Game Preview: Blue Jackets Start Season Series With Detroit

Tonight is a big game for the Jackets. It will be the first meeting between Columbus and the Detroit Red Wings this season. Tonight's matchup is a great opportunity for the team to test their mettle against their toughest division opponent.

Detroit is on fire already this season, posting a 12-2-1 record for 25 pts. That puts them just one little point behind the Ottawa Senators. That said, the Red Wings have the opportunity to re-take the top spot in the league with a win. Columbus, on the other hand, stands to gain some "street cred" by taking down one of the NHL's top teams.

So far, Columbus has had no problem with weaker teams. Phoenix, St Louis, and even Anaheim have been defeated soundly. The better performing teams have all been losses for the Jackets- Colorado and Minnesota in particular. It's worth noting that games against those two opponents have been away, and their home ice equivelant could yield different results. Tonight's showdown in Motown will certainly fit into the latter category- the "uphill battle".

According to "Puck Rakers", the Jackets lines may be as follows:

Nash-Novotny-Zherdev
Brule-Fedorov-Vyborny
Glencross-Malhotra-Fritsche
Chimera-Peca-Boll

League-leading Leclaire will be in net.

Note that Chimera is playing on the "rough 'em up" line rather than the "energy line" with Malhotra and Fritsche. Also note that Novotny is the starting center. I expect these lines to vary somewhat come gametime, and maybe further changes as the night progresses.

Keys to the game:

• The Jackets will need to keep their eyes on Zetterberg and Datsyuk. By multiple accounts, they're the new Yzerman/Shanahan duo. They'll score quickly if you let them.

• Along the same lines, the defense is going to have to keep the shots down, especially early. Leclaire can make some great saves, but he shouldn't have to. Keeping a thick defense early in the game will prevent the floodgates from opening.

• Give Zherdev and Nash some room to work. I'd like to see these guys get extra ice time on the power plays and any 4 on 4 situation. Nash is more confident than ever, and if you can get him the puck in front of the net, he'll take care of the rest.

Tonight's game starts at 7:30 on FSN. May not be in HD in the Columbus market (not sure why. Bummer.)

NHL Conference Finals Preview

And then there were four.

The 'final four' of professional hockey is upon us, as Anaheim, Detroit, Ottawa and Buffalo contend for Lord Stanley's chalice.

The match-ups:

Western Conference: Detroit vs. Anaheim
Detroit entered the playoffs as the west's #1 seed, though their journey through Calgary and San Jose wasn't without a few set backs. I mentioned in an earlier article that I've been somewhat disappointed by the Red Wings' play. I retain that, and think they're in for a challenge (again) when they face Anaheim. The Ducks are playing very well, and their stars Giguere and Selanne are leading the way. Also carrying the team is Francois Beauchemin (sp?) who the Blue Jackets traded in exchange for Sergei Fedorov.

Anaheim has been a powerhouse all season and they're hungry for the Cup. They came close back in 2003, when they were beaten in the finals by New Jersey. At the time they were coached by none other than Mike Babcock- the current coach of the Detroit Red Wings.

The Wings have been streaky but have found ways to come up with the win when they needed it. I see this series as being a back-and-forth affair, but the Wings have the experience to finish the job. (Heck, Hasek and Chelios have enough experience to start their memoirs.)

My prediction: Red Wings in 7

Eastern Conference: Buffalo vs. Ottawa
Tough call on this game. Buffalo has been the team to watch all season. They've got the talent, skill, and stacked roster to make it happen. The city is behind the team and is desperate for a professional sports championship. They'll be facing off against the Ottawa Senators; a team with which they are developing a bit of a rivalry following the 119 penalty minute brawl earlier this season. Ottawa also has a stacked roster. If they don't make it to the finals this year, fans and hockey afficianados are going to look back on this team in 5 years and say, "what happened?". They've got Heatley, Spezza, and Alfredsson up front, and they've got two great goaltenders. Emery's been taking the most starts, but Gerber can stand up for himself as well. Gerber played for last year's cup winning Carolina Hurricanes and went to the finals with Anaheim in '03.

This series is going to be a great one to watch, particularly if you're into seeing a high scoring game. Buffalo and Ottawa led the league in goals per game with 3.63 and 3.49, respectively. The drama from the brawl earlier this season will probably come back and make for some pugilism too.

My prediction: Call it bold, but I see Ottawa tightening the screws where it counts and wrapping this one up in 5.

Fun Fact: The Blue Jackets have played and beaten all four remaining teams at least once this season.

Photo Credit: Me. Went to the Hockey Hall of Fame last summer. (awesome.)

Why Sergei Fedorov is my Hero - Part 2

Amid a "chorus of boos", ya-boy Sergei Fedorov, won last night's game in Detroit. In a shootout that entailed three additional rounds of one-on-one, Sergei stepped up and won the game against his former team and city. (I missed the game due to my NCAA Tourney attention, but thanks to frequent commenter Brandon for bringing it to my attention.)

