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...

Preseason Blahs

Not into the training camp scene. Too few changes to be optimistic about the coming season. The plan appears to be: hope the kids step up, Filatov must star and Mason must stand on his head every game.

Same Old Song

Again with the Red Wings. Yes, they are better than the Jackets. Yes, they skate circles around them at times. And yes, the Jackets got hosed by a bad call.

The skinny: ref calls no goal, replay shows Bertuzzi in the crease angling his foot back to deflect the puck off his skate then inexplicably the call is overturned. Tough to swallow when you lose 3-2.

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Nash

With two more goals by Rick Nash you'd think it would be an inopportune time to state he is undervalued. It's not and he is. Nash capped off an all-around game by diving to free the puck in the last seconds. Yeoman work on the penalty kill, taking the body when needed and getting those goals.

Beautiful feed from Umberger led to Nash's second tally. Nice to see RJ give it up for the setup. Back to .500.


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After the pressure lifts

Now that the games don't matter for this year, the team gets it rolling. We're left with some questions that spring forth from this puzzling season:

• The team is 9-5-4 since Noel took over for Hitchcock. Is he the answer for next season?


• As of late Steve Mason has been playing well, defeating the Blackhawks twice down their stretch run. His goals against average is still almost a point higher than last year. Is it the sophomore slump or is this late run what we should expect next year?


• Is this the year that Russell turns the corner and realizes his potential? His plus/minus is at even over the course of the year. In years past, he was well below break even. Will next year see him push into the positive side?


• Brassard must come back stronger next year. He has 8 goals in 73 games this season after having 10 goals in 31 games before injury.

Wait Til Next Year

Howson cleans house by trading a few expiring contracts. Good luck to Raffi Torres in Buffalo. Now the team plays out the string to what will be dwindling crowds. So much for building on last year's playoff run.


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Indicative

Canada hosts the U.S. on Sunday in the biggest game so far and it is decided to put the game on MSNBC. I look for the deeper, more talented Canadian team to win in the game after the scare from the Swiss. Miller hasn't been tested yet, but he could be the X factor.


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Solid Win

First period only yields one goal: despite tight coverage by a defenseman, Nash outmuscles the defender and redirects a pass to put the Jackets into the lead against the Sharks. Mason looks sharp, making several stops on close chances. Steve Mason finishes with another shutout and now three straight wins bringing visions of last season. Spectacular save on Lalime late in the game with another glove save after a left-to-right slide across the crease. Beautiful. Wake the kids as Voracek scores for the first time since last year! Vermette scores an empty-netter. When asked about tonight's win during the post-game interview, Mason said, "It's huge. You want to play your best agains the best teams in the league." Amen.

Too bad the Olympics are coming. It will be interesting to see if the team can build on this new found momentum. No playoff dreams at this point, but the team is playing hard, exciting hockey.

The shoe drops

Hitchcock gets canned and the death watch ends. Not sure celebration is in order as we watch the only coach to lead the team to the playoffs walk the plank. No question the team is floating seemingly rudderless. However is it the coach or the players or the GM? Hard to fire the players. Good luck Ken.


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Treading Water

Another week that the Jackets end marginally better in wins by going 2-1. At this rate they will qualify for the playoffs by 2013. Wins against St. Louis should not excite at this point. The slowed schedule leading to Vancouver begins and the team can soon reorganize and see if the staff can recharge the troops over the break. Coming out of the break without hard-charging will signify the true end of the season. We'll see if Hitch and Howson are up to the task.

Near the break the Jackets are 22nd in attendance.

Something to build upon?

Even if this victory leads into a loss, a Jackets fan must savor even a home ice victory against Nashville. Their arch nemesis, Nashville has owned Columbus since the inception of the Jackets franchise. It was the same story line we grew familiar with last year: Mason toes the line and keeps the wolves at bay. Goals by Brassard, Huselius and Modin were enough as two third period Nashville goals were too little, too late. Shots on goal: Nashville 31, Columbus 17. 17?

Signs of the apocalypse #783: +/- for the year has no one in the team's top 15 in scoring on the positive side (Nash -13, Huselius -13, Vermette -8, Umberger -16).

Wait 'til next year

Another week set to gain ground ends with a loss. 2-2 last week after a weekend loss to Minnesota. The hard play of last season simply is not there. There is no magic in goal and the team still lacks scoring weapons. No news there. 180 goals allowed! Only Toronto has allowed more goals. Tough to get excited about the team these days.

....

The decision to suspend Patrice Cormier for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs by the QMJHL for his hit on Mikael Tam hopefully will send s signal to players. Let's not downplay the suspension by labeling it merely a beacon: Cormier deserved a long suspension for such an obvious attack. Hopefully the NHL will take heed and learn from the juniors about how to handle such shenanigans. I applaud the Devils for announcing that they won't try to skirt the suspension and dump him into another league.

Fail

Three games to show where they stood. Three losses. Getting close to games becoming less interesting than considering who is available in the next draft. From playoffs back to doormats in six months.

Three in a Row

Winning three in a row a week after not winning for a month is a bit like Packer fans celebrating the offensive show in Arizona today. Okay, the offense did great... but you lost the game. Kudos for the Blue Jackets putting together a solid run of wins... though their slot at fourteenth place in the conference has not changed. Streaks have to start somewhere, and for that I am grateful. And skeptical.

The positive signs are there: solid goaltending, veterans playing tougher and good special teams. Raffi Torres scored his 13th goal in a solid season and managed eight shots on goal. Mike Commodore hit the ice and logged 20 minutes. Garon is doing his best Steve Mason impersonation, shutting down Dallas . The penalty unit is doing its job, allowing no goals in 16 chances during this three game streak.

Road games versus divisional rivals this week will be the real barometer: Tuesday in St. Louis and Thursday in Chicago. Two wins this week and then we can call the recent play a trend.

Chimera, Commodore and a Win

Haven't had a chance to comment on Jason Chimera's trade. I have mixed feelings about the trade as Chimera was a hard-skating, lunch bucket sort of player that was easy to cheer for by fans. Admittedly he never seemed to stay healthy long enough to utilize all the potential that he showed in glimpses. Stabilizing a team in free-fall was an obvious need. I'm wait-and-see if the trade of a popular, tough and skilled player will be a good thing.

Why the Jackets are having trouble reason #357: Mike Commodore - "My legs aren't there. I will go for any type of explosive stride to close on a guy, and there's nothing there." Not exactly the sort of quote you want to read from your best blue-liner.

Solid win on the road in Edmonton on Wednesday. Goals by Umberger (14), Huselius (14), Vermette (12) and Hejda. Hard to believe that on a team that does not score often that they may have four guys who score 30+ goals. Odder that Garon's GAA is better than Mason's. Yikes...

Hitchcock

So how did Hitchcock go from playoffs to rumor mill grist? Losing does such things. What this season hasn't done is invalidate the team's run last year. Ken didn't slip into senility in the off-season. Coaching is overrated in most sports, and hockey is no exception. Players carry the day and coaches sometimes make a difference over the long haul.

The biggest difference year-to-year from 2009-2010? Mason. It's as simple as that. To put that pressure on a young person is tough, but the conclusion is inescapable. The Jackets rode his cape into the playoffs and they occupy the bottom now based on the absence of magic. Firing Hitchcock or blaming Mason as the sole source is as easy as it is unfair. Howson has to face the fact that the dearth of scoring is on him, not Hitch. To expect Mason to work under the pressure of shutout or loss is untenable.

Awry

I moved and have not seen a game in over a month. Good thing because the Jackets have hit the wall. After the great start, the team has won three times in 23 games and, even more frightening, hasn't scored more than two goals in their last 10 games. Mason should sue for non-support. Not sure it's a good thing, but the cable guy installs a line this week.

Squashed

Two quick goals by the Jackets led to an early time out called by Tortorella. Whatever he said worked because the score for the rest of the game was 7-2 for the Rangers. Mason gave up three goals and was pulled in favor of Garon, who gave up four. Such was the destiny on thsi night Wasted efforts: Gordie Howe hat trick for Boll who had a goal, as assist and a fight (well, actually two fights). For the first time in seven games no assist for Tyutin. Huselius scored a goal and still was -3 on the night. Nash ended the game -4. Yikes.

Nashville Again

The Jackets lost their 5,273,356 game in a row to the Predators in Nashville. This time it was a 4-3 shootout loss. Close but no cigar. Wasted efforts by Umberger (two goals), Tyutin (two assists) and Mason (49 shots). 49 shots on goal? Dismissed as coincidence: minutes played by Boll (3:45) and Belak (3:54).

Team Winning Games, Losing Russians

After solid back-to-back wins from backup goaltender Mathieu Garon, the Blue Jackets announced that Filatov ha been loaned for the remainder of the year to a KHL team. The former first round pick simply was earning his way onto the ice. It's anyone's guess whether we have seen the last of him or not. Let's hope an extra year of gaining experience and getting stronger will yield a Filatov ready for prime time next season. Disappointing, but a move that will benefit the team down the road. Hopefully...

