First Quarter's Best

With smiles on their faces and razors in their hands, members of the Columbus Blue Jackets participating in Movember will shave their mustaches at the end of the month.

League-wide, teams took part in the annual event to raise awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers afflicting men.  

Of the teams growing cookie dusters, 16 of them will grow facial hair again this season. The Blue Jackets are on track to be left out of this prestigious group for the tenth time. Each year, players grow “playoff beards” as a symbol of their time in the post-season. 

If Columbus players wish to stow away their shavers once again, the team needs production from its top players and consistency from the third and fourth line.

The first quarter of the season is in the books and the following players round out my top unit.

Forwards

Derek Dorsett – Dorsett has been the spark plug to the team this year, bringing tenacity and grit to every game. He is among the league leaders in penalty minutes and fighting majors, though he has not taken many “bad” penalties. The feisty winger has consistently used his strength and intelligence to avoid checks, anticipate plays, and correctly position himself.

Vinny Prospal – With 19 points, Prospal has been the most productive forward on the Blue Jackets’ roster. The veteran has six goals and 13 assists this year. Playing alongside Jeff Carter and Rick Nash, Prospal’s decision making has provided a solid foundation for the first line. His quick feet have helped Columbus make fluid transitions through the neutral zone.

Ryan Johansen – With the number to match his age, the nineteen year-old prodigy has proven he can play on the highest level. Johansen has five goals and five assists through 20 games this season. While he has shown he is lethal with the puck on his stick, his play off the puck has been the most impressive part of his rookie year.

Defenseman

Fedor Tyutin – Tyutin has 10 assists and a pair of goals this season.  His ability to throw around the body has made him a dominant force in the Blue Jackets’ defensive zone. The defender’s active stick has also created crucial turnovers thus generating up-ice rushes. Tyutin’s has led the defense with a focused and hard working mentality.

James Wisniewski – The addition of Wisniewski to the blue line has been one of the best off-season deals Columbus has ever made. His powerful slap shot from the point has yielded a goal and nine assists in 16 games. Wisniewski has taken charge of the Blue Jackets’ notoriously bad power play and has provided stability to the team’s back line.

Goalie

Curtis Sanford – After filling in for Steve Mason, Sanford has been superb between the pipes. The 32 year-old Canadian has a 1.61 goals against average and a .941 save percentage. His consistent play has helped calm the scrambling Blue Jackets and has taken pressure off the team. 

Just in case the Blue Jackets called, I was ready. 

Canucks Win

It was a late night and a long night in Vancouver, British Columbia for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 4-1 setback brings the team's record to 6-15-3, the worst record in the NHL.

Vancouver’s backup goalie Cory Schneider turned aside 47 of 48 shots in the Western Conference battle. Derek Dorsett, coming off a goal against St. Louis, led the Jackets with six shots.

 Daniel Sedin, David Booth, Ryan Kessler, and Alex Burrows scored for the Canucks while Sammy Phalsson tallied the lone goal for the Blue Jackets.

Curtis Sanford made 30 saves on 33 shots.

Blues Stay Hot

            With the exception of Derek Dorsett’s breakaway goal, the Columbus Blue Jackets compiled 24 unmemorable shots in their 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

            Part of the Blue Jackets’ offensive struggles stemmed from the Blues’ swarming defensive style. This strategy, brought upon by the Ken Hitchcock regime, forced Columbus to dump the puck and relinquish possession to St. Louis.

            Curtis Sanford continued to be the most consistent player on the Blue Jackets’ roster, making 27 saves.

            It was only fitting that the first-player to crack Sanford was former teammate Kris Russell. With less than ten seconds remaining in the second period, Russell shoveled in a loose puck to tie the game.

            After the demoralizing late-period goal, Columbus came out flat for the final 20 minutes of play. Finally Cody Bass coaxed Ryan Reaves into a fight with hopes of creating a spark. Still, the Blue Jackets had trouble mustering up much of anything.

            Discipline started to create problems for Columbus in the later stages of the game. Defenseman Fedor Tyutin made three trips to the penalty box, twice in the third period for hooking.

            St. Louis scored on the power play when David Backes took a feed from T.J. Oshie and snapped it past Sanford for the game-winning goal. 

Even with a sense of urgency mounting, the Blue Jackets’ odd-man rushes did not amount to anything. The first line squandered numerous scoring opportunities due primarily to its generosity with the puck. Nobody would take a shot.  

            Captain Rick Nash had his share of troubles in front of the net. Three times Nash failed to capitalize on centering passes from line mates Jeff Carter and Vinny Prospal.

