Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Mid-Season Report


            There comes a point where time is irrelevant. When the relief getting a job done trumps any dissatisfaction with the tardiness of its completion. For the Blue Jackets, that job is creating a perennial Stanley Cup contender, and after eleven years of disappointment, that aforementioned point has arrived. 
            While some fans have voiced their displeasure in the form of a protest, others, like myself, have taken a more patient approach. Call me physic, but I had pretty much ruled out a playoff birth when Columbus dropped its first eight games.
            For me, it was a lost season early on. I turned my focus to other things.
            In the beginning, I was interested in how the Blue Jackets would react to Ryan Johansen’s impressive debut. I wondered, would they tease him with a taste of the NHL, then send him to the minors as they have done with rookies in the past? They did not.
            One month ago, I continuously refreshed the league’s webpage in anticipation for the release of the 2012 NHL All Star roster. Would Rick Nash be selected? He was not.
             With these questions answered, and the second half of the season looming, my most burning inquiry remains up in the air. And it will likely hang there for one month longer.
            The NHL trade deadline is on February 27th, and Scott Howson will be a busy man. Unlike other general managers, Howson will be trying to build Columbus’ roster not for this years’ postseason push, but for the future. The question: Who goes?
            With a 13-30-6 record, everybody is on the chopping block. Jeff Carter’s name has been thrown around in trade negotiations. Rick Nash has expressed his interest in staying put, but has mentioned he wouldn’t be opposed to a trade if it would benefit the team.
            Its hard to determine who is most/least likely to be shopped around as the Blue Jackets have an uncanny ability to make head-scratching moves, but here’s some speculation from a fan who has built a few winning franchises in the virtual world. (Its important to note that my video game prowess is about as good as my ability to make (double parenthesis.))

Most Likely: Jeff Carter

Carter has not met the high expectations laid out for him when he was acquired in the offseason overhaul. He has 17 points and a -9 plus-minus rating through 30 games this year. Along with being bitten by the injury bug, Carter has also been bitten by the “I was traded from one of the league’s top teams (Philadelphia) to the league’s worst team, so now I must walk around with an unpleasant scowl on my face all the time” bug. In addition to poor individual production, Carter has not created much chemistry with winger Rick Nash.

Least Likely: Derek Dorsett

Dorsett is an agitator who contributes on a nightly basis. What more could you ask for? Not much. But its important to note that Dorsett’s value will not be as high for a playoff bound team as it is in Columbus. Since there are limited fights in the post season, the role of a grinder diminishes. Also, the spirited winger has played a few games as the Assistant Captain, meaning that his role as a leader is growing in the locker room.


Now, since I haven’t written a non- game recap blog in a while, I will throw in a few midseason player awards to spice things up.

Best Surprise(s): Derek Dorsett, Derick MacKenzie, Derick Brassard (lately)

Biggest Disappointment: Steve Mason

Most Sketchy Post-Game Interviews: Jeff Carter

Coolest Equipment: Curtis Sanford’s Baby Blue Pads
*Eileen McGreevy contests that they look like bad Easter candy, like those malted milk balls. But her opinions are irrelevant.

Most Easily Regrettable Blue Jackets Jersey Seen At a Game: Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre











            

Monday, January 30, 2012

Columbus to Host 2013 ASG


One day after the Columbus Blue Jackets’ majority owner John P. McConnell released a statement to the team’s fans apologizing for years of inadequacy, the Blue Jackets made a move sure to reenergize the city.
Saturday morning, commissioner Gary Bettman announced that Columbus would host the 2013 NHL All Star Game. Bettman’s reasons for awarding the Blue Jackets with hosting rights were based largely on the team’s success with the 2007 NHL Draft.
NHL.com quoted Bettman saying, “We're looking forward to bringing our All-Star celebration to Columbus.” “The Blue Jackets did a great job of hosting the NHL Draft in 2007, and I have no doubt they will raise the bar even higher when they welcome our All-Star celebration next January.”
Last weekend, the All-Star festivities took place in Ottawa. Ryan Johansen was Columbus’ lone representative as he was one of 12 rookies selected to participate in the skills competition.
If the NHL chooses to stick with its current format, two pre-determined captains will pick their teams from a pool of All Stars. In the past, one of the captains has been a player from the host team. Rick Nash, who has appeared in five All-Star games, is a likely candidate to receive this honor next year.
The 2013 NHL All-Star Weekend will be held Jan. 26-27. 

