Jackets Not Spooked by Kings on Halloween

Chimera was the first star of last night's game following two goals against the Los Angeles Kings. The Jackets won 4-1 with Pascal Leclaire in the net.

The Jackets current record of 7-3-1 is a franchise best, and worth 15 points already this season. At the current pace, the team could break 100 points. But let's not break out the "P Word" just yet. I'm sticking with the "cautious optimism" approach for a while longer- until the all-star game, anyway. All I'm going to say at this time is that it's November, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are still in it. Truth Serum at End of the Bench brings up an excellent point about the upcoming challenges on the CBJ schedule this month.

Tonight the Jackets are at it again in Anaheim. The Ducks aren't doing too well so far this season, so the Jackets may have their way with them, just as they did opening night. (Also recall last year's come-from-behind win at Anaheim.) The Ducks just aren't the same without Sellane and Neidermeyer. Notice how much ice time Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin are getting- they're #1 and #2 in the league.

Freddy Norrena will be in the net tonight. He's had a little trouble getting started this season, especially compared to Leclaire. Tonight will be a great opportunity for him to stand out. Anaheim is a beatable team and he has a confident group of skaters in front of him. If the defense can keep up the good work, Norrena can get the win.

Jackets win 4th consecutive game for a total of 15 pts.
CBJ 4, LAK 1
Official Scoresheet

Jackets Win AND Opponent Scores, Leclaire Leads NHL

It was a "CBJ Saturday Night" in Nationwide Arena when the Jackets hosted and defeated the San Jose Sharks. In a 2-1 game, the Jackets secured a third straight win and an 8th place spot in the league standings.

Notably, Leclaire was the winning goaltender despite giving up a first period goal to Joe Thornton. It's the first time this season that the Jackets have given up a goal and still pulled out the win.

Columbus goals came from Fritsche and Fedorov, the latter being a slapshot from the point that lasered into the back of the net.

Pascal Leclaire is now leading the league with a 1.29 GAA, and has the #2 spot in save percentage with a .949.

Shelley Watch:
#45 had just 2 1/2 minutes of ice time and didn't fight, despite San Jose's best efforts.

Rick Nash Magic and Pascal Leclaire gets 4th Shutout

Make that 2-0!
BOOM

That comment was left by Matt on my last post about the Jackets defeating the Blackhawks. Leclaire did it again- shutting down the St. Louis Blues by a score of 3-0. The win bumps Columbus up to 2nd place in the division.

Equally big news of the night was Nash's goal. As reported by the AP:

"Ron Hainsey then tried a slap shot from the blue line that was just wide to the right of the goal. Nash played the ricochet off the boards like Manny Ramirez fielding a ball off the Green Monster, stretching to reach the puck to pull it in and then lifting the shot between his legs and high into the top of the net."

I tried to get a reply of the goal from the Jackets' online video archive, but it's hard to see from the camera angle. From the acclaim I've heard so far, it's bound to be in the top 10 on sportscenter, so keep an eye out for that today.

Tomorrow, the Jackets will play host to the San Jose Sharks. Over the years, they've become one of my most dreaded opponents. Leclaire will probably be in net: let's make it five.

* On an unrelated note, Michael of Army of the Ohio is gathering reader contributions for names for the CBJ cannon. Check out his post and leave your ideas. *

Also, be sure to see Yoder's take on last night's game including an explanation for Jiri Novotny's goal.

Score Sheet

Jackets start 1-0 in Central Division

The Blue Jackets put together a great offensive package last night in Chicago, winning the division opener 7-4. The seven goals include two by Nash, two by Novotny and three assists by Peca.

Interestingly, the Jackets still had three players with a -2 rating on the night: Chimera, Malhotra and Boll. It's likely they were playing on the same line together, and were simply no match for the Chicago offense. Norrena still let by 4 goals- all four were scored or assisted by the 2007 draft's first overall pick, Patrick Kane.

Kane may not be getting Ovechkin or Crosby status just yet, but if he keeps scoring like that, anything is possible.

Jackets Decimate Blues - Doug Weight Caused Hurricane Katrina

I unexpectedly had a chance to attend the Jackets game last night. The home game against the Blues was recently rescheduled from a 12:30 puck drop to the normal Sunday 6 pm start time after NBC realized that a national audience wouldn't be too entertained by two non-playoff teams.

