It's over...

 

Jackets get a great 1-0 win over the Red Wings in overtime.  Mason gets the shutout.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2009122829

I was plenty excited about the NHL before the Jackets season started circling the drain.  The 2-1 loss at Detroit on Saturday brings the current losing streak to nine - which ties a team record.  FWIW, the Jackets host Detroit at Nationwide tonight and the game is on Versus. 

 

eh, they need to shrink the league by six teams to ever get me plenty excited again. unfortunately the nhl will only continue to expand beyond all common sense.

 

It's over...

 

Jackets get a great 1-0 win over the Red Wings in overtime.  Mason gets the shutout.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2009122829

 

Jackets return to form in win over Red Wings

It was flashback night in Nationwide Arena tonight.  Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason reappeared in 2008-09 form, left winger Fredrik Modin showed flashes of 2006-07 and the building was packed and pulsing like the good old days.  The Jackets' 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings before an oversold crowd of 18,421 snapped a nine-game winless streak that matched a franchise record.  Modin scored his first goal of the season off his own rebound at 3:12 of overtime, causing a crescendo of noise from the seats and a mass exhale from the coaches and players on the bench.

 

Modin's goal (a beauty by the way) was the "Big Moment" on FSN's Final Score last night.

That was a spectacular finish to an entertaining game.  Although it featured more fights (two) than goals (one)!  More performances like this might turn their season around.  However, it might also be too late because of the deep hole they're in after the prolonged losing streak. 

 

The Jackets shook up their lineup with a trade before yesterday's game.  Left Winger Jason Chimera was traded to the Washington Capitals for defenseman Milan Jurcina and right winger Chris Clark.  The trade looks like a salary cap move for Washington - Chimera can replace Clark for about $1 million less for the Caps.  The Jackets get a veteran leader in Clark, who was the Capitals captain for the past four years, and a large defenseman to replace the injured Rusty Klesla.  It looks like both new players will be available for tonight's game at the New York Islanders.

 

More about the trade at Chimera Traded To Caps

Getting wins in back to back nights would be a great way to respond to the long losing streak. I dont think this is the end for the Jackets, but if they dont start putting wins together soon they'll be all but done.

Well, the Jackets winning streak ends at one with a shootout loss at NY.  That game marked the halfway point to the 2009-2010 season.  Below is a local analysis of the Jackets disappointing season thus far.

 

Analysis: 'Disappointing' Blue Jackets have plenty of issues

Thursday,  December 31, 2009 - 3:09 AM

By Aaron Portzline, The Columbus Dispatch

 

The Blue Jackets open the second half of the season tonight, taking on the Nashville Predators in Nationwide Arena.  If the final 41 games are anything like the first 41, the Blue Jackets will end up with a high pick in next summer's NHL draft.  The Blue Jackets have been caught in a tailspin since Nov. 19, losing 18 of their past 21 games (3-12-6).

 

General manager Scott Howson, asked to describe the first half of the season in one word, needed just two seconds: "Disappointing."  It would now take a massive second-half push -- a record like 25-10-6 -- for the Blue Jackets to gather the roughly 94 points needed to make the playoffs in the Western Conference.

 

Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/12/31/jackets_12-31.ART_ART_12-31-09_C1_70G5IKF.html?sid=101

The Blue Jackets followed up back-to-back road wins in Canada with a home win Sunday night.  All three wins were also with Garon in the goal instead of Mason - who is in the middle of a massive sophomore slump.  Is this the start of a winning streak that will propel the Jackets into the playoffs?  Probably not.  They're in too deep of a hole and the season's half over.  But at least the Jackets are competitive now.

 

Jackets top Stars; win streak at 3

I went to my first Blue Jackets game last night.  Nationwide Arena is a very nice facility, but the lack of ales on draft was slightly disappointing. 

Jackets' home games test fan support

Tuesday,  January 26, 2010 - 3:04 AM

By Tom Reed, The Columbus Dispatch

 

Lee Auer called it simply "the best week ever" to be a Blue Jackets fan.  Last March, the team won four games in a seven-day span, beating Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh and Chicago to fuel its first Stanley Cup playoff run.  Auer sat among a sellout crowd of 19,167 in Nationwide Arena to see the Blue Jackets outlast the Penguins 4-3 in a shootout.  He described the atmosphere as "amazing" and "electric."

