The start of this game had me battling semantics. You could probably slice the “start” in three ways. In one way, it was pretty good. The Jackets got a good jump off the opening draw, forced the Avalanche back into their own end, who ended up icing it. That’s a pretty solid way to start off the first faceoff of the game. Another way you can slice it, is to look at the first period. That first period is probably the most dominant period the Jackets have put together this season. It was a master work of Blue Jackets hockey, keeping Colorado in their own ice nearly the entire frame. The Avs took their second shot of the game 1:07 in, yet didn’t pick up their third until their was only 2:29 left in the period. That is astounding. Now there is also a third way you can slice it, and that incorporates the first thirty seconds or so, and one of the worst passes you will ever see a professional hockey player make. David Savard clearly just didn’t see Jarome Iginla until it was too late. But it’s not like he was hiding or anything, he was right there, just above the spot where Savard was planning on passing the puck, with nothing but empty ice before the Jackets net. That was a bad bad bad bad bad play. Fortunately, that play (and a later Savard miscue) didn’t bury the Jackets, and Savard was able to play the hero, scoring the go-ahead 58:59 into the game. This gave the Jackets a 4-3 win, and brought them back up to .500 again after last night’s abysmal game against the Phoenizona Coyotes.
3rd Star: Brandon Dubinsky
There are many sounds to hockey that I love. The first cuts of a skate on a fresh sheet of ice ALWAYS brings a smile to my face. It’s tough to describe the feeling that sound generates. Sometimes, when I haven’t played in awhile, it can literally take my breath away. But it’s also like seeing an old friend, and knowing that nothing has really changed. That is the first sound I think of when I think of hockey. The second is the ping of the post. The post is like an instrument, and can generate multiple sounds depending on how you play it. You hit it dead on, you hear an almost ‘thongggg’ sound, as you hear the hollow of the post. Terrible sound. Makes me grit my teeth, like nails on a chalkboard. Hit it at a right angle and you get a deeper ‘ping’, like Ryan Johansen‘s shot with six minutes left in the game. I hate that sound too. It’s the sound of failure. Even though you beat the goalie, you know the puck is not going in when you hear that sound. Then there is the fainter ‘ping’ when you go bar-down (or post-in). It’s a glorious sound. It’s the purest goal you can score. It means you beat the goalie (obviously), but you put the puck in a spot where it almost didn’t go in either. It’s the Odell Beckham-style one-handed catch of hockey. Anything further the other direction, and you are hearing one of the other post sounds. Such a glorious sound. What does this have to do with Dubinsky? Well just go listen to his second goal again.
2nd Star: Gabriel Landeskog
So the Landeskog goal was a very pretty move by the Avalanche captain. It also featured a bit of a boner by David Savard (again), but also a very poor play by Curtis McElhinney. First things first: Savard needed to either commit to getting that puck out and really pinch on it, or continue to play Landeskog on the rush. I know I have harped on this in prior posts, but decisiveness is so key in hockey. He does either, and this probably isn’t a goal. He waffles, half plays the puck (and gets nothing on it), but the half-play makes him flat-footed, so Landeskog can walk past him. Now onto the next mix-up. The Avs have numbers, and Jack Johnson rightly plays the pass. McElhinney has the shooter. Pretty straightforward, and usually doesn’t need communicating, but JJ could shout he’s got the pass. CMac plays it like he doesn’t know Johnson is there. He is far too deep in his net, and far too conservative with his stick. He needs to trust Johnson there, come out on Landeskog, and at least attempt a pokecheck when he tries to dangle him. There is no circumstance where a rush like that, with a guy in the position Johnson is in, should be able to come in and make a move like that.
1st Star: David Savard
Redemption. I’ve mentioned both of Savard’s brutal mistakes tonight, both of which led to goals. He’s been a rock all season, playing tons of tough minutes and be so steady in them. Which is pretty interesting when you consider what he was expected to be as a prospect. Savard was a big time scorer in junior hockey, and was expected to be a flashy offensive guy who could run the powerplay, but probably wouldn’t be someone you would necessarily count on defensively. Well the offense hasn’t really come around, but the rest of his game has. Savard was by no means the best player in the game tonight, but it did feel pretty nice to see him score the game-winner. It was deflected in by the Avalanche, but it was still nice work by Savard to get off a good shot on a one-timer while moving backwards.
<Beautiful artwork shall inherit this space>
Dud: McElhinney on the Cody McLeod Goal
I do not understand why he played that the way that he did. There is a way to play on the post. It’s called “vertical-horizontal” or VH for short. It means that one pad is vertical, while the other is horizontal. Basically, you have a vertical pad tight against the post, with the other pad on the ice. It allows you to get tight to the post for any wraparound attempt, or shot from a bad angle, while also half being in the butterfly position, and a good edge in the ice to push off should you need to slide across the crease after a pass. On this play, McElhinney was in the butterfly position (both pads horizontal on the ice) and leaning towards the post, leaving a lot of space. This space is why the VH position is the preferred play for goalies. If McLeod passed out front, McElhinney could have pushed off with the vertical leg, gone into the butterfly, and still been able to get in position. Yes, it’s faster to get in the butterfly if you are already in it, but doing so leaves you vulnerable to a play like this. Sometimes the play moves too quick for a goalie to get into VH, but this was not at all the case here. It was more like he thought there was a zero percent chance McLeod would attempt a wraparound. Clearly the odds were higher than that.
Stud: Bing-Bang-Boom.
Presented without any further commentary:
The Jackets now sit 5th in the Metropolitan Divsion, 10 points back of the Capitals for the last divisional playoff spot, and eight points back of the Maple Leafs for the final wild card spot. A big hole, but not insurmountable (especially with three games in hand on the Leafs). The CBJ take the ice next on Tuesday, where they continue their western swing with a stop in Dallas to take on notorious Jacket killer Jamie Benn and the rest of the Stars.
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