Sunday Morning Fare/ Clip The Wings

Had a full day of domestic chores yesterday, getting the prodigal son ready to go back to Miami U. after Spring Break, etc., so had the opportunity to bask in the glow of the Jackets' current 4 games stretch. What kind of odds could you have gotten in Vegas that the Jackets would beat Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago in sequence, with 2 on the road, and the backup goalie in one game?

Startling Newcomers -- How brilliant does Howson look right now for getting Williams and Vermette in exchange for a minor league defenseman, an injured goalie and a 2nd round pick? Here are some numbers to consider: In 41 games with Atlanta, Williams had 7 goals, 11 assists for 18 points, and a +/- of -9. In 26 games here, he has 8 goals, 11 assists 19 points and is +7. Over 82 games, that boils down to 25 goals, 35 assists, 60 points and +22. I'd take that, wouldn't you?

Same story with Vermette, except more so. In 62 games with Ottawa, Vermette had 9 goals, 19 assists 28 points and was - 12. In 4 games with the CBJ, he has 3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points and is +4. That extends to 61 goals, 61 assists, 122 points, +82! :-)

What this shows is one of the great things about hockey -- the chemistry aspect. It is not enough to have individually talented people, though you certainly need that. The flow of a hockey game is so quick, and the margin between success and failure so small, that the ability to read your teammates and know where they are going to be is critical. Look at Detroit as a great example of guys who know each other and play as a seamless unit.

Howson as a keen eye for players that are being misused by their current clubs, and are currently underperforming. He and Hitch have also showed the required patience to let our boys gel as a unit and create their own chemistry. As predicted here, they have played better and better with each passing week and month, as that chemistry has developed. Watching Williams and Vermette blend in has been fun. Williams is effusive in his praise for Columbus, and Vermette is sounding more upbeat with each game. These guys are two keepers!

Startling Newcomers, Part II -- This one refers not to the players, but to the fans who have recently jumped on the CBJ bandwagon or have changed their tune from one of rank pessimism to cheerleaders. In typical fashion for the lunatic fringe of Central Ohio sports fans, people who couldn't have told you the difference between Mike Commodore and Commodore Perry three weeks ago are now buying jerseys and claiming long time allegiance. Don't get me wrong, the more the merrier, but it is pretty amusing to watch. To a lesser extent I saw the same thing back in San Francisco, when Walsh and Montan came on the scene as saviors for us long suffering Niner fans, while scores of new bandwagon members jumped on. Hopefully, this will represent the turning point where Central Ohio sports fans begin to recognize that there is more to life than college sports.

Perception Changing -- Lots of key indicators showing that perception of the Jackets is changing, not only locally, but across the league. TSH, THN and NHL.com have featured an increasing number of complimentary feature pieces on the Jackets, and the blogs are full of positive observations. NHL Network has pretty much conceded the Calder Trophy to Mason (and in contention for the Vezina and Hart), and believes the Jackets not only will be in the playoffs, but could do some damage once there. Even the volume of questionable calls seems to have gone down from the officials, but that may be imagination on my part. However, I will note that the last two Toronto reviews have gone in our favor. A team record, I believe. . . .

Schedule Relief -- After wading through the majority of the schedule most heavily laden with back-to-back games in the league, the Jackets now have a couple of weeks of sanity. The next consecutive game instance is not until March 28-29, with a home and home against St. Louis. (We will be in St. Louis with the Jacket Backers!) While you want to play frequently when you are hot, a few days between games will be just what the doctor ordered, literally, for the guys.

Red Wings Keys -- The final game of the regular season (nice to have to specify "regular") against Detroit this afternoon, just over a week after we were part of the giddy contingent in Joe Louis Arena cheering on the 8 - 2 drubbing of the Wings. Don't expect the same tonight. Detroit will be out for revenge, and needs a win to salvage a .500 record against the Jackets this season. They are also in a tight race for the top seed in the West. They had the offense clicking yesterday in St. Louis, so have some momentum coming in.

