April 11, 20196 yr David & Goliath story in the making? https://www.dispatch.com/sports/20190410/blue-jackets-4-lightning-3--breathtaking-rally-puts-jackets-ahead-1-0-in-first-round-series Let's go Jackets!
April 11, 20196 yr Talk to me when they learn to win 3 games in a series. They were up 2-0 last year and then promptly fumbled away four straight. Still, quite a comeback against one of the best teams of all-time. I think the Lightning had lost only one game when leading after two periods and vice versa, the Jackets had only won twice when trailing after two periods during the season. Bob was "Playoff Bob" for 20 minutes and then turned it on for the final 40. Sloppy play by Jones led to the first short-handed goal - Jones redeemed himself with the game winner. Savard had a rough night defensively - but made up for it with a beauty of a goal in which he toe dragged Victor Hedman, one of the best defenseman in the league. All in all, a sloppy 20 minutes defensively, which didn't get a whole lot better in the next two periods but Bob turned in some other worldly saves to bail them out. The offense started getting chances, though, and made Vasi...forget it...Vasoline look pretty ordinary. If you can get shots on him, you have a chance. On to Game 2. Very Stable Genius
April 11, 20196 yr GAME 1: CBJ win 4-3: https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/11/18304926/game-1-recap-columbus-blue-jackets-tampa-bay-lightning-foligno-cirelli-vasilevskiy-bobrovsky-jones I must admit that I wasn't expecting great things from the CBJ against mighty Tampa Bay. After a 3-0 first period, I was down to hoping that the CBJ just not embarrass themselves on national TV. And the start of the second period didn't look any more promising. Bob looked very shaky giving up 3 goals on 13 shots in the first and the Lightning were on a power-play. But about 30 seconds into the second period, Bob made one of his "Vezina Bob" saves on a Stamkos to Kucherov play. It was Bob's first really good save of the night, and prevented the game from going 4-0. Who knew that Bob would blank the Lightning for the rest of the game on their next 15 shots? But even with Bob shutting down TBL, the Jackets still needed to score. And they didn't get their first goal until 9:15 into the second on a Nick Foligno breakaway. Still, TBL held the Jackets scoreless for the rest of the second and looked in control - although the Jackets righted the ship and equalized the shot total 11-11 in the second vs. the 13-6 deficit of the first. The Jackets built on their momentum in the third period, but couldn't break through until Sidney Crosby briefly took possession of normally lumbering d-man David Savard(!) at the 7:56 mark. Savard intercepted a neutral zone pass and darted unmarked into the Lightning zone, uncranking a wicked slap shot that beat Vasilevskiy and made the game 3-2! Even then, only two minutes later, we had another "here we go again" moment when Dubinsky gave TBL a four-minute power-play on a high-sticking that drew blood. But instead of TBL getting a goal to extend their lead and ride out the period, Josh Anderson scores a short-handed goal to tie up 3-3! Not only did TBL not get a goal during the Dubi double-minor, TBL committed their own high-sticking penalty during the final minute of it to go 4 on 4 briefly, and then give the Jackets an abbreviated power-play. But the Jackets cashed in on it with 5:55 remaining in the third. Seth Jones scored a power-play goal on a slap-shot set up by a Panarin pass and an Atkinson screen in front of the net. On the replay, you can see that Vasilevskiy never reacted to Jones' high shot to give Columbus a 4-3 lead! Even with that go-ahead goal, you still thought that the TBL would find a way to at least tie it and send into overtime. But they didn't. The Jackets shut down the Lightning offense and outshot TBL 9 to 5 in the third period to shock the Lightning! This was the first time the Lightning blew a 3-goal lead this season. I don't know what the rest of the series holds, but that was a game to remember for the CBJ.
April 11, 20196 yr I didn't fully appreciate the brutality of our division until this sentence from that Jackets Cannon article: After posting a fifth place finish the Metropolitan Division during the 2018-19 regular season, the Columbus Blue Jackets, who won more games than all but five teams in the NHL this season, began their playoff push Tuesday night in the second wild card position as they visited the Tampa Bay Lightning. For us to pull effectively a #8 seed in just our side of the bracket when we were that high in the entire league ...
April 11, 20196 yr 32 minutes ago, Gramarye said: I didn't fully appreciate the brutality of our division until this sentence from that Jackets Cannon article: After posting a fifth place finish the Metropolitan Division during the 2018-19 regular season, the Columbus Blue Jackets, who won more games than all but five teams in the NHL this season, began their playoff push Tuesday night in the second wild card position as they visited the Tampa Bay Lightning. For us to pull effectively a #8 seed in just our side of the bracket when we were that high in the entire league ... That's how it was two years ago, too. Washington was the best team in the entire NHL. Pittsburgh the second, and the Blue Jackets the third. And we had to play Pittsburgh in the first round because of the NHL's silly playoff pairings. Of course Pittsburgh went on to win it all that year (and Washington last year).
April 13, 20196 yr Well, as someone who watched Cleveland come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals and then fall from a 3-1 lead in the World Series, no series lead is safe. But we just took two out of two in Tampa Bay. And at least tonight and for two out of three periods in Game 1, Vezina Bob apparently replaced Playoff Bob in goal.