The Jackets played hard, and it was a great game to watch. The squad put up four goals, which is enough to sorta make up for being shut out last time I was in attendance. Norrena was great- he displayed a great glove hand that managed to snare anything that came to his vicinity of the ice. A couple of his grabs were particularly impressive. Despite only 24 saves (though only 25 shots), I probably would have notched him at 3rd star. Jason Chimera was all over the ice, as usual, and kept play quite lively and exciting. Jody Shelley's name became synonymous with 'turnover' in a way that hasn't been seen since the Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre days.

I watched the game with Dan (sports723), another contributor to the Jacket Times. He and another friend continually made 'Doug Weight' jokes, which is sort of like the Chuck Norris jokes that became popular last year, except our version was generally negative toward the aging St. Louis centerman. I'm sure Dan has plenty of good ones to share. Here's a few I just came up with:

Doug Weight reads Tiger Beat magazine.
Doug Weight put salmonella in the peanut butter.
Doug Weight started the Valerie Plame leak.

Jackets' consecutive wins are now 3... I'd say that's 'streak' worthy. Seven games left this season.

Flames Extinguished

What a game. The Jackets took down the flames last night in a 3 period thriller. The game seemed like all offense, as the puck went end to end the whole game through.

The first period went scoreless, and the second was almost the same. In the last minute of the second, Calgary's Lombardi managed to get one by Norrena. It would be their last. The Jackets bounced back in the third with two goals- one from Vyborny and one from Modin. They then managed to hold on to the lead until the last seconds ticked off the clock.

The almost 16,000 Jackets faithful that filled the arena were mostly quiet through the first two periods. The Calgary fans in section 215 made more noise than most other sections. The Jackets' first goal changed all that by lighting a stick of dynamite under the butts of the CBJ fans. The crowd became loud and passionate for the team, and it changed the momentum for sure.

The manner in which the Jackets won the game was impressive and interesting. It was reminiscent of football in many ways. Once the 3rd period ticked into the final few minutes with the Jackets up 2-1, all Columbus had to do was hold onto the puck. They passed the puck back in forth, eating away as much time as they possibly could. It was something inbetween a football team kneeling and one desperate not to turn the ball over. At one point, I couldn't help but be reminded of that hail mary Stanford-Cal game in which the objective was to hold on to the ball (or puck in our case) until a defender was right on top of it, then pass it off to the next available teammate. They managed to eat up several minutes this way. I've never seen hockey players do something quite like that, but I definitely enjoyed it.

The Jacket goals came only when they reverted to a strategy they haven't been using in a while. That is, taking it to the net. The team did a phenomenal job of cycling the puck around the perimeter and getting lots of movement from behind the net to the point. But it seemed that all of the tight angle shots and slaps from the point all missed wide or were blocked before they were given a chance to score. When the team began to crash to the net harder and more deliberately, they were rewarded with two points. Needless to say, I think this team needs to revert back to that strategy. After all, how has Nash (who has been on a scoring drought) scored in the past? He used to hang out in front of the net and muscle his way to a redirect past the keeper. And it worked, too.

Your Jacket Times three stars of the game were:
1. Vyborny - absolutely deserves it for PK efforts and goal.
2. Norrena - held fast despite recovering from injury
3. Klesla - blocked several shots, great tough play.

Box Score

Jackets go Wild vs Minnesota

It was a great night to be inside Nationwide Arena. Two successive nights in fact- the Jackets managed back to back wins against the Buffalo Sabers and Minnesota Wild, respectively. I attended tonight's western conference matchup, and it was a great ride.

In front of a packed house, the Jackets faced off against the Minnesota Wild. As pumped up as the team, fans, and media was regarding Friday's big win over the Eastern Conference leading Sabers, I couldn't help but be a little discouraged by Malhotra's double minor only nine seconds into the first period. The penalty kill lines were up to the task, however- all four penalty minutes were killed off without a serious threat from the Wild.

A few minutes later, the Wild's Johnson took a hooking call then made a fuss about the penalty, thereby earning himself an additional two minutes in the sin bin. The Jackets were ready and made more of the situation than Minnesota was able to. The Jackets scored two power play goals only a minute apart thanks to the double minor and another hooking charge to Nummelin.

Once the Jackets got up on the Wild, they never went back down. The team played with a tenacity that is seldom seen outside of the playoffs. From what I've read of the Buffalo game, it sounds like they never settled back down from the win on Friday. Play was back and forth and the entire team pitched in to get the win.

The player of the game was definitely Klesla. Besides a goal and an assist, #97 was all over the ice disrupting the Minnesota offense and generally keep the Jackets on top. Way to go Rosti, you've been really making a difference these last few games.