Kick 'em while they are down

Carolina limped into Nationwide winless in eleven games and goalie Cam Ward went down in the first period. In a dog-eat-dog world, the Jackets took care of business, netted three in the third period to shut down the Hurricanes 3-2. That's what good teams should do - beat inferior opponents. Mason played up to the level expected - unrealistically good. Goals by Nash, Boll, and Filatov powered the team; all goals were scored within a five minute span. Mason even assisted on Boll's goal: Mason to Strallman to Boll (who sped around the defenseman whose stick had broken then went top shelf on Leighton.

A win is a win, but this victory was better than the odd 4-3 win in Atlanta on Thursday. It makes for uneasy feeling when you give up two power play goals, take eight penalties - on the road no less - and only manage 21 shots on goal (compared to your opponent's 35 shots). Luckily it was the Thrashers. Torres had another high energy game, scoring a pair of goals and was generally flying around the rink. Voracek and Brassard had the other goals for Columbus.

Shark Visit
Fascinating game after two periods. In the second period, the Blue Jackets have plenty of quality chances without finding the net for most of the period. Heatley taps in an easy one for a powerplay goal after a smiling Malhotra draws a weak tripping call against Tyutin. Jackets look great on the powerplay but Nabokov holds them off for a minute and a half until Nash threads a shot from the off-wing from a steep angle.

Each time I check the World Series, Matsui is driving in runs. Not looking good for the Phillies.

With the game tied and 10:00 minutes left in the third, Pahlsson rings one off the post that cleanly beat Nabokov. One of those loud rings signaling solid iron. Boll just missed a check and landed head first into the Columbus bench. A bit embarrassing, but he'll make highlights for that gaffe. Jackets again playing well but do not get the goal.

Overtime. Mason's quick glove robs Marleau on a one timer from the top of the circle. Whew! Crossbar and a reaching toe save by Mason keeps the game tied. Shootout. My least favorite change over the last ten years. What's wrong with a tie? Filatov was up first and a Nabokov poke check stops him. Blocker save by Mason. Stralman blasts it high and wide. Boyle nets one blocker-side, top shelf. Nash stoned by Nabokov pad save. Sharks win. Yawn.

Fox Sports Ohio: the time is too hard to read on the screen. Get a better camera or change contrast. Thanks.

Weak Week

Looking back I guess it was a good thing that two games this week were preempted by Cavaliers games. The three-loss week was as bad as it sounds. For most of Friday's game against Pittsburgh, things looked great. The team was playing well and taking it to the Penguins. Then in games's last few minutes, the lead evaporated and next we see Crosb's shot trickle across the line for a shootout loss. Things do not get easier with Washington coming into Columbus today.

Competitive Week

The Jackets end the week 1-2, but each game was entertaining for fans and they have withstood an early western road swing. After back-to-back losses at Calgary and Edmonton, teh Jackets defeated the Ducks in Anaheim 6-4. It's fun to prepare to watch each game with a sense that they will win. So this is how Detroit fans feel... feels good.

In Anaheim the team continued to puck the puck in the net at a much improved rate over last year. Antoine Vermette had a goal and two assists and continues to play up to his off-season contract that was derided by many pundits. Nash had two goals (one empty netter) as did Voracek, Teh team did allow two power play goals, the first such goals allowed in weeks.


First week in hockey season that I did not see a single game on live TV. I watched everything from saved files from my EyeTV. If you own a Mac, Google elgato eyetv for more information; if a PC user, then it's like a hauppage card; if a Linux user, you know about all options already, you clever devils (c:

Good Start No Fluke

Yet another win for the rolling Blue Jackets as they down the Kings 4-1 in Columbus. Goals by Chimera, Torres (power play), Nash and Voracek (empty net). The old adage about hot goaltending being key is a wise (and easy) bit of analysis, but it does not completely explain the team's success. A quick look at the penalty killing unit is telling. Here's how the opponents have fared with a power play against the Jackets:

0-5 Los Angeles
0-1 Calgary
0-6 Phoenix
0-4 San Jose
0-3 Vancouver

Hot goaltending and good penalty killing, though obviously related, are not exclusively the result of only strong play by Mason. Let's hope the trend continues. If so, the push to the playoffs will not be as nerve-racking this year.

Costly Victory

Solid defenseman Jan Hejda will be out 4-6 weeks with a sprained knee suffered in yesterday's 2-1 victory over Calgary. Hejda was an excellent +8 so far this year and has logged many minutes (21+ against the Flames). With Commodore still out, the Jackets top two defensemen are out. Drink your coffee, Steve Mason.

Nice to see early offense from the expected sources. Nash continues to be hot as Rick assisted on both goals. Huselius netted his second of the season and Stralman's power play goal tied the game. Good to see the team outshoot the opponent (33-23). Let's see the team break the habit of scoring just enough to win because Mayor Mason is expected to shut down his net. Providing a margin of error will take pressure off the young goaltender.

Everyone's favorite bowling pin Boll was back on the ice. Let's hope he can stay clear of the concussions for the rest of the season.

Rarities

Pick your rarity: the Blue Jackets head on the road out west and win two of three vs. a sellout in Phoenix. Tough choice as both realities are hard to believe. The defense again played solidly and Rick Nash scored again to power (just enough) Columbus to a 2-0 road win. Umberger also scored again, adding an empty-netter to seal the win. Phoenix outshot the Jackets 36-19 but former Oiler Mathieu Garon was up to the task. Yep, they gave Mason a night off. After watching the young guy wear down last year (okay, admittedly mono didn't help), it looks like Hitchcock will rest him a bit more. Good idea.

No Boll or Commodore.

Split Out West

A tough road trip schedule is one that includes stops at Vancouver and San Jose. The Jackets earned a split after beating the Canucks 5-3 and losing to the Sharks 6-3.

When you visit Vancouver, one thing you never expect is to see Luongo get pulled from the net... yet that happened after three quick second period goals by Huselius, Klesla and Filatov. Hordichuk ran Boll in the boards to get a penalty. Jared did not come back; we'll see if the league will review that hit from behind. After two goals by Vancouver brought them back into contention Fedor Tyutin put the game away with a power play goal in the third. The Canucks shelled Mason with 43 shots, but the Jackets held on, on the road, for a rare win in Vancouver. A good win against a solid opponent.
...

Unfortunately, the Thursday game did not go as well. Heatley earned a hat trick in the Sharks home opener. The enigmatic player has the crowd on his side after a tough off-season trying and finally succeeding in wiggling his way out of Ottawa. Nash, Chimera and Torres scored goals for the Jackets. San Jose netted four in the second to put this game away. Bad sign: Boll was out of the lineup after blacking out on Monday after being hit by Darcy Hordichuk.

Season Opener: Klesla's Big Day

On the day that Rusty Klesla inked a new deal to stay with the Blue Jackets for four more years, he topped off a banner day with a game-winning third period goal to lift the team to a 2-1 victory over Minnesota. Not too shabby, eh? Klesla is the only remaining player from the original team and was the team's first ever draft pick. Steve Mason began the season with another solid effort, stopping 32 of 33 shots. Umberger scored a short-handed goal to open the game's scoring in the second period.

Missing the opener, Mike Commodore is out with a groin pull. He is eligible to play Sunday as he was put on the IR, so the team will miss his play in tough early games against Vancouver, San Jose and Hamilton... oops I mean Phoenix.

Tough Preseason Continues

Just saw the video of the ugly fall that Tom Sestito had at the end of his fight with Nashville's Jordan Tootoo. The league has to crack down on the chinstraps to try to prevent injuries like this one. Ten staples needed to close the gash on the back of his head. The video shows his helmet easily pop off when trying to duck under Tootoo's arm.

Add this injury to hard luck Fredrik Modin and the preseason is looking grim. Modin's right knee collided with that of a teammate and now he's out 6-8 weeks. Modin cannot seem to catch a break over the last few seasons.

Quote from Chimera abut the questionable hit that planted him face first into the glass: "(Belanger) said he’s never done that before, that he’s had only one 5-minute major (for elbowing), but the same is true if you shoot somebody. You only have to shoot somebody once to be dirty. It’s a dirty hit and there’s no need for it. My back was turned the whole way." It should be noted that Chimera's chinstrap was also loose.

Chimera Injured; Vermette's Contract Extension

Last night Jason Chimera was checked from behind and landed face first into the boards. Before being taken off on a cart, he was down for five minutes, though he gave the two thumbs up signal to the crowd before leaving the ice. This game was not broadcasted so I have not seen a replay. The league has been cracking down on these checks. Admittedly there is some gray area involved since players can make a sudden turn before being hit. Responding to a question about whether the hit was clean or not Rick Nash was quoted as saying, "From my view, it looked like he just had no chance to protect himself... But I don’t know, I need to see the replay and judge from that." Let's hope Chimera, who battled injuries last season, comes back soon.

Howson signed Antoine Vermette to a five-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season. Vermette was instrumental in the playoff push by the team last year. The CBC reported the contract is $18.75 million over the five years, making Vermette under pressure to deliver solid seasons to justify those numbers. A speedy hard-playing player, he seemed to inject energy into the team. Let's hope he can take that great end to last season and extend it over a whole year.

Brassard Gets Contract Extension

Despite the injured-shortened season Derick Brassard was given a contract extension through 2013-2014. Brassard was on his way to a great season when a separated shoulder ended his campaign. In 31 games Brassard had 25 points including 10 goals. His spark brought encouragement for eth future. Little did we know how missed that spark would be come playoff time. The large expanse that separates the Red Wings and the Blue Jackets can be reduced a bit by a healthy Brassard. Good signing at a (relatively) reasonable cost: an annual salary cap hit of $3.2 million. If teh potential shown last season is fulfilled, Howson got a bargain.