April 13, 20196 yr GAME #2: CBJ win 5-1 (CBJ lead the series 2-0) https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/13/18308800/game-2-recap-duchene-werenski-lead-blue-jackets-to-5-1-rout-of-lightning-panarin-bobrovsky The CBJ turned the tables in Game 3 on TBL - getting out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Atkinson got the scoring started about 5 minutes in (good to see Cam get his first goal of the series - he got dropped to the second line with Duchene and Dzingel and it paid off). Werenski got a power-play goal about midway through. At the end of the first period, TBL's Brayden Point tried to light up his team by picking a fight with Zach Werenski after a post-whistle scrum in front of the Jackets net. This was the first fight of Z’s career! But instead of lighting up the Lightning, the Z vs. Point fight seemed to energize the Jackets. Shortly after the intermission, the Jackets scored a power-play goal on a sweet tic-tac-toe started by Werenski to Panarin to Duchene in front of the net going unmarked by Hedman (who hasn't looked good after returning from a late season concussion). The play also gave Werenski a "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" of a goal,, assist and fight! This was the 7th unanswered goal for the Jackets since going down three in the first period of Game 1. The Jackets held on to this 3-0 lead of Game 2 into the second intermission. But the Lightning started to mount a comeback at 5 minutes into the third period with a goal to make it 3-1. Then, a minute later, the Jackets committed a penalty to give the Lightning a power play and a chance to edge within one. But the CBJ once again stopped the NHL's best power-play. Then, a minute after the power-play ended, Riley Nash (who had only 3 goals in 78 games this season) scored to make it 4-1. Then, with 7:45 remaining in the third, Panarin scores his first goal of the series to make it 5-1 (assisted by Duchene and Bjorkstrand of the newly formed top line). After that Game 2 was decided - except for an incident with just under 5 minutes left. Tampa's frustration boiled over when TBL's leading scored Nikita Kucherov tripped Nutivaara. During the delayed penalty, Kucherov checked Nutivaara's head into the boards while Nuti was on his knees. After the ensuing melee, Kucherov was a 2-5-10 (2 minutes for tripping; 5 minutes for boarding; and 10 minute game misconduct) and will have a hearing with NHL Player Safety that could result in a further suspension. The Kuckerov incident, the Point fight, and transformation of the Lightning into a checking squad in Game 2 is baffling. Where have the record-tying 62-win regular season Tampa Bay Lightning gone? Outside of the first period in Game 1, they've been absent. In the five periods since that three-goal period, Columbus has outscored Tampa 9 to 1(!) Will the regular-season TBL show up at Nationwide on Sunday? Will TBL's leading scorer Nikita Kucherov be suspended for this game? I can't wait for Game 3 back in C-BUS!
April 14, 20196 yr Nikita Kucherov was given a one-game suspension by the NHL for his Game 2 check to the head of Nutivaara: https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/13/18309344/nikita-kucherov-suspended-tampa-bay-lightning-columbus-blue-jackets-markus-nutivaara So TBL's leading offensive player is suspended for tonight's Game 3. Also, TBL's leading defensive player, Victor Hedman, is questionable for Game 3 with an undisclosed injury (likely his late season concussion): https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/nikita-kucherov-suspension-lightning-nhl-1.5097258
April 15, 20196 yr https://www.tampabay.com/sports/2019/04/15/lightning-blue-jackets-tampa-bay-on-verge-of-elimination-after-game-3-loss/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/columnist/kevinallen/2019/04/14/nhl-playoffs-lightning-blue-jackets-3-0-first-round-lead/3469272002/ This was a nailbiter, though nothing like Game 1 ... at least in this one we had the lead to protect rather than the deficit to overcome. (Don't be fooled by the 3-1 score, this was a 2-1 game with an empty-netter at the very end.) Tampa Bay did better this game with Kucherov on the bench than in Game 2 with him in the game. There were definitely stretches where Tampa Bay was on the attack even without Kucherov and Bob had to make some impressive saves, though there were also long stretches when we outplayed the Lightning and we have the win to show for it. Of note: I'm pretty sure we only gave them one power play all game.
April 15, 20196 yr 42 minutes ago, Gramarye said: Of note: I'm pretty sure we only gave them one power play all game. No power plays for TB. Very Stable Genius
April 15, 20196 yr 5 minutes ago, DarkandStormy said: No power plays for TB. Just checked the USAT article again and it said one ... ? ?
April 15, 20196 yr 38 minutes ago, Gramarye said: Just checked the USAT article again and it said one ... ? ? http://www.espn.com/nhl/matchup?gameId=401126315 ESPN says 0 opportunities. The Jackets took a couple penalties, but they were offset by Tampa also taking penalties at the same time. Very Stable Genius
April 15, 20196 yr GAME #3: CBJ win 3-1 (CBJ lead the series 3-0!) https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/15/18310131/game-3-recap-blue-jackets-lead-series-3-0 TBL's leading scorer Kucherov was suspended because of his Game 2 check to the head of Nutivaara. TBL's best defenseman Hedman was out with a likely concussion. CBJ's defenseman Nutivaara was also out with a likely concussion - so well-traveled vet Clendening replaced him. Tampa decided to ice a pair of 34-year-old vets (Callahan on offense and Coburn on defense) and also decided to transform into a low-skill, high-grit dump-and-chase team from the high-skill puck possession team that won 62 regular-season games! That new formula didn't work well for TBL, who got outshot 12-3 by the CBJ in first period. Vasilevskiy was able to keep Game 3 scoreless until 1:44 in the second period - when a rebound from an Atkinson shot caroomed right into the path of Matt Duchene - who buried it to give Columbus a 1-0 lead. The Jackets when up 2-0 later in the second on a Bjorkstrand power-play goal (it also got 19-year-old Texier his first playoff point on an assist). Tampa scrapped their dump-and-chase strategy in the third period and started to mount a comeback. TBL scored with just over 15 minutes left to make it 2-1. And then some vintage playoff hockey was on for the rest of the third. With the Jackets holding on to their one-goal lead, Tampa outshot the CBJ 17-8 in the final period. But the CBJ defense was fierce and Bob was Vezina Bob in the net - stopping everything until Cam Atkinson got an empty-net goal with 59.9 seconds left to give Columbus a 3-1 win and a 3-0 series lead!
