At some point, after the bitter pill of another loss is swallowed, the patience deteriorates into extreme dissatisfaction. For me, last night was simply that kind of night. It was right around the point when the first period finished, with the Jackets surrendering twelve shots to the Predators in the first period while only mustering three of their own. walking into the dressing room without a pulse, without a goal, and me without patience.
This has been written before. The Jackets lost, and they never really had the on ice presentation of threatening to win at any point in the game. Sure, Nash made a tremendous play to tie the game at one apiece, but there would never be another scenario where I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation of a goal. They lack confidence. They lack resolve. They lack a lot of things.
I'd call this a recap but there really isn't much point in recapping something that has been repeated over, and over, and over again this year. Instead, I am going to offer this: I'm ready for the purge.
Showing posts with label Grant Clitsome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grant Clitsome. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Game Recap :: Columbus vs. Nashville 1/19
On a snowy Thursday night in January, I was ready to forgive the small crowd at Nationwide. I had an opportunity to make the 1.5 hour drive and backed out on account of the weather, but 17,233 other folks braved the storm and the team record in order to watch them play. "Gotta See it Live" in full effect apparently, and if you're one of those who did attend, I commend you. 17k for a weekday game of the 30th place team (by seven points) is darn near unheard of. The legitimacy of Columbus as a hockey market continues to grow.
Unfortunately the team didn't do the crowd any favours on the scoreboard, but they did manage to make a game of it, including a third period that saw them outshoot the Predators by a big margin (shots were 18-8). Full marks to Rinne who played a tremendous game of hockey, but more on that later. I did not like what I saw in the second period, as the Jackets were outshot and played a completely different game from the first. Fortunately for those watching, it was short lived, and they found life again for the final frame, but it seems like the same old story for Columbus, where they simply can't put together a full sixty minute effort.
It was a shame to see all of those rebounds find their way back into Rinne. Once again I will say his capacity to keep pucks out of the net was extremely high last night, but there were a couple of occasions where a raised puck or a puck shot in a better direction would have easily beat him. In fact, Nash had two specifically exciting opportunities, but the reactionary decision was to hammer them on net low and hard, and unfortunately they were stopped.
Unfortunately the team didn't do the crowd any favours on the scoreboard, but they did manage to make a game of it, including a third period that saw them outshoot the Predators by a big margin (shots were 18-8). Full marks to Rinne who played a tremendous game of hockey, but more on that later. I did not like what I saw in the second period, as the Jackets were outshot and played a completely different game from the first. Fortunately for those watching, it was short lived, and they found life again for the final frame, but it seems like the same old story for Columbus, where they simply can't put together a full sixty minute effort.
It was a shame to see all of those rebounds find their way back into Rinne. Once again I will say his capacity to keep pucks out of the net was extremely high last night, but there were a couple of occasions where a raised puck or a puck shot in a better direction would have easily beat him. In fact, Nash had two specifically exciting opportunities, but the reactionary decision was to hammer them on net low and hard, and unfortunately they were stopped.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Breaking Down the Penalty Kill
The Blue Jackets currently rank 30th in the NHL on the penalty kill, with a paltry 71.4% being killed without a goal. While that rate wouldn't be the worst all time (that dishonor belongs to the 1979-90 Kings at 67.7%), it would put the current Blue Jackets squad among the ten worst penalty killing teams since the NHL began keeping track of the stat in 1963. Despite the current run of eight straight killed penalties over the last two games, the Blue Jackets could make some small adjustments that would help improve the unit. To figure out these adjustments, lets go to the tape!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Keys to the Game: Columbus at Buffalo 10/27
Before each Blue Jackets game I'll identify what strategic elements the Blue Jackets should focus on based on their opponent, the likely match-ups, injuries, goaltenders and recent play. This will be broken down into both offensive and defensive keys, with the occasional look at the keys for the Jackets netminder.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Game Recap :: Columbus vs Detroit 10/25
So much to cover. So much positive tonight. Here's a quick few points to get us started, but don't be surprised if a number of these topics turn into extended discussions over the next day or two.
- Can you say depth scoring?
- Johansen scores his first NHL goal
- John Moore scores his first NHL goal
- The fans heart Steve Mason.... ...for now
- Wizmas was Wiztasticly Wizerrifc.
