CBJ faced off last night against the struggling Hurricanes. A team that has had a horrible season so far, played the night before (losing to the equally woeful Leafs), and is without their two biggest offensive threats in Eric Staal and ex-Jacket Ray Whitney (which was a bit of a disappointment, as Whits is on a very short list of ex-Jackets I wish we still had, so it would have been nice to see him play again). Should be easy pickings, right?

Which is of course the prompt for the Jackets to come out and play a lifeless and sloppy game, which they did for most of last night. Cole scored after a lackadaisical clearing attempt by Rick Nash got picked off, and it looked for an uncomfortably long time that the game would end 1-0 for the Hurricanes. Then, in a rapid-fire flurry at the start of the third, Filatov scored, followed quickly by the much-maligned Boll (who had an all-around strong game last night), and then by Rick Nash, who couldn’t let the fourth line have all the glory. Carolina potted another one later in the third, but the Jackets managed to hang on for the 3-2 win.

Ugly win, but enough to keep the Jackets atop the Central and thus in third place in the Conference. Ugly attendance as well, under 15k on a Saturday night. Granted, it wasn’t a marquee opponent, and probably more significant, Ohio State had a big game at 3:30 which didn’t end until around the start of the CBJ game.

Speaking of ugly, there were some scary moments early in the first period. Rick Nash went to the net, Cam Ward made the save, but as play went back up ice the other way, Ward was clearly hurt, and had to be helped off the ice. I was sitting above and behind Ward in 212, and initially figured he’d pulled a groin or a knee. But as he was helped off the ice, we could see a puddle of blood in the crease, and he left a trail to the bench. He did not return to the game and was in fact kept overnight in the hospital for observation with a cut on his leg. Hopefully Ward doesn’t have to miss too much time, as the ‘Canes can’t really afford any more bad news.

Here’s the video of the Ward injury, if you are so inclined:

Detroit on Wednesday. They’re struggling somewhat uncharacteristically this season, so this could be a chance for the Jackets to get some small measure of revenge for the playoffs.

Yeah, I know there was a CBJ game last night. I was at the Crew game, though, watching them crash out of the playoffs. It’s still painful to think about last nigth’s game. So no MLS Cup repeat for the Crew. And with OSU football having a fairly mediocre season, looks like the Jackets are our last hope for a national championship of some sort in Columbus this sports year. (Okay, I suppose some of the other dozens of sports OSU sponsors might contend for something…) Which is probably a long shot, but hey, the win last night did put them into first place in the Central…

Anyway, Dispatch for the game recap

Every year there’s at least one game that just reinforces for me why I loathe the shootout so deeply. Jackets get behind twice to one of the best teams in the game, twice crawl back out of the hole, work hard and play smart to keep it even through 65 minutes…and then go home losers on a frigging gimmick. I realize the points are the same in a tie as an OTL, but it just doesn’t feel the same at all. Hopefully some day we as a society can progress beyond the maturity of seven year olds who “need a winner and a loser in every game” or else they haz a sad, and undo this blight on the sport.

On an equally soul-crushing note, I was sitting in line for the drive-thru at Tim Horton’s this morning and could just make out the headline on the Dispatch in the newspaper box: “Saving the Jackets.” I need new glasses, so I was kind of hoping maybe I was reading it wrong, but no, the “we need public money to restructure our lease OR ELSE” story is back. I’d been wondering when that would rear its ugly head again, since we hadn’t heard a peep about it since the earlier proposed deal fell through. I’m skeptical as always, but maybe we can split the difference and people in Cincinnati and Cleveland can vote to amend the Ohio Constitution to tear down the Schott and build a Buckeye Hall of Fame Casino on the site…

Anyway, I haven’t had the time or desire to read it yet, but the Chamber of Commerce report can be found here.

Wild one this afternoon. For a time I thought I’d be writing about a Jackets’ performance that was not what we’ve gotten used to of late. Then I thought I would be writing about more of the same. Then they proved me wrong. Then more of the same. Then…you get the picture.

This was a fun game to watch. Sometimes there are games that you wish your non-hockey fan acquaintances could see, because they would surely convince them of the merits of the sport. This was one of them. The tick-tack-toe passing on the first Caps goal, and then the individual effort by Nash to tie it up were both just gorgeous, hockey at its best. Umberger’s goal to make it 2-1 was less pretty, coming as it did on a funny bounce off the end boards with Theodore out of the net. But hey, crazy bounces are part of what gives hockey its charm as well.