April 15, 20196 yr On 4/11/2019 at 10:02 AM, DarkandStormy said: Talk to me when they learn to win 3 games in a series.
April 17, 20196 yr GAME #4: CBJ win 7-3 (CBJ win the series 4-0!!!!!!!) https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/17/18411626/game-4-recap-columbus-blue-jackets-make-history-sweep-tampa-bay-lightning-win-first-playoff-series https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/16/18411460/holy-forking-shirtballs-jackets-advance-to-second-roundblue-jackets-tampa-bay-lightning This game was a lot like Game 3 - the Jackets started strong, then the Lightning mounted a comeback before the CBJ answered to pull out the win. Columbus took advantage of a TBL slashing penalty 45 seconds in to go up 1-0 on Alexandre Texier power-play goal at 2:26 (the 19-year-old's first playoff goal). Then 1:22 later Pierre-Luc Dubois scored another goal to put the CBJ up 2-0. At 8:44 minutes into the first period, Stamkos got his first goal of the series to make it 2-1. Cam Atkinson seemed to score a power-play goal a few minutes later to put the Jackets up 3-1 - but a coaches-replay challenge showed that the puck barely crossed over the blue line before the goal was scored. So the goal was disallowed and the game remained 2-1 at the end of the first period. Seth Jones got a goal at 6:28 into the second to put the CBJ up 3-1 before TBL mounted their comeback. Two TBL goals - at the 13-minute mark and 18-minute mark - tied it up at 3-3. Then, less than a minute later, the CBJ drew a TBL penalty and attacked with an extra skater on the delayed penalty. During that delayed penalty stretch, Oliver Bjorkstrand scored to give the Jackets back their lead at 4-3. With the Jackets up 4-3 to start the third period, the Lightning mounted a furious push to avoid elimination. The Jackets were pushed hard by a desperate Tampa team, getting outshot 13-2 until the final two minutes in this final period. But the Jackets held on, the clock ticked down, and TBL pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with just over 2 minutes remaining. And with 1:53 remaining, Panarin scored an empty-net goal to put the Jackets up 5-3 (virtually clinching the win). TBL still played with a pulled goalie/extra attacker and Texier scored his 2nd-goal of the night only 21 seconds later to make it 6-3. Then Duchene scored an empty-netter with 9 seconds left to finish it up at 7-3!
April 17, 20196 yr The Jackets won their first ever playoff series - eliminating the record-tying 62-win Presidents Trophy winners. But the Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different category of competition - and, as the below graphic shows, 4 is greater than 62(!)
April 17, 20196 yr What a moment for the CBJ franchise! The previous playoff games were always electric in Nationwide Arena. Now, its to an even higher level. Both at the large scale: And at the personal scale. Below is FSO TV analyst Bill Davidge very emotional after the series sweep. Davidge has been part of the Blue Jackets organization since before the team took the ice (i.e. "just to be part of it after 20 years"). The 65-year-old Davidge overcame a cancer diagnosis a few years ago and returned this year with his cancer cleared to announce that this would be his final season in front of the camera. Just gives you the feels!
April 19, 20196 yr The Blue Jackets will face the winner of the Boston/Toronto series. That series is currently tied 2-2 going into Game 5 tonight at Boston. That series won't be over until Sunday (Game 6) at the earliest or Tuesday (Game 7) at the latest. So the Jackets will have at least a week long wait before facing either Boston or Toronto in the Eastern Semi-Final. Probably not the worst thing because the CBJ need to heal up on the defensive side. Nutivaara (concussion), Murray (back) and McQuaid (concussion) are all working their way back to health and could use the extra time. In the meantime - while we wait for the next playoff series - here's a recap video of the epic sweep of the Lightning:
April 23, 20196 yr One week after sweeping the Lightning, and Columbus still doesn't know who they will face in the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Boston/Toronto series is tied 3-3 and going into a decisive Game 7 tonight at Boston. While the CBJ wait to see if they will face Boston or Toronto, they've been resting up and quietly practicing behind the scenes. But waiting over a week for the next playoff round - after the excitement of that first round - can get a little tedious for a team that just wants to play their next game. So yesterday, the CBJ held an 11AM team scrimmage in Nationwide Arena and made it free for the public. Over the weekend, they told fans to gather at the Front Street Plaza entrance for the doors to open at 10:30AM. There were lines of people around the block waiting to be let inside! https://www.dispatch.com/sports/20190422/blue-jackets-practice-game-draws-5500-fans-and-keeps-playoff-buzz-humming https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/22/18511187/columbus-blue-jackets-second-round-playoffs-open-practice-artemi-panarin-matt-duchene-alex-texier 5500 fans showing up for this Monday morning scrimmage. Which was a nice change of pace from the team's practice schedule and the nice reward for CBJ fans. The scrimmage went well - both articles have photo slideshows and videos of it. The team entertained the fans, the fans jazzed up the team, and most importantly, no one got hurt during the scrimmage (only light checking was allowed). No matter who the Jackets face later this week, the team is going further into the Stanley Cup Playoffs then they ever have before. But this playoff's slogan is "It's Time."
April 23, 20196 yr I’m rooting for Toronto tonight. If CBJ loses to them, so be it. But I am so damn sick of Boston. I’m gonna call some of my old Sicilian neighbors and ask them to sports-curse that whole city.
