OK, is there a better team to host for the home opener than the New York Rangers? These games are becoming absolute gems where both teams play hard, things often get a bit nasty and you know that anyone could be the hero of the night. Fans who packed the Arena District this Saturday night were rewarded with not only a CBJ win over a division rival but an absolute heckuva game. Let’s get into who the NHL picked as the 3 stars and who could be perceived as the studs and duds.
3rd Star: Cam Atkinson
I like this pick for 3rd star. Without possessing the size and strength of the CBJ’s de facto biggest names such as Johansen or Wisniewski, Cam may be making a run at becoming this year’s leading scorer. He’s tiny, fast, sneaky and tenacious. Cam netted two goals tonight including the all-important “breathing room” goal and as I like to call it and an empty netter. Both of these goals follow a great effort in Buffalo. With only a 2 game sample size to draw from, it’s easy to get excited about Cam’s nose for the net and potential offensive contributions this season.
2nd Star: Marko Dano
I’m very pleased to see Dano get recognized for his great game tonight with the 2nd star. Dano lit up the score sheet tonight in his NHL debut at Nationwide Arena and fans certainly took notice. The youngster’s assist on Anisimov’s goal shows that he’s got what it takes to play the Blue Jacket way for years to come. He makes a great feed to the open player knowing full well that he’s about to get pasted to the boards. This kind of gritty, aggressive play is going to endear him to fans and teammates alike.
What’s been most impressive about Dano and his fellow draftee Wennberg is how cool, collected and defensively responsible they’re playing on all 200 feet of the ice. As a long time CBJ fan, it’s easy to be overly cautious about rushing young talent and seeing them get in over their head. So far, that does not seem to be the case for Dano.
1st Star: Nick Foligno
I’m not sure I can understand someone who doesn’t enjoy Foligno’s play. He has no problems going to the tough areas and if there’s anything more blue collar than burying your own rebound from your belly while sliding into the opposing net minder, I’m not sure I’ve seen it. This is the kind of guy I want our young players to be exposed to. Tonight’s game was a great example of why.
Game in One Pic
Courtesy of RockmanHalo
Studs: The fans
OK, I know it’s kind of a cop out but how incredible was the crowd tonight? The game had a near playoff-like atmosphere due to a full, loud crowd that was able to kick off the 2014-2015 season in style. The Rangers fans I did bump into were duly impressed with what they saw and had nothing but good things to say about the in-arena experience and fans. I know home openers traditionally have great attendance/energy but let’s make this the new normal, everyone. With an experience like tonight, who would not want to come back for more?
Dud: Chris Kreider
Not only did he put his team at a disadvantage for drawing the instigator penalty in his fight with Jack Skille but he could potentially face supplemental discipline on what could be deemed a questionable line change in order to start a fight as pointed out by TheCoach:
With a legal line change, if judged to have changed to start a fight, could be suspended. See two gamer for Clowe: http://t.co/EgKJxDhOlJ
— The Coach (@TheCoachUB) October 12, 2014
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It will be interesting to see if there’s any follow up or if the NHL will be satisfied with the 17 PIMs doled out by the on-ice officials tonight.
The Jackets are off until Tuesday evening when they’ll face the potent Dallas Stars at home. Until then, thanks for dropping by The Union Blue!
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