Sakic Retires

Easy to issue platitudes about Joe Sakic, the quintessential class act who played effectively as a two-way player and in the clutch. His record 8 overtime playoff goals is absolute proof of his remarkable skill under pressure. His career achievements remind me of Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier, another hard-working center who was a terror at both ends of the ice, played his best when it counted most, and won the Conn Smythe trophy.

Nash

Thank the gods, Columbus extended star Rick Nash through the 2017-18 season. Captain Rick is set to earn $62.4 million over the term of the contract. The Puck-rakers blog reports that "[t]he deal includes a no-movement clause in the first five seasons, and a modified no-trade clause in the final three."

With Nash on board, some scoring help is needed to continue on the season of progress seen last year.

Draft '09

1. JOHN MOORE    6' 2  189 D 
2. KEVIN LYNCH    6' 1  190 C 
4. DAVID SAVARD    6' 1  200 D 
5. THOMAS LARKIN   6' 5" 206 D 
6. ANTON BLOMQVIST 6' 4" 189 D 
7. KYLE NEUBER    6' 2" 220 RW

Mason Earned Calder Trophy

Steve Mason's 2008-2009 rookie statistics: 61 G, 33 W, 2.29 GAA, 10 SO, .916 SV%.

Steve Mason was awarded the Calder Trophy for the NHL rookie of the year. He had worthy competition for the award, but a strong case was made for his choice. While his stats are excellent, he added intangibles that pushed his candidacy over the top. Appearing in 61 games after taking over for an injured Pascal Leclaire, Mason carried the team to the first playoff appearance for Columbus. The Jackets were in every game because Mason was a shutout threat on any given night.

Recent Calder Winners

2009 Steve Mason, Columbus
2008 Patrick Kane, Chicago
2007 Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh
2006 Alexander Ovechkin, Washington
2005 Lockout
2004 Andrew Raycroft, Boston
2003 Barret Jackman, St. Louis
2002 Dany Heatley, Atlanta
2001 Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose
2000 Scott Gomez, New Jersey
1999 Chris Drury, Colorado

Interesting perhaps only to me - contrasting organizations Pittsburgh and Detroit: the Penguins have ridden Calder winners (Lemieux and Malkin) to Cups. Despite the recent success of Detroit, they haven't had a Calder winner for 34 years. The last Red Wing Calder winner? 1965 - Roger Crozier, goalie.

Game 4: Close, But No Cigar

game notes follow:

early power play leads to a Detroit goal. After Tyutin failed to clear the puck, the puck ends up banking off him after a point shot by a wide open Lidstrom was saved by Mason.

Huselius goal on the power play to stem the early tide. Great passes by Russell and Nash to set up Huselius, who beat Osgood top shelf blocker side.

Holmstrom scores shortly after the Jackets had tied the game. He beats Mason on a rebound cleanup after being left in front of the crease. Earlier that play Malhotra hadd been muscled by Datsyuk into losing his stick. This power is nothing new as the Wings have proven to be stronger than the Jackets all series.

Just after the Jackets kill a penalty and Nash loses his skates trying to make a big hit, Cleary grabs a rebound off the back boards and slips it by Mason to make it 3-1.

Fantastic save by Osgood to rob the Jackets will less than a minute to go in the first period. The puck was floating over his shoulder and he flung his blocker and got a piece of the puck. End of 1, 3-1 Detroit.

Beautiful goal by Nash deflecting a Klesla shot past Osgood's skate. An important early goal to bring Columbus within one and keep the crowd loud.

Spectacular goal by Umberger on the power play to tie the game, sweeping in from the point and out deking a defenseman then beating Osgood low to the glove side. The play started with a long clearing pass by Mason.

The unflappable Wings come right back as Hossa scores a pair of goals to grab a 5-3 lead. Foolish penalty by Nash leads to a power play goal on the latter score.

Russell continues his strong play and finishes a coast-to-coast goal after a nifty bewteen the legs pass by Torres to free the young defenseman on the rush.

After Osgood loses a rebopund Modin pokes home a rebound to tie the score with less than two minutes left in the period. A 4 goal second period for Columbus ends with teh score tied at 5.

Win or lose, this sport is the greatest. This game has been nothing but one exciting rush after another with hits, great skating and crucial saves. The pace is swift, almost an anti-baseball focus required form fans.

Scary two minute stretch as the Wings control the puck in the Jackets end. two saves by Mason keep the score tied.

12:58 marks the spot as Mason snaps the glove and robs the Wings Franzen. Wow!

Mark me as one who does not go for the Os-good chanty. Never been a fan of negative cheers. I'd rather yell supporting my team. To each his own. The Jackets are in this game because they have played better, not because of the cheer.

FS Ohio has time to show text message polls but not the out of town scores? I guess I should just be happy to see the game after they preempted the previous game to show a Cavs playoff game.

Horrible too many men on the ice penalty against Columbus with 1:34 left. Despite the excuses offered by the commentators, you have to get off the ice. Franzen scores the go-ahead goal with 46 seconds on the clock, poking in a rebound past Mason.

6-5 final. The fans give the team a rousing ovation before they can leave the ice.

Making the playoffs was a good step this year. This series shows the gap between the good and the teams rounding out the playoff slots. The team weaknesses, well hidden by good coaching and hard work by players, have been exposed under the pressure of the playoffs. More scoring, better center play and dramatic improvement on the specialty teams are needed to improve from this season's soaring flight to the playoffs.

Playoffs are over for the Jackets. It's back to earth, flat as a pancake.

Game 3: No Doubt

At no time during the game did it appear as if the Jackets would be able to mount resistance to the dominant Red Wings. A spirited home ice crowd was little help against the giants on the ice. There is no David to stand up against a team of Goliaths. Yes, the team scored - Umberger the woozy. The goal was meaningless in a game already in hand. Osgood deserves all accolades he can muster. He has outplayed Mason.

Game 2: Crushed

The final scoe was 4-0... and the game looked worse than the score.

All you need to know was encapsulated in one TV shot. When Hitchcock called a timeout near the end of the second period, the television cameras focused on Steve Mason. The rookie goalie was hunched over at the waist with glove on his pads, breathing deeply - he was exhausted. After a 4-0 shutout against 39 shots, he should be tired. Chris Osgood stopped all 25 Columbus shots and at points was able to go minutes at a stretch without facing a credible offensive chance. So much for a Columbus goaltending edge.

Early in game three in Columbus on Tuesday night look for the Wings to throw the kitchen sink at the young host team in an attempt to crush the last vestiges of competition out of them.

Game 1: Outclassed

The Red Wings flexed their muscles at the expense of the playoff newbie Jackets, winning game one in Detroit 4-1. After a hotly contested first period, the Wings slowly turned on the jets and dominated play at times with their puck-control. A lot has been said about the own-goal by Malhotra: a potentially simple save that evaded Mason because of a deflection. I think that the play certainly was a bad break, but erasing that goal would not have changed the outcome. The Jackets need to pick up their play and force the turnovers that Detroit forced in game one.

In the battle of goalies, give Osgood a nod after 60 minutes. Mason did not play poorly (well, that last one was weak), but Osgood was not the liability that he needs to be fr Columbus to steal a game or two.

Saturday brings a big game. If Columbus can pull off the upset, it makes the games in Columbus very interesting.

It's the Wings

After dropping the last two games and see the St. Louis Blues slide on by, the Jackets finish in the seventh slot making their first round opponent the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. After a lackluster end of the season for both teams, look for Detroit to put the screws to the Jackets from the first drop of the puck. Detroit's ability to control the puck can be intimidating, so Columbus must be ready to weather the storm. The star power Detroit throws at opponents is awesome: Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, Brian Rafalski, Nicklas Lidstrom, Johan Franzen, etc. Though the star list for Columbus is Rick Nash and Steve Mason, that just might be enough.

The most interesting part of this match up is that based on play this season, Columbus has a big edge in goaltending. This season rookie Mason clearly ha splayed better than either Osgood or Conklin. How Mason reacts to the pressure of the playoffs will be crucial to the series outcome. Osgood's experience is a possible ace in the hole. Despite Detroit being the defending champs, there should be no counting out the Blue Jackets because of teh goaltending edge. Not even the most ardent Jackets fan can make the talent case for Columbus over Detroit. However playoff hockey is won with defense and Mason is a game-changer. We'll soon learn if he is a playoff game-changer.

The season series split 3-3. The series will start in Detroit this week. Columbus playoff games... sounds good, if not unfamiliar) to me. Have fun!

In

“We did it for ourselves, but most of all we did it for Mr. Mac. We know he’s up there watching. I’m sure he’s sitting in his chair and has a cigar in his mouth.” - Rick Nash speaking of the late owner of the Blue Jackets, John McConnell.

A second hard-fought game against Chicago in a few days ends on a Fedor Tyutin shootout goal to give the Blue Jackets a 4-3 win and, more importantly, their first trip to the NHL playoffs. The team battled back after Chicago jumped to a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Seabrook and Bolland. By the 8:00 mark of the second, the game was tied. Vermettes scored the first Columbus goal then set up Jason Williams. Havlat and Nash scored for each side to send the game into OT. Chicago had a power play in the overtime session, but could not convert.