April 23, 20196 yr 3 hours ago, surfohio said: I’m rooting for Toronto tonight. If CBJ loses to them, so be it. But I am so damn sick of Boston. I’m gonna call some of my old Sicilian neighbors and ask them to sports-curse that whole city. I'm kinda the other way around on Boston/Toronto. I'd rather play Boston because I'd rather beat Boston. The Bruins won a Stanley Cup recently and the Boston sports fan doesn't crave another championship, what with all those Pats and Sox titles. But if we face Toronto - they'll be the last Canadian team remaining in the playoffs. And they'll have most of Canada rooting for "Center of the Hockey Universe" to win the Cup. And Toronto hasn't won the Cup since 1967! So the CBJ would go from "that plucky lovable underdog team" to "that team who eliminated the Leafs when it was finally their time"(!) Ultimately, after the CBJ beat the Lightning, it really doesn't matter which team they face in the next round. But it would be more fun to beat Boston!
April 24, 20196 yr ^ You've got a great point. I think years of living in Cleveland just conditioned me to automatically assume the worst!
April 24, 20196 yr Boston won 5-1 last night - so Boston it is for the second round. The first game will be Thursday, April 25 at 7:00 EST in Boston. The exact dates/times of the remaining games are pending tonight’s game 7 between Washington and Carolina: https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/24/18513670/columbus-blue-jackets-vs-boston-bruins-round-two-schedule-released-playoffs-second-round Since the CBJ swept one of the best regular-season teams in NHL history, I really don't know what the regular-season team vs. team analysis brings us anymore. But for some context, here's what the CBJ did against Boston in the three games they played this season: 3/12/2019 at CBJ -- CBJ won 7-4 3/16/2019 at BOS -- BOS won 2-1 in OT 4/2/2019 at CBJ -- BOS won 6-2 For comparison, the CBJ were 1-2 in the three regular-season games against Toronto - but the last game was played on 12/28/2018 (which seems like ages ago now). The CBJ went 1-1-1 in the three Boston games - can't get much more even then that. And oddly, all three games against Boston were within a three-week stretch after the trade deadline (so with the current CBJ roster). Probably the main talking point will be the classic rest vs rust argument. The CBJ will have had nine days off between these two playoff rounds - while the Bruins are facing a quick turnaround with only one day off between these rounds. Boston doesn't have any injuries to their primary players, so the quick turnaround might not affect them. While the CBJ do have a bunch of injuries to their d-corps (and they've been playing "playoff-type hockey" since the February 25 trade deadline), so the rest might do them some good. Regarding the Jackets d-corps injuries - there's been little to update on Nutivaara (concussion), McQuaid (concussion) and Murray (back). All three have been doing light skating apart from the team and none have participated in any full team practices yet. Although, there has been one interesting addition to the d-corps. 23-year-old Vladislav Gavrikov signed an entry-level deal to join the CBJ last week. The 6'-3" 205 lb Russian defenseman finished his season with his KHL team (after also playing on Russia's 2018 gold-medal Olympic team) to finally join the Jackets. He was a 2015 6th-round draft pick that the Jackets wanted to join this year's team. But his Russian team wouldn't let him out of his contract until he finished this season. Gavrikov participated in Monday's public scrimmage and I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the lineup if none of three injured d-men can go on Thursday.
April 25, 20196 yr With Carolina's thrilling 2OT game 7 win over Washington last night, the final dates and times for the Columbus/Boston second round games have been set: Game 1: Thursday, April 25 at Boston – 7 p.m. on NBCSN Game 2: Saturday, April 27 at Boston – 8 p.m. on NBC Game 3: Tuesday, April 30 at Columbus – 7 p.m. on NBCSN Game 4: Thursday, May 2 at Columbus – 7:30 p.m. NBCSN Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, May 4 at Boston – 7:15 p.m. on NBC Game 6 (if necessary): Monday, May 6 at Columbus – TBD Game 7 (if necessary): Wednesday, May 8 at Boston – TBD
April 26, 20196 yr SECOND ROUND - GAME #1: BOS wins 3-2 in OT (BOS leads the series 1-0) https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/26/18516971/round-2-game-1-recap-columbus-blue-jackets-lose-to-boston-bruins-stanley-cup-bobrovsky The CBJ looked like the rustier team from the onset. Boston got the jump on the Jackets - outshooting them 14-4 in the first period - and taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. But it could have been much worse if Bob wasn't as sharp as he was to keep the game close. In the second period, the CBJ got their playoff legs under them and outshot Boston 10-6, but the score remained 1-0 going into the third period. Then the Jackets shocked the TD Garden crowd with two goals in 13 seconds, starting at 12:21 left in regulation. Both goals were outside shots that deflected their way past Tuukka Rask. The first was a shot/pass from Seth Jones that found Riley Nash's stick and glanced off Dubinsky into the net. The second was a shot from Panarin that hit the back of Dubois leg into the net. But the Jackets couldn't hold the 2-1 lead. Boston scored with 4:35 left in regulation to tie it and force OT. Boston won it with a goal 5:15 into overtime. The Jackets nearly stole a road win in a game where they got outshot 37-22. But Boston did what they needed to take the series first game. They'll meet again 8PM on Saturday on national TV (NBC).
April 28, 20196 yr Just posting here for the record to note I stayed up to watch that. I'm tired just watching it. Worth it. 'night all.
