Sometimes fairness is a beautiful thing to watch. In the second period last night, Steve Mason experienced what could have been the worst three minutes in his hockey life to date. I'll even concede the first goal, which was a blast to the glove side through a partial screen. However, the Bill Buckner move on the weak backhand and the overplaying of the next goal were ugly to watch. First time I have seen him rattled this year. To top things off, he flung the puck over the glass with 19 seconds left to earn a 2 minute delay of game penalty, giving the Kings a 6-4 advantage. Malhotra was able to tie the puck up on the boards and run out the clock.
Fortunately, the guys around Mason realized that Mase had carried them and bailed them out numerous times this year already, so they stepped up and returned the favor. The result was a 5 - 4 win that kept the CBJ in 6th place, moved them to the 70 point mark with 18 games to play, and put the pressure on all of the team behind them. It likely turned the Kings from buyers into sellers today as well.
This was a game of terrific contrasts. Our offensive zone play was tremendous -- we cycled, we moved the puck, we created chances, we charged the net, we tipped, we deflected, we shot from the point. Great stuff. We found out that this charging the net thing can pay off!!! 1/1 on the power play, with good movement and a good finish.
However, our defensive zone play was spotty. Too many turnovers, too much scrambling, not enough aggression, particularly below the goal line. Why do we insist on waiting before moving below the line to challenge? Once the pass starts along the boards, the direction is known. We also have developed a nasty tendency to allow teams to move the puck around the perimeter as if it were a power play. Overall, way too tentative. Now, at least two of the goals were solely on Mase, but still . . .
In any event, this was a good, gritty win. No style points, except for Malhotra's last goal, but we overcame fatigue swallowed whistles and a brief loss of focus by Mason (who was otherwise solid) to earn 2 points. Here are +/- for the night:
++ Top Line -- The reunited Nash, Huselius, Malhotra line was massive, as they say. Nice control, lots of opportunities, strong forecheck -- LA kept the puck behind their net until the shift was up on at least one occasion!
++ Maturity -- We showed lots of patience and resilience where needed last night. It would have been easy to panic and/or surrender after the debacle in the second. Instead, we focused, got the equalizer in the second, and played a dominant third, until LA got the man advantage and we scrambled a bit.
++Players -- Besides the top line, Gratton continues to impress, and Voracek was huge after a night off in Vancouver. Russell and Rome looked very good as well. Williams was very strong with the puck, and created lots of space, and Torres looked unexpectedly comfortable.
-- Defense -- Need better communication, quicker responses in our own zone. We also got back to the lazy puck handling, which I am sure we will get addressed by Hitch.
-- Officiating -- I realize we are getting close to the playoffs, but there were some muggings of Nash and Huselius last night that drew no calls, when lesser contact by us was called. Don't care what the standard is -- just do it evenly.
We came through with a gutty win when we needed it. This team is showing a lot of character! Well done. Go Jackets!
Showing posts with label Los Angeles Kings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles Kings. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Kings Preview/Random Notes
With all of the speculation and anticipation surrounding the trade deadline in 23 hours, folks have almost lost sight of the fact that the CBJ have a hockey game to play tonight. Before turning to that, for trade junkies, here are the latest updates:1. Sean Avery claimed by New York Rangers off waivers -- least surprising move of the day.
2. Niklas Backstrom signed by Minnesota to 4 year extension. This was big for Minnesota, as it keeps them from being forced to put him on the block at the deadline. Also could benefit the CBJ by removing another goalie from the mix, making Leclaire more valuable.
3. Capitals, Flyers and Bruins reported to be in the mix for Phoenix D Derek Morris, and Philly still trying to make a play for Jay Boumeester.
4. Some big names on the waiver wire as teams try to make room: Brendan Morrison, Miroslav Satan and Gary Roberts, among others.
Nothing else new -- should get hot tonight.
Turning to the game, it is time for the CBJ to turn up the offensive heat, after having been in a scoring slump of late. This has been a series of shutouts, with LA winning the first two outings 3 -0, and the CBJ winning the last one 2 -0 in L.A.
The Kings are ending a 5 game road trip, one of many they will be taking during the remainder of the season. After mounting a rush in the standings, they have faded of late, going 2-6-2 in their last 10, and losing 3 in a row on this trip.
