Jacket Backer Julie used that line last night and I told her I was stealing it for this blog.
In a game the Jackets had to win they didn't decide to show up until the third period.... and that is when the Blues Chris Mason (with the help of some posts) was there to preserve the 'W' for the Blues.
That's 4 losses in a row now to St. Louis. If the Jackets want to make the playoffs it just can't happen... they have to beat the teams below them in the standings.
I know Hitch and co. have to be banging their heads on the walls of Nationwide this morning trying to figure how this team, when decimated with injuries, played so hard....so tough...and grinded out victories... Now with a healthy group they aren't seeing the determined play or the result.
Perhaps we are seeing the reality of this team when they don't have a hot goalie to bail them out?
That is certainly food for thought.. but this team has also gotten away from the game that makes them successful... and as Hitch stated this morning, they will find that game again by Friday.
STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW
GREEN
* Jared Boll gets my first bit of love.. absolute domination in his fight.
* I thought Marc Methot had an excellent game.. he skated the puck well.. played big.. kept lots of pucks in the zone... in fact I give him most of the credit on the Jackets 2nd goal.
* Umberger played a solid game. Seems to be the only guy willing to pay the price in front of the cage.
* 3rd period was the effort we have come to expect.... aren't going to win games most nights with one good period though.
YELLOW
* He wasn't horrible but he wasn't good either. I think Mase would like to have at least two of those three goals back. Didn't control the rebound on the first... and didn't square up to Boyes on the 3rd. We've seen him make those saves look easy in the past. Victim of high expectations I guess.
* I didn't really understand the decision to sit Dorsett against a squad like the Blues. Jackets could have used his edge. That said if he still isn't cleared to fight then the decision makes a little more sense.
* I'll have to watch the Jan Hejda hit again but it looked clean from where I was sitting... Backes... well what comes around goes around buddy. Hejda is a clean player though so I give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.
* Two posts by Nash.. one by Modin.... just think if that Nash shorthander went in. I think the Jackets go on to win... if only.
* Tyutin with a goal a an assist. Solid game.
* I thought Rusty looked decent in his first game back in a while. Some "heavy" play.. 4 hits, 17+ minutes.. not bad.
* Jackets got a PP goal but man they needed it to come through again.. they went 1-5 with the man advantage and really after that 1st PP it was a mess.
RED
* No excuse to not outwork this Blues team for 3 periods. That was a squad whom played last night. Jackets trying to take too many shortcuts.
* Attendance came crashing down last night with only 13,560 making the trip.
* Worst game as a Jacket for Huselius. Nothing went right for him. To many penalties..held the puck to long... passed when he should have shot... just a bad night.
* Jason Chimera should not be playing.. he is clearly still hurting.. the speed/jump is not there...not even close.
* Nash and Huselius each a -3.. ouch.
* Williams with a bad turnover with an empty net... too cute.. but certainly wasn't the reason the Jackets lost this one.
* So everyone is all excited and cheering after the Boll fight right....what does the game ops folks do? Play some stupid ass Will Ferrel video that completely sucks the life out of the building.....
* 2-2 on this 4 game home stand.. not good enough.
3 BRIGHT LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT
1. Convincing decision for Boller
2. RJ Umberger best all around forward.
3. Marc Methot... really liked his game last night.
The loss drop the Jackets to 10th in the West with 54 points. Both Dallas and Vancouver won last night which certainly doesn't hep the Jackets cause. The good news is that Phoenix and Edmonton both lost.
So is this the start of a collapse? I'm sure that is a question on many Jackets minds this morning...especially with Pittsburgh and San Jose up next. The one thing the Jackets cannot afford is to go on an extended skid... they have to stay in this fight.
My personal opinion is these two losses sting... no doubt about it....but they aren't crippling, not yet. The crippling starts if the Jackets don't get points this weekend. If this team slips to far back I don't think they have the horses to go on a run to get back in it.. they need to maintain and stay in this hunt and then hopefully Howson gets them a boost at the deadline for the final push.
They seem to play their best hockey against teams further up the standings so we'll see what they can muster up on Friday and Saturday. I just can't see them tossing in the towel with how car they've come this season -- to me that would have already happened on that 6 game road trip.
They are going to have to start taking some points from this Blues squad this season though..especially with 4 games remaining.