It is a good thing to have won the game to earn the playoff spot. Stumbling into the post-season rarely is a harbinger of success. The pressure will be off the Jackets when they next hit the ice: Friday in St. Louis then the season finale at home against Minnesota. Saturday's home crowd should better be roaring!

The drought is over! Looking ahead, their likely opponent is Vancouver, a team that has played very well down the stretch and has the game-changing Roberto Luongo is goal. We'll see if Mats Sundin earns his keep in the post-season. They didn't sign him not to be a factor in a Cup run. Captain Nash will have to best Mats and the twins for the Jackets to have a shot at advancing.

Backing In

Playing well but losing is not exactly the ideal way to make the playoffs, but we'll take what we can get. Mason is keeping them in games, but teh offense, aside from nash, needs to step it up. Two losses (Nashville and Chicago) garner points in the new era of NHL, so hope is alive. 90 points obviously is a great improvement, but there will be no satisfaction without a playoff appearance. Three games left for the Jackets to claim their own spot. Games left: at Chicago, at St. Louis and Minnesota.

Two Big Points

Mason outduels Rinne as the Jackets earn an important victory against Nashville, a team looking up at Columbus in the playoff race. After two weekend losses to the Blues, this game presented Civil War buff Hitchcock with the task to rally the troops and get refocused. Raffi Torres scored the game-winner at 4:05 of the third period and Mason made it stand up. Definitely a playoff atmosphere at Nationwide Arena, the crowd saw both teams put on a show of hard-hitting hockey. Mason played up to the publicity and made some crucial saves in the third period. The teams meet again on Saturday in Nashville.

The win gives Columbus 88 points and leaves them in the sixth seed slot. St. Louis sits in ninth and has 83 points with a game in hand. A win in Nashville should sew up a playoff spot for the Blue Jackets.

Lost Weekend

After dropping two games to the Blues this weekend, the Jackets now cling to their playoff spot. Simply put, the team looked flat in the home game on Sunday. The Blues' Mason outplayed the Columbus' Mason over the weekend home-and-home match up. St. Louis has crept into a playoff spot while the Jackets claim to a spot became tenuous. Was teh team looking ahead to the playoffs? No, I don't believe so. The Blues looked hungrier and played harder - they wanted it more. I give the St. Louis management some credit for keeping their young team focused throughout the season despite the long list of injuries.

The next two games are against Nashville - Tuesday and Saturday. It's time to find out whether the playoff run has run out of gas or not. Let's hope Mason picks up his game. The Columbus crowd needs to pick up the team on Tuesday. Meaningful late season games are what we have wanted. It has been fun so far. Nerve-racking, but fun.

Impressive Win Against teh Flames

“We have a pretty good idea that if we’re in the playoffs this is a team we could be playing, so we wanted to have a good effort. We definitely came forward with it, that’s for sure,” Mason said.

At the risk of over-valuing one game, during the push to the playoffs I think you can consider a 5-0 drubbing of the Flames as a big win. Mason earns his 10th shutout of the season moving behind the rookie record of 15 shutouts set by the great Tony Esposito. 15? That record will stand quite a while. Both Nash and Huselius had four assists each. Goals by: Malhotra, Williams (2), Torres and Umberger. Both of the goals by Williams were on the power play. Columbus won the faceoff battle by a wide margin: 44-24.

The second period was filled with brawls and penalties. Boll and Vandermeer earned game misconduct penalties and the referee issued another 40 minutes in misconduct penalties. Describing the game as chippy would be an understatement. Both teams are in full playoff run mode and blew off some steam.

Last week the television guys interviewed Tony Esposito between periods and it was quite fun. He's a regular guy, a straight shooter. He dismissed the idea that Mason is a one season flash-in-the-pan.

George Lucas Memorial Loss in Tampa
Games notes for this entry. Sloppy looking first period as the Jackets seem a bit off. A late break by Umberger is easily stopped. Flat period for the most part. 2 shots on goal for TB in 1st period.

Shoot the puck! Ahh! Sometimes Huselius drives me crazy. "A little too fancy" said by Gare is an understatement. Later Boll eschews a scoring chance to make that extra pass too. Great flash move to the middle by Nash from the off-wing, but good glove save. The second period starts with 7 minutes of action before the first whistle.

Umberger sets up Voracek with an open net opportunity that is missed. Shortly thereafter McKenna stops Huselius from point blank range on a Columbus PP. Boll wisely doesn't retaliate to a punch to the head and the Jackets get another PP chance. The team looks horrid on the PP: no shots and sloppy play. Terrible period for a team trying to play into the playoffs.

Jackets come out skating hard and fire 8 shots in the first 4 minutes of the period. Hejda's shot from the point is stopped by McKenna but the rebound hits a defender and finds the net for a 1-0 lead. Later Hejda takes a penalty to give the drowning ship a line... and they score. It never fails. Mason screened on the point blast and has no chance to stop Malone's redirect.

Good glove save on a backhand shot. McKenna has done his part for Tampa tonight. St. Louis rings one off the right post behind Mason. Lucky break for Columbus. Late icing by TB leads to a time out with 1:20 remaining.

OT "I have bad feeling about this." Goal knocked in with an obvious high stick called off as a rebound bounces off of Mason's mask and was struck with a high stick. Commodore giveaway in front gives Lecavalier a chance in front, but he shoots wide. Whew. A minute later St. Louis beats Mason on an off-angle, magnificently placed shot that eludes Mason's glove. Outshot 34-17, Tampa wins.

If they play like that against Calgary on Thursday, they'll get run out of the building. Hitchcock has work to do on the day off tomorrow. Not a game you would expect after a two day rest against one of the worst teams in the league.

Focused

Three third period goals power the Jackets to a 3-1 win in Florida. Raffi Torres scored the first two goals to push the jackets to a 2-1 lead and Antoine Vermette added an empty netter to seal the game. Mason was solid again in goal though we should give kudos to the Panthers' Vokoun who faced 37 shots and kept them in the game until the end.

The team kept the faith and, more importantly, kept skating when they could not find the net to finally beat a team they should beat - and that's a great sign for a team that has had in past seasons as one its hallmarks the tendency to fall short when the goings got tough. Big game against Calgary later this week after the Tuesday game against the Lightning. With Stamkos starting to play well, let's hope they don't look past that trap game in Tampa.

OT Win
A fun game to watch as both teams showed spirited play. The Jackets were a bit frustrated as they kept racking up penalties (Tyutiin had four minors) and providing the excellent Chicago power play unit chances. Both goalies looked suspect early then played into form. Each team's penalty killing units had breakaways stopped by the goalies.

After searching I discovered that somehow I never wrote the following: the "On the powerplay!" thing needs to die... now. It seems like a cross to bear for a bad power play team. The players must look forward to hearing that phrase over the P.A. as much as the Obama administration enjoys hearing AIG in the nightly news. Long setup for a bad joke.

Rudy Martzke Memorial Dreaded Glitch Award: Jackets score a goal while TV plays a Quenneville commentary about Martin Brodeur. Dorsett cleans up a Methot shot after a Peca faceoff win in the CHI zone.

Game had its swings as Columbus dominating play suddenly followed by Chicago drumming up scoring chances. Umberger was a tough matcup in the Black Hawk defensive zone all night. Kane stopped by Mason on a delayed penalty situatopn. The kid looks quite nifty tonight - looks like a star-in-the-making (or is he one already?)

Fluky, wild goal by Nash as he fires one in from the corner as a shaky-looking Huet is beaten on a knucklecurve of a goal.
Two 4-on-3 power play chances for Columbus comes up empty. Jason Williams did ring one off the post.
crossbar blast by Jason Williams. Just when Huet looks weak, he makes an unbelievable save to stone Umberger, looking like the ghost of Hasek with octopus legs waving in the air. Early in teh thir period, Mason makes a big save on a CHI PP by sliding across the crease to rob Bolland... or was it Keith? Hard to say as the channel drops off. Ack! Outage for 5 minutes.

The television picture comes back as Huselius rings the post behind Huet. Russell looking great in spots again. Love his skating at times as he has that burst. We need to see that speed more and we will once he gains experience. Dorsett makes a sensational pass from the Chicago right corner that is redirected off the post by Murray. A great hustle play, but no cigar.

Umberger to Vermette for the game winner! Vermette pops Campbell's stick to take the feather pass and finish off the Hawks. Great game for fans as the play was exciting with goals, big hits and some timely goaltending. Nice to grab the two points with only eleven games left. The Jackets have their fate in their own hands. Play solid and grind out wins and they will make the playoffs.

Brodeur

Could not pass up a chance to laud Marin Brodeur's setting the all time vicotry record last night. While passing Patrick Roy was inevitable, a comparison shows Broduer's remarkable run in New Jersey. Brodeur has won 553 times in 987 games. Roy won 551 in 1,029 games.

Some commentators may make an argument for Roy as being the better goalie based on some spectatcular seasons, but my money would be with Brodeur and his three Stanley cups and four Vezinas. Let's hope he stays in goal for at least a few more seasons with the Devils. The league needs good guy stars like Brodeur.

