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!!

A Stunner!!!

I knew I should have gone to Vegas and bet a whole bunch on the Jackets winning this game. . . well, maybe I kinda thought they could sneak out a point if they got all the bounces. Nahh, I mentally had this one in the L column, though in the remotest corners of my brain I hoped for an upset.

For the long time faithful, and even the new converts, tonight's effort was one of the proudest moments in the franchise's relatively brief existence. I am sure that there will be more significant victories down the line, and hopefully this year, but for a total team effort at a time when it was needed most, under conditions of almost comical adversity, this one is tough to top.

Let's review: Just having lost 3 straight games, and already knowing our #1, Calder candidate goaltender is iffy due to mono, we then discover that our ace defenseman is out with food poisoning, another key defenseman is out with the flu, the backup goalie is likewise out with the flu, and our young stud winger is out with an upper body injury. Oh, yeah -- almost forgot -- we are playing the best team in the West, and arguably in the league, starting our 5th goaltender of the year, and one who has never started an NHL game. Recipe for success, right? Please. . .

However, as part of that wacky roller coaster ride Hitch warned us about as the Jackets broke camp, they found a way to win. Oh yeah, did I mention it was a sellout as well?

No real minuses for this game, so I am going to focus on all the plusses. However, let me get four minor irritants out of my system:

Clearing Passes--- We again had way too many passes in our own zone with no apparent destination. Quick reflexes and good support kept us out of trouble for the most part, but guys my heart can't take much more of that.

Goalie Puck Handling -- I'll cut LaCosta a break for his first game, but he is on the edge of having me apply the same "if it ain't blue ice under your feet, get back to the net" rule I have for Leclaire. He is good with the stick, but seemed to blithely direct the puck away without regard for where his teammates are, and disrupted breakouts a few times. Another time he handled the puck when an icing cal was imminent, and no immediate pressure was there.

Tollefson Puck Handling -- From this point forward, I am invoking the "skate or puck" rule for Tollefson. He has his choice -- he can either handle the puck or skate, but never, ever is he to do both at the same time. It was painful to watch tonight -- it's as if once the puck touches his blade and his feet start moving, mind and arms become paralyzed.

Officiating -- You cannot seriously tell me that the Sharks did not commit a single minor penalty after early in the first period. In fact, I know that is not true, because I witnessed several of them. I feel sorry for the referees -- they missed a helluva game.

Enough nitpicking, let's celebrate the effort, with the following 5 star pluses:

Goaltending -- LaCosta came through like a champ. Tested early, but not overly often, he kept his cool, and most importantly did not surrender juicy rebounds in the crease. He either caught the puck, froze it, or deflected it to the corners. Key stop on Thornton in OT, and a well deserved star of the game designation. The power play goal was point blank after a defender took himself out of the play blocking a shot, and the second goal was screened -- no way he ever saw that one.

Team Defense -- Absolutely breathtaking -- the most aggressive forecheck we have had all year, and it resulted directly in two goals. We set up the picket fence in the neutral zone, which really appeared to disturb San Jose's tempo. They dumped the puck more than I have seen since their first season (I am a native Bay Area resident, and was at their inaugural game). We kept them to the perimeter, and reacted quickly to support when gaps appeared. A few really nice plays to stuff opportunities. Hitting was fierce -- we outhit them 42 - 34 for the game. Hitch has to be proud.

Coaching -- Speaking of Hitch, he and the staff crafted a masterful plan to accomplish the seemingly impossible. Take away the neutral zone entirely, hit in every zone, and push them to the edges. We did all of that, and by the third period San Jose was not as enthusiastic about challenging the blue line. With depleted resources, we could not afford a track meet. While he perhaps would have liked to see more offense, I have a hunch that he figured our chances would come off turnovers due to pressure, which they did.

Opportunism -- With 3 minutes left in the 1st Period, we had 2 shots and 2 goals. It was almost 3 for 3, but Nabakov made a great save on a magnificent setup to Umberger. Williams steal and goal was perfection -- no hesitation -- got the puck on the stick, faced the net, and over the right shoulder of Nabakov. Similarly the setup to Nash and the decisive shot low glove side was a joy to watch. Williams got robbed by Nabakov in OT, but Umberger did a great job putting the winner in motion by moving to the middle and putting a hard one on net. Only 20 shots, but 3 goals. I'll take that over 33 shots and 1 goal any day.

Special Teams -- We only had 1 power play, and did not score, but created all kinds of havoc and put pucks around the net with enough frequency to catch Nabakov's attention. PK was very good -- the one PP goal came after our defender went to the ice to block a shot, and the puck caromed right to Setoguchi in the high slot.

Fans -- Maybe, just maybe the Columbus fans are starting to get it. Despite a 3 game losing streak, more injuries and illnesses than a summer camp and a seemingly invincible opponent, we sell out the joint and have some real energy. Nicely done, everyone!!