I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of things before the game started. First, Zherdev was scratched. Looks like he's really getting shut down after his continued weak performance on ice. Second, the starting line was Malhotra, Chimera, Fritsche, Hainsey and Eriksson. Those guys have been the workhorses of the team lately and truly deserve the starter role. I was definitely disappointed by Manny's six penalty minutes, particular those first four so early in the game.

I tried something new at tonights game. I brought along headphones to plug into my phone, which has a radio in it. I listened to the play-by-play from the Jackets radio network while in the arena, which was pretty cool. I'll definitely be doing that again. For the record, I got the trivia question right too.

Jackets win 3-2! Three consecutive wins! The season series ended at an even 2-2. We've pulled ahead of Chicago, who is on a ten game slide (ouch.). St Louis is next. They have 48 pts to the CBJ 43.
Box Score

Video Highlights from Blue Jackets vs. Anaheim Ducks 1/5/07

As promised, I found the video highlights for the Jackets game at Anaheim last Friday night. If you missed it live, here's your chance to see one of our beloved franchise's all-time best comebacks. Don't forget that the Jackets are on live tonight at 7 on Fox Sports Net Ohio at home vs. St. Louis. If things go sour tonight, just check out this video clip for hope. As for me, I'm off to the arena. Go Jackets!

Happy New Year from The Jacket Times

And we're back, Jacket fans. I apologize for my lack of posts this holiday season. I can come up with excuses all day, but that doesn't accomplish much. Let' s just pick up where we left off.

The Jackets have played 6 games since December 22, the date of the last post. In that time they've gone 3-3. Overall, the Jackets are 9-7 for the month of December. That's a winning record and something to be proud of.

Last night was, of course, the Blue Jackets New Years Eve special. I attended my 3rd(?) NYE game and was not disappointed. The Jackets played solidly, despite taking a couple early penalties that slowed offensive production in the first period. The second began with Columbus down 1-0, but they rallied back quickly to put two behind Khabibulin. The first CBJ goal of the night was phenomenal. On a pass from Nash, Fedorov flew into the slot and one-timed the puck into the net, in an effort quite reminiscent of Bobby Orr's 1970 Stanley Cup winning goal.

The second period also brought one of the most exciting moments in all of sports. Nash was brought down on a breakaway and was awarded with a penalty shot. Nash deked right, then back to the left in hopes of getting it behind Khabibulin's skate. The attempt was unsuccessful though due to a late but pointed poke check- which pretty sums up Nash's night. Despite a couple of breakaways and some great shots, #61 was unable to get one in.

Norrena fought the good fight and got the win, stopping 21 of 22 Blackhawk shots. The one that did get by managed to slip around or between his legs and just trickle in behind him. If Norrena knew where it was, it could have been stopped easily. Unfortunately, he lost sight of it.

Also worth noting, the Jackets had two goals waved off. The first was due to Malhotra getting caught for goaltender interference. The second, a shot from Hainsey at the point, was determined to have deflected off of Nash's hand before hitting the net.

In all, it was a great game that demonstrated a lot of physical play. Big hits were plentiful and there was no shortage of punches to the face either. A great New Year's game.

Jackets win 3-1
34 pts, 4th place in the division, 3pts behind Chicago
Box Score

Photo from CBSsportsline.com (AP)

Turned Tables

How 'bout dem Jackets?

Last night's 6-2 victory at home against the Ottawa Senators is the latest of what is now a four game winning streak. In those same four games, the Jackets have outscored opponents 18-3. An unbelievable stat when we recall what this team looked like before thanksgiving.

I watched all or part of this winning streak, and I can firmly say that is coming as a result of a full team effort. Across the board, each line is making its presence known, and usually felt as well. Checking has improved, shooting has been more numerous and more accurate, and the special teams lines have been phenomenal. Last night against the Sens, the Jackets managed five power play goals. Five. Up til now, it's been hard to get five goals at all, let alone from special teams. Needless to say, the five power play goals performance is a franchise record.

Fritsche has been playing like a man possessed- I've been blown away by how much of an impact he has made on recent games. For someone as young and relatively under the radar, he's certainly doing his share. Frtische doesn't have the spotlight in the way that Zherdev and Nash do, but he certainly knows how to control the puck.

Whatever magic Hitchcock is using, it's working. Plays are being made that wouldn't have stood a chance a month ago. The forwards are moving the puck up ice and not seeing it go the other way immediately. Defensemen are getting into the play, and Hainsey is making plays from the point. Eriksson too is having some of his best career games.

The down side of last nights big game, which included six Jacket goal, a failed Ottawa penalty shot and five minute major penalty against the Sens, was injuries. Foote and Leclaire both came off the ice earlier in pain. Foote is departing with the team today to Dallas for this weeks' road trip, but Leclaire is staying put for treatment.