 

Now, though, the season ticket-holder, who drives from Portsmouth for the games, ruefully wonders where the good times have gone.  "That was less than a year ago," Auer said.  "And it seems like an eternity."

 

Tonight, the Jackets play host to the Nashville Predators to begin a stretch in which they play 12 of their next 17 games at home.  But with the club having won just eight times since Nov. 19 and with playoff hopes dim, what kind of crowds and atmosphere await? 

 

Blue Jackets ownership and management, -- who have made no substantial changes during an 8-19-7 skid, are interested to see what kind of walk-up crowds they attract.  The team is averaging 15,221 fans, a 2.5 percent increase from last year at this time.  Those numbers have received a boost from the 600-plus season-ticket subscriptions they sold after making the playoffs.

 

Full article at http://www.bluejacketsxtra.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/01/26/jackets_1-26.ART_ART_01-26-10_C1_H9GDJN0.html?sid=101

Ken Hitchcock was fired today.

 

http://www.bluejacketsxtra.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/02/03/blue-jackets-fire-coach-hitchcock.html?sid=101

 

The only thing that surprises me about Hitchcock's firing is the timing.  I was sure the Jackets would wait until the season was over.  Or possibly they would give him part of next season since he would still be under contract. 

In the five games since Hitchcock's firing, the Jackets went 3-2 under interim head coach Claude Noel.  They won the first three games, then lost by one fluke goal to Vancouver and a shootout loss yesterday to the Chicago Blackhawks.  Mason's been better in goal and the young players like Brassard and Voracek have been notably better under Noel.  Its too early to make any conclusions, but the team has looked better seen Hitch's departure.  Let's see how they do after the Winter Olympics break.

 

Here's another perspective on the Hitchcock firing from a Columbus blog I recently discovered: Don’t Let the Door Hitch Ya.

And speaking of the NHL's Winter Olympics break.  The Blue Jackets don't play their next game until March 2.  But six Jackets will be playing for their national teams:

 

LW Rick Nash - CANADA

D Jan Hejda - CZECH REPUBLIC

D Milan Jurcina - SLOVAKIA

LW Fredrik Modin - SWEDEN

C Sammy Pahlsson - SWEDEN

D Fedor Tyutin - RUSSIA

Blue Jackets, Crunch may be nearing split

Friday,  February 19, 2010 - 3:16 AM

By Tom Reed, The Columbus Dispatch

 

The Blue Jackets' minor-league affiliate in Syracuse, N.Y., will make hockey headlines far away from the Winter Olympics on Saturday, even as doubts linger whether the teams' relationship will continue beyond the spring.  The Syracuse Crunch will play host to an outdoor game, the first in American Hockey League history.  It will bring the Crunch exposure and help spotlight their association with the Blue Jackets, one of the longest running between an NHL franchise and its farm team.

 

But the end might be near.  The sides are in the final year of an affiliation agreement, and negotiations to extend it appear to be sputtering.  Even if a deal is struck, it's not likely to be long term.  The Blue Jackets, according to one source, desire an Ohio minor-league base because of the proximity and marketing opportunities.

 

The Blue Jackets have an interest in Cleveland, but the Colorado Avalanche is thought to have two seasons remaining on its contract with the Lake Erie Monsters.  Another alternative is buying an AHL franchise, which gives the parent club total control.  Next fall, Edmonton will become the 11th NHL organization to join the category, AHL spokesman Jason Chaimovitch said.

 

Full article at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/02/19/jackets_2-19.ART_ART_02-19-10_C1_8UGKQG3.html?sid=101

Blue Jackets make five deals in busy trade day

Updated: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 6:06 PM

By Tom Reed, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The busiest trade deadline in Blue Jackets' history is over.  The club made five deals, netting a a second-round pick, two late-round conditional picks, a pair of prospects and a journeyman NHL defenseman.

