Winter Classic

            Knit hats fit snugly under helmets, a soft snowfall resurfaced the ice, and arguments of “nuh-uh” and “uh-huh” settled the majority of disagreements. The most egregious penalty was missing dinnertime.

 Though players and coaches in the National Hockey League may never return to play at their neighborhood pond, the roots of the game remain the same.

            Once every year, the National Hockey League hosts a game that takes the participants back to their beginnings. This, of course, is the Winter Classic.

            Since 2008, the NHL has celebrated the New Year with a picturesque outdoor contest. Venues vary but the idea remains the same. It’s pond hockey with a much larger audience.  

            In the past, the Winter Classic has featured bitter rivals, determined to settle their grievance regardless of the surface. This year will be no different.

When the puck drops in Citizens Bank Field on January 2^nd, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers will square off in what is sure to be a display of the toughest brand of hockey.

This year, the Rangers have outscored the Flyers 6-2 on their way to a pair of victories. As expected of intra-division games, fisticuffs were as common as the unfriendly words that accompany them.  On December 30, New York won the precursor to the Winter Classic, 4-2.

            Much of the Rangers success can be attributed to goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who ranks third in the league in goals against average and save percentage. Offensively, right winger Marian Gaborik is tied for the league lead with 22 goals through 34 games.

             Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, a Canadian by the name of Claude Giroux leads the NHL with 44 points. However, the city of brotherly love does not reserve all of its affection for one player. In the Flyers offseason overhaul, they brought former rival and longtime superstar Jaromir Jagr back to Pennsylvania.

            Despite the talent on both sides, each team has suffered their share of setbacks. For the Rangers, it has been the absence of All-Star defenseman Marc Staal, whose return is indefinite, that has stung the team. In Philadelphia, the Flyers have been forced to cope with the knowledge that their captain, Chris Pronger, will not return for the remainder of the season.

             With each injury, the teams are reminded of the spontaneity and uncertainty characterizes their sport. An outdoor game only adds to the variables subject to change the way the game plays out.

            For now, New York and Philadelphia must remain focused and try not to let the nostalgia of the Winter Classic blur their vision of the ultimate goal. A task undeniably easier said than done.

           

           

             

Two Games, One Point

Flames 2, Blue Jackets 1 SO

In many ways, the morning skate acts as a wake up call for a team before their game that evening. On Tuesday, coach Scott Arniel called off the skate to give his club a call of his own. In a 45 minute meeting, Arniel re-adressed the problems that he believes are sending Columbus in a seemingly inescapable downwards spiral.

Much to the delight of Arniel, his impromptu sit-down with the Blue Jackets paid off. In all parts of the ice, Columbus controlled play.

Fresh off a quality power play, Derick Brassard fired a wrist shot from the right circle to steal the all- important first goal. His second-period mark sent a jolt through the arena and gave Columbus room to work.

The Blue Jackets were playing like the team general manager Scott Howson had envisioned in the offseason. Defensively, they made Calgary's red-hot top line work for every inch. Steve Mason helped out with 25 saves. Offensively, they fired the puck on net, worked for rebounds, and were aggressive on the forecheck. 

Despite the successes, early in the third period, the Flames tied the game. With the man advantage, Jerome Iginla slid a backhander underneath Mason. With the score even, the Calgary bench was re-energized and hungry for a victory.

The teams continued a see-saw type of game in overtime with chances going both ways. Eventually, in the shootout, Iginla had the lone tally to give the Flames the extra point.

Blackhawks 4, Blue Jackets 1

After a promising first period, Columbus reverted to its inconsistent ways and surrendered the last 40 minutes of the game to Chicago. The loss marked the fifth time in a row the Blue Jackets have lost in regulation. 

Neither team scored in the opening period, though Columbus registered 13 shots and and created more scoring chances than the division leading Blackhawks. Steve Mason faced only five shots through 20 minutes, though he would prove to be the busiest man on the ice in the coming periods.

Chicago tallied three even-strenghth goals in the second period to pull away from the visiting Jackets. First, Patrick Sharp scored his 19th goal of the season to take the first lead of the game. Then, Victor Stalberg recorded a pair of goals to zap Columbus' momentum and make it 3-0. 

James Winsniewski ruined Ray Emery's shutout bid in the third period, but the Blue Jackets could not build on the mark. Wisniewski's goal was just his second of the season. 