4 for 5

Tough week for me (bad sinus infection), but a good week for the Blue Jackets. In a solid test of the team, they came out shining. Winners of 4 of 5 against tough opponents, Columbus has solidified its position in the Western playoff race despite the loss to Detroit 4-0 on Sunday night. By no means are they locks to make the playoffs, but this stretch hopefully was a sign of things to come.

What we learned is how a change of scenery appears to have inspired Antoine Vermette. He has notched six points since the trade and has been as billed - a speedy, versatile player.

The five: W 8-2 @ DET, W 2-0 BOS, W 4-3 PIT, W 5-3 @ CHI, L 4-0 DET

1 of 5

Crucial stretch of five games starts with a blow out of the Red Wings in Detroit. The Jackets needed this victory, and they played like a team on a mission. The sloppy defense was shored up for the most part and the Captain did what he needs to do for the team to excel - carry it on his back. Nash had a hat trick and Umberger added 2 goals and an assist.

Mason was solid again in goal after cooling off a bit, stopping 44 of 46 shots on goal. Columbus won the close face off battle 33-31. Vermette made his debut and assisted on Jason Williams' goal, his 14th of the season. Osgood got pulled after allowing 7 goals in 23 shots.

Good game and important win, but it's only one game.

The Test

The results from next five games will show the real chances of the Blue Jackets to make the playoffs. All opponents are solid teams, in the playoff hunt or leading conferences. The loss in Nashville had a playoff atmosphere, but the result, a 4-2 loss, brings a sense of urgency to the next eight days. It starts tonight in Detroit.

The next five games: at Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh, at Chicago and Detroit.

Trades at the Deadline

GM Howson sought to make a move to shore up the glaring weakness of the team - at the center position. The Jackets traded injured goalie Pascal Leclaire and a second-round pick in the 2009 draft to Ottawa for winger Antoine Vermette. Known to be a solid two-way player who possess great speed, Vermette has only nine goals and 19 assists in 62 games this year and is under contract for next season. Howson commented, “He’s a 20-goal guy who’s not having a 20-goal year. Hopefully he’ll provide some energy for us and give us a jolt.” It looks like they will slip him in at center between Nash and Huseilius. We'll see if this winger-turned-center does the trick.

Class act on the way out: “If anybody wants to buy a condo, it’s available,” Leclaire joked.

Today in preparation for the important game against Nashville the team activated off injured reserve defenseman Rostislav Klesla and winger Fredrik Modin.

game blog
Free form notes taken while watching the 5-4 win against the Kings. Submitted not merely because I am lazy, rather it gives you a glimpse of the up-and-down experience of a fan starved for playoffs... Okay, it's only posted because I was lazy (c;


Hustle goal for Voracek to tie the score in the first period just seconds after Novotny misfired a golden opportunity. Smart play by Umberger to center the puck to Voracek just outside the crease.

Sweet pass from Russell to Malhotra in the slot whose blast was tipped by Raffi Torres... On the power play too.

Long distance seeing-eye point shot by Rome finds the net as Malhotra deflects it in for a 3-1 lead. Euphoria over the goal dissipates as the TV team announces Chimera is to have surgery for his injured groin. Out 4-5 weeks. Sigh.

two quick goals tie the game - the second a weak bouncer through the legs then the Kings add a third in less than two minutes. The defense looks sloppy and Mason shaky. What a weird game. Give LA credit for skating hard and not giving up on the road. Good timeout by Hitchcock as the team appears rattled. Near the period's end Novotny cleans up a Russell rebound to make amends for his early misfires. Good to see the team fight back after the deflating rally by the Kings.

Yikes, Boll flattened by Greene at the blue line. Boll popped right up, buy that will be a highlight.

Malhotra redirects a pass from Nash through Quick's pads. 5-4. He Nash-Huselius-Malhotra line has looked great tonight. Manny is having his best game as a Blue Jacket.

Russell has looked like a solid player all game. Good to see the young guy playing well.

Hmm. icing on LA with 1:28 left. Hard to fathom. Kings pull goalie with a minute left. No other sport has this exciting game-changing strategy. Love it.

Mason draws a delay penalty when his clearing shot goes into the stands. 12 seconds with a two-man advantage but the Jackets hold on.

fun game to watch ends with a win, but that Kings rally left me a bit queesy

Tough Western Trip Ends

If the Blue Jackets wanted a measuring stick for their road ahead, then the recent road trip out west gave them the answer - the offense needs to get better or they will miss the playoffs. Good goaltending alone cannot get them into the playoffs. On Sunday night the Vancouver stopper Roberto Luongo was a bit better than Mason and had the advantage of only seeing 20 shots on goal in the Vancouver 3-1 victory. The playoffs and the chase for a spot are based on a simple formula: limited scoring opportunities against an excellent goalie means a loss. Mason's margin of error is too low right now with the offense sleeping. Vancouver is getting by with scoring from the Sedins and Sundin. Nash alone is not enough.

Misc: Nash had the ony goal for Columbus, but he was also in the penalty box for the first two Canuck goals. Peca left during the first period and did not return. The game was shown on Yahoo - stream worked perfectly for me and was a lucky bonus since Cox Cable showed the Cavs game instead of the Jackets game. It would be great if they showed replays of games later in the night for preempted games, but they don't...

Big Win in Edmonton

After being handled by the Flames earlier in the week, the Jackets stared at a trip to play the Oilers with two losses in a row on their minds. With so few games left, the team needed to turn it around. Fast. They used the yeoman's work from rookie Steve Mason in goal and earned a tough 1-0 win. A hard fought game with some spectacular saes by both goalies. I can still see that sliding pad-stack save across the crease by Roloson. The game definitely had a playoff atmosphere.

The game's lone goal came from that unfamiliar scoring combination of Boll and Torres. Boll and Torres? We'll take it! After receiving the one-handed clear by Tyutin, Boll hit Torres with a great cross-ice pass from the right wing boards just iinside of the Columbus defensive zone. Torres, who earlier had a scrap with Strudwick, beat Roloson with a shifty move to slip the puck between the goalie's legs. Great to see Torres be the first star back in Edmonton. If he can hit his stride and stay healthy during the playoff drive, the team's chances should drastically improve.

Misc: Another tight game from the defense as they only allowed 19 shots on Mason. Nice to see Methot rack up the ice time. Hard to dislike the Oilers. They play a tough, entertaining brand of hockey.

4 /13

The Ducks defeat the Jackets in Columbus and one curious statistic says it all: the Ducks score 4 times on 13 shots. 13 shots for the whole game! And 5 for the last two periods. It's hard to fathom that few shots on goal.. and winning. To make the matter more curious, the league's worst power play scores two goals (Nash and Huseilus). Simply a bad game all around for Columbus against a team in the thick of the race for the playoffs and who now climbs to within 3 points of the Jackets. Big crowd (18,628) goes home disappointed.

The Jackets placed defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen on injured reserve, claimed center Chris Gratton off waivers from Tampa and recalled defenseman Aaron Rome from their AHL affiliate in Syracuse.

Shootout Win in Toronto

Mason versus Pogge in a nice young goalie matchup ends for the Jackets due to a fluke goal during the shootout. Call him clever like Inspector Clouseau, in the shootout Jason Williams tried to deke the young Toronto goalie. A good plan, but Williams fanned on the puck. Luckily for the Jackets, the missed puck went five hole. Regulation goals by the guys who are shaping up as the team money players: Umberger, Nash (also found the net in the shootout) and Huselius.

Two goals from Maple Leaf winger Nik Antropov who was called out by GM Brian Burke last week. Was he trying to impress potential trade deadline suitors in Columbus?

Coasting to a Win

Weird game. A win, but weird and nerve-racking. The Jackets beat the Blues 4-3 in Columbus in a game that saw them jump to a 4-1 lead by dominating play then barely hang on as St. Louis outplayed them in the third period. More relief than joy at the game's end. In the battle of the Masons, Steve outplayed Chris and made a late game-saving stop.

With the four goals the Jackets pulled to 159-161 goals for vs. goals against. For comparison see Detroit: 221-170. 221! The win puts the Blue Jackets six games over .500. The last time they were at such a level? Never before. Yes, it has been a long seven years.

Misc: Goals by Tyutin (power play), Malhotra, Nash and Murray. The Jackets dropped Modin back on the IR. Been a tough year for him given all the injuries. Torres was scratched due to the flu.

Making the Case

The Jackets finished the week with two impressive wins against teams who are in the playoff race: a home 3-2 win against the defending Cup champion Red Wings and an efficient 5-1 road win against Carolina. The team now has won four games in a row and has jumped into the thick of the race for the Western Conference playoff seeding, up to #6. Though Dallas sits at #5 with the same umber of points (61), the four slot belongs to Chicago with 70 points. Anaheim at 7 also has 61 points. And it continues. It is clear that barring any strange occurrences the playoffs will not be set until the season finale. The old agade of "Every game counts" is as appropriate as ever. Eyes off the standings and just play hard hockey.

The team is winning through hard work, outstanding goaltending and dedication to the Hitchcockian plan of defense, defense, defense. A good D and a hot goalie can carry a team that lacks offense like the Blue Jackets. If the team can more efficiently convert its power play chances, it will become a tough team to play. Columbus has one goal all season with a 5-on-3 advantage and is last in the league in power play goal percentage. Detroit has more than double the power play goals scored by the Jackets (65-29). Improvement in this area is a must.