Now to go into a bit of depth about the game, I will say all the build up with #Wizmas and GM Scott Howson's tremendous blog got my excitement and attention. For a guy driving 90 miles to watch an 0-7-1team, I was oddly pumped up and for good measure. Why? Because this is NOT an 0-7-1 caliber hockey club. Pre game Chipotle, and in the seats with a good ten minutes to spare, it was time to turn on the hockey banter and prep for the game to begin.
- Can you say depth scoring?
- Johansen scores his first NHL goal
- John Moore scores his first NHL goal
- The fans heart Steve Mason.... ...for now
- Wizmas was Wiztasticly Wizerrifc.
Now to go into a bit of depth about the game, I will say all the build up with #Wizmas and GM Scott Howson's tremendous blog got my excitement and attention. For a guy driving 90 miles to watch an 0-7-1team, I was oddly pumped up and for good measure. Why? Because this is NOT an 0-7-1 caliber hockey club. Pre game Chipotle, and in the seats with a good ten minutes to spare, it was time to turn on the hockey banter and prep for the game to begin.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Glaring Mistakes :: Columbus vs Detroit Recap
This recap is going to focus on a couple of things (I could write for hours on my frustration of an 0-6-1 start, but I don't think it's all that constructive at this point), and I hope it reaches a number of the fans commenting on the #CBJ twitter feed as well as the Puck-Rakers piece that went up after the game. While I find that many focus on the more obvious positions (aka Mason) it seems that glaring mistakes made which lead to sticky situations get completely ignored, so I will be exposing a couple of mistakes that cost them the game, and then reviewing Mason's game to see which of them can really be directly his fault.
The Mistakes
To begin, Columbus needs some defense, and smarter passing/clearing in the defensive zone. Of the many glaring mistakes made by the Blue Jackets last night, I have selected a few that I can share which made all the difference in the hockey game.
Mistake 1 :: Pahlsson grabs the puck behind the net and gets prepared to take a hit by a Detroit player. Instead of trapping the puck or playing it up the boards, he sends a soft fluttery pass through the middle of the ice that lands in the middle of the PK box, leaving Franzen to take the uncontested shot on Mason which becomes the first goal. Fault Pahlsson (although kudos to Umberger for taking an extremely lazy, extremely bad penalty on Datsyuk to give Detroit the powerplay). No bad pass, no easy shot, no goal.
Mistake 2 :: Johnson grabs the puck in front of the Blue Jackets net after a few decent saves by Mason, and rather than dumping it to the neutral zone or throwing it into the corner, he shovels it forward in an almost pass-like motion, directly onto the stick of Datsyuk, who scores easily. Fault Johnson (and whoever should have been covering Datsyuk) for not being able to get the puck into a low scoring area. No bad pass, no easy shot, no goal.
Mistake 3 :: Grant Clitsome coughs the puck up late in the game, without a goalie to defend them, and Detroit scores easily. I don't even see the point of analyzing this. Fault Clitsome. No bad turnover, no easy shot, no goal.
As you can see, while the scapegoat style blame fest falls on Mason, it is teammate breakdowns which lead to three of the goals, and a really fortunate series of deflected pucks that lead to another. Without these glaring mistakes, Mason would be hanging on to a one goal lead into the waning seconds of the third period. But the easy thing to do is blame Mason (as of course the scoresheet tells the best tale) so let's review..
Mason
He was tremendous on a number of occasions. The two most notable saves of the game were on Helm on the breakaway (shorthanded for Detroit, as the CBJ defense watched on) and a ridiculous glove save on Franzen from slightly further out than where he scored his first goal of the game. He was not a Hall of Fame candidate last night, though, letting in four goals, so here's the breakdown on them:
Goal 1 :: Franzen picks up the puck in the slot thanks to Pahlsson taking the puck behind the net and listlessly throwing it out in front on the penalty kill, and gets an uncontested shot on Mason from about 8 feet out, going far post. For those who don't know, Franzen is a tremendously talented shooter who has a knack for finding the back of the net. He is a goal scorer who scored. Give Mason a break.
Goal 2 :: Franzen attempts to make a pass across the crease during the powerplay. Mason begins to cross with the puck when it is blocked by a Columbus defensemen's stick and returned to Franzen's stick. He then makes ANOTHER attempt to pass it across the crease, and the puck deflects off of Johnson's stick, off Mason's pad (he scrambled to get back after the first pass was deflected) but it finds the back of the net. Give Mason a break.
Goal 3 :: Two saves in tight had Mason out of the crease to the left of the net, hunting for the rebound to cover. Johnson plays the puck directly onto the stick of Pavel Datsyuk (yes, THAT Pavel Datsyuk) and he buries into the empty net. Give Mason a break.
