Place Foot On Throat . . . Press Firmly

The Blue Jackets turned in the type of effort everyone had been looking for since the early games of the season -- taking control of the game early, and removing all hope late.  The fact that it happened at the start of their longest road trip of the season is a bonus.

Playing in the back half of a road-home back-to-back, following a solid win over Detroit on Wednesday, Dallas apparently decided that the best way to overcome fatigue is through thuggery.  Dallas came out hard and nasty, as evidenced by the 52 minutes of penalties handed out in the first period, featuring three "official" fights (Daley/Dorsett, Chimera/Ott, Boll/Barch), a double minor to Nash for roughing & boarding, and penalties against both goaltenders for leaving their respective creases to assist in the shenanigans.  (Due to proximity, Turco was in the middle of the melee, while Mason was turned back by the officials as he approached center ice.)

To their credit, the Jackets responded definitively and cohesively.  Though appearing somewhat tentative in the first few minutes of play, they quickly upped the tempo and the intensity.  After successfully killing off an early penalty to Klesla, the Jackets got their first extra man opportunity when Neal went off for hooking at the 7:52 mark.  The power play, ranked 7th in the NHL coming in, maintained possession and crashed the net, with Nash able to finally drive it home for a 1 -0 lead -- a goal Hitch had to be smiling over.

The Dallas response was a physical one, and the Jackets responded in kind.  At with 5:34 left, Dorsett and Neal started a scrum down low, with Trevor Daley then stepping in and escalating it to a full fledged fight with Dorsett, who drew the extra minor for cross-checking.  20 seconds later, Chimera and Ott mixed it up, followed by a predictable square-off between Boll and Barch.  All of this ended up with no impact on the scoresheet.

With 1:43 left in the first, a fracas started in the corner to Turco's right -- with Nash and Robidas as the focal point.  Both squads rushed into the fray, with Turco in the middle of it, apparently having taken umbrage at Torres' dash through the trapezoid.  When it was all sorted out, the penalty boxes were SRO, and the Jackets were again on the penalty kill, with Nash having taken the extra minor. 

The Jackets turned an apparent burden into a benefit.  Returning to the aggressive PK style of the early season, they pressured the puck, got solid clears, and denied Dallas any real scoring opportunities.  With 6 seconds left in the period, Huselius caused a turnover at the blue line, and led a two on one break , with Vermette charging hard to his left.  Counting down the clock in his mind (according to his own statement), he looked off Turco, veered to the center, past Vermette and the defender, and unleashed a wicked wrister that beat Turco through the pads with just 0.3 seconds left in the frame.  The perfect exclamation point to an intense period of hockey.

The Jackets started the second with energy, but failed to convert on a few chances.   At the 6:49 mark, Dorsett was tangled in a scrum for the puck along the boards to Turco's right, when Neal cruised across the ice and laid a vicious shoulder to Dorsett's head, pounding it against the glass.  The image of Dorsett, clearly out on his feet, slumping to the ice, then vainly trying to regain his feet, will be one of the images that finally gets some league action on head shots.  The officials quickly imposed a 5 minute major and game misconduct, and Neal will undoubtedly enjoy some unpaid time off, courtesy of the NHL disciplinary officials.

At this point, the Jackets did what they have so often failed to do in past seasons -- applied the knockout punch.  With a five minute major, they were patient, but persistent, creating some good opportunities.  At the 10:23 mark, Huselius notched his second of the night, with assists from Tyutin and Klesla.  Just 20 seconds later, Voracek made a beautiful feed to Torres on the right, who parked the puck for a 4 - 0 lead.  The margin should have been extended to five just a few seconds later, but Torres' shot to a wide open net maddeningly caromed off the post.  No matter -- the damage had been inflicted.

The lone Dallas marker came on a defensive lapse, which left Modano wide open at the right dot.  A sharp cross-ice pass found him, and Mason had no chance to recover.  Undaunted, the Jackets shut everything down for the remainder of the second and the third, providing the Stars with few opportunities.  Unlike prior games, however, the Jackets were not in retreat -- they kept the pressure up in the offensive zone, and actually outshot the Stars in the third.  That may have been the best indication of all that the team is beginning to make progress.

Mason was terrific between the pipes, looking very much like he did last year.  He was alert, active and aggressive.  At one point, he was perhaps a bit overly aggressive.  Apparently influenced by Turco's wandering habits at the other end, Mason strayed far afield to play the puck up the left-hand board.  It was intercepted, however, forcing Mason to act like a diving shortstop to smother the return shot heading for the far corner.  Other than that, Mason controlled the puck and projected confidence -- signifying a mental recovery from the Detroit debacle of last week.

