All-Star Let-Down

Bored at the break. The team lingers slightly above .500 and has won three of their last five games. Yet no excitement based on the long-term lack of offense. 28th in power play and 2.58 goal per game. 25th in the league with 3.06 goals against shows that the defense is not getting it done either.

Stat that may only interest me: Jared Boll is at 0 +/- rating. Don't get me wrong – I think that's great. Hard to imagine really given his role. The Bollster has surprised this season with periodic scoring: 5 goals and 129 penalty minutes. Klesla leads the team with a +10 rating. For perspective, Andrej Meszaros of the Flyers leads the league with an astounding +29.

0 for 2011

Happy New Year, Jackets fans! We're celebrating the new year just not by failing to win, but the team has decided to look like a poor AHL team. Until the second period goal, the team had surrendered twelve consecutive goals without a tally in response.

They fired Hitchcock almost a year ago. I know - he was holding back Filatov. How has that gone for you, Howson?

2010

What promise 2010 had at it's beginning. Coming off of playoffs and solid play, fans were thirsting for more. What was hope later became apathy as the team's moves addressed no glaring needs and the magical ride was not repeated. 2010 sadly ends with three wins in a row and very few excited about the streak. What a difference a year makes.

Too bad the rain detracted from the annual outdoor stunt. Seemed as if the night game was poorly lit. I have never had trouble following the puck on tv before. Likely due to bad conditions. I hope fans in Pittsburgh had a better view than the home-watching audience.

6 of 7

The Jackets have now lost six of seven after tonight's 4-1 drubbing at the hands of the Blackhawks. They fired Ken Hitchcock for a slump after making the playoffs. Well perhaps it's not the coaching. The league's preposterous points system keeps the team artificially looking like it's in the race, but we should know better. Time to beat the dead horse - No offense means no meaningful playoff expectations. With no prospects for change, its already time to think about next year. Sad.

The Downward Spiral

Four in a row. Losses. Poor play, often masked by superb goaltending, rises to the surface. If the game turns on one play, the team is making the wrong choice. Klesla's gaffe leading to an easy goal in Vancouver, squandering a game full of great saves by Garon, comes to mind. Tuesday is Calgary, in a down year and a Western conference member, in Columbus and it feels like a must-win to me.

Up and Down

WIn one, lose one. The team beats the Rangers then loses in OT to Calgary. It's a maddeningly inconsistent team. Filatov to minors, Huselius off of injured list. Crowds will not return to Nationwide until the ship steadies and while I hope for success, how does one conjure the belief that the offense will get better? Based on what changes?

We'll see what happens in Vancouver. As always, pray for solid defense, a Nash goal or two and magic from the goalie, be it Mason or Garon.

Outplayed

4-1 loss in St. Louis where the team inexplicably decided to wait to the third period to show up. Power plays turned this game: the Blues went a remarkable 3-3 while the usually hapless Jackets went 0-8. Still 29th in the league in power play efficiency, the team's struggle with the man advantage is just an extension of the overall poor performance on offense. The penalty kill unit has now slipped to a disappointing 23rd place. Special teams like this will yield no playoffs.

OT Win

Last minute goal from Nash with Garon pulled ties the game in the third and the Jackets win the shootout. Great work by someone (Umberger, I think, getting mashed but holding his ground) in front of the net as Nash inched closer before netting the tying goal, his 14th of the season. Early goal for Russell, who joins the rush and converts a nice pass from Vermette. With the offense lagging, the defensemen need to step it up. Garon only faces 16 shots (and gave up a softie on Richard's shot that somehow got through his glove) as Columbus outshoots Dallas 29-16. Wilson's wrister beats Lehtonen blocker side for the win in the shootout.

