Well they certainly made it interesting at the end for us, didn’t they? With the Jackets in the thick of the playoff hunt, practically every game is a ‘must-win’ game. After the special teams shootout against Florida I was curious to see if we’d be able to get some even strength scoring on the road against Toronto. Luckily we got that even strength scoring from a rather unexpected source in Dalton Prout as well as surging Russian Olympian Artem Anisimov. Tonight’s 3 stars according to NHL.com include:
3rd Star: James Reimer:
Reimer kept the Leafs in a game that they had no business being in after the 2nd. While as a Jacket fan I take issue with the liberties he was taking with our players in/in front of his crease that went uncalled, if your teammates won’t clear the crease for you, sometimes the net minder has to take matters into his own hands.
2nd Star: Nikita Nikitin
Ok, this is my head scratcher of the evening. Don’t get me wrong, Nikitin had a good game but I’d have to give the nod here to Artem Anisimov. While he deserves all the credit in the world for getting back into position after getting absolutely smashed against the boards to net the GWG, I liked nearly every aspect of his game tonight. His feet were moving and while the NHL statisticians disagree with me, he made a great play to block a monster shot in the defensive zone.
1st Star: Sergei Bobrovsky
While I can’t argue with the numbers of 1 goal allowed, .966 save percentage to be fair I don’t think he was truly tested until the 3rd period. After seeing the effect of not seeing much rubber against Florida to start the game, I’m glad that Bobrovsky got a little bit of work in the 1st period as I truly believe he’s one of those net minders who needs to get involved in a game early and establish a rhythm. Bob had a good game but I doubt many would argue that the save of the night goes to Ryan Johansen in the 1st when he cleared out a spinning puck from behind Bob’s back. While I’m sure some would have loved to see greater offensive contributions from Johansen tonight, this kind of heads up play is what will make him an integral piece of the team for years to come.
Game in One Picture
Stud: The Defensive Corps
I think we all took a collective gasp when we saw Murray leave the ice after tweaking his left leg along the boards early but I think from that moment on our defense actually improved. In the 2nd period the defense absolutely stifled Toronto, holding them to only 5 shots on goal. The defense actively contributed to both goals with Prout registering a great shot with at a screened Reimer and Nikitin making a beautiful feed to the recently-crushed-yet-suddenly-open Anisimov right in front of the net.
Dud: Injury
Like all other Jacket fans I’ll be anxiously waiting to hear the status of Ryan Murray. While I love the way our D stepped up, he and Tyutin being out at the same time is not what a team that needs to surge for a playoff spot ordered. Prior to tonight many have debated what kind of player the Jackets might target in the next 48 hours and a veteran defenseman such as Christian Ehrhoff or Stephane Robidas. Can’t help but think the brass in Buffalo and Dallas may be grinning a little bit wider right now.
With this being the first of six games in nine days, the team can’t enjoy this one for very long as they’ve got a date with the Dallas Stars within the confines of the friendly Nationwide Arena tomorrow night. Luckily Dallas is playing tonight as well so the Jackets won’t be facing a fresh team who’s waiting for them in Columbus. Let’s hope that they play the same tough, yet disciplined game tomorrow to shut down the likes of Benn and Seguin to earn another all-important two points on this road to the playoffs!
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