E-Rat Goal

Predators 6, Blue Jackets 5           

            Nashville coach Barry Trotz did not budge after Pekka Rinne allowed four first period goals. Somehow, he knew Columbus would blow it.            

Even a 4-1 first period lead could not save the Blue Jackets from yet another late-game collapse. David Legwand and Martin Erat scored third period goals to overcome what seemed to be an insurmountable lead.

In the beginning, everything was clicking.  Five minutes into the game, Brian McGrattan put a dirty hit on Jared Boll and was issued a five-minute interference penalty along with a game misconduct.

In a matter of minutes, Carter had taken full advantage of the penalty and had crafted his third career hat trick. Ryan Johansen also scored with the man advantage for the team’s third power play mark.

            In the second period, chances started to favor the Predators as they cut the lead to 5-4.

            From there, you know the story. The Blue Jackets stopped playing, Nashville started trying, then with eight seconds remaining the Predators scored the game-winner.

            Similar to the team’s last meeting, Nashville’s ability to control the puck at the point and unleash uncontested slap shots was too much for the Blue Jackets to handle. Specifically, the Predators’ defensive pairing of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber picked apart Columbus.  The defenseman combined for five points.

          

Singing the Blues

St. Louis 6, Columbus 4

            Four third-period goals fueled the Blues’ incredible comeback in the Scotttrade Center on Sunday.

            After 40 minutes of play, the Blue Jackets led their central division rival 3-2 with goals coming from forwards Derek Dorsett, Derek MacKenzie, and Mark Letestu.

            Having had enough, St. Louis picked up its game in the third period stole the momentum. Four different players tallied for the Blues, exposing Steve Mason who continues to try to regain his title of the team’s top goalie.

            Mason allowed five goals on 33 shots. On the other end of the rink, St. Louis goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 28 saves.

            Extra-curricular activity after the whistles kept the officials busy the entire night. Twice, pent-up anger between the teams turned to fisticuffs. The rough brand of hockey could carry over when the teams square off again February 14. 

Struck By Lightning

Lightning 3, Blue Jackets 2

            While gathering my things and leaving the arena, I remembered a line from the famous chocolatier Willy Wonka that perfectly encapsulated the Blue Jackets performance.

            “Its all there black and white, clear as crystal, you get nothing! You lose! Good day sir!”

            It seems the only difference between the quote and the Blue Jackets latest loss is that it was all blue and white. Tampa Bay held the lead for the entire game and staved off Columbus’ attempts to comeback in the third period.

            When the final horn sounded, both sides registered 28 shots but the game was more determined in periods than it was as a whole. The teams traded momentum in the first period, but Tampa Bay emerged with a pair of goals. In the next 20 minutes, Columbus surged back to make it 3-2. Then, in the final period, the Lightning went into lockdown mode and prevented all Blue Jackets advances.

            Former Columbus netminder Mathieu Garon played a huge part of his team’s shutdown defense. Garon made one save more than his counterpart and former teammate Steve Mason, making him the third star of the game.

            Only Rick Nash and R.J. Umberger could solve Tampa Bay’s stellar goalie. Both scored on nearly identical wrap-around goals.

            Umberger’s mark came on a Blue Jackets power play that appeared to have found new life (or life at all for that matter.) Although Columbus only managed to convert on one of its five opportunities with the man advantage, the team’s special teams units, penalty kill included, played incredible games.

            James Wisniewski gave the Blue Jackets’ penalty kill a pair of chances to prove its worth and they did exactly that. Led by Antoine Vermette and Derek Dorsett, Columbus made the kill look more like a power play.

            Still, the Lightning took the coveted two points. League-leading goal scorer Steven Stamkos had the game-winner while center Blair Jones also tallied for just the second time this season.  

           

Dumped

Kings 2, Blue Jackets 1          


            Despite peppering the white goalie with shots, the blue team could not break the tie before time ran out for the first intermission entertainment. Elsewhere in the arena, one dad was preparing for a hamster ball race with his son. He would later win the race handily. Oh, and Columbus lost.

            Why does one recall these meaningless nuggets of information? Because lately anything else in the world has been more memorable than watching a Blue Jackets game.

