In a game where the Columbus Blue Jackets did well in the possession battle they fell just short yesterday to the Florida Panthers, 3-2. More games like this should yield better results for a team that desperately needs them. After the jump let us watch some highlights, shall we?
Highlights:
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The Good: Revamped First Line
Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno both picked assists yesterday and found themselves on the positive side of the possession battle. Although it has only been two games this line of Johansen, Foligno and Atkinson has been fun for the fans and team alike. All three were firmly above 60%EVCF last night and were constantly swarming around the puck, a welcome sight after some less than inspiring hockey has been played this year by the boys in union blue.
The Bad: Capitalizing on Chances
This is pretty much as good as a team can play without winning the game. Percentages be damned, the Blue Jackets will win these games if they keep playing like this. Every once in a while you will run into a Roberto Luongo who all things considered seems to be a pretty good goaltender. Keep your heads held high Jackets fans.
The Ugly: First Pairing Defensemen
I have given up on my pursuit for a better fourth line as it seems like they will never be scratching Jared Boll in favor of someone with better stats and more scoring potential. I am now going to set my sights on a more lofty goal, the use of Jack Johnson and David Savard. They once again were the worst possession players defensively all night long, an almost forgone conclusion, night after night. Where do we begin? Jack Johnson is well, Jack Johnson, a possession black hole that should be relegated to third pairing minutes and almost exclusive power play time. His goal this evening does show his merits as an offensive defensemen, he could be used properly if deployed in almost purely offensive situations. David Savard on the other hand is almost a mirror image to Jack Johnson, both have merits as players used in spot duty but have been playing way over their heads for way too long. It most likely won’t be changed this year but we can all hope that at some point in time the Jackets will find some players that will more effectively play 25+ minutes a night. A man can dream.
Tweet of the Game:
https://twitter.com/RedditCBJ/status/560970563116883968
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