 

General manager Scott Howson traded all three of his unrestricted free agents: forwards Raffi Torres and Fredrik Modin and defenseman Milan Jurcina.  He made two minor-league deals, as well. 

 

Torres, 28, was dealt to Buffalo for a second-round pick and journeyman defenseman Nathan Paetsch, 26, an unrestricted free agent at season's end.  Jurcina, 26, went back to Washington for a conditional sixth-round pick, while Modin, 35, was shipped to Los Angeles for a conditional seventh-round selection.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/03/03/jackets-trade-torres-to-buffalo.html?sid=101

Some unexpected Columbus Blue Jackets news from a Senate campaign in Oregon.  Well, CBJ logo news anyway.

 

U.S. Senate candidate on how campaign 'stole' Columbus logo

 

Marc Delphine was fond of the logo a volunteer had designed for his campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Oregon: a silver star wrapped in a star-spangled banner that his designer told him evoked the letter 'D' for branding purposes.  It certainly was a memorable symbol.  In fact, it was already being used by the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, as Delphine was stunned to discover on Wednesday.

 

The Blue Jackets PR staff was alerted by fans over Twitter of the trademark infringement, and passed the matter along to their legal department and then to the NHL.  Delphine said he received a phone call from The Oregonian newspaper about misuse of the logo, followed by "30 consecutive emails" from around the country about it.

 

"They were all like, 'What are you doing with their logo?' and I was like, 'I didn't make the logo!' and we pulled it immediately," said Delphine, a Libertarian candidate making history as the first openly homosexual man to run for the U.S. Senate in Oregon.  "I'm not interested in any kind of infringement. We don't even need a logo."

 

 

He said a volunteer associated with his Web site developer created the logo and donated it to the campaign.  As you can see, the Blue Jackets' current logo (right) was simply flipped from left to right and the red circle synonymous with the Ohio state flag was removed.  Instead of a 'D' the logo actually makes a 'C' for Columbus.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/U-S-Senate-candidate-on-how-campaign-stole-Co?urn=nhl,227264

Are the Jackets For sale?  http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/65415/20100317/report_hawks_may_be_for_sale/

Sounds like pure speculation on the part of The New York Times.  And I never go to the Times for my sports information.

Interesting interview with Columbus Blue Jackets star Rick Nash at NHL.com.  It deals with Nash's individual success in the NHL and with the 2010 Canadian Olympic Team that won the gold medal.  It also deals with the Blue Jackets team frustration this year after reaching the playoffs last year.

 

Link:  Nash optimistic about Jackets' future

A shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings closes the book on the Columbus Blue Jackets 2009-2010 season.  Pretty good season finale in a packed Nationwide Arena.  Mason's 45 saves lead to a regulation and overtime 0-0 shutout against the playoff bound Red Wings. 

 

The 2009-2010 season had a great start and good finish sandwiching a horrible middle stretch that effectively eliminated the Jackets chances to return to the playoffs.  Sans playoffs, Jackets fans will now look ahead to draft prospects, off-season free-agents and opening the 2010-2011 season in Sweden.  Columbus will play its first two regular season games in Stockholm as part of what has become the NHL's annual season opening trip to Europe.  Should be fun - especially if you can go.  And some lucky fans will get to go - courtesy of some travel & ticket packages given away at tonight's season finale game.  Lucky duckies!!

 

There is one additional off-season matter for the Blue Jackets however.  That little matter of who will coach next year's team.  Claude Noel took over as interim head coach after Hitchcock's firing.  The team went 10-9-6 under Noel - including three highly competitive one goal losses to the Red Wings in the final five games of the season.  Better, but not enough to take the "interim" tag from Coach Noel just yet.  According to the Dispatch article linked below, Noel will be one of six to eight candidates for the head coaching job. 

 

Jackets will talk to others before deciding about Noel:  Interim coach a solid candidate

 

And also according to the article, this decision process may take up to one month or longer - due to some of the candidates being on playoff coaching staffs.  So for now, next year's head coach is TBD until further notice.  Enjoy the off-season!