            For three periods, Columbus reverted to the dump-and-chase offense that characterized the team in its opening seasons. Rarely did the Blue Jackets work the puck in the Kings’ zone and come away with more than one shot.

            The lack of offense consequently put loads of pressure the defense. Curtis Sanford made 39 saves after taking a brief hiatus from the blue paint. Of the two goals he allowed, the first caught the ire of the Columbus bench.

            Four minutes into the third period, Los Angeles forward Dustin Brown backed into Sanford while Davis Drewiske netted an uncontested wrist shot from the point. The referees convened for a conference to discuss goaltender interference, but the call stood.

            Side-angles did not reveal the contact, but the camera shot from overhead showed all of Nationwide Arena the injustice. Sanford never had an opportunity to play the puck.

             Los Angeles added its second goal later in the period when Brown deflected a heavy slap shot from defenseman Drew Doughty.

            Trailing 2-1 in the waning moments of the game, the Blue Jackets tried desperately to find the tying goal, but could not mirror the same late-game heroics that have stung them in recent games.

            Jeff Carter had the final quality chance on goal, though his shot glanced off Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick’s shoulder before ringing iron and eventually sailing out of play.

            Columbus’ lone goal came in the second period when Vinny Prospal’s wrister careened off Carter’s upper body into the back of the net.

          

Get Involved!

            Season’s greetings, salutations, and hopefully no hallucinations (unless of course you are in such a severe state of delusion that you are having visions of the Blue Jackets anywhere but the bottom of the league, in which case continue having hallucinations.)

            Cross Check has been active for more than one month now and I have begun the improvement phase. The reason I am sharing this with you is because I don’t want this blog to tank in the same fashion that “Boomer” did last season.   

            You might be wondering what I am talking about because clearly my writing is not as provocative as a cylindrical shaped mascot. What I mean is, I want to get feedback before I make a monumental faux pas.

            To this point, the majority of my content has been game recaps. Since these recaps are available on hundreds of other outlets, I have decided I must branch out. The game summaries will come in addition to newer material.

            The key here is to figure out what else I can put on the blog. After weeks of sacrificing singing time for deep thought, I finally emerged from the shower with a quality idea. Q & A.

            At the end of each post, there is a section for comments. I’m asking you to start commenting or asking questions if you have them. Your input can range from questions about the Blue Jackets, clarifications on hockey terms, or praises to my ever so masculine mustache. If this works out as expected, I can respond more directly to you.

            Another opportunity for you to participate is the poll in the upper right hand corner of the page. Each week, I will change the question and discuss the results from the previous week.

            Any and all ideas are appreciated so tell me what you think. It’s much easier to write when I know what people want to hear about.

            Thanks for reading and for those of you following the blog thank you for the support. Carry the Flag!

Mased!

Blue Jackets 2, Canucks 1 SO

           

The cannon fired a few extra times in Nationwide Arena as the hometown team defeated the defending Western Conference champions in a thrilling shootout.

As expected, Steve Mason was given the nod for the first time since losing his starting role to Curtis Sanford. Much to the delight of the Blue Jackets, Mason returned to original form turning aside 30 of 31 shots.  

            Columbus’ great flow the offensive zone, paired with tape-to-tape passes and excellent shot selection, kept the Canucks honest in front of goalie Roberto Luongo.

            Successful penalty killing also played a prominent role in the game. Vancouver, who boasted the leagues top power play coming into the game, was unable to convert on four opportunities.

Jeff Carter scored the game’s first goal when he slid the puck under the outstretched leg of Luongo. The goal came on a four-on-three power play and was Carter’s third in as many games.

            Columbus held the lead through two dangerous penalty kills, but Mason’s shutout was finally shattered at even-strength in the third period. The Canucks’ goal came off the stick of Max Lapierre who capitalized on a brilliant behind-the-net pass from Chris Higgins.

            After 65 minutes, the teams found themselves in a 1-1 stalemate. Mason’s return to the ice would be determined in a skills competition.

            Coach Scott Arniel picked Mark Letestu, Rick Nash, and James Wisniewski to represent the Blue Jackets in the shootout. Each player proved his worth.

Letestu and Nash scored on Columbus’ first two opportunities, leaving it up to surprise pick James Wisniewski to ice the game. Wisniewski cruised in on goal, then pulled a “Mary Lou how do you do” before sliding the biscuit under Luongo’s left pad.