Stampeded 5-0

Describing the effort against the Sabres in Buffalo as poor would understate the matter. Rick Nash said, "We just didn’t seem ready from the start. It was a poor effort.” Umberger noted, "“Too many guys on vacation. It was probably our worst effort in a while. We’re not going to win any games like that.” The Jackets managed only 19 shots on a bored Ryan Miller. A horrible, horrible showing.

Loss
After sleeping for a couple of days due to a bad head cold, I was going to write of the sweep at the hands of the Red Wings. That was until I opened my RSS reader.

Yesterday Jim Kelley died.

You'll see obits noting his Hall of Fame career at the Buffalo News and Sports Illustrated. I first read his columns when I was in college and living in Buffalo. Pick a column and you'll see what is obvious: he cared deeply about the issues around hockey and sport in general. The sport has lost a champion who never skated in the league yet managed to contribute as much as many Cup-winning players. Rest in peace.

NHL iPad app

Quick take: a good start but missing details that make a good app. For instance, full scoreboard shows all scores but doesn't link each game to boxscores. While full scoreboard scrolls nicely, the nightly one at the app's main screen required clicking to advance to more scores. Some stability issues as well. Overall I like the app but there is ample room for improvement. Updates please.

Great game against the Wings despite the loss. Howard and Mason shine in the early season playoff-intensity feeling game. The first period had a game's worth of spectacular saves. Lone Jackets goal by Vermette comes after a Umberger forced turnover in the Detroit end. Though Boll fails on the penalty shot in the 2-1 loss, kudos to the big guy for showing skills aside from boxing. With dedicated fighters approaching extinction, Boll has to pick up his overall game. If he can develop into a lesser Clark Gillies, then the Jackets will be thrilled.

Misc: 28th place power play will not carry them into or far in the playoffs. Filatov, the healthy scratch after missing a meeting, was back. The Wings may have slipped a bit, but they are fun to watch. That's the way to play hockey. 

Admittedly jaded comment: Sure they beat the Isles the other day, but it took overtime?

Four in a Row

The Jackets continue their impressive play beating nemesis Nashville 2-0 in Columbus. Nash and Commodore scored the goals and Mason earns the shutout, stopping 27 shots. I can get used to seeing Nash net those off-wing chances and Commodore join the rush to score. With Mason and Garon the team has a solid foundation that can get Mason some rest without the drop off most teams will face when playing the backup goalie. Despite the hot team, Attendance, though slowly rising, is still low as only 10,000 showed at Nationwide.

Shutout Win in San Jose

Garon earns another shutout as the red hot Blue Jackets head home after an unprecedented western road trip. Nash, who had a hat trick in San Jose, is on fire as the team heads home for a few days of rest. Nash has scored goals in his last five games. On the trip Commodore had three points in two games after missing 13.

Big Win

The Captain scored the goals to seal the 5-3 win over the Kings. This victory was needed to put a stamp on the solid start of the season. Hopefully fans will climb aboard the wagon with more wins against good teams.

Misc: Boll scores again and Commodore returns and even tallies an assist. Klesla and Murray had the other two goals for Columbus. Mason held his own against 36 shots. Methot and Klesla were both +3 on the night. Eventually the lack of scoring by Filatov has to be addressed, though the young forward is +2 on the season.

Up and Down

The Jackets continued their Jekyll-and-Hyde season last week with big victories (8-1 over STL; Voracek sheds the monkey with two goals and Boll Goal) and big losses (5-1 against Colorado; they simply cannot beat the Avalanche). After four days off, the team should be fresh for tonight's game in LA against a game Kings squad that leads their division with gaudy 12-4 record. Which Jackets team will show up?

Another Garon Shutout

Brassard's first period goal off a Nash pass is enough as Garon continues his sharp play. Methot's point blast off a face-off win and Umberger's empty netter were the other tallies. Good positioning for the forwards were a key today. Methot scored with a screen I'm front and Brassard was in position when the pass, likely intended for Voracek, found it's way to him. Nice to see hard work pay off.

Solid Effort

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

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

Garon

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

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

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