Giguere the Difference

A hard fought 4-3 overtime win for the Ducks in Columbus was a tough loss. Anaheim goalie Giguere made the big saves in the third period to send the game into overtime. That toe save on Zherdev's leaping shot was a killer. Later a penalty in the overtime period led to Chris Pronger's game-winner.

This one was hard to swallow as at times the Jackets played great hockey. Zherdev was flying all over the ice and played his best game of the season. Scoring a goal and assisting on Beech's goal, Zherdev was impossible not to watch - he was the best player on the ice or either team. If we see that kind of effort every night, then the team will succeed. Anaheim showed why they were champions lat year - good goaltending, solid checking and tough defensemen.

Columbus out shot (35-28) and won the faceoff battle (35-23), but they gave up three power play goals. In the third period the Ducks got a power play goal when Peca broke his stick while killing a penalty. Near the end of the kill if Peca had his stick there was a chance for an easy clear, but the Ducks were able to capitalize on the unlucky break. Power play effectiveness: Ducks 3-6 and Columbus 2-9. Another Jody special: 5 minute fighting major in 3:18 of ice time.

Another Home Loss

In a game that had several good indicators, the Jackets lost to Minnesota in Columbus. That fact alone should be a sign of a slump since the Wild have not won here in five years. The credit lies with goaltending. As good as Leclaire has been, he was outplayed by Backstrom. Withstanding a third period flurry of shots by Columbus, Backstrom held fast for the road win.

Good things: Zherdev scored in his fourth game in a row and his 11th goal means that he now has more goals than he had in all of last year.

OT Win in Calgary

Strange game with a good ending. Norrena is tough in goal and Curtis Glencross scores two goals including the game-winner in overtime off a neat pass in front by Beech. Not a bad night for a kid playing with friends and family in the crowd.

The Jackets look like nails after the first period, jumping to a 2-0 lead on goals by Zherdev and Glencross. In mid-second period Nash got hauled down in front of the net and a penalty was called. The station goes to commercial, but when they come back the Flames have a power play: PENALTY ON NASH. Huh? A minute later the game is 2-1. The second ends with the game tied and Calgary looking as good as Columbus did at the end of the first.

Beech gets a goal off the stick of a Calgary defenseman and literally seconds later the game is tied when a shot deflects off of Foote past Norrena. Vicious elbow to Tollefson's head by Nolan draws only a 2 minute penalty. Is this the commitment to protecting players that the league has previously touted?

Columbus wins the faceoff battle 35-28. Good example of why faceoffs matter in the first period. Peca wins a draw in the Calgary zone, Nash nudges it to Zherdev who wrists it by Kiprusoff's shaky looking glove.

Weird night as college football takes center stage. West Virginia loses to Pitt and Oklahoma blasts a Missouri team that looked invincible against Kansas last week. Ohio state seemed out of title contention. Will they now be in the championship game? Somehow it seems likely.

The game was the late game on Hockey Night in Canada. The chippy nature of the game must have made Don Cherry happy (though I expect he was at the Toronto home game for HNIC). If you haven't seen the CBC coverage, do yourself a favor and visit the web site.. When I lived in Buffalo we picked up CBC and HNIC was a weekly treat. Sadly you just don't see such thorough coverage here in the U.S.

Canucks 2 Jackets 0

The Jackets came up against a stone wall in Vancouver. Robert Luongo earned his third straight shutout and has not allowed a goal in almost 200 minutes. Two second period goals were enough for the victory.

Norrena was solid in goal. Leclaire was out as he is hampered with a slight hamstring pull that happened in Edmonton. Another Jody special: 4:51 ice time with 7 penalty minutes. Columbus continues its season-long strength in faceoffs, winning 36 of 58 in the game.

Gut Check: Passed

After jumping to a 2-0 first period lead only to see the Red Wings even the score in the second period (with goals 5 seconds apart!), the Jackets held on in the third and won in a shoot out against a very game Detroit squad.

Both goalies had their moments, though Osgood looked fantastic at times. Not to be outdone, Leclaire kept Detroit from taking the lead during a critical third period two man advantage for the Red Wings and ultimately he stoned Zetterberg in the shoot out to then see Zherdev follow with the game winner.

I missed the Jody Shelley Sunday special 4:46 ice time and 5 minutes in penalties. Jody and Downey dropped gloves early in the first period. The Jackets went 0-4 on the power play; Detroit was 1-3. Regular time goals: Malhotra (4) and Zherdev (7). Vyborny's assist was his 300th and came in his 500th game as a Blue Jacket.

Now We're Talking

If Ken Hitchcock were to draw up on a board the dream road game, it would look like today's game: success on special teams, hard checking and good goaltending. The Jackets scored two power play goals (Peca and Vyborny) and added a short-handed one by Dan Fritsche. For good measure, Rick Nash netted his 16th goal with assist to Peca.

It is clear that Pascal Leclaire has shaken off as temporary what detractors figured was a slump indicating the end of his great run. He stopped 32 shots and gave the team a much-needed road victory. Perhaps the downward momentum has not been stopped, but at least it appears to have been slowed. We'll see who starts in goal Saturday with the skillful Red Wings in town.