BLUE JACKETS - 2009-2010 SEASON IN REVIEW

 

There have been worse seasons for the Blue Jackets, but 2009-10 will go down as the most disappointing so far because the team fell well short of expectations.

 

The Jackets were expected to make a return trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs, albeit barely.  The Hockey News and Sporting News had the Blue Jackets finishing eighth in the Western Conference.  TSN.ca picked them seventh, and Sports Illustrated had them third in the Central Division behind Detroit and Chicago.  Instead, at 32-35-15 (79 points), the Blue Jackets were one of the worst clubs in the NHL.

 

Full article and The Dispatch's annual Season In Review: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/04/11/it-wasnt-all-glum-but-too-much-of-it-was.html?sid=101

Blue Jackets To Pick No. 4

 

The Blue Jackets will have the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s NHL entry draft following tonight’s NHL draft lottery in New York.  Edmonton, who had the worst record in the NHL this season, will pick No. 1, followed by Boston (from Toronto), Florida, Columbus and the New York Islanders.

 

For the third straight season the draft lottery did nothing to change the pecking order from the NHL overall standings.  And for the 11th straight season, the Blue Jackets came out of the lottery without moving up in the draft.

 

At No. 4, the Blue Jackets, barring a trade, are out of the running for the two players scouts consider the elite talents in the draft -- left winger Taylor Hall and center Tyler Seguin.  Those two are the consensus first and second picks, the only argument is who goes first.  The draft is June 25-26 at Staples Center.

 

The Blue Jackets have their new head coach.  It's Scott Arniel, 47-year-old head coach with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, the top affiliate of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.  Arniel has compiled a .617 winning percentage in the past four seasons with Manitoba.  Before that, Arniel was an assistant coach with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres for three seasons.

 

The Jackets had earlier yesterday offered the head coaching job to Guy Boucher.  But he turned down the Blue Jackets to accept the head coaching job of the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Boucher hiring is the first major move by new Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, and it makes Boucher at 38 the youngest coach in the NHL.

 

More on this from the Dispatch:  Jackets' second shot nets a coach:  After being rebuffed by top dog Guy Boucher, the Blue Jackets hired Scott Arniel, coach of the minor-league Manitoba Moose of the AHL.  Interim coach Claude Noel is moving on.

The Blue Jackets have started their training camp and pre-season schedule.  Their opening game, part of a two-game series in Sweden against San Jose, is only two weeks away. 

 

There's been very little player news this off-season.  A veteran winger Ethan Moreau was signed from Edmonton.  Nikita Filatov will be returning from Russia.  And potential franchise goalie Steve Mason was signed to a two-year extension (more on that below):

 

Jackets sign Mason to two-year deal:  Goaltender agrees to extension for total of $5.8 million

The Columbus Blue Jackets drop the puck on the 2010-2011 NHL regular season today halfway across the globe in Stockholm, Sweden.  The Jackets start a two-game series against the San Jose Sharks today at 3PM on Versus and tomorrow at 3PM on the NHL Network. 

 

For more about the Jackets and their fans in Sweden from the Dispatch: With Blue Jackets' trip overseas, Columbus hopes to reap rewards

 

How will the Blue Jackets fare in 2010-2011?  It depends upon which of the Jackets' past two years you think is the real Jackets team.  Is it the 2008-2009 team that played well and made the playoffs?  Or is it the 2009-2010 team that finished 14th place in the 15-team Western Conference?  Both teams had mostly the same players.  And the 2010-2011 team has mostly the same players too. 

 

I think the Jackets could be more like the playoff team of two years ago then last year's 14th place team.  Although the players are the same, the coaching staff is all new and features a more up-tempo higher-scoring philosophy.  But it will probably depend on how well the Jackets' young talent like goaltender Steve Mason, center Derick Brassard and wingers Nikita Filatov and Jake Voracek perform.  The defense needs to rebound to 2008-2009 levels.  And the veterans like Nash, Vermette, Huselius and Umberger need to continue their quality play from last season.