The Columbus faithful have been given a rare treat: a legitimaate run at the playoffs. In the game against Dettroit the Nationwide crowd was the largest ever announced at the arean at 18,802. The team has a long way to go to seal a spot in the post-season, but they have provided a real opportunity for excitement for their more-than-patient fans who crave a home playoff game.

It's been fun, and it has been a while since that feeling was in the arena every night.

The Sub's Sub

With a 3-0 win in Columbus, Dan LaCosta earned his first career shutout in his second NHL start to help Columbus complete an unlikely sweep of the season series (4 games) against the Avalanche.

LaCosta was sharp all night and made a clutch stop with seconds remaining to preserve the shutout. It is reported that Mason may be ready later in the week. Hopefully he is fully recovered. With the team playing well, it is not time to rush him back. Let's err on teh side of caution.

Goals: Andrew Murray, Jason Williams and Fredrik Modin. The Blue Jackets have won six of seven. Great to see Chimera increasing ice time (12+ minutes).

Big Win

Christian Backman scored the game winner against San Jose in the overtime period to give the Jackets a 3-2 home ice win. Yes, Christian Backman! Dan LaCosta got the start in goal after Wade Dubielewicz looked shaky in a 4-1 loss to the Oilers earlier in the week. Nabakov nearly stole this game for San Jose and was his usual tough self. He somehow made a stop while laying belly-down on the ice against Modin in the third period to keep them alive for overtime.

Loved the first Columbus goal, by Jason Williams a neat top shelfer over Nabby's glove hand. Nice pass by Huselius to hit Nash in stride for a goal that put them up 2-0. Backman's unlikely game winner came as he joined in an odd man rush in overtime. teh goal was of the clean up rebound variety, but they all count.

The obligatory Boll-Shelley bout came in the second period. A spirited affair that really was for the fans. Shelly's a good guy so I wish him well in San Jose. However the game was good enough that the seemingly stock fight was not needed to fire anyone up. You would not have seen this scrap in the playoffs.

Misc: Backman was +3 for the game. Mason sat out again in his recovery from mono. Give him the rest he needs. Commodore was out with foo poisoning. Another good crowd at home: 18,144. 9 points separates #5 (Ducks) from last (Blues) in the Western Conference. The Jackets, Wild and Oilers sit in slots 8-10, all with 55 points.

Dose of Reality

Pulling rookie Mason after allowing three Dallas goals in eight shots was the wise move. What remains to be seen is how the rookie handles adversity even if it is one bad game (following a shutout the day before). The team released news that he has been suffering from mono for three to four weeks, but only was diagnosed last week.

Hmm. Rookie goalie carrying the team on his back has mono and they decide to play him in back-to-back games? Sounds a little like they fear the backup. Wade Dubielewicz, Mall Cop? Nope, backup to Mayor Mason. We'll see what he has to offer. I'm missing Leclaire already.

Good news: Today the Jackets reactivated Rusty Klesla from IR.

Committing to Reality

The day after the Blue Jackets defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit squad in an exciting overtime game, I cannot help but feel tempted to forgo the present and think about the unknowable future. Isn't that like a paranoid fan? What brought this notion?

The 12 year contract signed by Red Wing star Henrik Zetterberg today is worth a cool $73 million deal. I look at Zetterberg and see a excellent player who is clearly a star that deserves the money Detroit was willing to give him. I also look at Zetterberg in comparison to Rick Nash, and I would rather Nash. Yes, Nash got a hat trick yesterday, but this evaluation is not just about one game. With the specter of a contract year next year, it begs the question of whether Jacket management can afford to keep their popular star. With a group of young rising stars (Mason, Huselius, Brassard), will the team be hard-pressed by salary demands? Today it seems unthinkable that they would allow Nash to leave, but the fan speculates about the future, the next game or next season.

The Jackets beat the Red Wings. Good. Baby steps, Dr. Marvin.

All Star Break for Mason

After the major snub of not picking the league leader in goals-against and shutouts for the main event, the team has wisely decided to rest their young goalie and hold Steve Mason out of the Young Stars game scheduled for All Star weekend. It's hard to understand the logic behind criticism of this decision since the team announced this week that Pascal Leclaire is out for the rest of the season after ankle surgery. It appears to be sound judgment to rest the rookie goalie who is now forced to carry the team for the rest of the year given that he has had some back issues in the first half.

Last week the Jackets picked up goalie Wade Dubielewicz off waivers. With the backup now a cast-off from the New York Islanders, I think Mason should enjoy the All Star game from his couch. He has earned the rest.

Good Week

Even a tough 2-1 loss at home to the Devils on Friday cannot color this week in a poor way. The team is playing solidly in all phases of the game. The cynic in me worries that the fade that began last year around this time will happen again, but we'll see what Hitchcock has up his sleeve. Riding a hot goalie can be fun, as we saw last year with a healthy Pascal in net. Young Mason has been fun to watch for Columbus fans hungry for a playoff appearance.

Another good crowd saw the controversial loss to New Jersey, almost 18000 fans were at Nationwide. I won't rehash the Madden goal, but for those who missed it: Mason had the puck covered for a few seconds, the puck eased out and after the net was dislodged the puck was pushed in by the scrappy Devil (I can't hate Madden; he plays hockey the right way: scrappy, intelligent and hard).

Earlier in the week the Jackets had a very impressive victory against Colorado, winning 4-3 via three third period goals. Huselius has shaken off his concussion by now and led the Nash-less team with three points. Do not dismiss this mini-run and solid play by Michael Peca as coincidental. The veteran has been terrific this season. Jared Boll and Manny Malhotra have recently earned more ice time and been solid as well. Torres is back and once he rounds into shape it should be a welcome jolt of energy. I cannot wait until Chimera comes back. Exciting times in Columbus for once.

Hat Trick

At Nationwide Arena, Nikita Filatov scored his first NHL hat trick to power the Blue Jackets to a 4-2 win over Minnesota. Filatov is back with the Jackets after representing Russia at the world junior championships, and his scoring punch is needed with their top scorer Nash out. Voracek had three assists and Peca added another two. Derek Dorsett added a third period goal. Mason was again solid in goal facing only 23 shots.

The Jackets have won seven of their last eight home games. Count me as one who is dying for Jason Chimera's return. His explosiveness had him on course to make this year his break-through season. Hopefully he'll return in the next week or two. Good crowd on a wintry night (16605).

Potential

This week brought shutout scores of 3-0: a loss and a win. Both games were against good teams, Detroit and Washington. While the Jackets scored enough against the capitals, it was clear that Mason won the game. Facing 45 shots from the talented Capitals' squad, the rookie fought off back pain that nearly kept him out of the game. Talk about whether it is the system or the goalie (see Puck Daddy's article on this argument) cannot ignore that the rookie's skills are high, as are those of the injured Leclaire.

Hindered by injuries all season, the Jackets are in a tough spot. They need to give Leclaire reps to get his game back on track and increase his possible value. They also need to pursue every victory possible as the playoffs seems to be in reach. I think Howson sees that making the playoffs is not optional at this point. In a down market the long-suffering Columbus faithful need a shot in the arm.

***

Shame on the NHL for ignoring the cross-check to Huselius' face and subsequent concussion. Reviewing the hit, the player took strides and raised his stick. Not a hockey move, the play had the intent to injure. One can only wonder why the league punishes comments about girlfriends with suspensions and then allow head shots to go unpunished. A horrible precedent to set that leaves one wondering what the reaction would have been if the victim had been a star (i.e. Ovechkin). Count me as one who feels the talk of banning fighting should be far lower on the long list of the things the NHL should focus on. Players using the stick to inflict head injuries should be at the top. Sorry, perhaps third on the list behind punishing free speech and propping up franchises in non-hockey markets.

Ugly Loss in St. Louis

The Blues blistered the Columbus penalty killing unit, scoring four goals with the man advantage, and added a short-handed goal en route to a 5-2 win in St. Louis. After a long stretch of dominant play, Mason looked a bit shaky on a few goals. Klesla made a great play in the first period to save a goal. A shot squeezed through Mason and was slowly sliding in when Klesla flicked the puck as it was partially across the goal line. The young netminder may be a bit tired after this road trip, but the Jackets should be thrilled with the overall play from the rookie. A tough loss since the Blues have played so poorly this season. Goals by Comodore and Modin. Nash assisted on both goals. Boll is day-to-day with an upper body injury and did not play. Howson recalled winger Maksim Mayorov from AHL Syracuse on Saturday.

We'll see what the league does to Blues forward David Backes who cross-checked Huselius in the face leading to a brawl and later a game misconduct for Backes. Tyutin drew a game misconduct when he instigated a fight with Backes.

Rolling

Steve Mason allows an opening period goal then the Blue Jackets make like their opponents and avalanche the Avalanche, burying them 6-1 in a rare road barrage of goals. Goals by Huselius (2), Nash (who also had 3 assists), Commodore, Voracek and Umberger. Nash's goal came on a penalty shot as he went low glove side. The Sakic-less Avs are a ghost of their former champion selves (insert your own snow blower joke here; I cannot do it since I can sympathize with poor Joe - a classy hockey guy who deserved a better final season). Playing in St. Louis tonight should be seen as a must-win. If the new year will bring playoffs, they need to beat teams like the injury-ravaged Blues.

