Columbus Blue Jackets (Official Thread)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Blackhawks 4 Blue jackets 3 (SO)
Unrewarded effort
Energized by rookies, Jackets fire away but fall on Toews' goal
Sunday, November 2, 2008 3:44 AM
By Aaron Portzline


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Adam Alexanderdispatch
The Blue Jackets' Derek Dorsett is surrounded by Blackhawks as he tries to control the puck during the second period.

Adam Alexanderdispatch
The Blue Jackets' R.J. Umberger, right, tries to get a shot off ahead of Blackhawks defender Aaron Johnson.




After yesterday's morning skate, Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock compared his club's two dynamic rookies -- Derick Brassard and Jake Voracek -- to the Chicago Blackhawks' twin terrors from last season, forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
The one key difference, Hitchcock reasoned, is that the Blackhawks went through the growing pains with Toews and Kane in 2007-08, so they can now begin reaping the long-awaited rewards.

Continued...............

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Blue jackets notebook
Power-play drought familiar to Jackets

Sunday, November 2, 2008 3:28 AM
By Tom Reed


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The Blue Jackets ended a long power-play slump last night, only to get a healthy start on another one.
By the time they failed to capitalize on a four-minute power play in the second period and a tantalizing four-on-three chance in overtime, the Jackets' level of special-teams frustration had reached new levels.
It was a night of missed opportunities as the Jackets suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in Nationwide Arena.
Forward R.J. Umberger's power-play goal in the first period ended an 0-of-19 drought, but the Jackets were unable to convert on eight more chances with the man advantage. They wound up 1 of 10, while the Hawks were 2 of 4 with the extra attacker.

Continued................

 

[ysubuck]

Has Rick Nash ever scored in a shootout? I can't seem to recall too many.

I've also never seen a team miss the cage as much as the Blue Jackets.

Too bad as they really did out play Chicago. There is a black cloud over this team. I know we need to get over the football mentality that they should win every game, but they just seem to find a way to lose the games they seem to be destined to win. At least they got a point out of it.

EDIT Found one. He scored on the shoot out last February.

 

[Mike80]

Kinda related to one of the trends in the comments on this thread, the officiating in the Boston/Dallas game really lead onto the nearly 150 minutes in PIMs last night.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG6wQRnnT8o]YouTube - Bruins-Stars line brawl and more[/ame]

Friggin Awesome!!!

That said, if this wasn't the sissified NHL, Thornton would have friggin destroyed Ott, maybe Avery and Lucic go at it, but the rest of the cheap-shots and stuff like that would likely have not happened.

Steve Ott is this generations' Claudia Lemieux. It's going to be so much fun watching Detroit/SanJose/Calgary end his playoff season yet again.

 

[LitlBuck]

Reminded me of a good old-fashioned hockey game. I know that most of you are hockey purists but I think some good fights in a game, as long as the sticks are not involved, gets the crowd into the game and there are people like me who enjoy seeing punches being traded:)

 

[jimotis4heisman]

1-this is the problem with the instigator. if not in place that thing would have ended a lot earliert
2-ott should be suspened. in todays era going after knees, twice, leaving your skates on a hit. we shall see.
3-i think it is also time to consider the ohl head shot rule. blows to the head are penalities in the ontario hockey league. i like physical hockey, i like hard hits, especially in the open ice. i think weve lost to many good players to cheap ass shots when they didnt have to back it up...

 

[ysubuck]

1-this is the problem with the instigator. if not in place that thing would have ended a lot earliert
2-ott should be suspened. in todays era going after knees, twice, leaving your skates on a hit. we shall see.
3-i think it is also time to consider the ohl head shot rule. blows to the head are penalities in the ontario hockey league. i like physical hockey, i like hard hits, especially in the open ice. i think weve lost to many good players to cheap ass shots when they didnt have to back it up...

Considering Peca got suspended for...nothing. I can't see how Ott doesn't get some time off.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

Considering Peca got suspended for...nothing. I can't see how Ott doesn't get some time off.

he touched an official, he admitted that.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

Has Rick Nash ever scored in a shootout? I can't seem to recall too many.

yes. i have a website at work maybe with all the nhl so stats.