Pascal Leclaire came out of the net in the second with what has only been described thus far as a 'lower body injury'. In his place, Thomas Popperle has been called up from Syracuse. While Leclaire's injury does create some concern, I have confidence that Norrena will to a fine job in his place, and hopefully this able Jackets defense can provide enough cover for Popperle if he starts.
Get the full story on Jacket injuries from last night from Aaron Portzline of the Dispatch.

Despite the great play by the penalty kill lines, the next thing Hitch needs to work on is keeping our players out of the penalty box. We've been struggling with hooking and tripping calls in particular.

Jackets are now 10-16-2 with 22 pts and are 4th in the division.

Sat: Jackets win 5-1 at St. Louis
Box Score

Sun: Jackets win 6-2 at home v. Ottawa
Box Score

***(Update: Contrary to the Dispatch article, BlueJackets.com reports that G Ty Conklin, not Thomas Popperle, will join the team for the road trip. Also, D Filip Novak will travel. He'll play pending on Foote's injury)***

Steady Freddy indeed!

It's a Tuesday night full of firsts for the Blue Jackets, who toppled the Colorado Avalanche 3-0 in Denver. I couldn't be more pleased by the play of our beloved Blue Jackets tonight. On game 4 of a 5 game road trip, the Blue Jackets got their first win at the Avs' Pepsi Center. In addition, it was the first time in franchise history that Columbus has beaten Colorado in regulation.

And if that wasn't enough, they got back-to-back shutouts for the first time too.

All Blue Jacket goals came at even strength, which was pretty much their only option. Colorado only gave up 4 minutes of power play time. The Jackets took four two-minute penalties, once causing a 5-3 advantage for the Avs. The penalty kill lines were up to the task, however.

The team was all around sharp. They played with confidence and flair, they made offensive opportunities and played a tight reliable defense that created a redundancy in front of the net that I've never seen before. As Norrena moved to stop shots, other players, forward and defense alike, stepped in to seal cracks and stop the Colorado offense from getting one past the line.

Norrena was a net minding machine- stopping shot after shot, 42 of them in all. Despite pitching a shutout away with 42 saves, Norrena was snubbed from being a star of the game. I can only explain that as an oversight by the star selection committee. With back to back shutouts, I'd say he's a contender for the the league-wide star of the week. Regardless of his star status, Norrena isn't playing like an NHL rookie. At the rate he's going, he's going to put a lot of pressure on Leclaire and there will be competition to be the starting tender for the Jackets.

Kudos to Carter, who played a hell of a game. 77 was on ice for all three goals and always seemed to be in exactly the right spot to make a play. Carter has made a serious impact on this Jackets team, especially since the signing of Ken Hitchcock. The Jackets staff needs to make sure he's given all the ice time he can handle, and that he's happy in central Ohio. I don't want Carter going anywhere.

Despite the win, the notice board is coming back:

ON NOTICE:

Adam Foote - You're the captain, Foote. Keep out of the penalty box. As an experience veteran, there is no reason you should be taking these penalties. Your first penalty came while you were already on the PK. That's the worst time to get sent to the box. You leave your team doubly vulnerable. Your other penalty came just as the team finished killing a tripping call against Klesla, too.

Jackets win! Again! 3-0
Box Score

Oilers ring Tollefsen's bell

That's what happened to OKT in the first period of Saturday's game at Edmonton, according to Hitchcock. I'm guessing he sang that old song by Anita Ward and got what he asked for.

But the Jackets won big- probably by the greatest margin all season. With goals from Svitov, Brule, Carter and Fritsche (EN) the Jackets shut out the Oilers 4-0. The team played hard and finally cashed in on what they had been owed. After playing so hard this road trip, it was just now indicated on the scoreboard. Best of all, Norrena was in the net.

According to this article in the Dispatch, Nash had a few words regarding the play of Edmonton's goaltender Dwayne Roloson. During a power play, Nash was camped out in front of the net, as he often is. In an attempt to clear some space, Roloson, used his stick to pop Nash between the legs. Nash fell to the ice in agony, and I can't blame him. No one likes to get hit in the pills. The netminder took a slashing penalty, and Columbus went on a 5-3 power play.

Nice job, Jackets. Let's keep it up. Spread the goals around a little, maybe.

Box Score

Jackets win 4-0 (Woo-hoo!)

Jackets' first win under Hitchcock

The Jackets got their first win with the new coach on Saturday on only their second try. The team was solid all around, making fewer mistakes and having better execution of fundamentals.