Confidence was the by-word for the evening.  While still not as sharp with passing as we would perhaps care to see, they were decisive and deliberate with their exit passes, and consistently showed speed through the neutral zone.  Tyutin had his best game of the season in all three zones, and Commodore looked much improved.  Brassard was strong, and Torres brought life to the offense as well.

In summary, a great start to the road trip. The combination of intelligent play and physical presence has to be reassuring to Hitchcock, particularly heading into Nashville on Saturday.  With Dorsett's status unknown, plan to see MacKenzie stay with the big club for perhaps the entire road trip, and for Sestito to be a big factor against the Predators.

Hard Fought, Missed Chances, Still A Point

If this were the old Bluejackets, I would probably be stomping around, cursing Doug MacLean and everyone he ever associated with. Sure, they missed opportunities tonight, and yes, they had two defensive lapses that resulted in goals. But when you outshoot the other team 43 - 22, lay 48 hits on them, and their goalie stands on his head to turn away some terrific opportunities, all you can really do is credit them with a well played game and move on with the point. We remain 6 - 3 - 1 for the first 10 after the All Star break, so slightly ahead of our 60% target.

Maybe I am getting soft in my old age, but there was a lot to like about the way the team played tonight, and some things that need work. In 4 games played with Dallas this year, 3 are decided in OT or SO. All are physical. The Jackets lose Brassard in Dallas, and now it looks like Dallas loses Richards for the season with a fractured wrist. Nothing official, but that's what was reported on Jackets post game. These teams are going to have some more wild ones down the road.

Let's jump right to the +/-:

++ Hitting -- We hit Dallas all over the ice, coming, going and in between. After the indignity of the first 45 seconds, we definitely won the physical battle.

++ Offensive Aggressiveness -- we held the puck for long periods in the offensive zone, put plenty of rubber on net, and dominated long stretches of the game. We took the first 15 shots of the second period. We score 2, and should have scored 3 or 4 more, but for Turco's acrobatics.

++ Defense -- Commodore and Malhotra were caught flat-footed on Richard's goal Mason made the first save, and Richards had time to jam it up and over. Defense was just slow getting back on the second goal -- nothing Mase could do there. Other than that, we kept Dallas at bay all night. Some frustrating cycling behind our net against the wall, which always creates some discomfort at Nationwide, but it ddin't result in anything. Solid effort.

++ Special Teams -- Yeah, we were only 1 for 6 tonight on the PP, but could easily have been more but for Turco. 1.5 stinker PP shifts (see puck handling below). PK was perfect again.

++ Players -- Umberger, of course, with Voracek, Backman and Torres all playing hard and well. Boll, Murray provided energy, and Dorsett was an agitator, but not a big contributor otherwise. Commodore was huge with 8 hits.

--Puck Handling -- After we got 2 goals, we started getting fancy with the puck. Huselius, trying hard to make plays, ended up making more turnovers with ill advised drop passes or other looks that did not connect. Williams did the same thing several times. That hurt both our 5 on 5 game and the PP. However, that is something easily fixed, and with the way we dominated the offensive zone, tough to harp too much on it. We were better with the puck in our own zone.

--Officiating -- No excuses, but my Koharski and his partner were bad. As many power plays as we had, it should have been doubled. Nash was hooked, held, slashed all night, and some comical trips down low were never called. Comical moment when Koharski left his mike on while berating Dorsett in the 1st. Oops . . .

Another point, and nothing veering off course. Apparently came through the game healthy, which is more than Dallas can say. You hate to see that, but also tough to have too much sympathy for the Stars, given what we have been through on the injury front this year.

As I put the finishing touches on this, I note that Ottawa beat Nashville, Atlanta is beating LA 4 - 2, and Edmonton is tied with Phoenix 1 - 1. Edmonton has a tough back to back with Phoenix and San Jose tomorrow.

Shake off the missed point and focus on St. Louis, who might be getting a bit cocky, thinking they have our number. We need to prove otherwise. Go Jackets!!!

Last Roundup With Big D

Game 4 in what has been an edgy, controversial, uncharacteristic series with the Stars from Dallas this season. Starting with premiere goaltenders Turco and Leclaire for the first 2 games, the teams netted 20 goals, 10 apiece, as they split 3 point games in Dallas. Last time at Nationwide found a mono-plagued Mason giving up 3 goals on 8 shots, and an overmatched Wade Dubielewicz surrendering 4 more in a 7 - 3 thumping by Dallas.

Things could well be different in this matchup. Both teams have been playing very well over the last 2+ months, with Dallas earning points at a 63% clip since 1/1, and the Jackets at a 61% pace for the same period. Mason is back and healthy, as are the majority of the other Jackets, though Modin is out for a week due to a marginal hit he took at the end of the Carolina game, forcing his knee into the post.