             

Homecoming Battle at Nationwide

Scott Howson seemingly executed the equivalent of a blind pass when he dealt former Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Kris Russell to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a far less experienced blue-liner in Nikita Nikitin.

Now, two weeks after that trade, both teams have benefited in a major way. Since the trade, Russell has three points and 11 blocked shots in seven games. Nikitin has tallied five assists and has nine hits during his time in Columbus.

St. Louis has also undergone changes behind the bench. Following a shaky start to the season, the Blues hired coach Ken Hitchcock who has a 6-1-2 record with the team.

Hitchcock held a managerial role in the Blue Jackets organization after being fired from his coaching position in the 2009-2010 season. He was the only coach to take Columbus to the playoffs.

Sunday will be the first time Ken Hitchcock and Kris Russell have appeared in Nationwide Arena since leaving for St. Louis.

With increased emphasis on the divisional rivalry, tonight’s game should have a playoff-like atmosphere.

The Blues’ 2-0 shutout win against Calgary will give goalie Brian Elliott confidence when he faces the Blue Jackets’ potent first line. David Backes, who had a goal and an assist against the Flames, will garner attention from Columbus’ defensive corps.

The Blue Jackets 5-1 victory against the Buffalo Sabres is the latest mark of the team’s newfound success. Rick Nash had a pair of goals in the contest and Jeff Carter added a couple assists. Despite quality play, Vinny Prospal was held without a point in his 1,000th NHL game.

Curtis Sanford is expected to get the nod tonight from Arniel despite Steve Mason’s return to the lineup.  

Around the NHL

Eastern Conference

Sidney Crosby’s impressive return to the ice heightened talk across the NHL about a possible title for the Eastern Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins.

In Boston, the defending Stanley Cup champions have strung together a ten game winning streak. If it were not for their rough start to the season, the Bruins would sit atop the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile in Florida, the Panthers have quietly gathered 27 points bringing them to within one victory of a conference lead. 

Farther down the standings, the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers have not met preseason expectations.

Struggles between Capitals’ coach Bruce Boudreau and former league MVP Alex Ovechkin have cast a dark shadow on the team once believed to be the best in the league.

The addition of Brad Richards to the Rangers’ roster has been nullified by the injury to All-Star defenseman Marc Staal. New York shares the eighth spot of the conference standings with two other teams.

Western Conference

Minnesota, an expansion team in the 2000-2001 season, has worked its way to the top of the Western Conference standings with the help of Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi. Both players were acquired in the offseason in a trade with San Jose than sent away former Wild players Brent Burns and Martin Havlat.

The Sharks have also benefited from the swap, as they are second in the conference with two-less games played than Minnesota.

After a strong start, Dallas has been bumped down to the fourth spot, directly above Detroit.

St. Louis has overcome an abysmal start with the help of recently hired coach Ken Hitchcock. The Blues sneak in the eighth spot in the Western Conference along with the Edmonton Oilers and the Nashville Predators who also have 24 points.

Brodeur Shines in Jersey

            Riding a three-game point streak, the Columbus Blue Jackets came into the Prudential Center with the same momentum and grit that carried them to the playoffs in 2009. However, much like the post-season run, they fell short, losing 2-1 in a shootout to the New Jersey Devils.

           In the second period, Dainius Zubrus lit the lamp when he caught a rebound in front of the net and pulled off a nifty spin-shot to give the Devils the 1-0 lead.  

            New Jersey finished the game with 24 shots on goal though they only challenged Columbus' goalie Curtis Sanford thrice in the third period.

Despite Sanford’s solid performance, the game’s most valuable player stood on the other end of the ice.  Eighteen-year NHL veteran Martin Brodeur emerged the winning goaltender with 35 saves, making 17 of them in the final 20 minutes of play.

The Blue Jackets’ capitalized on the Devils’ defensive breakdown six minutes into the third period when Mark Methot’s shot redirected off the skate of Jared Boll for the game-tying goal. Upon further review, the officials determined Boll had not intentionally kicked the puck into the net, thus verifying the call on the ice. Good goal.

Shortly after Columbus tied the game, Jeff Carter nearly extended his point-scoring streak with another goal. Carter zoomed up the left wing boards then ripped a blistering wrist shot that beat Brodeur but painted the post.

             Both teams combined for only six shots in the five-minute overtime period, sending the game to a shootout.

            Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk converted on the first two attempts for the Devils, putting pressure on Mark Letestu and Rick Nash who could not solve Martin Brodeur.

            Brodeur’s body save on Letestu iced the win for the home team and robbed Columbus of a much-needed point.