The teams match up closely in stats, with the CBJ ranked slightly ahead in scoring (21st to 24th) and goals against (10th vs. 13th). Special teams fall in favor of the Kings, who have the 11th ranked Power Play. Their PK is ranked 14th to our 16th.
Kopitar leads the Kings with 52 points (20 goals, 32 assists), and has been hot of late. Frolov leads in goals, with 26. Brown fills out their top 3 with 23-25-48. However, as go these three, so go the Kings. The CBJ have experience shutting down top lines, and need to so again tonight.
In net, pretty much a wash between Ersberg (2.49 GAA, .901 SV) and Quick (2.55, .913).
The Kings did not skate today, as the road warrior fatigue is starting to catch up, and they may be starting to see their playoff hopes drift away with the schedule. Make no mistake, however, this is a dangerous wounded animal, and we have been bitten twice this season.
3 Keys to the game:
Stay Out of The Box - 56 of the Kings' 160 goals this year have come off the power play --35%. In comparison, just 19.5% of the CBJ goals come off the PP. Moral: No penalties!!
Jump --Come out fast and hard, lots of energy, forechecking, put lots of rubber on the net.
Hitch-Hockey -- It's simple, when we do it for 3 periods, we win.
Lots of big games in the West tonight, but the CBJ need to take care of their own business, and start creating some gaps in the standings in a positive direction. 19 left -- 10 home 9 road. Breakout is as follows:
Nashville 3
Chicago 4
Detroit 2
St. Louis 3
Calgary, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Boston, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Florida - 1 each
We are still on the 60% pace, so need to keep it up. Go Jackets!!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
A Dirty, Grimy Victory
Sitting here in a sleep-deprived fog, recovering from following the game on radio and internet last night/this morning, then watching coverage on NHL Network, this is the only description I can come up with to describe the victory over the Kings. Brutal hitting, tight checking, incredible goaltending on both sides. They should have worn overalls instead of hockey sweaters for this one.
Klesla was the metaphor for this victory. He kept hitting, getting hurt, coming back. Stops a 3 on 1 by getting his forehead in the way of the puck. Still he came back. He got off the deck more times than Jerry Quarry. (Youngsters can Google Jerry to find out who he was.) ;-) Make no mistake, however -- this was another team victory, in a game that was destined to go against the team that blinked first.
Hejda was huge all night. Peca came to the fore, as did Boll. Nash, despite having only 1 SOG, was a big presence all night. Huselius was a gnat, keeping motion in the game. Umberger, Murray and Voracek all contributed. Even Backman was a visible presence. As predicted in the preview here, it came down to some incredible goaltending. Both tenders robbed shooters of some prime opportunities.
+/- for the game:
+ Tenacity -- "Energy" does not describe the attitude that the CBJ brought to the ice last night. While there was the periodic display of skill and tape-to-tape passing, those efforts were frustrated by great defense and goaltending on each side. We stayed physical for 60 minutes, pounded pucks from the point, and did all of the unpleasant things that you need to do to win on the road.
+ Defense -- Another game where we did not let them breathe. Lots of support in our own end, good clears, limited chances. Only 24 shots against -- a big improvement over 42 a couple of weeks ago! We dominated faceoff circle again, with Manny coming up huge.
+ Goaltending -- The two young Turks of the netminder world squared off, and our guy came out on top. Another nice effort!
+ Special Teams -- We were prudent about taking penalties, and the game winner was a power play goal (on an abbreviated power play, no less!) We are moving the puck better on the PP. PK was perfect again (14 for our last 14)!
+ Individuals -- Klesla, Hejda, Russell, Mason, Nash, Murray, Voracek, Huselius, Umberger.
- Finishing -- I almost hate to put this in as a minus, because both defenses and goaltenders did tremendous jobs, but other chances were missed from the magic triangle. Shots wide or high, and guys just not having their sticks on the ice when the puck got there. Need to start cashing in on opportunities, as I can guarantee you that we will need some of those during this trip.
Bottom line was a great start to the longest road trip of the year. A day to lick our wounds and end 2008 with a victory over Anaheim!
Go Jackets!