There was no magic to Saturday's win. Even though Fedorov had a 4 point night, it didn't seem like he had to carry the team to get the W. There was great contribution from all four lines, and the top line (Nash, Fedorov, Carter) was fantastic. Even Norrena, the 32 year old rookie played a good game and got his first NHL win.

The Wild had also been struggling, though not nearly as bad as the Jackets. They played hard but tired out faster than the home team, even as both teams were playing in the second of back-to-back games. Vyborny personally gave up the Wild's second goal. In a heartbreaking play, #9 turned the puck over just steps from Norrena's goal. The favor was returned in the third period however, as a Wild defenseman deflected the puck into his own net.

Jacket goals, which have been few and far between this season, flowed like water. An unprecedented five pucks hit the back of the net. That's 10% of all goals this season, believe it or not. Columbus has only 50 goals for this season, better than only Chicago. At the same time, the NHL leader is Buffalo at 105. The division leader, Nashville, has 78.

Hitchcock is already working on this team. Between what I've witnessed and read, his focus has been largely on fundamentals and basic strategy. The players have begun to function as a team- even Zherdev was making passes and playing aggressive defense. Hitchcock is doing away with the dump-and-chase strategy, which will be a first for the CBJ franchise.

Jackets are now on the biggest road trip of the season and won't be back at Nationwide until December 10 vs. Ottawa. In the mean time, Hitch should be able to spend some quality time with the team, reminding them how to play this crazy game on ice.

Anson Carter had this to say about the change since Hitch arrived- I think it sums up what we all think.

"I can’t tell you how many times I went home after a game and banged my head on the wall because we weren’t playing the game right (earlier in the season)," Carter said. "The important thing now is we’re all playing the same way. A funny thing happens when not everyone is doing their own thing..."

Jackets win 5-3
6-14-2, 14 pts
Last in the division, last in the NHL
Box Score

Photo by Adam Cairns via Dispatch online

(Update: Frederik Modin will not be traveling with the team this week due to a foot injury)

Snappin' the streak!

Ahhhh.... That's what it feels like to win. It had been so long that I'd nearly forgotten. It feels fantastic, by the way.

The Jackets played superbly well tonight. They played with the confidence, poise, and fluidity of an NHL team. They finally looked like they belong in this league.

I attended the game myself, and it was the first time I'd seen this team win in person since at least last season, maybe longer. This season I'm now 1-5 for games attended. Tonight I had good seats- C6, row C- and there's no game for which I would rather have those seats. Five goals, a four point night for Fedorov and a revitalized Jackets squad I haven't seen yet this season.

I'm ecstatic about tonights game. It could hardly have been more perfect. The win was exactly what this team needed- it ended a losing streak, in front of a home crowd, by a new coach, on a Saturday night, when national hockey media eyes were checking out our Hitched-up Blue Jackets.

I'm going to need some time to digest the game. I'm so elated with the win tonight that I can't possibly think critically about it. I'll see about being more analytical tomorrow.

And Klesla said, "Let there be light!"

How 'bout last night's big win in St. Louis? What an excellent response to the slump the team has been in. From the opening puck drop, the team played hard. Defense was consistent and puck possessions were long and involved many shots and set-ups in the Blues' zone.

Leading the Jackets tonight was none other than Rostislav Kleslsa, who managed not one, but two goals. The first of which came on a breakaway, after what can only be described as an amazing chance play. Fritsche was down in the Jackets' corner and attempting to clear the puck just as Klesla stepped out of the penalty box. The clearing effort went straight to Rosti's stick. Hardly a deke later, Klesla beat Legace and lit the lamp.

Klesla made it two, five minutes later on a drop pass from Fritsche.

Nash also cracked his scoreless streak with a power play goal in the second. Hopefully Nash will pick it up from here on out. As the team's perennial top scorer, we're going to need his offensive talent to make a dent in the standings.

Gallant's line changes appear to have worked for now, as we still pulled off a rare win with many of our offensive players in new spots on the lines. The most controversial would certainly by Vyborny's move to second line center. He managed an assist and a 47% face-off rating, more than acceptable for someone new to the position.

Hot List
Klesla - Way to turn it around, keep it up!
Fritsche - Excellent performance last night- a goal and two assists.

It's showing that if the Jackets' slump is going to reverse directions, it's going to have to start with the young guys.

Let's get on a roll Jackets, starting tonight at home vs. Edmonton.

Box Score

Jackets are 5-7-1 for 11pts, 3rd in the central division