Stats deceiving territory: Minnesota out-shot Columbus 32-29. In the face off battle, the Jackets proved strong again, decisively winning that stat 38-17. Another Jody Shelley special: 7 penalty minutes in 5:46 of ice time.

Bad Loss in St. Louis

The Jackets dropped into a mathematical three-way tie for last in their division though having played three more games than St. Louis makes them effectively at rock bottom. In the two previous games this season against the Blues, the team had been shut out by Pascal Leclaire.

Nash scored a meaningless goal after the Blues iced the game with an open net goal. Hainsey and Klesla assiisted on Nash's tally at 19:54 of the third period. Curtis Glencross scored his second of the season with assists to Zherdev and Westcott. Norrena was solid in goal, stopping 20 of 22 shots. Legacy was even better, turning away 28 of 30 including some clutch third period saves during a Columbus two-man advantage.

Columbus won the face-off and shots-on-goal battles, but they went 0-6 on the power play. Nash had an incredible 7 shots on goal. Jody Shelley had more penalty minutes (5:00 for fighting) than ice time (3:29).

Jackets 4 Blackhawks 2

The Jackets won their first must-have win of the year. Following up after three losses, the team pulled together for the win. Three players had a goal and an assist: Chimera, Federov and Nash. Balance is good.

The teams combined for only 39 shots (Columbus had the slight edge: 21-18). As usual face-offs went to the Jackets, 25-22. Jody Shelley sighting - Jody was on ice for 8:50. The game a had few scraps and was tense. That's good after a frustrating stretch for the team. Leclaire got the win.

Nashville 4 Columbus 3 SO, Nashville 4 Columbus 1

This weekend gave the Jackets a chance to gauge their new-found respect in the league. A home-and-home match-up against division rival Nashville was the litmus test. Well the test results are in, and after dropping both games (and three in a row overall) it is clear that the Jackets have work to do.

The better game played by the Jackets came in Nashville where they ran into a hot goalie in teh shoot-out. Leclaire lost both games and some of the magic that he had early on this season. The real test of where is they are is how they react to adversity. Will they turn it around quickly? This scenario is why they hired a veteran coach. Let's see what Hitchcock come sup with now.

Columbus 3 St. Louis 0

Another home game, another Pascal Leclaire shutout. Repetitive, but far from boring. Five shut outs in nine starts, darn nice way to start a season! St. Louis must be happy to get out of town - both times they have played Columbus Leclaire has shut them out.

Nash scored again, netting his 10th goal. Chimera added his fourth and Malhotra his second. Solid on the blue line all season, Adam Foote had two assists.

Each team went 0-4 on the power play. Columbus out-shot the Blues 25-21, but St. Louis won the face-off battle 32-30. Last year the Blue Jackets did not have 8 wins until December so they are one month ahead of that pace. Better yet is that the fan base has something to latch onto after years of failure. The team is playing solid all-around hockey. Who can ask for more?

Tough Loss in Anaheim

In the off-season if one were to state on a blog that the Jackets would hold the defending champion Ducks to one regular time goal in two games, you would be flamed to a crisp. Well, it has happened. The team dropped a tough 2-1 shoot-out loss in Anaheim. A match-up of Giguere versus Norrena did not disappoint. Norrena stopped 34 shots to Giguere's 20, but Giggy stoned the Jackets in the shoot-out. Zherdev netted his 3rd goal on the power play, poking in a rebound past the Duck's net-minder. The second period was sparkled with fights here and there, perhaps springing from the first game of the season when Columbus' Jared Boll laid a hard but clean hit on Ducks' Travis Moen that knocked Moen out of the game.

Anaheim was 0-6 on the power play. Columbus went 1-6. Tollefsen has 17 penalty minutes including a game misconduct. Norrena Norrena started for the first time in nine days. Such is life behind a hot goalie like Leclaire.

Impressive Win over San Jose

Pascal Leclaire made goals by Federov (power play) and Fritche hold up for a hard-fought 2-1 home ice victory over the Sharks. In a close checking game, each team was stymied by defense and solid goaltending. Kudos to SJ goalie Nabokov as he singlehandedly kept them in the game. A particularly incredible save came against hard luck David Vyborny. Nabokov was on his back and stuck up his left pad in the nick of time, robbing Vyborny of what would have been his first goal of the season.

The game had a dearth of shots on goal: Columbus out shot San Jose 18-17. One source of improvement this season: the Jackets penalty killers have been great. Power plays: Jackets 1-6, Sharks 0-5. The team has also converted consistently when they have the man-advantage. Malhotra had two assists and was flying around the rink. I liked his attitude after the game, getting in Jeremy Roenick's face after time expired as Roenick had piled on Leclaire.

Standing up to a tough, skilled veteran team like San Jose is a very good sign: a sign that Coach Hitchcock has his thumb print on the team this season.

