Not only are the Jackets staying afloat with all of these injures...the veterans that remain and even better, the youngsters, are thriving under the pressure!
The youth was on display yet again last night in a big way as the Jackets, fuleld from a hat trick from 18 year old Russian Nikita Filatov, knocked of the Minnesota Wild by a final score of 4-2.
It was typical Jackets/Wild affair through the first two periods but the Jackets broke it open in the 3rd off a nifty play by Alexandre Picard, yes I did say Alexandre Picard, who slid a nice cross ice pass to Derek Dorsett who made no mistake burying the biscuit to put the Jackets up 2-1. Filatov followed with two spectacular goals to push the lead to 4-1 before the Jackets gave up a late PP goal....by that time the game was well in hand.
This team is coming together folks... they needed that spark from Mason and now its catching fire right before our eyes. They are believing they can win every single night.... I can't remember the Jackets playing so hard on the tail end of a back to back... coming off a very successful road trip the Jackets have been known to come out flat but not now...not the way this team is chugging along.
STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW
GREEN
* LOVE the way this team came out in the first! They were competing all over the ice which is what you have to do against this Wild team.
* Nikita Filatov... he gave us just a small taste of what this kid bring at this level... let me say I can't wait to see the full course meal! All 3 goals were of highlight reel material.... I personally loved the last two and that showcased the kid's speed and quick release.. wow! Wonder how many were second guessing passing on this kid before he got to us last night?
* Nikita didn't do it himself though.. his linemates in Peca and Voracek were fantastic as well.. Peca with 2 helpers and Voracek with his first 3 point NHL game... that pass Peca made on the Filatov's last goal... thing of beauty..
* Jackets rocked again at even strength with 4 goals.. thought a couple of their PPs were rolling well but weren't able to pot one.
* Great crowd at oer 16,500... great to see promotions that are putting butts in the seats.. with performances like that they'll come back buying tickets at face value!
* Wanted to give a shout out to the game ops.... not sure if anyone else noticed but they really limited the fluff and sponsor games throughout instead they focused on hockey... they ran a great Mason segment as well as a Nash All Star tribute... also loved the bit on the kids and youth hockey... great job!
* Hitch did a good job spreading the ice time around and using his bench last night. A must when your playing back to back while hoping to keep your energy high...
* How about the super fly snooka belly flop on Harding by Dorsett after his goal... I didn't catch that live but lost it when watching the replay... well deserved goal by Dorsett though, that guy has been playing fantastic hockey.
* D collectively was really good.. from the forwards all the way back to the goalie... the actual defense is playing with a lot of confidence now in front of Mase.. making some really nice outlet passes as well.
* Section 108 with their "Tanya" Harding goalie chats.. nice job fellas!
* Line at the R Bar to get in post game...? Yeah I think the word is out! Place was rockin!
YELLOW
* Boller had a nice go around with Weller... I'd give Weller the decision but that was a great fight.
* Steve Mason wasn't perfect....? What gives! Wasn't his best game but the kid was still really good and basically didn't see either shot he let in..
RED
* Hate to see them let in late PP goal...but would rather have that then with a 3 goal lead then other obvious circumstances.
3 BRIGHT LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT
1. Nikita Filatov.. first Jackets rookie to record a hat trick.
2. Strong team effort!
3. Peca, Voracek and Dorsett in particular to me had fantastic games! Lots of people stepping up to keep playoff hopes alive.
The win pushed the Jackets back to two games over the .500 mark with a 20-18-4 record. They are 6-4 over their last 10 and have won 7 of their past 8 at home.
They are certainly rolling.
...and the hope is they roll right over the Foote-less Avalanche this Tuesday at home!
-LTL
Posts
8 comments:
Time to speculate on how long Filatov stays with the CBJ?
Just through injuries? Gotta wonder what's gonna happen with the kid
Mattlund, as stupid as this sounds, I think he gets sent back down after some key players return. Yes he played like a monster last night, and yes he's playing "bigger" than his first go around with the club (anyone see him hitting guys out there? I did!), But he still needs to develop at the AHL level. Next year, though... He's a shoe-in. He'll have all summer to gain some weight (Look at Russel) and all season to polish his game.
Another player who had a really good game was Picard. Aside from his assist (which I couldn't believe!!!!) I thought he played his game very well. He plastered some guy against the boards and was generally pesky. Good for him!
