If you only saw the opening and closing of the Jackets 4-3 loss to the Kings tonight, you might think they played a pretty good game. You’d be wrong. Despite a strong opening couple minutes, halfway through the third period this looked like one of the Jackets worst games of the season. Fortunately they picked it up, David Savard scored late, and they made an exciting game of it by the end. But man were those middle 48 minutes atrocious. Just embarassingly terrible. They were clearly not in the game tonight. They twice gave up a goal immediately after scoring one themselves. This isn’t a loss to be blamed on injuries, like many this year. This game was about one team clearly outworking the other. The scoreboard may look close, but the 44-26 shot differential tells a clearer tale, especially when you consider the Jackets picked up the final four shots of the game, and outshot the Kings 12-8 over the final ten minutes (in other words the shots were 36-14 with 10 minutes left).
3rd Star: Scott Hartnell
Many congratulations to Hartnell on his 1000th career game, and his goal was a beauty.
2nd Star: Jeff Carter
1st Star: Dwight King
I’m going to discuss both these players at once, as I would like to talk about “That 70’s Line” and keeping together players who click. King and Carter, along with linemate Tyler Toffoli, combined for a whopping ten shots, three goals, and five points. Carter and Toffoli have spent most of their time with the injured Tanner Pearson, but when he went down Daryl Sutter replaced him with King. He didn’t split them up, he didn’t mess with his lines any more than was necessary. Some guys just work well together. I know a few guys I have played with that for whatever reason just worked. Where I liked to go and where I liked to put the puck fit perfectly with where they like to go and how they like the puck. Some guys can fit with anyone, but most players are generally better with someone who fits. Give guys long enough together to figure it out, and good players will. But sometimes you stumble across something like Carter-Toffoli-Pearson (and/or King) that just clicks from the start. The Blue Jackets have one of these combos, a pair of players that have made each other better from the first second they were paired together. That pair of players is Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen. I get wanting to spread out the offense, but sometimes all you are doing is making your team worse. I know the prior few games went just dandy, but I really hope to see Foligno back alongside Johansen next game.
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Stud: A Beauty for Hartnell from Johansen
Yup
Dud: This
For the record, that is David Savard, Kevin Connauton, Corey Tropp, Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, and Curtis McElhinney, all in the same frame, and none of them touching or stopping Tyler Toffoli.
The Jackets will theoretically play their next game Friday night in Columbus when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers (but not Steve Mason, as he was seriously injured during a TV timeout). Hopefully the extra few days rest will mean a full 60 minute effort.
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