The CBJ squad has had its ups and downs in recent days. We've witnessed a big win against Chicago, a deke past Detroit, and unfortunately, a new NHL record for most times being shut out. The team continues to battle, however, and I hope they're taking every opportunity to work out the kinks so that they can be ready for next season.

I realize I've been on hiatus lately- it's March Madness, and I have apparently gone March Mad. Speaking of which, how about 'dem Bucks? UT tried to put up that last two-pointer, but Greg Oden said, "No Way."

All-Star Break Time for the Jackets

The Jackets took down the mighty Wings with three swift blows from the stick. I regret not attending this game- I should have thought to get some tickets during the 24 hour sale. Whoops. Anyhow, I did manage to watch exactly the first half of the game, and I was actually pretty impressed. The team played solid all around. After watching the dismal effort put up against Nashville, and then last night's game, it was pretty clear the Hitch ran a rigorous practice between games. The team seemed more focused on fundamentals and less on making a big play. Checks were finished, passes were crisp, and plays came together where there hadn't been a connection before. Perhaps best of all, the Jackets only ceded 6 penalties. I'll take it. In all, it was a good way to go into the All-Star break.

This year's All-Star game will be held in Dallas, or 'Big-D' as they say in Texas, where even cliches are big. A quick rundown of the schedule:

Tuesday: Young Stars game and the 'Super Skills' competition, which is always fun to watch.
Wednesday: The actual All-Star game. Rick Nash will be representing the CBJ.

Monday also includes an interesting event, and one that I was not familiar with. Quoth the Dallas Stars All-Star game web site:

American Airlines "Salute to a Generation of Stars," presented by Idearc Media, official publishers of the Verizon Yellow Pages (AAC, 6-8 p.m.): The all-stars will hold showcase practices during which there will be a salute to several former NHL stars. NHL legends scheduled to appear include: 19-time All-Star Ray Bourque; Hockey Hall of Famer and three-time Norris Trophy winner Paul Coffey; top-scoring US-born skater Phil Housley; 1999 Stanley Cup winner with the Dallas Stars Brett Hull; Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux; Olympic Gold Medalist and 13-time All-Star Al MacInnis; six-time Stanley Cup winner and 15-time All-Star Mark Messier; Hockey Hall of Famer Larry Murphy; four-time All-Star Joe Nieuwendyk; five-time All-Star Adam Oates and eight-time All-Star Luc Robitaille.

I think that sounds mildly entertaining, though I doubt it'll be televised. I look forward to the day when Columbus gets to host the game. You'd think we'd be pretty high up on the list after being voted the #1 stadium experience. And I'm sure we're as big of a market as Minneapolis, and we're reasonably close to two other hockey cities and several metro areas. Someday. Right about the time the Jackets win the division.

Alright hockey fans: today I leave you with a classic hockey clip. I've recently developed an affinity to posting clips from YouTube. Hopefully you don't mind to much. This is the intro from the 1980 NHL All-Star game. I'm sure you'll recognize a few faces.

Cheli's Chili too hot to handle

For those of you concerned with hockey retirement planning setting up a sports restaurant in Detroit may not be the best idea. There was an incident at Chris Chelios' bar on Tuesday. Two employees of the restaurant called "Cheli's Chili" were stabbed to death.

Chelios himself was not involved, and didn't appear to be anywhere near the chili at the time of the crime.

According the Detroit Free Press, a suspect has been charged with the murders. The Red Wings are currently on a road trip, but the 78 year old defenseman (ok, so he's 40 something) stayed behind to take care of related matters.

Apparently, Cheli's sports bar is the perennial New Year's Eve hangout for the Red Wings, who did celebrate at that location two days before the double homicide.

Choked by the Octopi

Ouch... Last night's visit to Detroit didn't go so well, to put it nicely. The Jackets were crushed by the Red Wings 5-0.

Norrena was in net until five minutes or so into the third period. Conklin, who proudly displays his apparent nickname 'Conks' on his mask, replaced him. It was a rough night for Norrena, who was only able to stop 17 of 22. It seems like when Norrena's on, he's on... and when he's off, he's really off.

Even Hitchcock would agree that you can't attribute the blame to Norrena. The skaters failed to score any goals, and even a somewhat better performance by Norrena wouldn't have made a difference in the outcome. The Red Wings were dead-set on revenge following their fall 4-3 on Monday. They got what they wanted- particularly Hasek, who went from giving up 3 goals in the first on Monday to shutting down the Jackets entirely last night. When playing against the Red Wings, the Jackets need to be on their game. Detroit has been and will probably always be one of the best teams in the league. They're an opponent you have to play up to, otherwise you'll be crushed.

