Solid Effort

Another home win for the Jackets arises from a familiar pattern: good goaltending and barely enough scoring. This time it was Mason's turn to shine. He played well against the plucky younglings from Edmonton. Hall deflected a shot by Mason for his first NHL goal. Continuing the youth theme, Filatov scored the shootout winner going top shelf with the backhand.

Earlier in the game Filatov had a breakaway off a slick feed from Boll, but he failed to lift the backhand on the same stick side. Methot continued his strong play, dealing a few hard hits. Strallman had two good chances, but cannot seem to buy a goal. His blast from the point rang off the post and later he nearly squeezed one through Dubnyk's pads, leaving the goalie looking back to see if the puck made it through. No such luck. The Olier goalie has a solid game robbing Nash on two occasions (though Nash did score in the shootout).

Garon

Jackets fans should be grateful that the team has a capable backup in Garon. He was instrumental in the 2-1 victory against a tough Flyers squad. After building a two goal lead, the team held off the awakening of the Flyers in the third period. Another solidly played focused effort that gave the crowd something to cheer about.

Only one visit per year by Philly is a big disappointment for fans. Playing St. Louis 500 times doesn't make up for it.

Three unanswered goals in the second to third periods erase a 2-0 Chicago lead and provides the margin of victory for the blue jackets. An impressive road win against the Blackhawks thanks to a solid effort by Mason and a gritty resolve not to give up. An unexpected victory for the Blue Jackets who were stale on home ice, but they fought back and played an excellent game on the road. More efforts like this are needed.

Yahoo recap summed it up well: "… In two power plays over the first two periods, Columbus had no shots—and gave up a goal. " Friday's crowd was only 10,000 but luckily they were vocal during the 6-2 loss. The team is perilously close to losing the fans very early in the season. This sourness is what happens when a team underperforms in a season then do not bring in players to significantly change the team. The fans are angry and not easily fooled.

Home Sweet Home

An entertaining, close checking game in Columbus. First goal was an exciting pure hustle tally by MacKenzie who went five hole as he was being crosschecked into the ice. Nash's better to be lucky than good bank off the defenseman's skate made it 2-0. An early third period Anaheim goal made the game interesting until a Nash empty-netter iced the game. Very solid performance from Mason especially in the scoreless first period. Nice to follow the win against the Wild with a home ice win.  

Home Opener

Islanders defenseman James Wisniewski plays charades with everyone's favorite, New York Rangers  Sean Avery. I think James was trying to get across something about his favorite porn star or perhaps he was simply symbolizing the chances of the Islanders franchise this season. Going down. His punishment from the league? A two-game suspension. 

On the same day the league gave Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson a two game suspension for his hit from behind on Buffalo forward Jason Pominville.

After the off-season bluster we now know it's business as usual for the NHL. The precedent set: a hand gesture is as bad as a hit from behind against a defenseless foe. New record for disgust in a season. 

The Jackets open against the champs tonight. I'm interested to see how the new Chicago mix looks and how the Jackets compete against an elite team. Two early shots off the post by the Jackets. Stalberg beats Mason glove side. Off to watch...

Update: Blackhawks steamroll Jackets 5-1.

Shark Week

The scheduler put the Jackets in a tough spot. Open in Sweden against a tough Western team. Gaining a split with San Jose is a moral victory as a season opener. Mason looks to have hit the ground running, making clutch saves. We will see if they can keep it up especially after the short European vacation.

On the Eve of the Season

What a difference a year makes.

There was optimism at last year's opener. The run to the playoffs added some needed life to a franchise that had never sniffed the post-season. However last season ended with a thud. Lost were the gains of the previous campaign. Before season's end the GM jettisoned the only coach to lead them to a playoff series. After the magical rookie season, Mason's feet were of clay.

The Jackets limp into this year humbled and hopefully hungry. No major changes for the team that fell from race has led to soft tickets sales. Th team needs young Filatov to come back from his KHL hiatus and carry his weight on both ends of the ice. The need for a fast start is a given.

On your marks...