Going into tonight I was curious how the Jackets would follow up their shutout win in Columbus the night before. By and large, I was very happy with the response. While McElhinney was unremarkable tonight, the skaters gave him the scoring support that any goalie in this league would love to have. The Jenner-Anisimov-Horton line played a great game tonight and showed some incredible chemistry for a trio that has only been skating together for such a short period of time.
3rd Star: Ryan Johanson
Joey had a solid night. His feed to Foligno was outstanding but I’d be tempted to award this 3rd star to fresh off returning Derek Mackenzie. DMac came back, played the game we’ve come to expect out of his well and had a good feed to Letestu to open up the CBJ scoring with a short-handed opportunity. He netted a secondary assist on Letestu’s 2nd goal as well. He was +2 on the evening and 80% in the faceoff dot.
2nd Star: Boone Jenner
Boone had a great night and was rewarded for playing his style of game: tough and determined. He got downright mugged on his breakaway attempt and was appropriately awarded with a penalty shot. His simple, clean move was sufficient to beat Pavelec stick-side. His 2nd goal was a great example of all of his line mates contributing and Boone putting himself in the right place at the right time to finish the play.
1st Star: Mark Letestu
Letestu was Mister Closer tonight. He had what was easily his best game of the season and saw time on the PP and PK. When a guy like Letestu can get hot and start contributing offensively, it takes the pressure off of top lines and the points start coming a little bit easier.
Game in One Picture
Courtesy of @RockmanHalo
Stud: Being over .500
Nick Foligno summed it up well in his post-game interview with “Over .500 is great but it doesn’t put us in a playoff spot.” The team can appreciate and enjoy the momentum they’ve built but if they don’t continue winning, it means nothing. That said, I’ll certainly celebrate this small victory tonight.
Dud: Jet Lag
I know it’s nothing compared to our old days in the Western Conference but playing a game in Winnipeg the night after a game in Columbus is a tall order. The CBJ bypassed their morning skate and it was reflected in their first 10 minutes of the game. That said, once they got their legs under them, they were able to dictate the pace of the game and bring home these two important road points. Here’s to hoping the boys can rest up on the flight home and get a good morning skate to get the blood flowing for their Monday match up against Tampa Bay who were kind enough to dispatch of the Flyers in regulation for us today.
Carry the flag!
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