Is it me or did that game feel familiar to anyone who attended last night’s home game? Home team establishes early lead, away team breaks open the scoring in the 2nd half of the game, away team applies great pressure towards the end to threaten sending the game to over time. I agree with Richards on his post-game comments that while we may not have gotten the results we hoped for tonight, the way the Jackets played is the blue print for future success. Let’s hope he and I are both right.
3rd Star: Nick Foligno
Foligno was certainly a difference maker tonight and had a hand in both of the CBJ’s goals as well as the play that saw McElhinney leave the ice for the duration of gameplay with what I can only assume was a head injury. I’m sure Foligno would say that tonight was just like any other game but it’s always great to see a player get that extra gear when facing his old team. Nick was a force tonight.
2nd Star: Robin Lehner
With a merely average net minder in the crease tonight, we could have had an entirely different outcome tonight. I’m convinced that Wennberg is going to asked to identify Lehner out of a lineup to the Ottawa PD later this evening for absolutely robbing him of his first NHL goal. Lehner made great stops in the first 40 minutes of play and when the CBJ really started peppering him with shots in the 3rd, he stood tall. Hard not to be impressed with his performance tonight.
1st Star: Mike Hoffman
I’d be hard pressed to argue that any player with a 2 point evening where one is the GWG doesn’t deserve 1st star of the game. Sadly, watching the replay of Hoffman’s goal doesn’t necessarily leave me as impressed with his individual performance as depressed with Savard and Johnson’s play in front of him.
Game In One Picture:
Stud: Sergei Bobrovsky
Coming off the bench at the 7:02 mark of the 2nd period the night after putting in a solid outing is a big ask of any net minder. While I’m sure Bob would play 82 games given the opportunity, him getting rest on back-to-backs like this is a necessity. He came in, faced good scoring chances and allowed only the 1 Hoffman goal for the remainder of regulation. Fingers are crossed that McElhinney won’t be out long-term.
Dud: The Slow Start
An early 2 goal deficit can be deadly if you’re facing the wrong team. I’m glad the Jackets showed resiliency and dug their way out tonight but as they get ready to square away against some of the league’s best in California, this kind of deficit could prove insurmountable.
The Jackets are off until Thursday. There are rumblings that we could see Murray back in time for the California trip. If that happens, will it offer a shot in the arm for a banged up Jackets team looking to take on some of what the Western conference has to offer? I sure hope so. Carry the flag!
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