3 percent) compared to No. 2 Minnesota (24 percent). St. Louis, Boston and San Jose round out the top five. With the exception of St. Louis, all of those teams are almost certain to make the playoffs, and there's a pretty good chance your 2009 Cup champ comes out of that group.
On the penalty kill, Minnesota (see a trend with Jacques Lemaire's squad?), the New York Rangers, Buffalo, Ottawa and Philadelphia round out the top five. There are certainly fewer Cup favorites among this group.
Interesting breakdown and judging by the response to the poll most of you out there certainly seem to think a good PP is important to a team's success.
As far as tonight's game I'll make it really quick. The Canucks are coming off back to back defeats at the hands of the Calgary Flames. They are certainly looking at this game as a "must-win". They are going to come out hungry and angry...the Jackets have to match and even raise that intensity.
They had a great night at home against Washington and they have already beaten Vancouver once at home -- this is no time to blow a tire as they look get above that.500 mark and on a roll.
..and they sure as hell better not take this team for granted with Luongo out of the picture.
-LTL
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