The Blue Jackets and Islanders played their 2nd out of 4 meetings this season to, well, much the same tune as the first meeting. The Jackets played well for the first two periods, at least in the sense that when the buzzer rang after 20 and 40 the Jackets had scored at 19:28 of the period to tie things up. They hadn’t exactly shot many pucks at Halak, but the ones that got through were solid shots.
While the Jackets rallied to pepper Halak with 19 shots in the 3rd, the game unraveled quickly after the Islanders managed to score goals back to back and absolutely suck the hope out of the building for the Jackets. Adding a 6th later, the Islanders cruised to a 6-3 victory and keep their season going, making me the most jealous kind of person in the world. They’re going to play the Penguins in the playoffs and they’re going to beat them, too.
3rd Star: Frans Nielsen
Nielsen’s goal was the winner, and what a goal it was! A clipped shot and a bouncing puck, sure, Nielsen was lucky to have gotten the drop but I’m impressed at the skill needed to convert on the chance. You can actually see the exact moment on this goal where poor Anton Forsberg’s soul breaks in half, and it is painful.
2nd Star: Josh Bailey
Bailey had the games first two goals, and they were pretty fantastic. The second one especially, a sharp angled shot that somehow squeaked by Anton Forsberg (which, seemed like a fluke…and still somehow after 6 goals seems like a fluke) and that set the pace for the game. The Islanders were all over the CBJ all game, and until the Jackets’ explosion of shots in the 3rd it showed on the scoreboard.
1st Star: John Tavares
Boy, you can’t write a hockey game any better for the Islanders? Guys like Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen working hard and grabbing a lead and then here comes Captain, Oh Captain to lock the game down with two goals of his own. Kudos to him though, he wasn’t pedestrian. He had two assists along with the two daggers and I think he deserves the first star.
Game in One Picture:
No one expected the Jackets to win this game, and for the first two periods you could argue that the Jackets really came out to play, at least to make it a game. They scored 2 in the first to tie and Cam Atkinson, pushing the puck off of the aura of his will, tied the game at 3 in the third. Can we laugh at the two last minute goals? Damn, it was good to see that happening to someone else for a change!
Dud: Anton Forsberg
It’s harsh, I know he’s young…but I don’t know if there could have been a poorer showing for the young netminder. I’ll give Anton one thing; he’s got his post-goal “I’ve just been shot” look down. Sure, the CBJ defense isn’t the best but…erf. One has to wonder what Bobrovsky would have been able to do for us if he was playing last night instead.
Well, the Jackets have only one direction to really go right now and that’s down. The tank was interrupted for a moment with that win over the Flyers, but now everything’s back on track. It’s been a while since we’ve been in this position as Jackets fans…and really, I don’t think anyone’s truthfully wishing for the Jackets to lose out, but I almost hope they play bad enough to make Richards sweat. Don’t tell Mark I said that.
Carry the Flag!
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