I was tempted to title this entry "Mason Allows Goal, Sent To Minors," but I figured the idiot reporting methods out there would not bother to read the text below noting the joke. After 199 minutes, 19 seconds Mason finally allowed a goal breaking his shutout game streak at three.

Mason for Mayor?

Steve Mason earned his second straight shut out in a 2-0 road victory in Los Angeles. Kris Russell's second goal of the season was enough for the win as Mason stopped all 24 shots. Rick Nash added an empty netter to ice the game. With Mason playing so well the rumors about Lecalire getting traded at the trade deadline are already surfacing. I am not ready to trade Leclaire given the position is so important and subject to injury. The Jackets will also need to do some confdence rebuilding for Pacal who showed last year that he can be a solid goalie at the NHL level.

Sabres-Islanders

Yep, you read right. This matchup was the early feature (read: free) game on Yahoo Sports this week. An interesting experience to see another struggling team (Islanders) playing a better team (Sabres). A classic scenario that is all too familiar to Columbus fans: the team carries the play through large stretches yet does not convert scoring chances. The Islanders seemed on pace to again squander a solid effort from MacDonald who had several great saves, including a magnificent kick save on a wide-open Vanek opportunity from inside the face-off circle. Ryan Miller was his solid self, but the Islanders imply failed to cash in opportunities that they earned through hard work. Sounds sickenly familiar, eh? However the story has an unexpected ending: the Islanders pull the goalie during a late power play to gain a two-man advantage. The trick pays off as they score. With two seconds left, Campoli wrists one top-shelf to send the game to overtime.

Love the anti-shootout comment by New York play-by-play man Howie Rose at the end of overtime. "After a vigouros game of hockey, it's time for Homerun Derby!" Miller stones the Islanders in the shootout, but New York escpaes with a point.

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Note to Safari and Firefox users: if you try to watch games at Yahoo and find the player stalls, then be sure to click the small link under the video box that says "Optimize your Hockey Night video experience here." Much better! After that small adjustment, the video worked great. If only the CBC site would stream better for me, I'd be thrilled.

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Luckily the Jackets did not follow the Islanders formula this night as they convincingly beat the Flyers 3-0 in Columbus. Despite their lackluster play as of late including that ugly shutout loss to Los Angeles, luckily they continue to play well at home. Goals by Hejda, Murray and Malhotra power a shuout by super rookie Mason, who earns another shutout (his third) by stopping all 20 Philadelpia shots. Best crowd of the season (18,402).

Coal in the Stocking

Bad news for Derick Brassard. His shoulder injury will cause him to miss the remainder of the season. Leading all rookies in scoring and shaping up to be a good story, the Jackets rookie will now be a bystander. Tough break as the Jackets had a nice core developing with rookies Brassard and Mason playing well. Couple this news with Chimera's extended stay on the IR and the Christmas stocking is filled with only coal. Rusty Klesla was activated to take Brassard's place on the roster.

Big Win Against Sharks

R.J. Umberger scored in overtime to defeat the San Jose Sharks at Nationwide Arena. The goal was a beautifully run 2-on-1 as Umberger got nicely fed by Kristian Huselius. Steve Mason solidified his status as one of the top young NHL goalies, stopping 46 of 47 shots from a very tough opponent. Mason kept the Jackets in the game while being constantly peppered with shots. Michael Peca had the other goal for Columbus, a nice wrister from the faceoff circle.

A big win against a good opponent that showed a focused Columbus team can play with anyone... as long as the goalie stands on his head. As always, more scoring is needed but the defense is playing solidly in front of their rising rookie.

Up and Down

The team is once again battling uneven play. The tough 2-1 shoot out win at home against rival Nashville will go for naught without a follow-up win against the Islanders. If they really want to be considered a rising team, they need to beat teams like the lowly Uniondalers. Hard to imagine that truly great players like Trottier, Bossy, Potvin and Smith were a part of the franchise given its current condition.

Tough Week Ends with a Perfect Win

Yesterday Ken Hitchcock was thankful for a complete victory by the Jackets on home ice against the Capitals. In front of a big crowd, Rick Nash had two goals and rookie goalie Steve Mason earned his second shutout in the last two weeks. It's always a tough task keeping down both star Semen and superstar Ovechkin, and Mason was up to the task, turning away all 26 shots by Washington. Mike Commodore keeps paying dividends as a signed free agent this year. He almost always leads the team in ice time and, more importantly, he brings the veteran leadership that the team needs at the blue line.

The game was important for a few reasons. First, Thanksgiving weekend against a good opponent provided a large crowd. Not a lot of large crowds in Columbus these days for the Blue Jackets, so it was great to see the team play well for them (or is that, in part, because of them?) The years of poor play have worn down the Columbus faithful, so it is heartening to see a good crowd get rewarded. The victory was also important after the heart-breaking way the team lost their last two games (Detroit and Phoenix) by late errors. Lastly the team has shown that they can win without Pascal Leclaire. Mason has played well enough to push into the goalie rotation. Leclaire deserves to play again, but Norrena might be working elsewhere soon enough.

Expected Win over Atlanta

If the Jackets expect to be playoff contenders, they need to expect to win games against teams like the foundering Thrashers. Nash led as he is paid to do, scoring the first goal and assisting on Umberger's empty netter that clinched the game. A good team defensive effort against Atlanta, who only mustered 15 shots on goal for the entire game.

Steve Mason earned his first shutout while spelling Leclaire, who needed some relief after the blistering in Edmonton earlier in the week. Recap of that game: Oilers crush the Jackets then leave town. Turnabout being fair play, the Jackets did teh same to Atlanta. Civil War buffs: insert your own (Ohioan) Sherman marches to Atlanta joke here. I apologize to the Shelby Foote estate for even invoking such a joke.

Mason for Mayor

Perhaps I have gotten caught up in the political season with the headline, but after wins against Edmonton, Montreal and Calgary rookie Steve Mason has made more than a few fans in Columbus. Saturday night's clash against the Flames was the kind of solid all-around game that Hitchcock is seeking to coax out of his young team every night. 12 of 18 Blue Jackets had a +1 or better rating. Brassard and Chimera keep playing like world-beaters and Malhotra's energy has been a godsend. History tells us this roll will end, but it's fun while it lasts. Hard to believe stat: Columbus is 16-12-1 all-time against the Flames.

Malhotra’s goal gives Mason win in Jackets debut

With Star goalie Pascal Leclaire on IR and Norrena hurting his groin during thw morning skate, Steve Mason got a chance to show us his stuff. He made some solid saves, but he looked like what he is: a good prospect not ready for full time work just yet.
With 1:09 left in the third period Manny Malhotra knocked in a rebound giving Mason a win in his NHL debut and leading Columbus to a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton.

It was gratifying to see hard-working Torres play so well against his old team. It was his shot that Malhotra, another Oiler alum, poked in for the game-winner.

Goals: Malhotra, Kristian Huselius, Derek Brassard, R.J. Umberger and Fredrik Modin. Mike Commodore, Jake Voracek, Rick Nash and Torres each had two assists. After not scoring in his first 9 games as a Jacket, Umberger has 4 goals in the last 3 games.

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“At the stoppage of play I looked up and saw there was 1:09 on the board and that was probably the longest 1:09 of my life.” - Steve Mason

Leclaire on IR

Goalie Pascal Leclaire was placed on injured reserve with a sprained ankle. He is expected to miss at least a week. Vital to the hopes of making the playoffs, it is better to be conservative on bringing him back. It's always rough to lose your stopper, but at least Columbus was able to activate Jared Boll. Norrena's ability, or lack thereof, to carry the team will be critical. This stretch will be a good (albeit unwanted) test of the backup goaltender.

Offense Lacking

Looks like the offense needs a shot in the arm to get itself going. In consecutive game losses to the Rangers and Wild, the Jackets managed to tally only one goal in each game. Zherdev had his best game as a Ranger in his first game against his old team, scoring two goals and an assist.

Line tinkering season is upon us. Umberger was dropped to third line and Malhotra was paired with Nash and Huselius to seee if they could create a spark. Nash's potential game-tieing goal was disallowed due to touching with a high stick. The video review by replay seemed too close to overturn in my opinion. Earlier Backstron stopped Nash on a breakaway. The team's leader needs to break out of his unlucky streak as no one else has stepped up aside from Chimera and Huselius. Last night Leclaire sprained an ankle in the second period and was replaced by Norrena.

Solid Effort

Simply put, the Jackets outplayed the Canucks and won the game. I describe it this way because similar games against Vancouver have the tendency to go their way because of Roberto Luongo. In the game Leclaire bettered the opposing goalie and let the offense carry the day. Back after missing one game with a hand injury, it is clear that a healthy Leclaire is the most important part of attempt to make the playoffs.

Misc: Goals - Chimera, Huselius (power play), Dorsett and Nash. Malhotra made his first on ice appearance of the regular season because Modin was placed on the injured list.

Big Home Opening Win

The game was an early important game. First, early wins helps fan interest after the years of losing. Second, it was Nashville. The Predators owned the Jackets last year, winning all games against Columbus, and gaining early confidence against a prime rival is key for a good start.

