Well there it is, game number 82 in the books. The final score was maybe a little closer than I would have liked to see, and Bob saw a little too much rubber, but all things considered, throwing up almost 80 shots on net in (basically) meaningless games is not too shabby. With the win, a match-up in the first round with the Penguins is now set, the Jackets will have a little time to heal/rest up, and the best season in franchise history continues on.
Third Star: Mark Letestu
Not much creativity by the star pickers tonight. Letestu scored, so he gets a star. Personally, I would have gone with Boone Jenner. Tied with a game high six shots on goal (with Fedor Tyutin), and paired up with Ryan Johansen for a dominating performance by that line. James Wisniewski was also quite good tonight. And hey, both of them picked up assists.
Second Star: Jimmy Hayes
Fun fact: Jimmy Hayes was once linemates with a certain little fella by the name of Cam Atkinson. Hayes was fine tonight, scoring a goal on four shots. He looks to have found a role in the NHL over the last while in Florida. He looked like he was going to bust of the league in Chicago, but has been solid down the stretch (7g, 6a in 22 March/April games).
First Star: Ryan Johansen
Let’s do a little Player A/Player B comparison.
Player A:
82GP, 33G, 30A, 63Pts, +3, 237 shots on goal, 114 hits, 39 blocked shots, 692 faceoff wins, 17:38 TOI per game.
Players B:
54GP, 31G, 23A, 54Pts, +5, 179 shots on goal, 43 hits, 7 blocked shots, 19 faceoff wins, 18:15 TOI per game.
Player A is clearly Ryan Johansen. Player B is Rick Nash, at the same age as Johansen and in his third NHL season. Nash has the edge in goals, assists and points, but not by much. Factor in an unreasonably high shooting percentage (which almost cut in half for Nash the following season), look at their shots on goal, look at all the other things Johansen does, and their roles on the ice. This version of Nash was only relied on for offense, and nothing else. Johansen is relied on for everything. He’s also a center, which holds much more value. He plays tougher opponents, and is expected to shut them down, while also scoring.
Stud: The powerplay
I thought it looked pretty damn good tonight. The puck movement was fantastic, they managed to pot a couple of goals, and could have easily had a few more had Luongo not been quite as good. And that pass by Wiz on Johansen’s goal. I could eat that pass for dinner. Yes, they spent a great deal of time on the powerplay (and gave up a shorty), but they did manage to fire twelve shots on goal. Another reason I like so much powerplay time: Jacket players are not getting hit or blocking shots on the powerplay. Considering the current Mash unit back in Columbus, I liked seeing as much time on the PP as possible.
Dud: The regular season has come to an end
Obviously I am excited for the playoffs. But I am definitely sad to see the regular season close. It means we are just that much closer to no longer getting to watch this bunch go to work. And I loved watching this team play hockey. Ryan Johansen blossomed into a star this year, but I’m not sure he fully realized it yet. Marian Gaborik and Nathan Horton were ghosts. This team was functionally without star skaters. They weren’t a team that could get away with cutting corners. There could be no cheating, no leaking out of the defensive zone, no lazy backchecking. The depth of this squad meant cutting corners could get you a ticket to the press box. There was a top to bottom accountability that has never before existed in Columbus. I am hopeful this carries over to next year, but you never know. Maybe a certain young breakout player gets paid big time this summer. Then has magazines and websites lauding him. And maybe his head grows a few sizes. Maybe Derek MacKenzie walks this summer, and turns out to actually be as important as many fans seem to think he is. Maybe Wiz suffers some freaks summer accident. A lot of maybes out there. What isn’t a maybe is this season. This season is now in the books, and by every single measure is the greatest in franchise history. Let’s keep it rolling, win some playoff games, and really make it a year for the history books.
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