Dallas has shown some signs of cooling off of late. They are just 4 - 3 in February, having lost 2 of the last 3, while scoring just 4 goals in that stretch. This includes a 1 - 0 shutout at the hands of the Coyotes in Dallas, and a 6-2 thumping at Chicago in their last outing. According to the Dallas bloggers, Lehtinen skated this morning, but was obviously favoring a leg injury. Steve Ott did not skate, and is considered a gametime decision. Dallas has a big homestand coming up, and needs to be healthy for the likes of Chicago and San Jose. Their road record is comparable to the Jackets at 11-14-3.

No doubt the Stars will try the same attack as last game -- come out with a rush and try to overwhelm the Jackets forwards in the defensive zone, and crowding the net on Mason. While we lose a little muscle in Modin, we now have a healthy Chimera and Torres, and both Murray and Dorsett in the lineup, which we did not have last time.

The keys to success:

Puck Control -- This is first and foremost -- do not turn the puck over in our zone, or at either blue line. We do not want to give Dallas any momentum or the opportunity to start a track meet. Keep your heads up, be aware of time and space, and support each other. Move it briskly, but not rashly.

Be Physical -- We can sometimes act a bit afraid to hit hard against teams that we fear in transition. Can't do that. Put up the picket fence in the neutral zone, and hit hard. Win the battles for the puck as we did in Carolina. Block shots and do the little things well.

Offensive Movement -- Use all of the ice and get Turco moving, both at full strength and on the PP. Traffic in front, and put good shots on net. Get the puck deep to set up the defense in the neutral zone.

Dominate The Circle -- After having our head handed to us on faceoffs in Carolina, let's return to dominance. If we have possession, we can be a very scary team.

Strong Backbone: Mase will feel he has something to prove after his last outing, so I fully anticipate a monster game from him.

Interesting stat: The team with the most shots has lost in each of the first three games of the series.

Big home game with likely a huge crowd to get them through the lulls. A 4 game week, but 3 of them in the friendly confines, so energy needs to be high. Sole possession of 5th place at stake, and evening up of the season series.

Go Jackets!!!

Stars On Our Turf

C After two scrappy, contentious, controversial games in Dallas, this battle comes to the Jackets home turf for the next edition. The teams have split the season series thus far, with both games requiring extra time to be decided. The Jackets won on opening day with a Rick Nash overtime goal, and later Dallas prevailed in a shootout in the game best remembered for the Toronto War Room negating Malhotra's goal in OT, and for the injury that left Brass out for the year.

Both squads have a different look coming into this one. Steve Mason is the owner of the net for Columbus, so this is unlikely to be a high scoring affair. Similarly, Mary Turco has shrugged off his early season awfulness, being 3-0 in his last three games, sporting a 1.00 GAA and .961 save percent over that span. For the season, he is 2.98 and .888 Sean Avery is gone from the Stars locker room, and Ribeiro has stepped up his game.

Both teams are hot, and in the thick of the playoff chase in the West. With 53 points, the Jackets are in 6th, with Dallas snapping at their heels with 51 points, but two games in hand. The CBJ similarly have games in hand over Phoenix and Anaheim. The Jackets have won 2 in a row since the break, and are on a positive run. The Stars have won 3 straight, and 5 of 7. Lots on the line, lots of history to account for, so this promises to be an intense game.

Neither team excels on special teams, with Dallas ranking 25th in the league on both the Power Play and Penalty Kill, though both have been better of late. The CBJ are 30th on the PP, but 19 on the PK, and had a very strong effort last night.

Both teams are familiar with each other, but at the same time each has evolved since they last met. Here are the keys to a CBJ victory:

--Continue the Hitch-Hockey Mantra -- Since the break, we have returned to the Hitch style of controlling the neutral and defensive zones, supporting the defense, breaking out from the back, and forechecking and hitting hard. Keep it up. As with last night, keep their top line to the perimeter, limit their shots, and give Mase clear lines of vision.

--Offensive Aggression -- We need to play 3 period of forceful hockey in the offensive zone. Shoot, shoot, shoot!! A little success early will go a long way. Traffic in front, point shots, 3 men abreast -- it all needs to happen.

-- Composure -- Do not get drawn in to penalties or unnecessary fights. Keep Ott in check, and don't let him bait us. Let them make the mistakes. We are on the back end of a back-to-back, so we don't want to waste energy on the PK. If we do have to kill penalties, be aggressive, as in the Ottawa game.

-- Crispness -- The Ottawa effort was marred by substandard passing and general disorganization. Keep it simple, put it on the tape, play the role prescribed.

Should be a great one, with undisputed possession of 5th on the line. Go Jackets!!!