I Can Quick Hit Too Ya Know..

-Have I ever blogged about how much I like Ron Hainsey?

-Hejda just got worked by an eleventh grader. Oh wait, that’s Jordin Tootoo.

-Back to Hainsey, Rome and Wilson have played just as good, if not better than Hainsey.

-I get tired of this team never sticking up for one another. Major props to Rome for dropping the gloves after that Weber, Picard incident.

-I would probably scrape Jordin Tootoo in a fight, to be honest…

-Dan LaCosta just put in net for the Jackets.

-I wonder what Rob thought when he read my first hit. Hmm…

-I really wish Modin would stay healthy.

-If Barry Trotz has children, he has to intimidate the hell out of them. Although, I highly respect him.

-I like the fact Nash and Z are playing together again.

-I’m not in a good mood, but then again, I don’t really think anyone is after tonight’s game.

-Stamkos is a possibility.

-I am Ryan McNamara, and I approve this message.

Due To The Jackets Performance…

I banged my head against my wall, and now I’m out of the blogging era for two weeks due to a severe concussion. Through the bloody nose and cracked cranium, all I said to myself was “Maybe next season”, but we say that every year. The doctors say that those three words have changed my life forever and I will never be able to think clearly. In other words, my 3.8 Grade Point Average is going to be lowered to a .8 percent!

Those three words are going and are causing me life changing experiences. I just want to thank Matt Singafoos, Zingafoos, Szingisnifoos, however it’s spelt, one of the FSN Ohio crew directors for being my side-kick through this whole season.

-Ryan McNamara

Captain Nash & Playoff Outlook

Less than 24 hours until game time, and the debut of Rick Nash with the “C” stitched sweater. You can expect a decent sized crowd for tomorrow night, but the atmosphere will be different. If Nash is starting, expect it to be loud when he is being introduced as all starters are before the puck drop.

Frolov and Ersberg led the way for LA to give the Jackets’ a bit of a helping hand tonight with a 4-1 victory over the Predators, who the Jackets’ need to catch up with in the standings. Mathmatically, of course, the Jackets’ are still alive in and kicking in the playoff race. We all knew Hitch thinks the Jackets’ are still in it, but evidently, he wasn’t alone. My take? Why else would Nash step up, of all times, now?

It’s going to be an interesting game, folks, and an interesting 11 games after that as well. I’m sure Chicago’s crazy kids will be all over the place, but the Jackets’ are more than capable of hanging with them. Huge game tomorrow night, and it’s obviously a must win.

Some part of me is just dying to know what Nash is going to say tomorrow in the locker room after warm-ups and before the official puck drop. I wonder how much confidence he’ll bring to the team. Be sure to tune it tomorrow night, it will be a dandy.

-Ryan McNamara

When the Lights Turn On

In yet another Jekyll and Hyde performance this afternoon, the Blue Jackets offense did the damage in a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Not a misprint. The NHL’s worst offensive team exploded for five goals and broke a listless streak (0-31) on the power play with Jason Chimera’s game winner with 3:44 left. Nikolai Zherdev fired a one-timer through the legs of goaltender Mike Smith, and initially, he was credited with the goal. The puck deflected off Chimera’s skate before trickling over the line, and the official call wasn’t changed until after the game.

David Vyborny scored a “Vintage Vybs” goal midway through the first period as the Blue Jackets’ power play expired–a soft worm-burner from the goal line that snuck under Smith’s skate into the short side. It was good to see #9 remind us all what he used to do with time and space.

Derek MacKenzie, journeyman center and noted “plugger” since being called up from the AHL last week, scored his first NHL goal late in the first period as Smith was punished for playing the puck behind the net. Smith may have learned a lot about playing the puck from old mentor Marty Turco, but his performance as the third defenseman was borderline embarrassing this afternoon. On multiple occassions, Columbus forecheckers nearly stole the puck off his stick for would-be tap ins.

Continuing the trend of ending droughts, center Michael Peca scored his first goal in 26 games in the second period and gave the Blue Jackets a 3-1 lead. Zherdev stole the puck in the Columbus zone and fed Peca a saucer pass in the slot, which he deposited to Smith’s short side.

Jiri Novotny also ended a 20-plus game goal-less streak with his empty netter in the final minute.

The real star of the game (and mostly unnoticed) was defenseman Rostislav Klesla. Since taking on more responsibility in the locker room and being awared an “A,” he has played the best hockey of his career. He was an astounding +4 on the afternoon and was a rock during Tampa’s seven power plays, all of which were killed off.

Pascal Leclaire finished with 24 saves and had great control of his rebounds. Aside from Vincent Lecavalier’s late second-period penalty shot, he was exceptional and made several key stops with his team shorthanded.

Head coach Ken Hitchcock used one word to describe his team’s win: relief. After playing well in Western Canada and checking hard against the Oilers on Friday, he was pleased to see his team finally get rewarded for a solid effort.

The Blue Jackets return to Nationwide Arena on Friday night after four days off to play the surging Chicago Blackhawks. If that meeting is anything like the game the Blackhawks played against Edmonton this afternoon, the Blue Jackets might need respirators on the bench.

The next “Fire the Cannon” podcast will air on Wednesday at 7 pm.

–Rob Mixer

rm234405@ohio.edu 

What Might Have Been

The Blue Jackets, coming off an impressive come-from-behind win Friday night in Vancouver, had seemingly shrugged off the disappointment of Tuesday’s trading deadline.