On the Jacket's side, they are playing perhaps the best hockey in the league right now, have some offensive confidence and mometum, and Steve Mason with some extra rest. Detroit is on the back end of a back-to-back, and their goaltending situation is, shall we say, unsettled. Osgood played well yesterday, so don't know if they will go with him again, figuring he is hot, or go with Conklin in light of the consecutive day games. Either way, we just need to stay out of the box, play Hitch Hockey like we have been, and pepper the net.

We'll be in our usual spot in Section 110, and likely hanging around the JacketBackers table at the first intermission. Go Jackets!

He's Baaaaack!!!

OK, so my penalty for not doing this last night, instead of today, is that everybody else got to the whole Jason/Friday the 13th bit before I did. My bad . . . However, to hear the Red Wings talk after last night's 3 - 2 loss to the CBJ, the Jasons (Chimera and Williams) aside, Steve Mason is enough to give them nightmares for awhile.

Because of other commitments, I couldn't be on hand in person last night -- only the second time this year that I've missed -- but caught the end of the second on the radio and all of the third on the tube. The difference in Mason is stark and mind-numbing. Compared to the NW Canada trip, when he was unknowingly suffering from Mono, he is now much smoother, much more aggressively dominant in the crease. His athleticism was fully apparent last night, and the team reacted to it.

After every game, and on the days in between, I scour the Canadian websites and catch NHL On The Fly on the NHL Network, as well as any other broadcasts I can get my hands on. After last night's game, NHL Network was wrapping up the Calder and mailing it to Mason's house. Now, what about the Vezina? LIkely will take 30 wins and continued statistical dominance for him to earn it, given the league prejudice in favor of "established" players. How beautiful would it be, though, for him to win the Calder and Vezina, and then let the league explain why he wasn't an All Star?

Since I don't do the +/- deal when I haven't personally seen the whole game, I'll make just a few observations. First, gotta love that Chimera, Williams, Voracek line. Wow! Voracek was huge last night, all over the ice, Chimmer scores a classic Chimera-style goal, and Williams plays sniper with the game winner. What's not to like?

Strongly disagree with those who are dissing Nash right now. First of all, my bet is that he has played through a bout with the flu. Secondly, he is doing tons of the dirty, nasty stuff that is making things possible for other guys. Watch him in the corners, moving the puck, being a force at the blue line on the PK. Missed another breakaway, but he had been on a real roll, and the fact that we are winning with Nash and Huselius in a bit of a scoring lull is really good. When Nash is on defense, on the PK or otherwise, other teams are having to change their passing up high, as with his long stick and reach, he is always a threat to go deep. That sort of influence doesn't show up on the scoresheet.

All the credit in the world goes out to Backman, who is looking more and more comfortable and in charge at both ends. He has taken a load of crap this year, much of it deserved, but has refused to simply go through the motions. That, folks, is character.

Total team effort last night, and another big psychological step by taking the tying goal in the 3rd, and simply stuffing it back at them. At the beginning of the season, we are looking at that three game stretch of San Jose, Colorado, Detroit and hoping for 3 points. We get 6. Wow!

Mase is back, the team is playing well, and big things are ahead. 18 days to the trade deadline, and Howson has more magic up his sleeves, I am sure. First things first -- Carolina preview is next!

Go Jackets!

Avalanche Fall Hard!

Look carefully at the picture at the left -- almost 1 year ago, LaCosta leads Syracuse over the Avs affiliate, Lake Erie, with the help of Mark Methot.

Fast forward 1 year, and LaCosta cashes his 1st NHL shutout against the Avalanche, completing a season sweep of an opponent that has historically bedeviled the franchise. The 8th shutout this year, all of the coming from players that were in the AHL when the year began. Wow!

