Desperate for a win, Columbus played host to the New York Rangers on Thursday night. It was somewhat laughable sitting in the stands pre-game and seeing names like Stralman, Dorsett, Moore, and Brassard all lined up with Rangers jerseys on. Makes me realize just how much these teams have swapped over the last couple seasons. Regardless, the stage was set for a solid matchup, and most would expect Columbus to take this game as not only a potential stepping stone to better results, but an opportunity to depart from their losing ways.
Solid pressure in the offensive zone was great to see from Columbus, yet pure scoring opportunities remained a premium. Notable was the shakiness of backup goaltender Talbot for New York, and most shots were met with unsure saves, leaving rebounds for the taking. Despite that, it was New York who managed to score first, making a solid tic tac toe play on the break. The biggest culprit on this particular rush was probably Tyutin, who appeared to not know who to cover, and failed to get a stick on the eventual goal scorer in Hagelin.
Tyutin made himself useful late in the first period, dipsydoodling around a sprawled Ranger, and limping a shot through the legs of Foligno (replays clearly show the puck glance off his foot, yet Tyutin was awarded the goal) and past Talbot, who didn’t have a clue where the puck was. It was certainly a nice move, and what should have been a major momentum builder for Columbus, who haven’t really sniffed a lead in a hockey game let alone a tie.
For some reason, the late period goal by Columbus put them to sleep, and the Rangers came out with an onslaught of offense for the majority of the second period. A phantom elbowing call, a legitimate hooking call, and a phantom hooking call plagued Columbus as the officiating continues to be grossly one sided during these games, and New York took advantage, taking the lead on the powerplay, and then extending the lead thanks to an ‘own goal’ by Letestu off a questionable Nikitin decision. All credit goes out to Bobrovsky for his efforts throughout the game. He is the reason they didn’t get blown out, and it was a welcome change from his last couple performances.
Where many games have found Columbus disappearing without a trace, they were able to grab a bit of confidence back after a poised Ryan Murray ripped a slapshot off the far post and in for his second of the season. His fanfare continues to grow, and his capacity to play at the NHL level increases game to game. It’s great to see, and was a real source of optimism on an otherwise painful second period. Shots in the period favoured New York 21-10.
Columbus continued to mount their comeback throughout the third period, but simply did not offer enough of an offensive threat to beat a very beatable Talbot. He finished the evening with 32 of 34 saves, good for .941 save percentage. The sad part, is that once again, he wasn’t that great. For whatever reason, Columbus is not forcing their opponents to scramble at all.
The losing streak is now five games. The overall record is 5-10-0. The crowd of nearly 12,000 fans were fantastic, and rallied behind Columbus any time they felt like engaging in quality hockey.
Studs and Duds
Ryan Murray (stud): Calm and collected, he is the best defenseman this team has. Continuously improving on his play, rarely making the glaring mistakes that lead to goals, and making smart decisions with the puck. His goal was also fantastic, smart, low shot that found the back of the net.
Sergei Bobrovsky (stud): Back into the category we expect and need him to be. He was a stud, making some ridiculous saves out there.
Ryan Johansen (stud): This was not Joey’s absolute standout of the season, however, his play continues to be strong both on and off the puck. Add in his impressive improvements on the faceoff, and I have to keep him in the category for at least a bit longer.
Jack Johnson, James Wisniewski, Fedor Tyutin (duds): I am not sure I could be more underwhelmed by a group of defensemen. Consistently missing the net (by a large margin) or having their point shots blocked. Bad defensive plays that lead to major scoring chances for the opposition. We’re talking about over 14 million dollars of CBJ cap hit. Over 75% of the money spent on defensemen, and none of them are playing great defense. Help me understand how and/or why they are viable options for this team right now.
Marian Gaborik (dud): 7.5 million dollars on the cap to do a bit of floating, turn over the puck at will, and serve very little purpose on the ice. By far his worst performance as a Blue Jacket, and one I really hope he doesn’t repeat. Maybe he’s bored of making all that money, because in a contract year, you’d think his effort would be on the top end of the team. Wrong.
Carry The Flag.
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