April 28, 20196 yr SECOND ROUND - GAME #2: CBJ win 3-2 in 2OT (series tied 1-1) https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/28/18520221/round-2-game-2-recap-matt-duchene-playoff-hero-bests-boston-bruins-in-double-overtime Playoff hockey! Gotta love it!!! OT is much better when you win! The first period of game 2 ended with the Bruins up 1-0. But they didn't dominate like the first period in game 1. The Jackets started well and only gave up the goal on a power-play. The CBJ would get their first power-play on a Marchand cross-check called at the end of the first period. Panarin made him pay with a PP-goal 1:03 in the second period. But Boston re-took the lead only one minute later. But the Breadman delivered a second goal at the 8-minute mark to re-tie it at 2-2. Then both goalies put on a clinic of playoff goaltending to keep it tied through regulation. Rask was great for Boston and Bob was stellar for Columbus. And then overtime came. The Jackets couldn't convert on a power play chance midway through the first OT. But they got another chance near the beginning of the 2OT when Bergeron tripped Jones. The CBJ won the opening faceoff and went to work on the power play. About 40 seconds in, Panarin uncorked a blast that Rask couldn't control. The puck landed at Duchene's feet in front of the net. He kicked it over to his stick and five-holed Rask for the win! Jarmo's trade-deadline gambles paid off big in this game. Bob, Bread and Duchene led the way to this key victory.
April 28, 20196 yr 10 hours ago, Gramarye said: Just posting here for the record to note I stayed up to watch that. I'm tired just watching it. Worth it. 'night all. I went to bed after the first overtime and watched the remainder this morning before looking at any news or anything. Wish the game had started at 7.
April 28, 20196 yr 9 minutes ago, Columbo said: SECOND ROUND - GAME #2: CBJ win 3-2 in 2OT (series tied 1-1) https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/4/28/18520221/round-2-game-2-recap-matt-duchene-playoff-hero-bests-boston-bruins-in-double-overtime Playoff hockey! Gotta love it!!! OT is much better when you win! The first period of game 2 ended with the Bruins up 1-0. But they didn't dominate like the first period in game 1. The Jackets started well and only gave up the goal on a power-play. The CBJ would get their first power-play on a Marchand cross-check called at the end of the first period. Panarin made him pay with a PP-goal 1:03 in the second period. But Boston re-took the lead only one minute later. But the Breadman delivered a second goal at the 8-minute mark to re-tie it at 2-2. Then both goalies put on a clinic of playoff goaltending to keep it tied through regulation. Rask was great for Boston and Bob was stellar for Columbus. And then overtime came. The Jackets couldn't convert on a power play chance midway through the first OT. But they got another chance near the beginning of the 2OT when Bergeron tripped Jones. The CBJ won the opening faceoff and went to work on the power play. About 40 seconds in, Panarin uncorked a blast that Rask couldn't control. The puck landed at Duchene's feet in front of the net. He kicked it over to his stick and five-holed Rask for the win! Jarmo's trade-deadline gambles paid off big in this game. Bob, Bread and Duchene led the way to this key victory. Nationwide is going to be crazy. Wish I had pulled the trigger on tickets for a game. Might be awhile before we're this successful again. No way we can afford to keep this group. Not saying we're going to be bad, as we have a great core, but it's looking like this is our best chance at a deep run. Going to be fun!
April 28, 20196 yr Are any statistics being kept across all sports on more games going to overtime than say 10 years ago? Seems like any time I choose to give live sports my time I wind up having to sleep until noon the next day.
May 1, 20196 yr SECOND ROUND - GAME #3: CBJ win 2-1 (CBJ lead the series 2-1) https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/5/1/18524921/round-2-game-3-recap-bobrovsky-defense-columbus-blue-jackets-boston-bruins-jenner-duchene-debrusk WOW! What a game last night! After a tense opening period, Boone Jenner got the scoring started on a nifty move and shot with under 2 minutes remaining in the period. The Jackets got a second goal after an epic 1:53 power-play shift midway in the second period. After winning the face-off, the CBJ peppered Rask with shot after shot while retaining possession - and not allowing Boston to replace their penalty kill. With only 7 seconds remaining in the power-play, Duchene knocked in a rebound in front of the net (just like his GWG 2OT goal in Game 2) to give the Jackets a 2-0 lead. It looked like the Jackets would take that two-goal lead into the third period - but with 39.9 seconds remaining, Boston scored a goal that leaked through and barely crossed the goal line. This set up a nerve-racking third period. Fortunately, Bob was in his Playoff-Vezina Bob mode and stopped everything that Boston threw his way - finishing with 36 saves. He was so good the 19,000+ crowd added a third chant to "Let's Go Jackets" and "CBJ" - it was "BOB - BOB - BOB - BOB"!
May 3, 20196 yr SECOND ROUND - GAME #4: BOS wins 4-1 (series tied 2-2) https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/5/3/18527725/round-2-game-4-recap-columbus-blue-jackets-play-with-fire-get-burnt-in-4-1-loss-to-boston-bruins Boston finally got some production from their top line of Bergeron, Pastrnak and Marchand(BOO). The Jackets were whistled for seven penalties. That's a combination that led to a Boston win to even up the series. Boston got two early goals in the first. The Jackets halved that lead to 2-1 on a play where it looked like the puck hit the netting behind the Bruins goal, bounced back into play, was then gathered by Bjorkstrand and passed over to Panarin, who slammed it home for a goal. Because the refs didn't whistle the play dead and Bjorkstrand continued the play by passing it - this wiped out any coaches challenge/video review of the play (learned something new) and the goal counted. The Jackets kept within one goal of the Bruins throughout the second period and into the third. But a Boston goal at 8:40 into the third gave them a two-goal margin. A Boston power-play goal with 2:30 remaining set the final score. The series is now tied up at two heading back to Boston for a Saturday night game on NBC after the Kentucky Derby.
May 4, 20196 yr https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190501/columbus-blue-jackets-announce-game-5-watch-party-at-nationwide-arena The Jackets are holding a Game 5 watch party at Nationwide Arena tonight. Tickets for the watch party will be $5 and can be purchased on the team’s website. The proceeds of the ticket sales will go to the team’s charity, the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation. It is being reported that as of yesterday, over 8,000 tickets have been sold.