Another Road Win

Rick Nash continued his scoring ways, scoring two goals and adding an assist, to power the Blue Jackets past the Blackhawks 7-4. Other goal scores for Columbus were Federov (power play), Zherdev, Tollefsen and Novotny (2 goals). Michael Peca continued making his mark, adding three assists.

Norrena faced 28 shots and Columbus fired 26 on goal. The Jackets center-men again did their job, winning the face-off battle 26-23. Peca and Zherdev both were +3 for the game.

Vancouver 4 Columbus 1

The Jackets lose convincingly to a tough Vancouver club. Leclaire comes back to earth and is handed his first home ice loss of the season. Rick Nash scored the lone Jackets goal, again on the power play.

Surprising only perhaps because of the final score, the Jackets both out shot (39-19) and won more face-offs (42-32) than the Canucks. Columbus was a disappointing 1-10 on the power play (and Vancouver was also a poor 1-6).

Jackets Blank Sabres 3-0

Pascal Leclaire is hot. With three shutout already this season, last night he stoned the explosive Sabres. Perhaps they are not as explosive as in years past, but they are still a formidable team. His third shut out of the season, but it was the first one on the road. Columbus has been horrid on the road, so this trend would be a welcome one.

The important part of the solid offense so far this year is not merely that they are scoring (which is indeed a welcome change), but who is scoring. In this game, Michael Peca netted his first goal as a Blue jacket. The team is relying on his solid two-way game and leadership skill to help them make a push for the playoffs. Rick Nash scored again, this time on the power play. Even if it was an open net goal, it was good to see Zherdev get a goal.

Surprisingly the Jackets out shot the Sabres 29-21. Ryan Miller stopped Nash on a penalty shot. Seems hard to believe but Nash has never converted a penalty shot (0-3) in his NHL career.

Tough Shoot Out Loss

The Jackets dropped their first game on home ice after a 3-2 shoot out loss to Dallas. Stars Jussi Jokinen scored the lone goal during the shoot out to hand Columbus its first loss in three home games. Fredrik Norrena was solid in goal, allowing two regular time goals in 30 shots on goal.

Columbus edged Dallas in both shots on goal and face offs won, respectively 35-30 and 33-29. Power plays: Jackets 1-5, Stars 0-3. Blue Jacket goal scorers were Rick Nash and Jiri Novotny (power play). Two assists for Nikolai Zherdev.

The Nationwide Arena crowd of 11,820 was the smallest announced attendance for a Blue Jackets regular-season home game in seven years in the NHL.

It's About Time

The league finally started backing up its words about getting tough on stick work. Today it was announced that Philadelphia's Jesse Boulerice was suspended 25 games for hitting Vancouver's Ryan Kesler across the face with his stick, making the suspension the longest single-season suspension in NHL history (tied with the suspension given to Chris Simon for his two-hander to the face of Ranger Ryan Hollweg).

Perhaps mitigated by the lack of a long-term injury, the suspension is not long enough for some commentators. 25% of the season seems like a good warning to goons. Stay tuned for the next time when someone sustains a substantial injury. We'll see about the conviction of the league at that time.

Leclaire Second Shutout in a Row

Pascal Leclaire made it 2-for-2: two games, two shutouts. Not a bad way to start the season. The Blue Jackets won their second home game by shutout, blanking Phoenix 3-0.

Goals from Malhotra, Chimera (who added 2 assists) and Boll powered Columbus who out-shot the Coyotes 33-31 and won the faceoff battle 32-30. Phoenix had too many power play opportunities, but the defense held firm against 7 power plays.

After missing two games with a groin injury, Michael Peca made his debut as a Blue Jacket. Winger Jared Boll's goal was his first in the NHL.

Bad Habits Die Hard

They didn't listen to me... they played another game. As in seasons past the Jackets let a third period lead on the road slip away. Despite special teams goals by Hainsey (power play) and Foote (shorthanded), two third period goals by the Wild propelled them to a 3-2 win. Columbus was out-shot 31-21 but won the faceoff battle 33-21. Zherdev made the seemingly impossible happen: he had two assists and still managed to be -2 for the game (-4 for the season). It's early, but his complete failure as a defender is painfully obvious.

End the season now!

The Blue Jackets start the season right: winning 4-0 against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks. It's all downhill from here folks, so let's bask in teh glow for a while.

Many good things to point out. Shutout! Leclaire is back as starter in goal and he pitches all zeros against a good club. This performance goes a long way in answering questions about coming back from an injury plagued season.

Power play success. Three goals from three different players (Federov, Nash and Hainsey) as Columbus goes 3-10 on the power play and holds Anaheim to 0-7. Special teams advantage is a must if the team is to improve this year.

Shots on goal. It is not nit-picking to consider that Columbus needs to generate more opportunities in the offensive end. They have been routinely out-shot and they need to turn those tables by clearing the defensive zone and taking the open shot. The extra pass seemed to plague the team last year. Nash and Modin had 13 shots between them, and the Jackets out-shot the Ducks 37-28.

Now that's a good start.