The Jackets had a rough time getting anything going, which is fairly common when they find themselves down by a few goals. One of the old, lasting patterns of this Columbus team is to all but surrender when the odds are stacked against them. It's incredibly crucial for the Jackets to score first. A stat I recently came across stated that the Jackets were something like 10-1-2 when scoring first.

If the inability to generate scoring chances wasn't enough, the Jackets did have one goal disallowed. The puck definitely ricocheted off of a CBJ skate, but it was not a 'kicking motion' that would rule it disallowed. However, the ref saw what happened immediately and nixed the goal, then contacted the Toronto war room. It seemed like a situation where the Toronto folks did not have sufficient evidence to overturn the on-ice ruling, but were not necessarily convinced that the puck was kicked past Hasek.

I've got to shake this game off. The Jackets need to pull out a few more W's in the next week so that they can end December >.500. It's entirely possible.

Jackets lose 5-0 to the Red Wings
Box Score

Photo from Dispatch.com

CBJ vs. Wings 3.0

Jackets are up in Detroit tonight to play the Red Wings for the third time this season and their second time this week. Thus far, the teams are 1-1 following a 4-1 loss in Joe Louis Arena in November and a 4-3 victory on Monday. Michael Arace of the Dispatch believes that tonight's game will provide a strong measurement of where the team stands.

The Red Wings will be looking for some revenge against Norrena, who will likely be in goal tonight. With Leclaire still out, Norrena is going to hold down the net for at least a few more days. Foote is also still off the ice, but having Duvie Westcott back helps somewhat.

I'm curious to see who the Wings put in their own net. Their lead tender, Dominik Hasek was given the hook after only 20 minutes of play on Monday night after the Jackets took the score to 3-0 in the first period. Osgood played a fairly strong second and third period, letting only one shot by- granted, the Jackets only took 14 shots in that same amount of time.

In other hockey news, the AP reports that there were three NHL hat tricks last night- the second such occasion this season. Last night's hot scorers were Marco Sturm of Boston, Andrew Brunette of Colorado, and Jason Blake of the Islanders. The Jackets are still waiting on their first hat trick of the season, but it will come. The way the offense has been coming together, I see it in the future of either Rick Nash or Sergei Fedorov.

Mr. Norrena's Wild Ride

In the second game I've attended with Ken Hitchcock behind the bench, the Jackets played an outstanding and very exciting 60 minutes against the Red Wings.

The Jackets ignited the crowd of 17,000 eight minutes into the first period with a tremendous shorthand goal by speedster Jason Chimera. Hasek came out to feed the puck around the boards to his changing power play lines and Chimera swept in, stole the puck and dropped it in the net over the Dominator's shoulder. The goal lit the crowd on fire, but sat the Red Wings faithful that always populate Nationwide when Detroit is in town.

A second goal came only 90 seconds later with a swift two pass combo from Fedorov and Vyborny, then to Nash in front of the net. Before the end of the first period, former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov would score as well.

The crowd was ecstatic to go into the first intermission up 3-0, and it was demonstrated loudly. In the six games I've attended this season, last night was by far the loudest and the most crowd-involved. This town is reclaiming its stake in the CBJ franchise, now that they've turned it on again.

If I may air a frustration, the Blue Jackets weren't as hot in the second and third periods. It seemed that the team went into cruise control following the first intermission, and didn't regain the killer instinct until late in the third when Detroit nearly sent the game into overtime. For 40 minutes, the Jackets were pushed around and had a difficult time controlling any part of the game. The Jackets mustered 7 shots in each of the second and third periods while the Red Wings fired 16 and 13 shots, respectively. It seemed like so many more, however. Norrena held down the net as if it were the Alamo, despite Babcock's (Pancho Villa's?) troops firing away. There were a number of times that a Detroit goal felt imminent, but so many of their scoring chances came up with naught.

The last five minutes of the game were a wild ride. A full-ice back and forth between the teams amounted to one more goal apiece, including Fedorov's second of the night, and an incredible timely save by Norrena. The crowd was on its feet for the finish, and they were not disappointed... Aside from the few thousand Wing fans.

I can almost sympathize for the Detroit fans though. I too was once and Red Wing fan. It was a different era then, though. Names like Yzerman, Fedorov (he's still one of my all time fav's), Paul Coffey and others are more of my Detroit time. Of course, the Blue Jackets were only a twinkle in McConnell's eye then. Since 2000, it's been all about the CBJ.

Anyway, the three stars of the game were Fedorov, Nash and Vyborny, though Norrena really deserved one of those spots. For the second and third period the rookie goaltender stood on his head.

The Jackets played sharp last night, and hopefully they continue to do so tomorrow when they play the Wings in Detroit. Catch the game on FSN.

Jackets win 4-3
Now 12-17-3, 27 pts, 4th in the central division (5 pts behind Chicago)
Box Score

Photo taken by: Jamie Sabau, from BlueJackets.com