Better than Nothing

The all-star game in Columbus? Nice, but I'd rather be hosting a Cup final game any day. I know... when Hell freezes over. Jeff Carter watch is officially on. Who will take the contract? Sad to say that speculation on future games is all that matters at this point. I declare this season dead to me. RIP 2011-2012 and good riddance.

Dog Days

As we enter the playing-out-the-string period of the season for bad hockey teams and as if on cue, Jeff Carter earns a trip to the IR with a separated shoulder. Welcome to the hell that is all things Blue Jackets, Mr. Carter. Add that the normally very durable R.J. Umberger is concussed, and the table is set for the long, slow stumble to the draft. Arniel is gone and Todd Richards is in. Good luck, Todd... you'll need it.

Oh yeah, they beat the NHL-owned Coyotes 4-3. Whee!

Too Late

A day after yet another shellacking, this time at the hands of the Kings, the coach lost his job. I suppose there's no point in firing the general manager in the middle of the season, but I would make an exception here. Howson needs to go, and he needs to go now. There's no analysis of the team's situation that doesn't start with a Howson blunder. The irony of St. Louis sitting at the fourth slot in the conference with Hitch at the helm apparently is lost on the Columbus brain trust.

This post seems appropriate to unearth.

Solid

Good game at home against Calgary that ends regulation tied at 1-1. Mason plays a good game, as does Kiprusoff at the other end. Mason makes a clutch glove save with 2 seconds left in overtime to send it to a shoot out. Only one goal in the shoot out - Iginla nets the winner as Wisniewski's shot rings off the post behind Kipper to end the game. Good crowd gets a solid effort, but no win.

The Holiday Spirit

22 points on December 26 - good enough for worst in the league. Losers of four in a row. Unless someone catches fire, no one will score 30 goals or earn 75 points. There is on regular with a favorable plus/minus rating. The winner: Derek MacKenzie. Our top two players, Nash and Wisniewski, are a combined -37. Steve Mason can only be found on a milk carton these days. The holiday spirit these days is bourbon, by the barrel.

Mason Returns

Steve Mason was back in goal after nearly a month in the doghouse, and the Jackets walk away with a 2-1 shootout win against the here-to-fore hot Canucks. It had to gratifying for Mason in stopping 30 shots and beating at-times similarly beleaguered Luongo. Carter had the only goal in regulation for Columbus, netting his sixth and, shockingly, on the power play. 37 shifts and 26+ minutes of ice time for Tyutin. A good win in front of the home crowd.

Everything but the win

Tough loss at home to the hated Nashvillans on Friday night. Trying to follow up on the Tuesday win against Montreal, the Jackets carried the play for 57+ minutes. Unfortunately the Rinnes were ale to score on a 6-on-4 power play with Rinne pulled with 1:30 left. Destiny completed the letdown in overtime as Wlison beat Sanford for the loss. Carter, Vermette and Dorsett scored for the Jackets.

Why We Are What We Are - Columbus is:

27th in power play

28th in penalty killing.

28th in goals per game

27th in goals against

Why does Howson still have his job?

Western Swing

The mini trip out west ended up being a microcosm of the season. The team dropped two of three and finished up the trip by allowing edmonton to net 5 goals in the third. Huselius was activated for the first time this year in that last game. Clearly he will need many games to get himself in game-shape, as his -2 attests. Hate to see a gritty come-from-behind win at Calgary get followed up by the collapse in Edmonton. The team gets a break until Tuesday when they travel to Montreal.

Interesting that after 26 games, Derek MacKenzie leads the team at +6. In stark contrast, the player with the worst ratio on the team? Rick Nash at -14. Hard to believe. High priced free agent Wisniewski is just behind him at -13.

Entertaining

The team has earned points in the last five games including a 5-1 win against the Sabres. Admittedly it was against the Sabres without Ryan Miller, but we will take it. Seeing Nash, Carter and Lupul heat up is a good sign. It won't last forever, but at least they're entertaining.

Oh by the way, I guess the Sanford for mayor campaign kicks off soon. Don't break a leg jumping off the Mason bandwagon, folks. Remember it's a long season.