-LTL
Posts
7 comments:
Uninspired play until the 3rd. Clean hit by Hejda and Huselius needs to learn how to SHOOT, not pass. Maybe Hitch needs to sit some vets to make the point that "desperate" hockey is needed. Just when I think they are on a roll, they drop a couple of duds. I'll be at the Rbar Saturday and in the game against the Sharks. It's time this team stood up and start to...
Carry The Flag!!!
What pissed me off the most, sitting in the stands last night, was it felt like that with the exception of 5 minutes in that game? We out played them. We controlled faceoffs, we hit well, we dominated the zones. But we wouldn't. Freaking. FINISH.
I pretty much was yelling a torrent of profanity from the empty net goal until my car got back into my driveway in Hilliard.
I can not freaking understand what happened last night. We have a bad tendency of letting them score just mere minutes after we score. It's almost as if they are comfortable with a lead (Tressel hockey?!?!), and they just come back and even the game. Hitchcock himself said we do not play well when we lay off, we must be aggressive. Then hold a lead for more than a couple minutes.
Some desperate moves need to be made, whether sitting some veteran players to show that only the best playing personnel will be on the ice, or perhaps a big name trade to give up some draft picks. This is the year it needs to get done, for the fans sake, The cities sake, and most importantly the organization's sake.
2 points must happen these next two games against feared opponents (Penguins, Sharks), desperation is upon us all.
God only knows what will happen to everyone involved in this team if we keep losing......
Make the big trade, whatever it takes we NEED the Goal Scorer to complement Nash. We need Antropov, Spezza, Staal, etc...and we need him now!
OK folks, let's just call 'em out(the country club types, and guys who are flat out stinkin up the joint):
MM - OK, FINALLY some effort, in the last few weeks - might be the contract year issue, but otherwise, what a career underachiever. When you can't explain why you aren't more consistently more aggresive, when asked (by the Dispatch group) therein lies the problem.
Chimmers - since coming back from his injury, he has the skates of stone/cement. Dude needs a wake up call (Hitch, have at it), or to go back to the IR, 'cause he's really hurting the team.
Modin - He ages before our eyes, literally by the shift. At BEST, he's 1 1/2 steps too slow, but, while he's playing thru an injury, I really think he does, at times, go thru the motions. Like someone said on XM's NHL Home Ice, when he scored his 400th career point, "I thought he'd already have 400 goals, by now". Nuff said.
Klesla - another big guy who really doesn't perform or compete, like he really should. A little pass on coming back from the injury, but still, more effort needed. This is a prime target for trade bait.
Torres - if he's still not 100%, he's not helping the team, which, if healthy, he could be that hard-charging (to the net), physical guy we really need. Let Dorsett play, in the meantime (he does/can compete, consistently).
(Drumroll Shocker) Commodore - I'm sure this one's a big shock to especially the Dispatch CBJ staff, and yes, he's playing way better stay at home D, but, where's the old school (Eddie Shore, Toe Blake) enforcer we were supposed to receive (that I saw on the JumboTron, during the pre-season)? Tell me, or, show me, one impact hit that he's made that anyone has spoken about? And, where was he when Tyutin got cheap-shotted against Dallas, in Dec, when instead, Brassard came to his aid, and he was also out on the ice?
Backman - Don't get me started...just release him, already. We got Tyutin, and Fritsche was subsequently traded, so, let's be done with it.
AAAAGGGHHH!
- Hitch Rules, AKA Scott Howson's Spiritual and Player Personnel Advisor
2 losses is not a reason to trash the franchise, IMHO.
I cautioned about the fact that when we got healthy, there might be chemistry problems. We do not need desperate moves -- we need to play together, and a couple of more days of practice should get us there. I think you will see Torres as a healthy scratch next game, and also believe Klesla is only around long enough to show he is healthy enough to trade.
I strongly disagree on Commodore. He is the anchor in our zone, and has done so all year. He is also way better in the offensive zone that I expected him to be. Commodore hits plenty hard -- he just does it while maintaining contact and through good position. That's why you seldom see him take the bad penalty.
As frustrating as it was, we still win that game if two saves that should have been made were made. Mase has carried us a lot, and yes we need to return the favor, but he needs to make the basic saves. If he gets beat on a great shot, so be it, but keep the bad goals out.
Hitch will have them playing much better on Friday, guaranteed.
--JAL
A Shot From The Point
I am really loving the stoplight format.
As a Pens fan, trust me, I get your frustrations of trying to figure out what the hell is wrong at any given time. We're all clueless about what is going to be happening before the trade deadline, but it needs to be something good.
...you guys want Ryan Whitney? Because you can have him.
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