Game Recap: Blue Jackets Weather Injuries and Penalties to Handle the Ducks 3-1

Blue Jackets 3, Ducks 1
(box) – Highlights
CBJ: 3-2-0, 6 pts

Well, after 18,000+ took in the Jackets as they were embarrassed on Friday, it wasn’t unexpected that the crowd would be somewhat, err, lighter tonight. But, as I Tweeted early on, to call Nationwide Arena “half full” at game time would have been generous. If a hockey game falls in the forest, and no one’s there to see it…

The Jackets came in tonight wanting to exorcise the demons from Friday night’s clinic delivered by the Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks. They had to do so with a blue line somewhat held together with wood screws and duct tape, as for the second straight contest an AHL call-up (in this case, Nick Holden) was making his NHL debut as Anton Stralman was unable to go because of his shoulder.

The first period started out about how I thought it would go, as they were out-shooting the Ducks early, seven to four through the first seven minutes. But, the Ducks slowly began to carry the play, as the scoreless first period would end with the Ducks in the shots-lead 12 to 10. Each team took a cheap penalty, and it was the Ducks who made the most noise on the PP.

The Jackets did get some good chances early, with Derick Brassard ripping a one-timer off of Jonas Hiller at the 2:27 mark. Rick Nash was sprung on a break-away at the 3:16 mark, but Hiller got just enough to push the puck high. Sadly, those early chances were about the best the Jackets could do in the first period, as the remainder of their shots were either contested or launched from a ways away. Steve Mason was solid, and unfortunately at times he had to be. In the first period alone Rostislav Klesla looked slow and was turn-over prone, and Mason had to bail him out. At 15:35 Mason made a great sliding save across his crease, and then made the save of the period by robbing Lubomir Visnovky with just 0.6 left on the clock.

The Jackets’ Power Play looked particularly bad all night, and this was coming against the 23rd-best PK unit in the league. They had trouble holding the zone, and managed few shots. The first period ended with the Ducks on the PP, and they looked the part peppering Steve Mason with solid chances.

The second period started much the same as the first ended with the Ducks on the PP, but the Jackets’ PK was more than up to the challenge in this period. And, it’s a good thing, as they would be short-handed three more times. Steve Mason and the penalty killers were very solid, with RJ Umberger, Marc Methot, and Derek MacKenzie drawing my attention.

And, MacKenzie would do more than just kill penalties, as he opened the scoring at 3:32 of the period with a nifty shot block that turned into a rush. He corralled the puck, skated in on Hiller, and managed to slap it under the Ducks’ netminder’s pads as he crashed into the cage to make it 1-0 Columbus. “I got a step on Brookbank and from there it was just a race to the net,” MacKenzie said. “It was kind of a desperation play. I can’t say that I aimed 5-hole, I just drove the net.” It was the third goal in two games for the fourth line. “I just think we have three guys that are on the same page,” MacKenzie added. “We try to utilize our speed when we can. We’re gonna go through stretches where we’re going to have trouble finding the net, but it seems like right now our hard work is paying off.”

Coach Scott Arniel agreed. “[MacKenzie’s] a kid that’s playing with a lots of confidence. He could have had a couple more tonight. [MacKenzie, Clark, and Dorsett] have been really good together. They’ve created chances, they’ve been real physical. If I miss a chance to put [the third line] out against the top line, I have no problems throwing those guys out there because they’re all responsible guys and can do the job. You can tell [Derek’s] feeling good about his game.”

As the dust settled, barely a minute later the Jackets’ top line would add to the ledger, as Kristian Huselius, Antoine Vermette, and Rick Nash would combine to bring the puck into the zone and set up a decent chance that was thwarted at the last minute. Nash then gathered the loose puck, and fed a pass across the crease, only it was knocked into the net by the Ducks’ Toni Lydman for a 2-0 Jackets’ lead. “Good things happen when you throw the puck at the net,” Nash said.

The Ducks would not go away, thanks in large part to the Jackets losing Ethan Moreau to a broken hand early in the second period on a blocked shot, and also to the three penalties the Jackets took in the period: Nikita Filatov at 5:38 for a silly delay of game, Nash at 10:48 for interference, and Pahlsson at 17:31 for holding. But, the Jackets’ PK was up to the challenge, as was the defense on the whole. And that leads us to Steve Mason.

The Jackets went into the locker room after two periods with a 2-0 lead, but the Ducks came out screaming in the third, and the depleted Jackets were a bit flat-footed. Not even a minute into the third, Teemu Selanne broke in on the right side and wristed a shot by Mason. But, that was the only glimmer of hope he would give the Ducks.

Mason was awesome on this night. He stopped 30 of 31 shots, and drew the praise of his coach Scott Arniel: “He was outstanding. His last game wasn’t great. Tonight he was big. We talk about putting good games and bad games behind us, and I thought he did a good job of focusing on tonight and focusing on Anaheim. When you get that kind of goaltending it gives you a chance to win hockey games.”

The Jackets weathered the storm in the third, despite being out-shot 12-6 in the third. Mason was equal to the final 11 of those shots, including a barrage after Anaheim pulled Hiller with 1:40 to go. Finally, with 27 seconds left, Nash removed all doubt with an empty-net goal to seal the 3-1 win.

The one issue for the Jackets was the announced attendance, which was listed at 9,802—an all-time low for Nationwide Arena. “It was unfortunate that we got embarrassed in our opener,” Nash said. “The only way we’re gonna win them back is by winning games, and tonight was a good start.” Steve Mason agreed: “We knew coming back here that we had to get a win. Losing the home opener set us back, but I thought the guys did a pretty good job of taking care of it tonight.”

Scott Arniel boiled it all down: “Winning will take care of it.”

The Jackets remain at home, with the Calgary Flames coming to town on Friday October 22nd for another Western Conference showdown. Let’s hope the citizens of Columbus took note of the

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Photo Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images