A good night

The first goals of the season from Carter and (the game-winner from) Wisniewski lead to the first win in Nashville in five years. Sanford is again in net. Two days after a tough 2-1 loss in Boston, finally something to cheer.

Almost

Good to see young Johansen step it up and score both goals in a 2-1 win. Mason stops 35 of 36 shots. Jeff Carter is activated and plays 20+ minutes. Niktin, received in a Friday trade for Kris Russell, gets an assist. 0 for 4... on... the... power play! Sorry, held off for years but had to do that at least once (c:

Not fast enough

I wasn't fast enough as I got home from jumpstarting a friend's car to find the Jackets down by 5. By mid-second period, it was 8-0. Obviously the team wasn't fast enough either. Steve Mason again did his best Swiss cheese imitation and had to be pulled before the end of period one.

The only major question left is why do the coach and GM still have their jobs? If ownership wants us to believe that they don't care, well take my word for it - we're convinced. The Hitchcock countdown is officially running. For those of us who never understood why he was fired in the first place, his rehiring can't happen soon enough.

Sinking deeper

On home ice the team dropped another game in a disheartening fashion. The first period ended with the Leafs up 2-0... on four shots. What do you say when you have to pull your star goalie? Well Coach Arniel had a few choice words, ""Their goaltender was better than our goaltender. Plain and simple. Their guy made a lot of big saves. One end was good and one end wasn't. That's the end of that story." Indeed.

Aggressive

The Jackets win again on home ice against a solid opponent. The team downed the Kings 4-2 in a chippy, fight-filled game. Mason faced only 19 shots as the team has hunkered down. Hopefully the inspired play will continue as Columbus has a long way to go to even get to a competitive level in the tough Western conference.

Coach Scott Arniel "When we play with a little bit of any edge, when we play like we're pissed off, when we play in the hard areas and go there first ... that's usually when better things happen for us."

4-2 loss in Buffalo comes down to special teams. While the hapless Blue Jackets went a horrid (even for them) 0 of 6, the Sabres went 2 for 3. Conveniently, the margin of victory. Columbus is an unworldly 10% with the man advantage on the season. Despite peppering Ryan Miller's stand-in for 43 shots, the team just cannot score on consistent basis. Jeff Carter is still out. What a mess.

Off the schneid

The Jackets outhit, out hustled, out scrapped and outscored the Red Wings to earn their first victory of the season. The home crowd was given the rare opportunity to see a focused squad playing with a determination unseen this season. The team wwas desperate and played like it.

It was a game of firsts:

• Wisniewski made his debut after serving an eight game suspension and logged an impressive 27 minutes on the blue line.


• Umberger scored only 21 seconds into the game to net his first goal of the year


• Ryan Johansen's shot knuckled off a Red Wing glove into the net for his first goal


• John Moore joined the "first" party with his goal in the second period

The worst possible scenario

Still looking for the first win of the season. The team looked outmatched, and they were, by the Red Wings. No end in sight as the team is misfiring in all possible ways. The embarrassing 1-on-4 goal given up the other day is just indicative of a rudderless team.

Still think firing Ken Hitchcock was a good idea, Howson?

The same old song

People starting talking up the Jackets based on some exciting off-season signings. The expensive and yet-to-play-due-to-suspension James Wisniewski and Jeff Carter. The signings cannot hide what people who follow the team know. The team lacks scoring punch, the power play is horrid, and Steve Mason is usually the only hope for victory. Less than 9,000 people came to see last night's game, a shootout loss to Colorado.

The power play is 0 for 5. Not in chances, in games. No conversions by the unit in the five games. O for the season... Good times!

Off & stumbling

Would've been nice to get off to a good running start, but Columbus has stumbled out of the gate heading into turn one. The loss at home to Vancouver (and Cory Schneider, not Mr. Luongo) drops the team to 0-3; a solid effort not rewarded with a win. 0 of 5 on the power play... seems vaguely familiar.

8

Free agent pickup defenseman James Wisniewski was suspended for eight regular-season games for a hit to the head of Minnesota forward Cal Clutterbuck. I have no problem with Shanahan's suspension for Wisniewski. At this point the league has to draw a line in the sand. Players who go for the head now know there will be repercussions. The test will be when a top player makes such a hit. Will they get suspended, or will the league turn its back? That is the question.