I've also never seen a team miss the cage as much as the Blue Jackets.

they hit the net 51 times last night, toss in 18 blocked shots. columbus was credited with 15 missed shots last night. thats a lot of rubber on net. we do need more of those to come from the backend.
Event Summary

Too bad as they really did out play Chicago. There is a black cloud over this team. I know we need to get over the football mentality that they should win every game, but they just seem to find a way to lose the games they seem to be destined to win. At least they got a point out of it.

need to work on a few areas
pp 1-28
winning key draws, they won 57% overall but only 33% sh.
not taking penalties on the pp.


EDIT Found one. He scored on the shoot out last February.

see bold.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

NHL
Torres a big hit in first game with Blue Jackets

Monday, November 3, 2008 5:30 AM
By Tom Reed


The Columbus Dispatch

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- After waiting 10 months to play regular-season hockey again, Blue Jackets forward Raffi Torres was eager to make an impression.
He certainly left one on the bodies of the Chicago Blackhawks -- and the score sheet.
Torres was credited with 10 hits in Saturday night's 4-3 shootout loss against the Blackhawks in Nationwide Arena. The winger crushed defenseman Aaron Johnson with a first-period check and steamrolled 6-foot-4, 250-pound Dustin Byfuglien in the final seconds of regulation.

Continued............

 

[Mike80]

An article today from Allan Muir on SI

Blue Jackets struggles?demand bold moves - Allan Muir - SI.com

Usually Muir is relatively accurate, save his thinking last year in my emails with him that the Stars were the class of the West.

The Umberger signing has been a disaster as far as getting someone to help Nash out.

This Power Play probably couldn't score against the Junior Jackets much less a living breathing NHL team at this point.

Fredrick Modin plays one out of every 10 games it seems. It's no wonder he missed a completely empty net from 3 feet away. That's a sunk cost right there too.

The younger players are promising, but as long as the jackets continue to go cheap, not get an honest-to-God Centerman and continue to hope that one will develop they aren't going ANYWHERE.

An example: The best center in the NHL is arguably Pavel Datsyuk. Datsyuk had Yzerman. Yzerman took about 10 years to finally learn the craft IN THE NHL. The Jackets don't have that time to wait.

And only this tooth-less version of the Jackets would make a 4GAA-at-home journeyman goalie look like Patrick Roy.....

 

[ysubuck]

Came back from a 3-0 deficit in the 3rd period to tie the Isles only to lose in overtime.

Is this team going to be out of it by Christmas??

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Fine job coming back from the deficit, but how the hell do you fall behind by 3 to a team as bad as the Islanders.

And the last goal, IMO, goes squarely on Nash & Huselius. They were dragging as they got the puck to the blue line, but stayed on instead of getting it deep and getting off the ice. You can't do it all, fellas. You aren't helping anyone by trying to be a hero.

Nash doesn't not look right these days. He seems a step slower than usual and not nearly as strong on the puck as he has been in years past. I don't know what's going on with him.

Another point given away.

 

[Mike80]

Came back from a 3-0 deficit in the 3rd period to tie the Isles only to lose in overtime.

Is this team going to be out of it by Christmas??

It's a damned shame, but it may be more like Thanksgiving.

Looking at the standings, there is no way Phoenix and Dallas stay this bad. While there isn't a very good chance of Nashville maintaining its' start, supposedly St. Louis is better too and Vancouver is hanging around mainly because Luongo is playing out of his mind hoping to be traded to a contender.

and no, I don't think nash is completely healthy. He's had back problems in the past and I think that may be occurring again.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Islanders 4 | Blue Jackets 3, OT
Point made, but that's it
Another Jackets loss after regulation takes shine off stirring rally
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 3:11 AM
By Tom Reed


The Columbus Dispatch

Mary Altaffer | Associated Press
Blue Jackets goaltender Fredrik Norrena slaps the puck away as Rick Nash defends against hard-charging Nate Thompson of the Islanders in second-period action.




UNIONDALE, N.Y. It's early in the season, but the Blue Jackets continue to find new ways to lose games.
Last night was borderline historic. Ever see the same player score two goals in overtime?
It happened to the Jackets, who erased a three-goal, third-period deficit, only to suffer a 4-3 setback to the New York Islanders. Defenseman Chris Campoli scored at 3:13 of the extra session his second goal of the game -- as he ripped a wrist shot past Fredrik Norrena from between the circles.

Continued............