The play went according to a dream script: goals from Nash (2), Chimera and rookies Jake Voracek and Nikita Filatov. Leclaire did leave the game with a "bruised thumb." He is doubtful for Saturday's re-match in Nashville.

Misc: Two power play goals (Nash, Chimera). Tyutin led in ice time (25:48). The league office cut Peca's 10 game suspension to 5. Before the game, the Blue Jackets raised to the rafters a banner with the name of team founder and principal owner John H. McConnell, who died last spring.

Filatov Gets His Chance

Tough forward Jared Boll was placed on injured reservebecause of a head injury and Nikita Filatov was recalled from AHL's Syracuse. Boll is expected to be sidelined seven to 10 days. Apparently Boll has been injured since his fight with Barch in Dallas on opening night. The 18 year old Filatov, this year's first round pick and No. 6 overall, scored each of the first two games at Syracuse.

Coyotes 3 Jackets1

I expected a let down and got one. Columbus committed an unbelievable 8 penalties in the first period to hand Phoenix two power play goals. brassard scores on a power play early in the seond period, but Nash missed on two breakaways to seal their fate.

The NHL explained the game misconduct penalty that seemed mysterious during the season opener. Peca was suspended indefinitely for making contact with the referee when pleading his case about the apparent tripping peanlty that was missed by the officials. I admit to not seeing it during the broadcast and the Dallas anouncers seemed as surprised as I was. The Jackets need his leadership and solid defensive play so hopefully the suspension will not be too long.

Jackets Win Opener in Dallas
The Blue Jackets earned their first ever road win on a season opener by beating Dallas in overtime 5-4 via a Rick Nash 45' blast from the off-wing. The game had a strange but entertaining ocean wave feel ot it. There were times when the Blue Jackets clearly outplayed the Stars and then there was the second period. In that brutal period dallas looked like they were wearing rocket-powered skates and the jackets are wearing anvils on their backs. Outshot 15-2 in the period, Leclaire the only reason why they were down by 2 goals and not 10. It was discouraging to say the least.

Whatever Hitchcock said in the lockerroom worked as the third period mostly went the Blue Jackets way. Goals by Huselius, Murray and Brassard allin a five minute span seemingly put the game away. However with 3 minutes left a bank shot off of a defenseman then off of Richards shin pad somehow found the net. That fluke was followed by a more standard goal (though Leclaire seemingly did not see the shot with traffic in front of him) less than 30 seconds later allowed Dallas to tie. turco made a couple of great saves late, sliding across to stop a Chmera one-timer comes to mind.

In overtime Turco again looked like he was going to singlehandedly keep Dallas in the game, make three spectacular saves from uncovered player right in front of the goal. Nash and Umberger looked like a tough pairing for Dallas during the 4-on-4 session. Chimera's drop pass to Nash then beautifully placed top shelf shot from beyond the top of the circle put it away.

Many players played well. Brassard (+2) and Chimera (+3) looked solid throughout the game and Russell (+2) was solid at the blue line. An exciting opener tto watch. Hopefully the team can get some rest before tomorrow night's game in Phoenix.

Goals: Voracek, Huseius, Murray, Brassard, and Nash.

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NHL Gamecenter is in its free weekend. Delays logging in caused me to miss the first period. I understand they will be swamped by demand during this free weekend, but I still was not happy missing game play. Live scores weren't updating regularly and my flat panel isn't big enough to see the play-by-play area so I turned all the "extras" off: the weird "lights" feature, live score & clock, live scoreboard, and play-by-play. As far as I can tell "lights" only changes the background of the informational areas. Handy for someone I guess. It was nice to be able to shift from game to game (when bandwidth was cooperating). it was not good for the live game scores feature to lag and not present correct scores. A decent start but I am not sure that I will drop the sale price of $150 down when they offer only "selected" playoff games. Only in Bettman logic has a season pass not covering the whole season.

Drop of the Puck

A few thoughts as the Jackets' season begins tonight.

I was surprised when the Blue Jackets left Nikita Filatov, the No. 6 pick in the 2008 Entry Draft, off the roster and shipped him to Syracuse of the AHL. I realize the position is one of the few slots of strength (with Nash, Picard, Murray and Modin), but the rookie looks to have star potential. I don't imagine we will have to wait long to see him in Ohio. Bummer to see Malhotra injured again. Injuries to Manny and Torres out of the gate change the feel of the team. At Dallas for the opener will be a tough matchup. I will be trying the free preview of NHL Gamecenter, the league's Internet push for the year. At $150 for the season it is tempting though I wasn't too happy to see the addition of "selected" playoff games.

On Season's Cusp, Torres Injured

Veteran free agent signee Raffi Torres separated his shoulder during a fight in his first game back from knee surgery early this year. I was looking forward to seeing the potential monster grinding line of Torres and Jared Boll around center Michael Peca, but we'll have to wait for that line. With luck and quick healing, Torres will miss 15 games. Not an auspicious start to the year for someone seeking to bounce back after a serious injury.

The Expected

Plain and simple, Pascal Leclaire is the basis of the team's future. Correspondingly, the Jackets signed their goalie to a three year contract. They had to do it, and they did. Nice how that worked out. If only the rest of the team could fall into place so easily...

Sealing the Deal

Howson closed three deals this week that should show fans that he means business: re-signing veteran center Michael Peca, inking the expected deal with R.J. Umberger and extending Coach Hitchcock through the 2012 season.

After trading for Umberger, it was apparent that a deal would get done with the possible restricted free agent. Howson would have been ridden out of town if he had not signed Umberger after trading away players for his rights. The Canadian Press reported that Umberger received a 4 year, $15 million contract. A hard-nosed player who can provide some scoring, Umberger will be a fun player to watch assuming he stays out of the path of Brian Campbell. Go to YouTube and search for Umberger if you don't know what I mean. Yikes...

Last season Peca provided leadership, good faceoff skills and steady defensive play. Despite the decline in his offensive numbers, Peca was a valuable signing as he often had tough defensive assignments.

Hitchcock had the team playing well for much of the season and, despite a late season swoon, the team ended the year with its best record to date: 80 points and 34-36-12. Hopefully he can push them into the playoffs so we can finally never again read "Columbus: the only NHL team to never make the playoffs."

Getting Defensive

A flurry of activity has shaken up the Jackets roster and seen a young exciting player, Nikolai Zherdev, get traded. The moves demonstrate Howson's determination to bolster the team's blue line and build around rising star goalie Pascal Leclaire.

The trade: Blue Jackets send Nikolai Zherdev and center Dan Fritsche to the New York Rangers for defensemen Christian Backman and Fedor Tyutin. Though Zherdev, the biggest name in the deal, does lack defensive skills, he was exciting on the ice and possessed that old Denis Savard knack of instantly creating a spectacular play, though without Savard's consistent conversion of those plays into goals. The Rangers will be thrilled if they get 50% of Savard performance out of Zherdev. Fritsche, a native Ohioan, was a tough but low-scoring center. Hopefully he can flourish with the right players around him. Good luck to Nikolai and Danny.

Tyutin is a defenseman with good puck-handling skills who should find a home on the power play. At 6'4", Backman will provide needed size on the blue line. Add the signing of defenseman Mike Commodore, who stands at 6'5" and brings a Stanley Cup winner's experience, and the defense looks much improved. Well, super-sized anyway.

On Tuesday, the Jackets obtained winger Raffi Torres from Edmonton for former #1 (6th overall) pick Gilbert Brule. Torres adds another physically tough veteran who has playoff experience, going to the finals when an Oiler. It should be noted that Torres is coming off an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee. Brule never made a splash in Columbus, but hopefully he will find success back home in Edmonton.

Next Howson signed Kristian Huselius $19 million contract over four years. Last season Huselius had 25 goals and 66 points in 81 games for the Calgary Flames. After a season in the dog house of head dog Mike Keenan, we will have to wait-and-see how he fares under coach Hitchcock. Possessing excellent passing and stick-handling skills, he will have to play defense as well as score.

Blue Jackets Gamble at Draft

Nikita Filatov, a left winger from Russia, was taken sixth overall by Columbus. Quick, shifty with a scorer's touch, Filatov's size (6'0" 170 pounds) is the only question about his NHL potential. Highly regarded by scouts, Filatov has said that he wants to play in the NHL, an important point considering there is no player transfer agreement with the IIHF.

GM Howson traded the team's 19th overall and third round draft picks for possible restricted free agent winger R.J. Umberger. A former Oho State Buckeye, Umberger just completed his best season as a pro, scoring 50 points and playing well in the playoffs for the Flyers.

Undoubtedly a solid player, Howson gambles as he needs to sign Umberger before his free agent status begins July 1. One would hope that we will hear an announcement about a contract in the coming week. The Jackets have cap space and need to act aggressively to improve the team this summer. Howson has made two risky moves. Let's hope his gamble proves golden.

Freefall at Season's End

Perhaps during the off-season the improvement of the team will be appreciated. However right now the Jackets have lost four of five games and injuries abound. Despite being 34-34-12 they are tied with Phoenix for the fifth worst record in the league. A home-and-home series with St. Louis on Saturday and Sunday will mercifully end the season.