LTL, Boll lost that fight pretty bad. But it did get the crowd excited which is always good.
Juice looked a step behind, but that's to be expected when you come back from a concussion. I'm just glad he wasn't injured worse.
You can't blame Mason for either goal. He didn't see them. The first he was screened by a Wild and a Jacket, the second one Marc Methot was doing his best Thomas Holmstron impression almost! Haha.
On a somewhat unrelated note, some folks may remember Bruce Garrioch's preseason opinion of how our team was going to do (see http://lightthelamp.blogspot.com/2008/09/prospects-win-first-game-and-legein-to.html). I sent him an email which was posted in the comments there, and his sole reply (which I never mentioned) was this:
> Let's see where they stand in april.
> Thanks for reading.
Well, I was going to do a midseason review, but was concerned that he'd just lean on Mason, so I decided to wait a few games and see if we could get a win without Mason having a Game Of The Gods, and lo and behold it happened.
So, the following:
-----
I know it's not April yet, but after the one-line reply, I felt at least a midseason review was in order.
So. Three months to go, and there's not been much points improvement from last year so far (alas) - but we haven't had a meteoritic drop as predicted by yourself. Indeed, things (dare I say it) seem to be on an upswing, despite injuries to nearly every top-6 forward imaginable.
Oh, yeah, and Anaheim isn't in the top 5, let alone top 3 (like I suggested) and Vancouver seems to be doing astonishingly well (better than I'd believed they could, even). And Ottawa... well, yeah, you probably know.
Still feel confident in those predictions?
Love it Visqi!
I agree about Filatov radke... he'll probably get sent back down in a game of numbers and to continue his development.
The last thing this kid needs is 4 minutes of ice to per night which is what he'd probably get if he stays up with a full lineup.
-LTL
Excerpt of email dated 1/11/2009 5:09 PM from 'Bruce Garrioch':
> Let's see where they are in april.
> Thanks for reading.
*insert "shaking head" avi here*
Credibility? What's that? ;)
Keep in mind that the clock ticks on Filatov every game. If he plays in 9 (I think) or more games at the NHL level, it counts as a year toward free agency.
For Howson and Hitchcock, the issue will boil down to this:
1. How healthy are we up here, and how soon can other help arrive? (healing, trade, etc.)
2. How much relevant seasoning will he get with a losing Crunch team?
It's a balancing act to be sure, but simply saying that he won't necessarily get a lot of minutes in NHL is not the whole story. He just got a hat trick in less than 10 minutes of TOI! He seems to have adjusted well to the smaller ice, has the right attitude, and brings a spark.
If we get healthy and do a trade fast, he probably goes back down. If not, and it looks like we are going to need him through the Western Canada swing, his contract kicks in and no point in sending him down then.
Just my $.02 worth.
--JAL
A Shot From The Point
Hey JAL..
Just a quick clarification on the free agency 9 game comment.
I just read this the other day so its fresh in my mind!
If Filatov plays more than 9 games it only counts a year off his entry level deal but not count as a year off his free agency status.
However if he plays more than 42 games it will count as a year towards free agency.
I read it from THN... trying to find the link now.
So the kid has 6 games in now... there are 40 games left.. it will be interesting to see how this thing plays out..
My prediction is that with a full lineup he'll get sent back down at least to ensure they don't lose that year of free agency but he is going to blow past that 9 game NHL mark (asumming health of course)
Regardless the one thing I don't want to see is the Jackets keep him up and only give him 4 minutes a night. This kid needs to play and play alot.
-LTL
I found the link:
"Here’s the deal. Once a player plays his 10th game, it constitutes one season with respect to that player’s entry level contract. If he plays less than 10 NHL games, the contract “slides” and another year is added on. This will have an effect when it comes to the termination of the entry level deal and when the player will be eligible for arbitration, but has nothing to do with accrued seasons toward free agency.
A player only registers one season toward free agency when he is on the NHL roster for 40 games. For players entering the NHL this season, they will become eligible for unrestricted free agency either after they play seven seasons or reach the age of 27. That means if players such as Steven Stamkos, Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo, Luke Schenn and others are on their teams’ rosters for 40 games this season – including games in which they are healthy scratches or injured – they will have banked one season towards unrestricted free agency.""
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/19293-THNcom-Blog-Tengame-mark-means-little-for-rookie-contracts.html
So its 40 games and not 42.
-LTL
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