Klesla was the metaphor for this victory. He kept hitting, getting hurt, coming back. Stops a 3 on 1 by getting his forehead in the way of the puck. Still he came back. He got off the deck more times than Jerry Quarry. (Youngsters can Google Jerry to find out who he was.) ;-) Make no mistake, however -- this was another team victory, in a game that was destined to go against the team that blinked first.
Hejda was huge all night. Peca came to the fore, as did Boll. Nash, despite having only 1 SOG, was a big presence all night. Huselius was a gnat, keeping motion in the game. Umberger, Murray and Voracek all contributed. Even Backman was a visible presence. As predicted in the preview here, it came down to some incredible goaltending. Both tenders robbed shooters of some prime opportunities.
+/- for the game:
+ Tenacity -- "Energy" does not describe the attitude that the CBJ brought to the ice last night. While there was the periodic display of skill and tape-to-tape passing, those efforts were frustrated by great defense and goaltending on each side. We stayed physical for 60 minutes, pounded pucks from the point, and did all of the unpleasant things that you need to do to win on the road.
+ Defense -- Another game where we did not let them breathe. Lots of support in our own end, good clears, limited chances. Only 24 shots against -- a big improvement over 42 a couple of weeks ago! We dominated faceoff circle again, with Manny coming up huge.
+ Goaltending -- The two young Turks of the netminder world squared off, and our guy came out on top. Another nice effort!
+ Special Teams -- We were prudent about taking penalties, and the game winner was a power play goal (on an abbreviated power play, no less!) We are moving the puck better on the PP. PK was perfect again (14 for our last 14)!
+ Individuals -- Klesla, Hejda, Russell, Mason, Nash, Murray, Voracek, Huselius, Umberger.
- Finishing -- I almost hate to put this in as a minus, because both defenses and goaltenders did tremendous jobs, but other chances were missed from the magic triangle. Shots wide or high, and guys just not having their sticks on the ice when the puck got there. Need to start cashing in on opportunities, as I can guarantee you that we will need some of those during this trip.
Bottom line was a great start to the longest road trip of the year. A day to lick our wounds and end 2008 with a victory over Anaheim!
Go Jackets!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Young Goalies Duel As Jackets Take On Kings
Take your No Doz, get that Triple Venti Cappuccino working and stay up to watch the CBJ tussle with the Los Angeles Kings again tonight, with the puck dropping at 10:30 pm EST. Both the Jackets and Steve Mason will be looking for some revenge, as both games to date have ended with LA on the plus side of 3 - 0 scores. This shapes up as a battle of young goalies. Mason has been stellar for Columbus, leading the league with a 1.87 GAA, near the top with a .932 save percentage, a 10 - 7 - 1 record, and coming off a 3 - 0 shutout of the Philadelphia Flyers. Jonathan Quick has been equally impressive in his few games for the Kings, compiling a 2 - 2 record in 5 appearances, with a 1.88 GAA and a .933 save percentage. He, too, is coming off of a shutout, a 4 - 0 victory over Phoenix on the road.
In that Phoenix win, LA scored three goals in a span of 5:54 of the first period, two of them on the power play. Conversely, LA gave Phoenix 9 power play opportunities, but their PK shut the Coyotes down. Quick stopped 26 shots for his second shutout.
Clearly, the Jackets need to come out hard and prevent LA from blitzing us with energy. Lots of movement, lots of traffic, and lots of rubber on the net, just like we did against Philly. Again, we need to bury our chances!!
On defense, we need to likewise adopt the stingy, disruptive action that frustrated Philly for 60 minutes. We gave up 42 shots to LA in the last outing, and can't afford that again. Pressure, pressure, pressure.
We are zero-for-Phoenix this year, and have been blanked by L.A. thus far. Need to turn the tables tonight and start the road trip off with 2 points.
Go Jackets!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Out Gunned. . .
A poor showing by the team tonight, all the way around. Sure, we got jobbed by the NHL officiating crew again (see below), but that did not cost us the game. Here is what I saw:
Poor Energy -- We took the first 10 minutes off, and LA didn't. Result was 2 goals against, and Mason really didn't have a chance on either of them. We showed more energy after that, but could never get the upper hand. When we did get some momentum, it seems like we took a penalty, committed a turnover, etc.
Puck Handling -- We had an awful time keeping the puck on our sticks, finding open men, getting the zone cleared, etc. I know the lines are shaken up, but being able to pass and hold onto the puck is critical, especially against a high energy offense and high risk defense like LA.
