Could Denver Coaching Change Have Cleveland Implications?
December 7, 2010Ohio State Buckeyes Get Hooked up With Sleek Audio, Reactor Meltdowns
December 7, 2010Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
This Week: 1-2-1, 3 points
Overall: 15-10-1, 31 points (3rd division; 6th conference)
Any of you that know me know how much of a nerd I am. So, let me sum up where we are Tuesday morning by quoting the awesomeness that is Spaceballs. Apologies for pushing the jump down a bit:
Dark Helmet: “Are we stopped?”
Colonel Sanders: “We’re stopped sir.”
Dark Helmet: “Good. Well why don’t we take a five minute break?”
Colonel Sanders: “Very good, sir.”
Dark Helmet: “Smoke if you got ‘em!”
Columbus has a five minute break before playing in St. Louis Thursday. If nothing else, the losing streak is stopped. Smoke if you got ‘em.
Wednesday, 12/01 in Columbus – Predators 4, Blue Jackets 3 – SO – recap
Friday, 12/03 in Buffalo – Sabres 5, Blue Jackets 0 – (box) – Highlights
Saturday, 12/04 in Columbus – Penguins 7, Blue Jackets 2 – (box) – Highlights
Monday, 12/06 in Columbus – Blue Jackets 3, Stars 2 – SO – (box) – Highlights
It almost felt on Sunday that the Jackets should have been docked some points in the standings after the collective beating they took on Friday and Saturday. In a sport with an 82-game season, it’s important to remember that, after each individual game, it’s almost pointless to take a snapshot and trend it out for the rest of the season.
All of that having been said, after seeing this team implode at the end of November and sit in a tailspin for six or seven weeks LAST season, there was plenty of legitimate reason to adopt the “Crap, here we go again!” attitude after a five-game losing streak that was capped by one of the worst home losses in the history of the franchise.
So, just as those two losses on Friday and Saturday only count for one loss in the standings, it’s also important to note that Monday’s win to end the skid is just one win and counts for just two points… the same two points as, say, the 8-1 win over St. Louis a month (what seems like six months) ago.
In short, if there’s one thing Scott Arniel has had success with so far, it’s getting this team to understand and buy in to the notion that each game is just that: one game. You never dwell on the losses, and you never hang onto the wins. There were some disturbing trends happening, and while Monday’s win was far from brilliant, it showed that this team is capable—at least for now, still—of pulling itself out of ruts.
The most important thing relative to all of this is that we must remember: the Jackets were down with less than a minute to go in the third period to Dallas on Monday night. And they found a way to win. The Captain picked the team up, put them on his back, and buried a goal—on the beleaguered Power Play, no less—to get them to overtime. And they earned the extra point and snapped the streak. That speaks volumes about all of the confidence-posturing I’ve just done. Last year’s team? I don’t think they win Monday night’s game. No way.
And, while that only counts for two points in the standings—just like every other win—it counts for a little more than that in the dressing room, and (hopefully) in the minds of the players.
Up Next
The Jackets have two days off between Monday’s game against Dallas and their next contest. They head to St. Louis (13-9-4, 30pts) on Thursday night, which should be fun considering how the game in Columbus went back in November. Columbus then plays host to the New York Rangers (16-12-1, 33pts) on Saturday night before heading out for a Western Canada road trip. They kick that off in Calgary (11-14-2, 24pts) on Monday night. It’s time for another winning streak. None of these games are completely un-winnable, so let’s get it done!
By The Numbers
Let’s take a quick look at the Jackets by the numbers, through 26 games:
Scoring:
2.62 gpg (20th NHL)
Defense:
2.69 gapg (t12th NHL)
Power Play:
11.0% (29th NHL)
Penalty Kill:
82.2% (17th NHL)
Goals Leader:
Rick Nash – 14
Assists Leader:
Derick Brassard – 13
Points Leader:
Rick Nash – 20
Wins (Goalie):
Steve Mason – 8
Goals-Against Average:
Mathieu Garon – 1.94
Save Percentage:
Mathieu Garon – 92.8%
Injury Update
The Jackets got one of their two big injuries back: Ethan Moreau made his first start on Wednesday against the Preds, and is slowly getting back into the flow. However, Kristian Huselius is still struggling with the high ankle sprain. He skated two straight days last week, but then suffered some pain afterward. He is supposed to return to practice tomorrow with a no-contact sweater. Even still, it doesn’t sound like we should expect Juice back before the new year.