In many respects, this was the type of game Jackets fans have come to expect this year, and in other ways not. As we have in many games, we dominated the first period, 16 shots to 4, had an overwhelming advantage in possession, but had nothing to show for it. Budaj made some nice saves, and other opportunities we just missed. As in some previous games, we went catatonic in the second period -- taking penalties, getting outhit, etc., and were outshot by almost as large a margin. Starting the 3rd, we again dominated, and once Murray scored, there was no turning back. This was different from past games. Tonight, we got them down and then stepped on their throat. The intensity went off the chart after the first goal, and we went for more -- and got them. That is learning how to win, and how to beat a team that they should. No backing off, no protecting the lead. We gave up a few rushes toward the end, but 1 post and a couple of nice saves preserved the shutout.

Here are the +/- for the night:

++LaCosta -- Labrador City is drinking heavily tonight! What an effort by this young man. Though not nearly of Mason's stature, his movements in goal are very similar, and his style of movement is closer to Mason than Leclaire. The team also responds well in front of him, which is huge. Where would the CBJ have been this year without the efforts of Mason and LaCosta?

++Defense --Not the stifling display we saw against San Jose (we were outshot 31-30), but somehow watching the game you never felt that imminent threat from the Avs. Sure, they rang one off the post after it didn't matter, and LaCosta made some great saves, but much of their effort was kept at the perimeter and we did a nice job of poke checking and clearing the slot.

++Special Teams -- Penalty kill was perfect, even after some ticky tack calls against us. No goals on the two PP attempts, but I sure like the look of it a lot better.

++Players -- Hejda, Commodore, Tyutin were just huge all night. Russell was a single handed puck moving machine, and Klesla showed some energy. Murray was strong, and got a crazy goal from no angle, after his one-handed spike was disallowed (properly) by the on ice officials and Toronto. Torres had his best game as a Jacket, and Modin and Chimera both worked hard. Voracek turned in what is becoming a normal strong effort. Williams continues to prove that Howson is a genius.

--Puck Handling -- When we get in trouble, it is because we get too fancy and/or careless with the puck. Our top line can crisply move the puck back and forth, but they did not click tonight, though they generated lots of chances. Turnovers in the neutral zone and near our own blue line robbed us of chances and gave the Avs the few chances they had.

--Fans -- 14+ K at the game on a beatiful night in Columbus was a weak showing, and the crowd was unduly quiet. Sure, it was a measured game, but we dominated the first and you would have thought that we were at a chess match. Guess the blood alcohol took awhile to reach therapeutic levels, as enthusiasm returned in the 3rd.

A necessary win that we did not let get away, and one that moves us up the line. We need to keep the pedal to the metal as we go up against the Wings and Carolina, but watching that confidence and effort, you have to have a good feeling about this club. Go Jackets!!

Improbable Victory!!

Hitch had it right ----in his post game comments, Hitch noted that it was "games like this that make coaches go into scouting." In an exhausting, gut-wrenching, insanely schizophrenic effort, the CBJ outlasted the Canucks, gaining a 6 - 5 shootout victory and 2 very big points in the last road trip before the All-Star break.

Make no mistake, this was an ad lib performance, one where the script got thrown out early on. Instead of Hitch-Hockey, it became a track meet, a dizzying up and back affair that seemed destined to be decided only because rules say these things eventually have to end. There were moments of pure elegance, when you could swear our team was composed of Hall of Famers -- the tic, tac, toe passing leading to Malhotra's first goal. The precision of the Rick Nash to Kris Russell to Jason Williams power play goal. Commodore's beauty from the point. There were also tons of moments that made you wonder where these slow footed, jet lag laden guys came from. In between, there were ludicrous moments, such as the floater that Mason kicks appropriately toward the corner -- except that Nash happens to be skating by at that moment, and it hits his thigh and goes in. Vancouver fans booing Roberto Luongo. Yep, lots of bizarre goings on at the 3,000th game in Canuck's history.