 

Are the playoffs reachable this season?  If teams like Phoenix and Colorado can make huge leaps forward last season, why not Columbus this year? 

 

For more analysis of the upcoming season from the Dispatch: Blue Jackets sort out answers

The Blue Jackets split a pair of 3-2 games against San Jose in Sweden.  Overall, the Jackets looked very good against one of the best in the west. 

 

Mason's goaltending was solid.  Filatov connected with Huselius for a powerplay goal in each game.  The one big off-season move the Jackets made - claiming Ethen Moreau by waivers from Edmonton - paid off big.  Moreau played great on the Umberger-Pahallson-Moreau checking line in both games.  And then Moreau got the game-winning OT goal in the second game.  Decent start to the season. 

The first two weeks of the 2010-2011 season have been real up-and-down affairs.  The Jackets get blown out in two home games against against Chicago and Calgary.  But then follow up those blowouts with gutsy road wins at Minnesota and Chicago.  Add in a decent mid-week home win against Anaheim and the Jackets are 4-3 going into this week's games.  Not outstanding - but not terrible. 

 

Mason's looked very good so far.  Especially considering the high amount of power plays the Jackets are giving up.  Off-season pickup Moreau breaks his hand blocking a puck and is out for 4-6 weeks.  And after a promising start young gun Filatov gets demoted to the fourth line. 

 

The Jackets host the Philadelphia Flyers tonight.  They host Edmonton and travel to Colorado later in the week.

Last week continued the early season trends for the Blue Jackets.  Close wins and blowout losses.  The Jackets won two close games against Philadelphia and Edmonton at home before being blown out at Colorado.

 

What it adds up to is a decent 6-4 record and a negative goals scored differential (24-29).  The Jackets face Montreal tonight in Nationwide, travel to Atlanta on Thursday, and return home for a Saturday game against Minnesota. 

Good overall play for the improving Blue Jackets last week.  A pair of 3-0 wins over Montreal and Atlanta followed by a 3-2 home loss against Minnesota.  The big surprise is that all three games - including two straight shutouts - were achieved with backup goalie Mathieu Garon in the net.  It's not that starting goalie Steve Mason was that bad (he's been fine).  But Garon got on a hot streak and rode it to three straight starts.  Columbus is now 8-5.

 

The Jackets have only two games this week - St. Louis on Wednesday and Colorado on Friday.  Both are at Nationwide Arena.  Next week the schedule gets more difficult as the Jackets will play three California road games in four days. 

The Blue Jackets haven't had an over three goal game in their first 13 games.  St. Louis was riding a seven game winning streak and a pair of hot goaltenders coming into tonight's game.  So what could you expect from tonight's game?  How about an 8-1 Columbus win! 

 

The eight-goal offensive explosion ties a franchise high for the Jackets.  Mason returns to the net and gets 29 saves.

 

Recap and video of the game at http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2010020213&navid=DL

Awesome game last night.  I'm cautiously optimistic about this team.

It's hard to believe the attendance was only 10,250 for last night's game, for a 9-5 team.  Would hate to see what it would be if they were a cellar dweller.

^That's actual attendance, not total tickets sold.  Some season ticket holders don't attend all the weekday games early in the season.  And it sure seemed like alot more were there than the posted attendance.  It was a loud and rowdy crowd.

 

Awesome game last night.  I'm cautiously optimistic about this team.

So am I. 

^That's actual attendance, not total tickets sold. Some season ticket holders don't attend all the weekday games early in the season. And it sure seemed like alot more were there than the posted attendance. It was a loud and rowdy crowd.

 

Awesome game last night. I'm cautiously optimistic about this team.

So am I.

I know it's actual attendance, that was my point.  9-10,000 empty seats equates to a minimum of $90-$100K (probably closer to double that) in lost concessions revenue in one game.  Not to mention lost parking revenue, bar & restaurant revenues, etc..

 

This is a respectable NHL team, with a 9-5 record, they should be able to do better than half-fill (actual attendance) an arena.

I know it's actual attendance, that was my point. 

 

If you knew that then you should know that dilutes your point. 