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not
Hot: Sometimes, these awards have to sit on the shelf for a week. Even with the win on Monday, After losing two straight to the tune of 12-2 on the scoreboard, nobody deserves the hardware this week. I will say that Kris Russell was close to earning it, though, with two goals this week and finally looking like he’s getting his legs back, which is the big catalyst to his game.
Not: We’re going to the trophy makers this week and doubling our order. It’s like Tee Ball: EVERYBODY GETS A TROPHY! The PK was bad over the weekend. The defense was bad. Both goalies were not good. The offense couldn’t score. Up until Rick Nash’s late-game tying goal on Monday, the Power Play continued to suck (and, to be fair, Nash’s goal on Monday was 6-on-4 as the Jackets had pulled the goalie). It was awful all around. One of the worst weekends of hockey I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something with this franchise.
Quote of the Week
Have to focus on Detroit and the measuring-stick-games of the weekend:
Other than … five minutes [in the second period Monday], we got everyone fired back up again. The mood was still pretty good. We had so many opportunities in the first period, and again in the third. The leadership did a good job of keeping the bench up and positive.
—Coach Scott Arniel
I picked this quote for one reason: last week’s quotes centered around the team being able to put the two losses to Detroit behind them and moving on. Last season, when the losing started in late November, the club had no answers. It spiraled out of control. It looked as though that might be happening again this season. Of course, the one win on Monday night—as it wasn’t the most beautiful win ever—does not mean everything is fine again. Far from it. But, it showed the resiliency of this club, as they came off of two blow-outs against the hottest team in the conference, and shored up the areas that had been plaguing them. And, as this quote shows, the team still has some mental moxie left in there somewhere. Here’s hoping they can use it to build on Monday’s win and right the ship more completely again.
…A Little Help From My Friends
Jeff Little from The Hockey Writers gives the team some props for not packing it in Monday night:
While there was relief all around for the fact of the win, and the end to the losing streak, what was perhaps more significant this night was the way the team won. Playing well, but not flawlessly, missing opportunities and having the opposition take advantage of the mistakes that were made, the recipe for frustration and surrender was there. The club refused to do that, however, finding a way to get the two points, and showing none of the fragility of which they have been accused. Nash again demonstrated his ability to come through in the clutch, and the team showed what it can do when it plays with the pressure and space that Arniel preaches. The Blue Jackets held the Stars to just 18 shots for the game, including overtime, which is a solid recipe for success down the line.
Fire That Cannon asks the Hockey Gods for forgiveness after Saturday night’s debacle. As the son of a preacher man, this hits me right where I live:
Back when I was christened and confirmed a True Hockey Fan, I vowed to never walk out on a game. I confess I did leave the room. About three times. I’ll work on that as well.
I may not take back what I said about that Crosby guy. He seems to be guided by your hand. I really did want him to turn into a pillar of salt. I will admit that the open sores thing was extreme. At least I didn’t say that about a Jacket.
They say, when times get rough and we don’t see your blade marks on the ice next to us, it means you were carrying us…I’m starting to think it just means you’re in the food court getting a dog and a brew.
I don’t know what else to say beyond that. As I said in my preview yesterday for the Dallas game, for many Jackets fans, it felt like a “Why is this happening to us AGAIN??” moment all week as the losing streak built and the team looked worse and worse. It’s hard to preach patience after a decade of losing. But, each loss does only still count for one loss… even the five-goal losses. The Jackets could very easily put three or four wins in a row together again, and things would be looking up.
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself…