Clunker

So much for the 6 game point streak....

The Jackets dropped an ugly one last night to the Coytoes by a final of 5-2. Quite frankly the Jackets as a group were no-shows and were man handled, save for the final few moments of the game when Phoenix let up on the accelerator.

The biggest story of this game might just be the post game press conference when Hitch had this to say about his captain:

“Rick (Nash) wasn’t very effective today, for whatever reason,” Hitchcock said. “But he had a lot of company. A lot of company.”

The timing of this comment is very interesting as I thought Nash wasn't nearly as bad as he's been earlier this season (more on that later).

Make no mistake about it, this comment was a very calculated move by Hitch. He obviously wasn't happy with the way this team came out after playing so well the previous week and his motivational tactics are starting at the top. The Jackets squad cannot afford to "clunk" there way through any game -- especially against a Western Conference opponent they will most likely be trying to knock out of the playoffs to get in.


STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW


GREEN
* After a game like this is hard to find any silver lining but the Jackets did do a few things well. They killed off a 4 minute minor to start with.

* I personally though Jason Chimera was our strongest forward from whistle to whistle. He was one of the few that actually had his legs moving and he was driving the net hard. He did collect an assist, registered a team high 5 shots, 1 hit, 1 give away and was a -2.

* Certainly not Brassard's strongest game but he was one of the few that was busting his butt in the 3rd period.. had a beautiful feed to Nash and grabbed a garbage goal. His quest for the Calder continues.

* I appreciated Boll's willingness to get dirty with a real tough guy in Fedoruk. He was a bit out of his league there but knew his team needed something...any kind of spark.

* Shane Doan was an absolute beast last night.

* Hey I did get a post game tour of the new R Bar.... that thing is going to be sweet! Target opening is late Nov early Dec.

YELLOW
* The Jackets did get a PP goal and Nash did get a goal. All to late to matter.

* This game certainly wasn't on Mason. As Hitch said, boy did he get hung out to dry. He made some sterling saves but there were just way to many quality chances.

RED
* Defense was a complete mess. Way to many breakdowns by everyone. All of the blueliners were bad but I thought Rusty and Tollefsen were especially craptastic. When Methot gets healthy I think the coaches have to think long and hard about putting him back with Tyutin in the top 4.

* Overall energy was unacceptable. They were beaten in every facet of the game. This team had 3 days off....well essentially 4 if you count last night's effort.

* 11k+ for attendance... so it goes.

3 BRIGHT LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT
1. R Bar tour
2. Free ticket
3. At least they didn't get shut out

A quick nugget I learned last night from a source I can't mention. Apparently Nash has been injured for weeks but kept it quiet because he knew if he was out there, team would game plan against him with their best defenders which would free up the rookies to do their thing. Eventually he had to disclose the injury as coaching staff, like the fans, were worried about his play.

Now take that for what its worth but it comes from a very reliable source. Frankly I think that shows a lot of leadership and character from the captain.

Anyhow, the Jackets need to quickly forget about this one... I know I'm trying to.

Look for this team to bounce back in Buffalo tomorrow night. They'll need to bring everything they've got as the Sabres are a very good team that is 9-3-3 and 5-2-1 at home.

-LTL