May 5, 20196 yr Before doing the Game 5 recap, I just wanted to praise the amazing turnout for the Game 5 watch party in Nationwide Arena:
May 5, 20196 yr SECOND ROUND - GAME #5: BOS wins 4-3 (BOS leads the series 3-2) https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/5/5/18529715/round-2-game-5-recap-blue-jackets-rally-falls-short-faces-elimination Game 5 was a tightly played game that opened up into a nutso third period last night. Boston got on the scoreboard first with a Krejci goal early in the second period. Then Marchand(BOO) got another goal at 4:51 into the third period to put the Bruins up 2-0 and put the Jackets on the ropes. The Jackets didn't look like they would get anything past Rusk in this game until a wide-angle Seth Jones shot scored the CBJ's first goal with just under 10 minutes remaining. The Jones goal almost wasn't one, because it was initially ruled a no-goal by the refs. However, after a lengthy video review, they saw that the puck just slipped past the goal line for a good goal. Then the Bruins' Pastrnak scored less than a minute later to give Boston another two-goal lead at 3-1. But then this was followed by Dzingel scoring one minute later and Kukan scoring two minutes later to tie it up at 3-3 with only six minutes remaining in the third. It looked like Game 5 was headed to overtime until Pastrnak struck again with a goal with only 1:28 remaining to give Boston a 4-3 lead. Despite a couple of close calls in the final minute from the Jackets with the extra attacker, Boston was able to hang on for the win to take the series lead and push Columbus to the brink of elimination.
May 7, 20196 yr SECOND ROUND - GAME #6: BOS wins 3-0 (BOS wins the series 4-2) https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/5/7/18534571/round-2-game-6-recap-blue-jackets-fall-to-bruins-fail-to-advance The end of the road came to the CBJ last night. Despite the 3-0 final score, the Jackets didn't make it easy for the Bruins to advance. For the first 49 minutes of the 60 minute game, it was either scoreless or within one goal. The Bruins got their first goal of the night about halfway thru the second period. The Jackets looked like they would get an equalizing goal after that with two power-play chances early in the third period. But despite the Jackets outshooting the Bruins 39 to 29, Tuukka Rask stopped every shot on net. And anything that did get past Rask last night, hit a post or crossbar (at least four shots clanged off the goal frame!). Boston scored a second goal with just under nine minutes remaining, and then a third goal only 23 second later to clinch their advancement to the Eastern Conference Finals. For the CBJ, it was their deepest-ever run into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
May 17, 20196 yr https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news/statements-john-p-mcconnell-mike-preist-john-davidson/c-307445502 John Davidson is heading to New York. Very Stable Genius
May 17, 20196 yr 1 hour ago, DarkandStormy said: https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news/statements-john-p-mcconnell-mike-preist-john-davidson/c-307445502 John Davidson is heading to New York. That's unfortunate - but not surprising. After the NY Rangers President of Hockey Operations retired after 19 years at the end of this season, it was treated by NYR as inevitable that JD would be offered, and would accept, the job. He's got some long-standing ties with the Rangers and their MSG ownership. First, he was a starting goaltender for the Rangers, getting them to the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals, before injuries cut his career short. Then, he became the color commentator for Rangers games on the MSG Network from 1986 to 2006. After that he left to be President of Hockey Operations for the St. Louis Blues until he became POHO for the CBJ in 2012. Davidson brought a lot of much needed hockey respectability to the Jackets organization. It hurts to see him leave - but the Jackets are in a much better situation in 2019 than when he joined in 2012. JD oversaw the hiring of general manager Jarmo Kekalainen in 2013. And it looks like Jarmo is staying with the CBJ. The Dispatch reported that Jarmo was replacing Davidson as one of the team's governors who represent the CBJ at the NHL’s Board of Governors meetings. It remains to be seen if Jarmo will also replace JD as President of Hockey Operations. It is thought that Jarmo might be promoted into the POHO role, while assistant GM Bill Zito (who has been asked to interview with multiple teams for vacant GM positions) might be promoted to GM for the CBJ.
May 18, 20196 yr ^ In an update from the Dispatch, it appears that Jarmo will be taking on the POHO responsibilities of Davidson and will remain the team's GM. From https://www.dispatch.com/sports/20190517/new-york-rangers-hire-john-davidson-blue-jackets-elevate-jarmo-kekalainen-to-alternate-governor Quote Davidson’s position will not be filled, which means the possibility of promoting Kekalainen into that role — and promoting associate GM Bill Zito to GM — isn’t going to happen. Zito has interviewed with multiple teams. “I’ve been a general manager for six years in the National Hockey League and I’ve got a lot of unfinished business in that role — and we’re going to move forward with me being a general manager,” Kekalainen said. “Hopefully (Zito) will remain with us in the role that he’s had before, because he’s a big part of it ... but I’m going to be the GM and that’s going to be my role. That’s going to be my focus. That’s my dream job. I’m not done.”
June 15, 20195 yr https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/6/13/18677712/columbus-blue-jackets-rick-nash-front-office-jarmo-kekalainen-bill-zito Further clarity from the Blue Jacket organization this week on how the front office will be staffed following the departure of John Davidson. As reported earlier, Jarmo Kekäläinen will stay on as the GM and take over JD's duties. It also appears that Jarmo is keeping those he previously hired under him in the organizational chart, but they'll get upgrades in job titles (and presumably pay as well). Bill Zito, associate general manager, will keep that title and has also been promoted to senior vice president of hockey operations and alternate governor. Basil McRae (formerly director of player personnel) and Josh Flynn (formerly director of hockey administration) have been each promoted to assistant general manager. Chris Clark will assume McRae’s role of director of player personnel, moving from his previous role as director of player development. One new name in the front office is a familiar name for CBJ fans. Former Blue Jacket (and future Hall-of-Famer) Rick Nash was named as a special assistant to general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen.