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Veterans Strike, Defeat Jackets


Lightning 4, Blue Jackets 2

Heading into the midseason break with the worst record in the NHL, Columbus was in dire need of a win. Instead, it was more of the same for the Blue Jackets as they lost 4-2 at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
            This time, it wasn’t lack of focus that sank Columbus, but rather the phenomenal play of two veteran All-Stars whose relationship has flourished over the 10 years they’ve played together.
            Tampa Bay’s longtime fan-favorites, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, each had a goal and an assist in a second period surge that led the Lightning past the Blue Jackets.
            Scoring opened at 13:20 of the first period when Mike Angelidis, playing in his first NHL game, backhanded a shot past Curtis Sanford on just his second shift of the night.
            The lead was erased less than two minutes later when recently acquired Brett Lebda roofed a snap shot to knot the game at 1-1. The goal was Lebda’s first with Columbus.
            In the second period, it was the franchise players who took center stage. First, Lecavalier tallied with the man advantage. Then, eight minutes later, Lecavalier dished a tape-to-tape cross-ice saucer pass to the stick of Martin St. Louis. With the quick flick of the wrist, St. Louis put the capstone on the highlight reel play and made it 3-1 in the process.
            Fives minutes into the third frame, the Blue Jackets cut the deficit in half with a goal from Ryan Johansen. That was as close as they would get.
            Later in the period, Tampa Bay added another goal to add some security and ice the game.
            Columbus did the majority of its shooting in the third period, but former Blue Jacket goaltender Mathieu Garon did not crack under pressure. Garon made 22 saves in the win.
            On the other end of the ice, Sanford turned aside 27 of 31 shots in the losing effort.
              

Preds Shut Down Jackets


Predators 4, Blue Jackets 1

Five days separated the Central Division rivals’ last meeting, though it was evident that not much had changed as Nashville continued their dominance over Columbus with a 4-1 victory in the Music City. The Blue Jackets’ spurts of good play, specifically in the second period, were negated by an overall weak performance.
            Columbus, now 3-20-2 when surrendering the first goal, fell behind early when Mike Fisher put the Predators up 1-0 at 8:07 of the opening period. After 20 minutes, the Blue Jackets were being outshot 12-3.
            Following a slow start, Columbus picked up its offensive play in the second frame. Despite the efforts to create momentum, a 15 save performance from Nashville’s Pekka Rinne kept the game square. The Blue Jackets only true success came early in the period when Rick Nash stuffed away a highlight reel goal. However, the tie was broken once more as Fisher scored again, in the final minute of the period.
            The Predators’ late period tally was one of their two power play goals of the evening. Columbus, still trying to limit penalties, put Nashville on the man-advantage five times over the course of the game.
            In the third period, the Predators picked up two more goals to make it 4-1. Steve Mason, now backup to Curtis Sanford, saved 25 of 29 shots in the contest.
            The Blue Jackets, looking to rebound from a string of losses, enter their last game before the All-Star break Tuesday night in Tampa Bay. 

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Wings Fly High


Red Wings 3, Blue Jackets 2 SO

When a fast-paced game couldn’t settle it, a skills competition did. And after the last shot was taken, Columbus was just a pawn in Detroit’s quest for its 16th consecutive home victory.
Playing in one of the oldest barns in the National Hockey League, one of the Blue Jackets’ newest players started the scoring. Ryan Russell, playing in his eighth NHL game, made it 1-0 when he chopped in a pass from Derek Dorsett at 8:51 of the first period.
            Nearly two minutes later, the Red Wings evened the score at 1-1 as defenseman Niklas Kronwall powered into the offensive zone and ripped a shot past Curtis Sanford.
            In the second period, Columbus’ discipline started to falter. After a penalty-free first frame, the Blue Jackets took three trips to the sin bin in the next 20 minutes. As a result, Detroit picked up momentum and began to dominate puck possession.
            Despite only taking four second-period shots, Columbus’ Nikita Nikitin was able to sneak in a goal before the Red Wings could strike again. The goal came on the Blue Jackets’ lone power play of the period.
            Following the goal, Columbus did not register a shot for roughly 20 minutes. Detroit, feeding off its defensive successes, was able to knot the game again at 11:03 of the middle frame.
            With the score tied at 2-2, the Blue Jackets fell back on their heels. Columbus’ inability to fire pucks on net allowed the Red Wings the opportunity to dictate play.
            Much to the Blue Jackets’ dismay, the third period looked like a mirror image of the second. Then, midway through the frame, the norm was shaken as Columbus and Detroit were forced to shorten their benches.
            At 10:09 of the period, Henrik Zetterberg smashed Nikita Nikitin face-first into the end boards. Zetterberg was tossed from the contest and Nikitin did not return to the ice.
            The hit only added to the tenacious style of play that eventually carried into overtime. Though even with a thrilling extra five minutes, neither team could break the tie, sending the game into a shootout.
            In the shootout, the goalies remained consistent. Finally, in the fourth round, Valtteri Filppula showed his handles and exposed Sanford for eventual game-winning goal.
            Demoralized by their second consecutive division loss, the Blue Jackets move on to Nashville and Tampa Bay before taking a mid-season break for the All-Star Game.