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
Friday, December 5, 2008
Boys deserved better fate
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2 comments:
Helluva game, played like they need to against the top team in the league.
Unfortunately I fear they will return to "typical CBJ form" after such a great game. The next two are against significantly weaker opponents than the Sharks and we far too often play to the level of the competition. Here's hoping!
Team definitely has nothing to hang their heads over. The penalty box and the bounces were their enemies last night. A couple of bounces their way, and a couple of fewer whistles against, and it is a vastly different game. We dominated at points of the game, and NOBODY has been dominating SJ this year.
I disagree about the response we will see in the next two games. Always possible, but this is a different team. After that disappointing loss in Detroit, they came back the next night and dominated Washington. Against the Islanders on the road, they looked awful early, but came back to score 3 goals in the 3rd and send it to OT.
There is a lot of pride on this team, and I don't think you will see anything but a strong effort against LA, IMHO.
--JAL
A Shot From The Point
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