Sam was kind enough to let me have the reins and do this post. I figured with it being Ryan Murray’s return to the line up, Murray of course being my favourite player, it was fitting I write this Aftermath.
Unfortunately outside of watching Murray nothing too positive came of this game for the CBJ, as they fell 3-1. The highlights can be found below.
Highlights:
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The Good: Ryan Johansen
As much as I want to give this to Murray (he had that SWEEET secondary assist) I cant. It has to go to Ryan Johansen. The Jackets star has been challenged recently by management saying they expect more out him. I think hes starting to rise to that challenge. He scored the lone goal for the Jackets and rocked a 56% Corsi at even strength. What makes that even more impressive is that fact that Johansen only started 33% of shifts in the offensive zone, the fourth lowest on the team.
The Bad: Jarmo Kekalainen
First off let me say I love Jarmo, I think he’s a really smart GM and is going to take the Jackets organization to places they have never been before, but tonight was not one of his highlights. With Murray being activated off the IR it meant the CBJ were carrying 9 defencemen on the active roster. There was no extra forward to step into the game when Calvert came down the flu. That forced Jordan Leopold to into the game having to play upfront. Leopold was terrible in his limited time finishing with the worst Corsi on the team, a piddly 10%.
Jarmo should have foreseen this situation. He knew Murray was coming back and should have been looking to get rid of a defencemen to make room. When a trade or whatever didnt happen he should have looked at this option: send Murray on a conditioning stint to Springfield. It would have allowed Josh Anderson to stay up with the team and he could have stepped in tonight. It would have given Jarmo time to evaluate Murray and see if he’s back and ready for the NHL. And it would have given him time to figure out what to do with all these defencemen.
The Ugly: First Pairing Defencemen
I know these guys get harped on alot, but they continue to be terrible each and every game. Tonight the top pair featured Fedor Tytuin and Jack Johnson on his off side. Johnson is bad enough on his “strong” side so I didnt expect much with him switching sides. He finished with a 35% Corsi which remarkably was better than Tuytin who finished with a 29% Corsi.
Tweet of the Game:
Forgot how fun it can be to watch Murray play.
— Alison (@AlisonL) February 1, 2015
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