June 23, 20195 yr After going all-in for a 2019 playoff push, Columbus only had a 3rd-round and 7th-round pick available in the 2019 NHL draft held on Friday and Saturday. In the run-up to the draft, there was rumor and speculation that the CBJ might swing a deal to acquire additional draft picks, possibly even moving up into the first round. Although one commenter at the Jackets Cannon suggested trading away the remaining 3rd and 7th round picks and then not even travel to the draft(!) In the end, neither scenario happened. Although Columbus did do a classic trade-down with their 3rd-round pick (#81 overall) by sending it to Florida for a pair of 4th-round picks (#104 and #114 overall). So, limited as it was, here are the 2019 draft picks for the CBJ: 4th-round, #104 overall pick, the CBJ selected Eric Hjorth, a 6-3 192 lb Swedish defenseman: https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/6/22/18713655/2019-nhl-entry-draft-columbus-blue-jackets-select-eric-hjorth-with-104th-pick 4th-round, #114 overall pick, the CBJ selected Dmitri Voronkov, a 6-3 183 lb Russian forward: https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/6/22/18713718/2019-nhl-entry-draft-columbus-blue-jackets-select-dmitri-voronkov-with-114th-pick 7th-round, #212 overall pick, the CBJ selected Tyler Angle, a 5-9, 168 lb center from Ontario, Canada: https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/6/22/18713821/2019-entry-draft-columbus-blue-jackets-select-tyler-angle-with-the-212th-pick However, the lack of picks wasn't the only negative about this 2019 draft for the CBJ. At the beginning of day two, Nashville traded their high-profile and high-priced defenseman PK Subban to New Jersey. This hurts the CBJ in two ways: (1)Subban joins a divisional rival and makes them better; (2)Nashville clears $9 million in cap space to help them try to sign UFA Matt Duchene (who the Jackets desperately want to sign). So, with the draft over, its on to free agency. UFA's can sign contracts with new teams on July 1.
June 30, 20195 yr NHL's free-agency period opens Monday at noon. And for the CBJ, it looks like the check is coming due for last season's all-in playoff push. It is looking more likely the CBJ will lose all of its "big three" free agents - Bobrovsky, Panarin & Duchene. The loss of Bob and Bread has been a season-long story for the team in 2018-19. But the loss of UFA center Matt Duchene is something more recent. With teams like Nashville clearing cap space to throw big bucks at Duchene and with Duchene not signing an 8-year max extension with the CBJ before free-agency opens, it is looking more likely that Duchene will also be leaving. CBJ fans can debate whether or not the 2019 all-in playoff push was worth losing all three UFA's for no return. Personally, I'm okay with a team taking a risk to win (just look at how Toronto's Kawhi gamble paid off). Particularly given the CBJ's previous lack of playoff success. And even a loss of all three UFA's doesn't sink the Jackets into tank territory next season - which I will get into in a future post after the FA period is over. But assuming that Duchene doesn't sign with the CBJ on or after July 1st. Are there any available FA's the CBJ might go after. The CBJ might look at a FA option for a top-line LW. Three likely options are the following: Anders Lee -- 29-year-old, 6-3 231 lb captain of NYI - durable, reliable 25+ goal, 50+ point physical winger Mats Zuccarello -- soon-to-be 32-year-old, 5-8 179 lb speedy 50+ point longtime NYR winger who was traded to Dallas and suffered a season-ending injury last season Gustav Nyquist -- soon-to-be 30-year-old 5-11 185 lb 45+ point longtime Detroit winger who acquired by San Jose at the TDL last season Of those options, my preference is either Lee on the longer-term side or Zuc on the shorter-term side. But the Jackets aren't the only teams looking at these players. So there's no certainty about them joining the CBJ roster after July 1. We'll just have to see what happens after noon tomorrow.