The third period was when it went all goofy. The Jackets looked to be heading for the win when — shades of Friday night — Brooks Laich scored a couple quick goals to make it 3-2 Caps. And the black cloud of despair started to descend over me yet again. Then Raffi Torres, Mr. Clutch for the CBJ, tied it up, and the mood lightened. Then more despair as the defense broke down and the Caps took the lead late. Same old Jackets — wait, there’s Torres again, tying it up with seconds to go! And then Umberger finished it off in OT. What a game! Vaults the Jackets back into a playoff position, at least temporarily (Vancouver plays later tonight and will put them back in ninth with a win). And lifts my mood considerably after Friday night.

And now for a video…which has nothing to do with hockey, but I’m listening to this CD right now and thinking about how much I hated it when I first heard it, but later it became one of my all-time favorites. Kingston’s own Luther Wright and the Wrongs:

In the grand scheme of soul-crushing Jackets’ defeats since 2000, or, hell, soul-crushing Jackets’ defeats in the past two weeks, I’m not sure this one should even register. But it does, big time. Yeah, they came away with the loser point, but I still left the game last night feeling eviscerated, and it wasn’t just the Chipotle burrito…

Part of it was of course the presence of large numbers of Penguins fans. I’d say anywhere from a third to half of the fans in attendance were cheering for the boys in baby blue. Hard to know how many of them actually made the drive out from Western PA or Eastern Ohio, and how many were locals, but it does stick in the craw to see your team’s home arena taken over by away fans. Shame on Columbus for not selling enough tickets to CBJ fans to prevent that. And honestly, seeing them all in their brand new Crosby and Malkin jerseys, wondering how many were supporting the Pens in the dark days earlier this decade and not just after a couple of generational talents essentially fell into their laps….yeah. Most all of the Pens fans I encountered were perfectly well-behaved and polite (although sounds like there were some jerks mixed in) and not even especially smug. But this was a group I still very much wanted to send back east to Pittsburgh Reynoldsburg on the losing end.

The Jackets did have some good fortune before the game in the form of Evgeni Malkin’s shoulder injury, which took out a big part of the Pens’ talent. And, once again, they found themselves facing a backup goalie, this time in the form of Brent Johnson.

For two periods, the Jackets played pretty well. They got off to a slightly tentative start, but went up 1-0 in the first on a Rick Nash goal. And in the second, they played a very strong period, limiting the Pens to five shots on goal, while they added two more goals, one from Nash, and a pretty one from Dorsett, of all people. Mason was looking like his old self in goal, stoning Crosby on a beautiful save. Unfortunately, the Pens grabbed a shorthanded goal after some confusion by the Jackets ended with Nash sitting in the net next to Mason. Still, the Jackets took a 3-1 lead into the third, the arena was buzzing with an almost playoff like atmosphere, and it felt good. All they had to do was hold down the fort for twenty more minutes.

They only managed about seventeen, though. And really from the start of the period, you could see the Pens taking control of the game. The Jackets were scrambling more and more, and not looking like the confident team from the second period. A Penguins goal seemed inevitable. And it came. And then another came in quick succession. Watching the highlights this morning on the NHL Network, it looked like Mason didn’t have much of a chance on either one. But the defense broke down.

The Jackets managed to hang on for the remaining minutes of regulation, and the five minute OT, to take it to the dreaded shootout. The only goal was scored by Sidney Crosby. It initially looked like Mason had made the stop, but he didn’t freeze the puck, and it slowly and agonizingly trickled over the line. And that was enough to keep the Pens unbeaten on the road. And send me home feeling like I’d just watched a 8-0 blowout, not a 4-3 shootout loss.

I’m not saying anything novel here, but the Jackets just need to figure out how to kill the game off when they have a lead. A couple years ago, they lost because they couldn’t score. Now they can score, but they can’t seem to hold a lead. Yes, getting Hejda back (sounds like next week) will help. But the whole team needs to figure this out. If they don’t figure it out soon, their playoff chances are going to slip away like a two goal lead. It’s just not good enough.