Most of all, this win was one of character, of toughness, of refusal to lose. The Malhotra goal to tie it in the first. Two great goals at the end of the second to come back from a two goal deficit to tie it. Read that last sentence again -- two goal deficit. On the road. Against Vancover. This ain't your father's Bluejacket team. Having gotten into Luongo's head with those two goals to cap the second, they proceed to score 2 quickies from Torres and Commodore at the start of the 3rd, to go up 5 - 3. The celebration is on, right? Nope. The fluke goal off of Nash and a nasty power play shot from one of those pain-in-the-neck Sedin twins, and we are tied at 5. Two All Star goalies, and the game has more points than the Steelers-Ravens game . . . Again, past Bluejacket teams fold up their tent at this point, graciously thank their hosts, and move on to the next town. Not this bunch. They dusted themselves off, dominated the rest of the third and the OT, got beautiful SO goals from Williams (great choice to lead off, Hitch!) and Nash, Mason shuts down Wellwood and Sundin, and you walk away with 2 points. Whew!!!!

Here are the +/- for the game:

+ Nash -- Give this guy a week off more often. A beautiful wraparound goal, two nice assists, and overall domination of the ice when he was there. That line with Huselius, Malhotra and Nash is scary every time they cross the blue line.

+ Attitude -- This is probably the 3rd or 4th time I have awarded a + for attitude, which in itself says volumes about this hockey club. These guys had every reason to quit, and didn't. They had dead legs (see below), were in a hitting contest, got some bad breaks, some non-calls, fell behind, came back, fell behind, came back, took the lead, lost it -- and then dominated. That is the mark of a winning club, folks.

+ Power Play -- Yes, you are reading this right. Due to a rash of coincidental minors, and a lot of non-calls, we only had two power plays all night, and one of those was a 4 vs 3 in OT. However, the one PP we did have in regulation was so pretty, I had to give it a plus. We created space, we moved the puck quickly -- we used the width of the ice, not just the perimeter, and Jason Williams converted a one-timer from Russell into a wide open net. Well done! Honorable mention to the PK, which was great, except for an awful kill attempt that gave the Canucks their 4th goal.

+ Players -- Besides Nash, you have to give the + sign to Jason Williams, who scored the PP goal, made a beautiful shot in the shootout, and generally showed speed, puck handling and an ability to take control. Imagine what he will look like when he gets to know his line mates. + signs also for Boll and Torres, who were tenacious on the puck all night, and created lots of opportunities. Tyutin continues to get shots through from the point, Russell is just fun to watch with the puck, and Commodore has turned into a scoring machine. Modin also played a heavy game. Not sure what to say about Huselius. On the one hand, he created lots of opportunities and had two assists. On the other hand, he failed to convert some beautiful opportunities. He is great, but frustrates the heck out of me at times.

--Defense-- We looked slow, tentative and generally clueless in our own zone much of the night. Tollefson was befuddled by the Vancouver forwards. Methot had his second awful game in a row. He let his man go, leading to the first goal, and got himself trapped with the puck, made turnovers, just generally bad. The All-Star break is coming at the right time for him. Canuck forwards coming down the middle were either left alone or just harassed with some feeble attempts at poke checks.

--Legs -- As I noted above, while at times we clicked, at other times we looked like we had just gotten off the flight -- from China. Come on guys, it's not that long of a flight, and you have had a day to get over it. They almost looked at times like some of our younger guys were awed by the 3000 game hoopla and the whole Sundin mystique. Get over it --- soon!

This was a victory engineered by veterans -- Nash, Modin, Commodore, Tyutin, Williams,Huselius. The kids provided energy at times, and their never-say-die attitude is becoming contagious. 2 huge points on the road, in the type of game we have historically never won. We came to Mason's aid (and he was far from bad) and did what needed to be done for the victory. That is 4 out of the last 5, 8 out of the last 11, and 5 for 7 on the road. Great job. I'm exhausted . . .

The Road Ahead

Although today was a relatively quiet day in CBJ land in terms of news, there is anticipation in the air.

--As Puck-Rakers reported, the Jackets had 25 players on the ice in practice today, enough for 5 forward lines. Nash is iffy for Friday, but Torres will go. Mackenzie has already made his way back to Syracuse, and MacDonald is probably not far behind. Novotny, Chimera and Klesla a ways off. Who stays, who goes? Don't rush Nash back too early . . .