 

If just over 10,000 is the actual game attendance out of a capacity of 18,136, then there might be another 1,500 or more season-tickets sold but not used for that game.  The total number of season-tickets sold is around 9,000-10,000.  And alot of the vacant seats are in the lower bowl section - exactly where the season-tickets are sold.

I know it's actual attendance, that was my point.

 

If you knew that then you should know that dilutes your point.

 

If just over 10,000 is the actual game attendance out of a capacity of 18,136, then there might be another 1,500 or more season-tickets sold but not used for that game. The total number of season-tickets sold is around 9,000-10,000. And alot of the vacant seats are in the lower bowl section - exactly where the season-tickets are sold.

Did you read the rest of my post?  About missed revenue (concessions, parking, etc.) due to empty seats?

 

I'm just surprised that the CBJ's are doing so poorly with attendance (28th out of 30), despite having a decent team, would hate to see the attendance numbers if the team was bad.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance

The Jackets had another bipolar series of home games last week with a beautiful 8-1 win against St. Louis followed by an ugly 5-1 loss against Colorado.  Now they face a difficult series of three California road games in four days.  First up tonight are the L.A. Kings - who are 8-0 at home this year - followed by Anaheim on Friday and San Jose on Saturday.

 

Rick Nash and number of other forwards and centers who didn't play in last Friday's Colorado game are expected to return to the lineup tonight.  Highly paid but often injured defenseman Mike Commodore is expected to appear in his first game for the Jackets tonight, as well.  The Jackets are off to a great 9-6 start.  But a poor California trip could find them returning to Columbus with a .500 record.

The Blue Jackets just completed their three-game California road trip.  The western time zone is typically brutal on Columbus.  So just not losing all three games would be considered a decent outcome.  But instead, the Jackets won all three road games against L.A., Anaheim and San Jose - all top quality teams. 

 

The first two games against L.A. and Anaheim were close 5-3 and 4-3 matches.  Mason started both games in goal and had 47 saves in a stellar performance against Anaheim.  Garon starts the next night against San Jose and pitches a shutout in a dominating 3-0 win by Jackets. 

 

About ten games ago Coach Arniel shook up the offensive lines by pairing top-flight veteran Rick Nash with young guns Brassard and Voracek on the #1 line.  That pairing is really starting to pay dividends.  Brassard and Voracek have shaken off their early season scoring slumps.  And Nash's scoring has just exploded with 8 goals in his last 5 games played.  In this California trip alone, Nash got one goal against L.A., one goal against Anaheim and all three Columbus goals against San Jose! 

 

But there's no rest for the weary as the schedule for the upcoming week doesn't get any easier for the Jackets.  The team returns to Nationwide to face inter-division rival Nashville on Monday, then travels to the N.Y. Islanders on Wednesday before returning to face the Red Wings at home on Friday and at Detroit on Sunday.  Let's see if the Blue Jackets can keep hiding this hot streak!

Wow! :-o What a fantastic West coast trip!

 

Gooooooo Jackets! They are now 12-6-0 which puts them third in the central division and 6th overall in the western conference.

 

There are only 5 teams with more wins then the Jackets in the entire NHL and the Jackets are tied for the fewest games played (18). They are also tied with Boston for the best road record at 7-1-0. They are off to a fantastic start.

It's still early in the season.  But the Jackets are on their way to answering the question I posed before the season began.  Which was the "real" Blue Jackets team?  The 2008-2009 playoff team or the 2009-2010 team that finished second to last in the west?  Right now this year's team is playing like the playoff team of two seasons ago.  Mason gets a shutout.  Nash scores again.  And you know things are going your way when Commie scores in two straight games!

 

---

Blue Jackets 2, Predators 0 --- Jackets strike back

Columbus continues its hot streak, taking out Nashville, one of its fiercest rivals

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 

By Aaron Portzline, The Columbus Dispatch

 

A 2-0 win over their longtime rivals, the Nashville Predators, was highlighted by Steve Mason's 27-save shutout, his first of the season and the 17th of his career.  That's two straight shutouts and a four-game winning streak, the Blue Jackets' longest since late in the 2008-09 season.

