Disappointing end to what once looked so promising. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this game, as the Jackets have traditionally struggled with the Avalanche’s speed. But minus top scorer Matt Duchene, the Avalanche were not able to pull away like they usually do. The Jackets controlled play for the first two periods, carrying a resounding two goal lead into the third period. Unfortunately, they couldn’t hang on, and a (justified) penalty on Artem Anisimov put the Avs on a 4v3 powerplay in overtime to seal the deal. On the bright side, the Jackets got a point, New Jersey only got one point, and Washington got crushed. So the CBJ stay in a playoff spot for the time being.
Third Star: Matt Calvert
Calvert was solid tonight, but I’m a little surprised to see him here. His boxcar stats are nothing to write home about (0 points, 1 shot, 2 hits), but he was part of a line that did some good work tonight. If a Jacket is being honored in this spot, I’d have like to have seen Blake Comeau get the nod. A goal, five shots, three hits, tops among Jackets forwards in Corsi %, and earned himself a promotion up from the fourth line.
Second Star: Brandon Dubinsky
Dubi was beastly tonight. Only one assist, but six shots on goal, seven hits, while matched up against the Avalanche’s top line. In a rare off night he was only 40% on the draw though. But he more than made up for it with some fantastic work on the ill-fated overtime penalty kill (props to Derek MacKenzie as well on that one).
First Star: Gabriel Landeskog
Did Landeskog call his shot? Gotta call the bank or it doesn’t count. Look, Landeskog is a great player, and two goals, including a game winner, in a 3-2 game is going to get you first star, but he wasn’t much of a presence tonight. He managed two goals. On two shots. Now think back to his goals. A redirect in traffic in front, and a pass that banked in. Those were his two shots on net. He didn’t take any actual shots all game.
Dud: Puck Luck
I mean come on. One banked-in goal is bad enough. Two in one game is stupid. The Jackets were the better team tonight. They outplayed the Avs, controlled the play, had more offensive zone time, and managed to score a couple of goals on one of the best goalies in the league this year. Sergei Bobrovsky was great in his return. But a couple of lucky bounces (even the Landeskog goal could have easily stayed out of the net with some luck) and the Jackets leave the rink with a single point. It’s games like this where you really see that PDO is a thing that is real. All three of those Avs goals could have stayed out of the net, and the Jackets win 2-0 and have all kinds of “momentum”. Instead, they went in and the Jackets have a tough road to hoe moving forward.
Stud: The End of the Tropp on a Scoring Line Era
Corey Tropp is not very good. He works very hard, but he is just not quite an NHL player. Watching him get a couple games worth of extended looks was incredibly frustrating. He almost singlehandedly killed Ryan Johansen against Carolina. And he was doing his best to drag down Anisimov and Foligno tonight. Before he got dropped to the fourth line in favor of Blake Comeau, Tropp was last on the CBJ in Corsi %, while his most common linemates (Anisimov, Foligno, Nikitin and Savard) were right there with him at the bottom. Conversely, the fourth line of MacKenzie, Comeau, and Jared Boll went pretty deep into the game before Colorado even attempted a shot on goal (I mean like two periods in). The final Corsi % tallies? Tropp was the worst forward. Comeau was the best forward. Foligno and Anisimov worked their way above 50%. Boll and MacKenzie dropped precipitously. Fun fact: Colorado did not attempt a shot while Blake Comeau and Jared Boll (linemates for two periods) were on the ice together. The third period was the opposite. The Jackets did not have a single shot attempt with Boll and Tropp on the ice together. Boll finished the game dead even in shot attempts for/against. Take from that what you will (I hope it’s that Corey Tropp should never be in a lineup over someone who is a capable NHL player).
So that is all for tonight. Thanks for sticking out my Corey Tropp rant, but I really needed that off my chest. Hopefully his lackluster play these last couple games will get Umberger back in the lineup for him. Hell, I thought Jared Boll was MUCH better than Tropp tonight. Wow. I really need to stop with Tropp. That rhymed. Clearly my cue to end this. Good night all, we’ll see you on Thursday for a big time showdown with Steve Mason and the Philadelphia Flyers.
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