Special Mentions -- Christian Backman -- everybody's favorite target of ridicule this year, gets the game winner and a +3 for the night. He was strong at both ends, and looked strong against the Pens as well. Dorsett was a monster hitting machine all night long. Tyutin and Klesla were noticeably solid, and Malhotra again dominated the faceoff circle, though as a team we edged SJ by just 1 in that category. Jason Williams continues to show that Howson is sly as a fox, and Chimera and Torres both showed the most energy they have displayed since their respective returns.

Strangest Moment -- Boll drops the gloves to go with Shelley, but Shelley is having none of it, as his gloves stay on. It happens as an icing call is made, and is immediately followed by a San Jose timeout. That was the strangest timeout I have seen, as there was no sustained pressure from us, and it was early enough in the proceedings that the involved SJ line should not have needed the rest. Only thing we could figure was that Shelley was instructed to take Boll on next time. Any other thoughts?

Clearly, rooting for this team this year counts as cardiovascular exercise, as if I haven't keeled over dead yet, it is not likely to happen anytime soon. Hats off to the entire club for a huge effort under awful circumstances. Like it or not boys and girls, we are in the thick of a playoff race. Buckle up!

Another Piece Falls Into Place /More on Koharski Call

Kudos to Rick, for steering me to this emerging news that appeared on Puck-Rakers a couple of hours ago:

The CBJ have claimed goalie Wade Dubielewicz off of waivers from the New York Islanders, and have sent Dan LaCosta to Syracuse. Dubielewicz will join the team in Vancouver for tomorrow night's game, and will likely stay with the big club for the foreseeable future, as he will need to clear waivers if we try to send him to the AHL.

Dubielewicz, who will turn 30 in two weeks, was origninally signed by the Islanders in 2003. A British Columbia native, "Dubie" catches left, stands 5'10" and 185. He was instrumental in the Islanders stretch run to the playoffs in 2007 after Rick DiPietro was sidelined with a concussion, and was THN's #1 star that April for guiding the Isles to the last playoff slot. He holds a number of AHL records, and was the 2003-2004 AHL Rookie of the Year. He shared time between the big club and AHL Bridgeport before leaving for the KHL in Russia for this season. Apparently disenchanted with the Russian league, he negotiated a release from his club and was signed to a pro-rated 1 year, $500,000 contract by the Islanders this week. However, as a KHL player, he had to clear waivers to re-enter the league, and Howson pounced.

Dubielewicz has a career 2.55 GAA in the NHL and 2.53 in the AHL. His save percentage in both leagues is .920. Interestingly, his former KHL club is the new home of former Jacket goalie Frederick Norrena.

This is a crafty move by Howson. For little more than the NHL/AHL differential of LaCosta's contract, we have a credible back up goalie. The Jackets are denying that Leclaire is done for the year, but if the fat lady hasn't sung yet, I suspect she is warming up in the wings. Alternatively, Howson could be orchestrating something bigger. I strongly suspect it is the ankle, however.

This plugs our most obvious vulnerability, while simultaneously taking Doug Weight out of the picture, as NYI will be about as grateful for this deal as Tampa Bay was for receiving Mark Denis for Norrena and Modin. Weight, at his age and with his current injury profile, is a bad fit for Howson's strategy anyway, as I do not read Howson as wanting rentals at this point. Greg Wyshynski at Puck-Daddy likes the move:

Rookie Steve Mason, when he isn't getting the shaft from obese referees, is the unquestioned No. 1 goalie in Columbus. The Jackets had been in the market for a veteran backup recently, with discussions about potentially snagging Curtis Sanford from the Vancouver Canucks. They were wise to hold off; Dubie's a better goalie.

You gotta love Scott Howson -- no flashiness or bombastic pronouncements, just quietly paying very close attention and making some really slick moves that fit right in with the long term plan while providing immediate help. I should have Howson do my shopping for me . . .

Koharski Call Update --

Here is the NHL's explanation of the scope of the War Room review of the Koharski call:

"The referee's call on the ice was 'good goal,'" NHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Mike Murphy said in an e-mail. "The Toronto Video Room reviewed the play to determine if the net was completely off its pegs before the puck crossed the goal line [under Rule 78.5 (x)]......after reviewing the play we could not conclusively determine that the net was completely off its peg prior to the puck crossing the goal line and ruled the play 'inconclusive', as a result the referee's call on the ice stood"

Again, given the current set of standards governing the War Room in Toronto, and based upon my look at it, the review was inconclusive. My problem is with Koharski, and the NHL -- specifically:

1. They need to revamp the rules governing Toronto review and tighten them up across the board.

2. When you have 1 referee, as with last night, the review needs to be expanded, so that Toronto acts as the second referee.

3. Koharski missed the blatant takedown of Tyutin by Clarkson.

4. Koharski was woefully out of position during the critical sequence of events.

Done on that one.

What is next for Mr. Howson? My gut tells me Vermette, Antropov or Staal. I think Howson is happy with our blue line right now, and that is something that can be done nearer the trade deadline if he wants depth there. Center is the key, and once Klesla is healthy, watch for a move.

Let me know your thoughts. Go Jackets!