Last night the Blue Jackets took the ice at Nationwide against Los Angeles. Jeff Carter (or I suppose for some J*ff C*rter) returned to a smattering of boos from the 11,000 on hand nearly every time he jumped on the ice for a shift. That level rose when he touched the puck and never really seemed to dial down. In fact, when Carter scored later, there was such a long pause on the goal announcement, there was legitimate curiousity if Nationwide would even announce his name to the crowd.
It was good to see. While I am not an anti-Carter guy, I think it brings a fan base closer together being able to hate someone. Despite all the shortcomings of this early season (not to mention the injuries), it shows that there is passion here and those who wear the union blue need to earn the respect of the fans.
While I did not particularly enjoy the first period, it was successful for the team. A smooth transition into the offensive zone by Mark Letestu gave Fedor Tyutin the time and space to look for a pass, and while it did not connect with MacKenzie’s stick, it did connect with his skate. Slightly fortunate, the Jackets took a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission thanks to the grinder’s first of the year.
The second period was not nearly as kind. A sneaky backhand from Kopitar early in the period beat Mason, and only four minutes later, Los Angeles got their lucky break. Carter flung the puck into the crease from behind the net, only to have it ricochet off Tyutin’s skate and through Mason’s five hole. It was a tough break, a ‘wind out of sails’ goal, leaving the Jackets to attempt the climb out of another deficit. I was curious to see if the team could respond. Thankfully, they did.
Resilience paid off when Brassard took a pass from Erixon and backhanded home his second of the year. Of the Jackets waiting to take off, Brassard is certainly one of them, and his goal knotted the game at two apiece.
Unfortunately, the positives end there. Near the midway point of the second period, Scuderi and Dubinsky raced for the puck as it neared the boards. For some very foolish reason, Scuderi opted to not protect himself and actually ducked his head as they approached. While Dubinsky could have laid off the hit, he instead attempted to move to one side but it was unsuccessful. He drove Scuderi into the boards, causing a major penalty. Suggestions that a meeting with the league is forthcoming came from the TSN crew on twitter, and this morning, a phone conference with the disciplinary committee was confirmed, but I hope he is slapped on the wrist.
I do not condone finishing those checks, but I am very tired of players hiding behind the rulebook. Scuderi could have done any number of things in that scenario to avoid getting hit. Rather, he took advantage of a guideline and hoped it would be enough. Shortly after the check, Foligno was being chased in an eerily similar situation, but instead of tucking his head and skating into the boards, he initiated contact with the attacking player and it lead to possession for the Blue Jackets. Feel free to pass that ‘how to’ video around NHL.
As it goes, Dubinsky’s presence was missed. Voynov scored a minute later while two Jackets played perfect screen to Mason, and I was left wondering how much different the game would have looked with #17 on ice as the second intermission report completed. The Jackets were outshot badly (17-2) and were left to again dig out of the hole.
The third was not terrible, it just wasn’t exciting. Columbus outshot Los Angeles 8-6 and the lone goal came from Mike Richards who slammed home a rebound while crashing the net. Lots of decent chances late in the frame, but Columbus’ inability to hit the net from the perimeter cost them a real shot at closing the gap, and the final horn sounded with the score in favour of the Kings 4-2.
Overall I was pleased with how the young defensive call-ups played. It is relatively entertaining seeing unfamiliar numbers and trying to figure out who “that short, slighter frame” is. I think Tim Erixon has shown signs of improvement in his games in Columbus and could continue to make his presence viable on a third unit. I have not been overly impressed with David Savard and did not see enough of Cody Goloubef to have an opinion aside from his need to bulk up.
Mason gave them a decent chance to win, but I am sure he’d like a couple back. In summary, Mase faced tough breaks on the Carter and Richards goals, a same-team screen on the Voynov goal, and an over-commitment to the five hole on the Kopitar goal. Nothing really stood out to me there, although I would like to see Bobrovsky push him with a start on Thursday.
Last night was another step in a long-short season. The Blue Jackets have mountains to climb this year and need to continue to develop the team mentality of leaving it all on the ice. I am hoping to see a more constructive, more exciting game on Thursday against Calgary. Hopefully Brandon Dubinsky is able to join the team.
Carry the Flag.
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