Departing captain Adam Foote, the subject of a heated exchange of words via the media following his trade back to Colorado, was alleged to be the glue that held together the locker room. Though his presence may be missed, the team has moved on and their play has vastly improved of late.

Against the Oilers on Sunday night, the Blue Jackets may have played their best road game of the year through forty minutes, but a bizarre 20-second stretch late in the third period cost them two points.

The season thus far has been a myriad of “what ifs” for the Blue Jackets–ranging from “what if they signed a top scorer last summer” to “what if they acquired Brad Richards at the deadline.”

The real “what if” lies within their putrid record in overtime. With ten overtime and shootout losses, they are tied for most in the league with Toronto and St. Louis.

Currently sitting four points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, it may very well be that a couple of extra points will cost the Blue Jackets their first postseason berth. Had they won less than half of the games lost in the extra session, they would be tied for the eighth spot. Win five, and they have a one-point cushion over ninth place.

Simple math, but a perplexing situation.

How can a team with a 5-of-7 shootout sniper in Nikolai Zherdev and arguably one of the best young players in the league in Rick Nash be stymied so often in shootouts? Add to the mix veterans Michael Peca, David Vyborny and Fredrik Modin (also former Blue Jacket Sergei Fedorov), and one would like their chances in the skills competition.

Quality of shots has become an issue. I’m one of the big advocates of resisting the urge to deke goaltenders out of their jocks in the shootout. In today’s game, with goalie pads as thick and flexible as they are, and goaltenders being as athletic as ever, the odds are against the shooter if they attempt a fancy move. More often than not, we see the puck roll off the stick, goalies poke-check shooters and many other variables.

The Blue Jackets, save for Zherdev, don’t shoot the puck enough in the shootout. Nash has a deke fantasy–sometimes it works (ask Chris Osgood), but the frequent occurrence is a missed attempt. Perhaps most confusing was Modin’s knack for attempting dekes in last year’s shootouts. It doesn’t make any sense.

It goes without saying that if you shoot the puck, your odds of scoring increase greatly.

Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, their playoff hopes may come down to an untimely decision to go for the dramatics.

Scratching, Clawing, Never Quitting

Following Wednesday night’s loss to the San Jose Sharks, head coach Ken Hitchcock showed a rare bit of emotion and compassion for his players.

Vouching for a brief recovery following the departure of their captain and veteran Sergei Fedorov, Hitchcock made a point to right the ship quickly.

Seemingly down and out, clustered by the suffocating Vancouver “squeeze” (no, it’s not the trap, it’s the squeeze), the Blue Jackets gutted their way to a two-goal third period comeback and won in overtime 3-2.

At one point in the second period, the Canucks had a shot advantage of 17-7 over the Blue Jackets, and the visiting squad had every scoring chance squashed by the looming presence of goaltender Roberto Luongo. He finished with 30 saves on the night.

After the Blue Jackets squandered a power-play opportunity midway through the first period, the Canucks broke out of the zone late in the penalty kill. Trevor Linden spun and found Ryan Shannon fresh out of the box, who beat Pascal Leclaire between the legs to open the scoring at 12:38.

Leclaire was strong throughout the night, and has played increasingly well over the recent stretch through Canada. He made 21 saves, and held the Canucks at bay on six power play chances.

He would like another chance at Sami Salo’s second period goal, though. A failed clearing attempt by Mike Peca led to Salo keeping the puck in on the right point, and fired a rocket through a relatively clear shooting lane and past Leclaire’s glove, increasing Vancouver’s lead to 2-0 at 10:58 of the second frame.

Obviously frustrated by the lack of result from their hard work through 40 minutes, the Blue Jackets came out in the third period determined to go to the net. Noses down, they collectively pestered Luongo and the Canuck defense in the final period, and Andrew Murray notched the first goal for the Blue Jackets after Richard Tarnstrom’s shot from the point glanced off his body and bounced over Luongo.

Just over a minute later, Rick Nash feasted on Willie Mitchell’s blatant turnover in the neutral zone. He broke in clean-cut on Luongo, and faked to his backhand putting it top-shelf to tie the game at 6:28 of the third period.

It’s amazing what the Blue Jackets can muster out of themselves when they commit to playing their brand of hockey. For the majority of the game, they set the physical tone and gradually wore down the Canucks. Jared Boll, Dan Fritsche and recent promotion Gilbert Brule were key faces in a spirited final-stage run, supplying energy-fueling hits to get the rally going.

Nikolai Zherdev, put at center with Jason Chimera in the overtime, scooped the puck up in the neutral zone and hit the blueline with his stick zipping, and fired a cross-ice pass right on the tape of a Mach-1 Jason Chimera. He tipped the surgically precise pass behind Luongo at 1:07, sending the Blue Jackets to Edmonton with a little mojo.

The lone drawback to the overtime victory is yet another three-point game. For their troubles, the Canucks earned a point and cushioned their seventh-place standing to two points over Colorado and Nashville. The Blue Jackets sit just three points outside the eighth spot with 69 points, and equal number of games played with both eighth place teams.

NOTES: Defenseman Aaron Rome played his second NHL game, paired with Ole-Kristian Tollefsen. He didn’t look out of place; calm and confident with puck, and made a couple of snap-quick breakout passes. Center Derek MacKenzie earned a few regular shifts in the third period with Fredrik Modin and Andrew Murray. Hitchcock will ride Pascal Leclaire for the foreseeable future, and D Kris Russell will likely return on Sunday.

 –Rob Mixer

rm234405@ohio.edu