 

Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash continued his torrid stretch with yet another goal - he has 10 in the past nine games - and defenseman Mike Commodore scored for the second time in three games.

 

MORE: http://www.bluejacketsxtra.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/11/23/jackets-strike-back.html?sid=101

The Blue Jackets unveiled the design for their third jersey during the first intermission of Wednesday night's game at the NY Islanders.  (BTW - the Jackets won the game on a sweet OT goal by Jake Voracek)  More about the third jersey designs at Blue Jackets unveil new sweater and The Cannon Unveiled:

 

       

 

Columbus will be wearing their new third jerseys for the first time tonight against the Detroit Red Wings at Nationwide.  Detroit and Columbus - who are tied for the Central Division lead - will play home-and-away games on Friday and Sunday, sandwiching the OSU/UM game on Saturday.  Which is also a first and an inspired idea.  GO JACKETS AND GO BUCKS!

The good news is that Ohio won one out of three games in last weekend's Ohio/Michigan showdown.  The bad news for the Jackets is that the one win was OSU thumping UM on Saturday.

 

The Columbus Blue Jackets started the weekend by hosting the Detroit Red Wings at Nationwide Arena on Friday.  The capacity crowd was treated to the new third uniform for the Jackets and great hard fought game.  But the Jackets five-game winning streak was snapped by a 2-1 loss. 

 

After Saturday's OSU/UM game, the Jackets travelled to Joe Louis Arena on Sunday.  Another capacity crowd and another hard fought close game.  But another loss to the Red Wings - this time a 4-2 loss with an empty net final goal. 

 

Two well played games by the Blue Jackets.  But ultimately, it shows the distance that still remains between being a good young team like the Jackets and a great veteran team like the Red Wings.  Columbus is now 14-8 entering this week's games.  The Jackets host Nashville on Wednesday - then travel to Buffalo on Friday - and return to host Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Once again the question needs to be asked: Are this season's Blue Jackets going to be like last season's team or the playoff team of two seasons ago?  Not long ago it looked like the latter.  Now it looks like the former.  A five-game winning streak has turned into a five-game losing streak.  The Jackets looked okay in a Wednesday overtime tie / shootout loss to Nashville.  But then they completely fell apart in a 5-0 loss at Buffalo and a 7-2 drubbing against Pittsburgh. 

 

In those two losses and the previous two losses against Detroit, the Jackets wore their new third uniforms.  I really like those third uni's, but if they don't play any better wearing them they might have to be burned! 

 

Columbus plays Dallas tonight at Nationwide.  They travel to St. Louis on Thursday.  Then they return home to host the N.Y. Rangers on Saturday.  Here's hoping this week is better than last week.

A better week for the Jackets last week.  First, a shootout win over Dallas - made possible by a tying goal in the last minute of regulation time by Rick Nash.  Then, a 4-1 road clunker at St. Louis.  Followed by a good rebound 3-1 win at home against the NY Rangers - Nash gets two goals in the third period. 

 

Incidentally, the Saturday game against the Rangers was originally to feature the Jackets wearing their new third uniform.  Coach Arniel made a last minute decision to play in the regular home uniform instead.  When asked if this was because the Jackets were winless in the four times they've worn their third uniform, Coach Arniel replied that he just thought it would look cool if both teams were wearing red pants!

 

Columbus starts their tour of Western Canada tonight at Calgary.  Following by Vancouver on Wednesday and Edmonton on Thursday.  They finish the week on Saturday hosting Dallas at Nationwide.

Columbus played some decent hockey last week - but got very little to show for it. 

 

The start of last week's road trip in Calgary ended in a regulation tie and 3-2 overtime loss.  But since Mason was pulled after giving up two goals in the first five minutes, a 2-2 tie was a good result.  Garon was in goal for the next game at Vancouver and the Jackets got another regulation tie and overtime loss.  The team tried to get Mason back on track in Edmonton, but that went badly as Mason once again needed to be pulled after giving up six goals in two periods.  Garon and the Jackets looked at home against Dallas, but a very questionable disallowed goal led to a 2-1 loss. 