Defense -- Klesla looked awful -- slow, tentative. Methot was not decisive or quick tonight, and Hejda was not effective. We were a step behind all night in our own zone. This prevented us from getting good crisp breakouts. 42 shots for LA, 23 for us tells much of the story.
Missed Chances -- Once again, we could not get our sticks on the ice when the puck was in front, or find the corners with point blank shots. Ironically, we got good traffic in front of Quick on several occasions, but we didn't fire the puck into the fray. We seem to be continually looking for a crystal clear lane to shoot through. News flash boys -- if you can see him, he can see you.
Power Play -- See Puck Handling and Missed Chances, above.
Talent -- We are in a position right now where we are relying on Boll, Murray, Dorsett, Novotny, Picard to create things and make things happen, and they just don't have the skills and\or experience yet to do it. Boll and Murray showed a lot of energy out there, but energy is not enough. That is what both Brassard and Chimera had learned this year -- speed and energy is worthless if you can't finish. Chimera took a few mph off his skating, and was finishing more chances and creating others before he got hurt. Brassard is highly skilled, but has also learned the knack of finding space and finishing his chances. Voracek is playing well, but needs to shoot more. Peca and Malhotra were non-participants tonight. Modin was also invisible. When Nash is having to create his own opportunities, the rest tend to stand around and watch. That has to change.
If anybody can get them out of this current funk, it is Hitchcock. He has 4 days to do it before Philly comes in with an attitude. You KNOW Hitch badly wants to beat Philly -- badly. We can do it, but we need the defense to show up and we need the same consistent energy we showed against SJ and Dallas.
I guarantee you that Howson is on the phone right now. Weight has been mentioned and could likely be had for next to nothing, given his age and the fact that the Islanders are going nowhere this year. Nothing going to happen for a week yet, but let's hope Chimera is healthy soon.
Go Jackets!!!
Poor Energy -- We took the first 10 minutes off, and LA didn't. Result was 2 goals against, and Mason really didn't have a chance on either of them. We showed more energy after that, but could never get the upper hand. When we did get some momentum, it seems like we took a penalty, committed a turnover, etc.
Puck Handling -- We had an awful time keeping the puck on our sticks, finding open men, getting the zone cleared, etc. I know the lines are shaken up, but being able to pass and hold onto the puck is critical, especially against a high energy offense and high risk defense like LA.
Defense -- Klesla looked awful -- slow, tentative. Methot was not decisive or quick tonight, and Hejda was not effective. We were a step behind all night in our own zone. This prevented us from getting good crisp breakouts. 42 shots for LA, 23 for us tells much of the story.
Missed Chances -- Once again, we could not get our sticks on the ice when the puck was in front, or find the corners with point blank shots. Ironically, we got good traffic in front of Quick on several occasions, but we didn't fire the puck into the fray. We seem to be continually looking for a crystal clear lane to shoot through. News flash boys -- if you can see him, he can see you.
Power Play -- See Puck Handling and Missed Chances, above.
Talent -- We are in a position right now where we are relying on Boll, Murray, Dorsett, Novotny, Picard to create things and make things happen, and they just don't have the skills and\or experience yet to do it. Boll and Murray showed a lot of energy out there, but energy is not enough. That is what both Brassard and Chimera had learned this year -- speed and energy is worthless if you can't finish. Chimera took a few mph off his skating, and was finishing more chances and creating others before he got hurt. Brassard is highly skilled, but has also learned the knack of finding space and finishing his chances. Voracek is playing well, but needs to shoot more. Peca and Malhotra were non-participants tonight. Modin was also invisible. When Nash is having to create his own opportunities, the rest tend to stand around and watch. That has to change.
If anybody can get them out of this current funk, it is Hitchcock. He has 4 days to do it before Philly comes in with an attitude. You KNOW Hitch badly wants to beat Philly -- badly. We can do it, but we need the defense to show up and we need the same consistent energy we showed against SJ and Dallas.
I guarantee you that Howson is on the phone right now. Weight has been mentioned and could likely be had for next to nothing, given his age and the fact that the Islanders are going nowhere this year. Nothing going to happen for a week yet, but let's hope Chimera is healthy soon.
Go Jackets!!!
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