--With Jason Williams in the fold, the focus now turns to the next deal. (We fans are insatiable -- blood in the water makes us look for more!) The news from Ottawa is that they really want Rostislav Klesla, even with his injury history. Klesla (+/- a draft pick) for Vermette?? Could happen. Brian Burke's trigger finger in Toronto also has to be getting itchy. Antropov for draft choices? Also feasible. Then, what is LeClaire's status and what do we do for backup there? Sandford cleared waivers in Vancouver and is headed for AHL. He should be had for 7th round pick. Martin Gerber has accepted AHL reconditioning assignment for Ottawa, but his contract is awfully rich. We can't play Mason every game, and La Costa is not the answer right now.

-- Four tough games before the All Star break -- New Jersey at home, followed by the NW Canada trip to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. 3 - 1 would be outstanding. We then come back to10 our of 13 at home, and the chance to put some distance between us and the pack of other contenders. While Minnesota leaped over us tonight by a point with their win over Edmonton, keep in mind that we are only 3 points out of the 5th slot, and have two games in hand over both Vancouver and Anaheim.

Cause for hope: Luongo has surrendered 2 goals on 11 shots in the 1st period vs. the Coyotes. Hopefully he stays rusty through our visit!!!

Lots of things to be optimistic about right now!

Go Jackets!!

Jackets Land Williams From Thrashers

While my wife and I were doing our best Canadian impersonations . . . shoveling our driveway (my wife for the second time today), the Jackets completed a trade with the Atlanta Thrashers, acquiring Center Jason Williams in return for Clay Wilson and a 6th round draft pick in the 2009 draft.

Williams, a 28 year old Ontario native, brings a right-handed shot and power play point experience to the Jackets. His NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings came in the Jackets' inaugural season of 2000-2001. He spent most of the next 3 seasons bouncing between the AHL and the big club, though stuck with Detroit through the 2002 Stanley Cup campaign. His breakout year came in 2005 - 2006, when he had 21 goals and 37 assists in 80 games for the Red Wings. He netted his first career hat trick against the Bluejackets on October 22 of that year in a 6 - 0 Wings victory. All 3 goals came in the first period. The following year, 2006 -2007, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks after he sustained a concussion in a hit delivered by then-Edmonton Oiler Raffi Torres. His contributions during the 2007 -2008 season were limited by a sports hernia injury. He became a free agent after that season, signing with the Atlanta Thrashers.

A power play specialist with a strong shot and good savvy, Williams is on the smallish side, at 5' 11" and 195 pounds. THN describes his skill set as follows:

ASSETS: Is gifted and savvy. Can put up solid numbers and works well with talented linemates. Is very useful on the power play and can even play the point.
FLAWS: Lacks size and supreme skating ability. Must play a grittier game in order to maximize his productivity on a scoring line.
CAREER POTENTIAL: Top six forward.

This seems like a nice pick-up by Howson on several levels. We simultaneously get a right handed shot, power play experience and depth at forward, while not giving up much. Wilson was clearly not in the long term plans for the Jackets, and the 6th round choice is a no-brainer. We are on the hook for about $1 million of his $2.2 million salary. He has only a 1 year deal, so some risk on being able to sign him. However, having spent most of his career in Chicago and Detroit, Columbus could not be viewed as a stretch for him. At 28, he is experienced, but still young enough to potentially be around for a long time.

This was a fine bit of sleight of hand -- everyone was looking at potential PP help coming from a defenseman with a right handed shot, with most attention focusing on Pavel Kubina of Toronto. That could still happen, but I would still look now for a draft choice deal for Nik Antropov from Toronto. With Vancouver having put Curtis Sandford on waivers, we may take a shot at him, if he is around, to provide insurance for Le Claire.

Bottom line, the first piece of the puzzle is in place, with minimal investment on our part. Good start Scott!!!