And it gets no easier tomorrow, when the Jackets face Washington on the road, before coming home to play Jody Shelley, Manny Malhotra, and the rest of the Sharks on Wednesday.

The slump continues…Jackets no longer undefeated on home ice.

Jason LaBarbera played strong in the net for Phoenix, and the ‘Yotes played good team defense. The Jackets couldn’t figure out how to solve that, and Steve Mason looked pretty ordinary in net again. The result was an ugly 4-1 loss.

The Jackets are now back in ninth place in the conference, just outside the playoffs. It’s still early, but they need to get it sorted out soon, or the playoffs will slip further and further away, until they can’t make up the ground.

It gets no easier tomorrow, with the red-hot Penguins in town. Should be a large crowd; hopefully the Jackets put on a good showing for them.

True to my promise, I did manage to stay awake through most of this game. I sure know how to pick ‘em, eh?

Jackets came out listless, never really caught fire more than sporadically. Mason had a bad game. Yes, it was the second half of a back-to-back on the road, on the west coast, none of which ever portends well for this team. But this was just ugly. Although a sound thrashing by the Kings in October seems to be one of the most firmly entrenched traditions of this young franchise, so maybe we were just due for it.

Of course, the outcome of the game was somewhat secondary in the talking points afterwards. The big story happened in the first period, when Rob Scuderi low-bridged Jason Chimera, who went head-over-heels and landed on his face, opening a nasty cut over his eye. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a brief video:

Scuderi was not penalized on the play. Derek Dorsett left the bench to confront him, resulting in a two-many men penalty for the Jackets and a game misconduct for himself. Then, to add insult to injury, Chimera was given a ten-minute misconduct for, I dunno, bleeding all over the ice? (Yeah, I know it was for mouthing off at the officials)

It was the sort of injustice that one would hope would light a fire under the Jackets. Except it didn’t. Well, except for Dorsett, but he was gone.

The league fined Scuderi today but opted for no further punishment for Dorsett. Chimera, luckily, was just cut — the way he landed, it could have been much, much worse. It’s frustrating the way it all went down last night, but time to move on and beat Phoenix on Wednesday and move back into a playoff slot.

Big hockey fan FAIL for me last night. These late games are pretty much the bane of my existence, but at last there was one on a weekend, with nothing I especially needed to do the next day until dinnertime (Crew wrap up a second straight Supporters’ Shield winning season at six. Pretty safe bet great tickets are still available.), so I could stay up and watch the whole thing without making myself completely out of it at work the next day. Of course, it turned rather chilly last night, so I pulled out a blanket. Blanket + couch = sleep. I was out before the first period ended. Saw the Jackets give up yet another early goal and the rest is a blur. Woke up sporadically throughout the rest of the game, but not enough to have any kind of grasp on what happened or how they played or how the line shake-ups worked.

So anyway, here’s the write-up in the Dispatch. Sounds like an exciting and frustrating game.

Second half of the back-to-back tonight in LA against the Kings. This one is a 9PM start, so I have high hopes of seeing at least the first period before I fall asleep.

The score was a little closer in the end, but honestly this was uglier than the Calgary game.

Jackets went down very early again, as in Calgary. But unlike that game, they roared back with some strong play by Voracek and Huselius, and ultimately took a 4-1 lead. Then the wheels fell off and Edmonton went on a tear, with the final score 6-4 bad guys. Five point nights by both Penner and Hemsky.

The loss drops the Jackets into ninth in the conference, out of the playoffs. It’s early yet, so we needn’t panic too much, but it’s always best to avoid the wild scramble at the end of the year.

Hejda and Commodore can’t come back soon enough!

On to Anaheim…

Weird game last night in Calgary. Jackets came out flat and were down 2-0 within minutes, bringing back all sorts of bad memories of staying up late to watch horrible blowouts. Then Rick Nash scored a 3-on-5 shorthanded goal to give some life back to the Jackets. Then Calgary made it 3-1, and it starts looking blowout-y again. Then the much-maligned power play steps up and scores two quick goals early in the second to tie it. Maybe this will be the Jackets’ night after all? But then Mason let in a fairly soft goal to give the lead back to Calgary, and they never relinquished it, eventually skating to a 6-3 win.

Back at it tomorrow in Edmonton. As always, hoping for better.