July 1, 20195 yr The opening of NHL free agency come at noon and a lot of deals were made league-wide. Here are the CBJ departures: https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/7/1/20658379/2019-free-agency-artemi-panarin-leaving-columbus-blue-jackets-for-metro-rivals-new-york-rangers -- As expected, Panarin did not re-sign with the CBJ. Panarin made it clear that he wanted to sign with a team in a high-profile American city. The New York Rangers - an original six team in NYC playing in MSG - certainly fits that requirement. The 7-year, $11.6 mil AAV contract the Rangers offered doesn't hurt either. This $11.6 million/year deal also makes Panarin the highest paid winger in the NHL! https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/7/1/20656044/2019-free-agency-sergei-bobrovsky-leaves-columbus-blue-jackets-for-florida-panthers -- Also as expected, Bobrovsky did not re-sign with the CBJ. Bobrovsky signed a 7-year, $10 mil AAV contract with the Florida Panthers. Bob, who will be 31 at the start of next season, got the long-term 'Carey Price' deal that he wanted from Florida, who is in a win-now mode. The $10 million/year deal makes Bob the second highest paid goalie in the NHL (only behind the $10.5 mil/year deal of Montreal's Carey Price). https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/7/1/20659347/2019-free-agency-matt-duchene-exits-columbus-heads-to-nashville-predators -- This one was not as expected as Bob and Bread's departure. But 2019 rental center Matt Duchene signed a 7-year, $8 mil AAV contract with Nashville. The Jackets were rumored to have offered a bit more AAV (possibly 8.5) and they had an eighth year to offer as well. But Duchene is reportedly building a house in Nashville and loves the area (big country music fan?). So he took a discount to join a team he strongly wanted to join. Although this is understandable because Nashville looks stacked for a Cup run over the final two years of Pekka Rinne's contract, his departure hurts to most - because it looked like we had a decent shot at keeping him. The positives of Duchene going to Nashville is that they're in the Western Conference, and the CBJ will retain its 2020 1st-round pick that would have gone to Ottawa if he re-signed with the CBJ. Now that we've gotten the departures out of the way - here are some additions/retentions made by the CBJ today: https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/7/1/20677501/2019-free-agency-columbus-blue-jackets-sign-gustav-nyquist -- With the departures of Panarin and Duchene, the CBJ needed a talent infusion on the top line - particularly at LW. Nyquist was one of three LW free-agents I listed in my previous post that could fill that need. Zuccarello signed a 5-year, $6 mil AAV deal with Minnesota (a bit rich in price and term for a 32-year-old) and Andres Lee looks like he will re-sign with NYI (although they can't seem to agree on the final price). Nyquist was the third LW player listed, but the CBJ signed a good deal for him. The 30-year-old former Red Winger signed a 4-year, $5.5 mil AAV deal to join the Jackets. A fair price for a player with 60 points in 81 regular-season games last year and 11 points in 20 playoff games. https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/7/1/20677407/2019-free-agency-columbus-blue-jackets-re-sign-ryan-murray -- Talented, but oft-injured RFA defenseman Ryan Murray signed a two-year, $4.6 AAV deal to stay the Jackets until he is 28. A little surprised that his AAV jumped from $2.8 mil to $4.6 mil - but otherwise seems like an OK deal. Unfortunately, Murray has become one of those "good when healthy" players. The CBJ look like they're going to give Murray one last chance to achieve the "when healthy" part of this deal before he becomes an UFA at the end of this contract. https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/7/1/20677484/2019-free-agency-columbus-blue-jackets-sign-joonas-korpisalo-to-one-year-extension -- Bob's backup goalie Korpisalo signed a one-year, $1.15 AAV deal. This will allow 25-year-old Korpi to complete with 25-year-old Elvis Merzlikins for the starting goaltender position next season.
July 1, 20195 yr Yeah, this team is drastically worse than it was two months, with no real plan in sight to improve much beyond hoping some prospects pan out. This is going to be a ~30 win type of season. Very Stable Genius
July 5, 20195 yr https://www.1stohiobattery.com/columbus-blue-jackets-analysis/2019/07/3865/why-the-blue-jackets-should-trade-for-vegas-golden-knights-winger-nikita-gusev https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2019/07/03/golden-knights-could-give-up-a-gem-if-they-trade-gusev/ With exception of signing RFA defensemen Zach Werenski (very important) and Scott Harrington (not that important), the CBJ have probably made the moves that are going to be made in this off-season. Although, there is one more player out there that the Jackets might try to add to next season's roster. That player is Nikita Gusev - a 27-year-old Russian left winger whose RFA signing rights are currently held by Vegas. The two above linked articles detail who Nikita Gusev is and why the CBJ should attempt to add him to next season's roster. Because Gusev has played zero NHL games, it's a little unfair to call him the next Artemi Panarin. But the similarities between Gusev and Panarin are striking. Both Russian left wingers are similar in size, playing style and offensive talent. Just like Panarin, Gusev played for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL and had similar successes there (Gusev was the KHL's MVP last season). The biggest difference between Gusev and Panarin is that Gusev would be starting his NHL career at a slightly older age than Panarin (27 vs 24 for Panarin). The reason that a talent like Nikita Gusev might become available is because the Vegas Golden Knights are in an extreme cap crunch. As of today, they don't have enough available cap space to meet his reported 2-year, $4 mil AAV contract demand. If Vegas can clear enough cap space, they will likely sign Gusev. If they can't clear enough cap space, Vegas would need to trade him somewhere for cap relief, prospects and/or draft picks. The CBJ could be a likely trading partner for Vegas - as the Jackets have extra defensive players/prospects Vegas might want, as well as the ability to provide cap relief. Plus, upgrading the left wing position is an area of need for the CBJ. Also, wouldn't replacing Panarin with "the next Panarin" make a great storyline?
July 6, 20195 yr https://www.jacketscannon.com/2019/7/5/20683163/blue-jackets-rfa-defenseman-scott-harrington-agree-to-new-deal News broke yesterday about the CBJ signing one of their RFA defensemen to a three-year deal. I thought "awesome, Z got a 3-year bridge deal - I wonder what the AAV is". Turns out it was the "other RFA d-man" Scott Harrington that they signed. Harrington, 26, signed a three-year deal with a $1.633 mil/year cap hit. That's not a huge contract, but it is a significant raise from the 675K cap hit that he carried last season. This contract is being hot-taked as a Prout 2.0 contract - meaning an overpay for an OK-but-on-the-margin d-man. It is not that Harrington has been awful for the Jackets. For two seasons he was a good soldier as the team's 7th d-man who spent most of those seasons in a healthy scratch/injury replacement role. Last season, Harrington captured a starting spot and had 17 points in 73 games as a durable and reliable 6th d-man. But with the Jackets currently carrying nine NHL-level d-men (with the assumed re-signing of Z) there wasn't any pressing need for a nearly $1mil raise to Harrington when cheaper versions (Gavrikov, Kukan and Clendening) would be available next season. The one part of this deal that might make sense is, that by locking Harrington into a three-year contract and buying out 2 of his UFA years, this might make him a more valuable trade chip to Vegas in a Gusev trade. In any event, slightly overpaying for Harrington isn't going to make or break the CBJ, it just seems a little odd at the moment without knowing if it is a piece of a larger move for the CBJ.
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