 

Mason's struggles have sent him to the bench and Garon will be the primary goalie for the near future.  The Jackets play Calgary at home tonight and Vancouver at home on Thursday.  After a Christmas break, they travel to Chicago on Sunday.

Well, the December slump for the Blue Jackets continues.  Last week was one step forward and two steps back.  They started with a solid 3-1 win over Calgary.  But followed with an embarrassing 7-3 thumping from Vancouver and a frustrating 4-1 loss at Chicago. 

 

After going 14-8-0 in October and November, the Jackets are 3-7-3 in December.  They're now 17-15-3 with 37 points - 12th place in the 15-team Western Conference. 

 

Columbus faces Minnesota tonight at Nationwide Arena.  Then they travel to Toronto on Thursday and return to Columbus to face Ottawa on New Year's Eve.  They finish on Sunday, January 2nd at Nashville.

The Blue Jackets ended their December slump with three straight wins.  They edged Minnesota with a shootout win on Monday.  Followed by a 3-2 win at Toronto on Thursday.  And finishing with a thrilling overtime win against Ottawa on Friday.  That win featured the Jackets building up a 3-0 lead and then giving up 3 goals in the last 22 minutes before salvaging the win in overtime.  All three wins also came with Mason in goal, which is good for him and the team.

 

Ironically, the Jackets probably didn't play much better then the previous week when they lost 2 of 3.  But this week's three wins came against teams below the Jackets in the standings.  But win is a win.  And it moves the Jackets up to 9th place in the West - only one point out of playoff range. 

 

And they'll need to bank away all the points they can get.  The January schedule turns brutal for Columbus.  Only 3 of their 11 January games will be at home.  The next four games are on the road.  The Jackets play at Nashville tonight - Phoenix on Tuesday - Anaheim on Friday - L.A. on Saturday.

The 2010-2011 NHL season is now half over for the Blue Jackets.  After 42 games (one game past the halfway point) the Jackets are 20-19-3. 

 

The Jackets continued their maddingly inconsistent style of play that's been the trademark for this season.  They followed a three game winning streak that moved them up to 9th place in the playoff standings with a four game losing week last week that dropped them into 13th place. 

 

The Jackets need to get back on track this week.  They host Phoenix tonight and Detroit on Friday at Nationwide.  Followed by a Saturday game at Detroit.

Well, more of the same inconsistent play from the Jackets last week.  They started with a terrible loss at home against PHX.  Terrible - because they were leading two goals at home against a west coast team on their second day of back-to-back road games - and they ended up getting outworked for a regulation loss and zero points. 

 

Then the Jackets came back to life on a home-and-away-twofer against the Red Wings.  Two straight regulation ties - one shootout win for the Jackets in Columbus - one overtime win for the Red Wings in Detroit.  Getting 3 out of a possible 4 points against the division leading Red Wings is not bad.

 

This week the Blue Jackets get away from cold and cloudly Ohio and travel to warm and sunny climes to face Tampa Bay tonight and Florida tomorrow.  They finish up at St. Louis on Saturday.  The team might enjoy the better weather (who wouldn't) but they need points to get back in the playoff hunt.  The Jackets are currently in 13th place - six points behind the 8th place playoff threshold in the West.

And just because I wanted to post some good news, here's a post from Columbus Underground about team captain Rick Nash being named to the NHL All-Star team.

 

Nash Named to All-Star Team

 

Last Tuesday it was announced that Blue Jackets winger Rick Nash will play in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.  The 26-year-old captain has 39 points on the season and is ranked 9th in the league with 21 goals.  This will mark Nash’s fourth consecutive All-Star appearance and fifth overall. 

 

The format for this year’s game is slightly different than previous years.  Instead of assigning players to teams by conference or nationality, there will be two captains who will hand-select their teammates akin to a pickup game during recess.  The game will be played on Sunday January 30, 2011 at 4:00 PM in Raleigh, North Carolina and will be broadcasted on Versus.

 

MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-sports-page-jackets-update-mls-draft