Goal 4 :: Once again on the powerplay, Mason is fighting to get an eye on the puck as he is blocked by a Detroit forward and Marc Methot. The Detroit winger with the puck fakes the shot (which causes Mason to go into a save position, while the puck is passed to Lidstrom at the point who bombs one far side shelf. I'm not going to say give Mason a break on this one, as he made the mistake of reading the fake as a shot, but I can certainly understand why he did. So alas, one goal out of four is questionably his fault.
Here's the kicker. For those who read this and actually disagree with me, feel free to describe each play in the comments section. Show me how it is Mason's fault on any of the first three goals, and maybe I can be persuaded. Until then, it is defense, NOT goaltending, that can fix this team in terms of goals against. While I do not think Mason has been a Hall of Fame level goaltender, the team needs to make his job easier, especially on the third, and sometimes fourth shot in a row that finally end up making it into the back of the net.
The Rest of the Team
I don't really feel the need to make this into a book so I'll be brief with the rest of the team. I thought Giroux had another solid game and is fitting in nicely with the Jackets lower lines. Were it my choice, I'd drop MacKenzie and play Giroux in his role.
A prime example of why MacKenzie doesn't belong in the NHL came when a fantastic pass from the corner landed on DMac's stick in front of Howard, who was slightly out of position. Rather than burying the puck far side post (not unlike Franzen) he panicked, and shoveled a shot directly into his pads. That might have been one of the biggest game changers right there, and was easily Columbus' best scoring chance of the night.
Brassard was moving around the ice with great effort for the second game in a row, and scored his second in as many games. I think it's great to see him get success as he is clearly one of the hardest working players right now.
Vermette and Umberger are still irrelevant. Without question, having these two guys find success is absolutely crucial for the team to start winning, so whatever it takes, these two "team leaders" need to pull their heads out of their.. uhh.. off-season and get with the program. Hard work and effort will reward. Maybe they can sit down with Brassard to get some knowledge dropped on them.
Does Rick Nash still score goals? Does Rick Nash backcheck? Does Rick Nash care?
I think Vinny P was a fire ball out there, which is great after his scathing comments regarding the team effort on the ice. As much as I do enjoy watching him work, I think it's concerning that he is one of their best players right now, and he was brought in to be a depth forward that benefited from Nash and Carter taking the spotlight. I also saw him getting frustrated by terrible low percentage shots, and I love it. I hope he had a few choice words for the shooters once they reached the bench.
I am not touching the defense. There's just too much wrong right now. Methot it a tank for finishing the game, and Russell's flip out after the brutal call on him for checking Bertuzzi late in the game was fun to watch. The rest of the defense are not even worth noting, as I am sure their names have already been mentioned a couple times in this blog.
Ottawa
While I am not a terribly patient guy, I will lose all of it if the team can't win their first game tonight against Ottawa. Maybe a part of it is pride, or just exhaustion from what we have been forced to watch, but I need something to give the fans hope that there could still be a season in Columbus worth watching.
I will be watching for the Vermette/Umberger tandem to start being relevant. I will look to the "captain" to backcheck further than his blueline, and I am going to hold my breath while they start the game hoping to see some level of compete from the Jackets. I may not need 55 wins a year to be a fan, but I most certainly need some sign that the compete level, the interest level, the heart, is there.
Carry the Flag.
The Mistakes
To begin, Columbus needs some defense, and smarter passing/clearing in the defensive zone. Of the many glaring mistakes made by the Blue Jackets last night, I have selected a few that I can share which made all the difference in the hockey game.
Mistake 1 :: Pahlsson grabs the puck behind the net and gets prepared to take a hit by a Detroit player. Instead of trapping the puck or playing it up the boards, he sends a soft fluttery pass through the middle of the ice that lands in the middle of the PK box, leaving Franzen to take the uncontested shot on Mason which becomes the first goal. Fault Pahlsson (although kudos to Umberger for taking an extremely lazy, extremely bad penalty on Datsyuk to give Detroit the powerplay). No bad pass, no easy shot, no goal.
Mistake 2 :: Johnson grabs the puck in front of the Blue Jackets net after a few decent saves by Mason, and rather than dumping it to the neutral zone or throwing it into the corner, he shovels it forward in an almost pass-like motion, directly onto the stick of Datsyuk, who scores easily. Fault Johnson (and whoever should have been covering Datsyuk) for not being able to get the puck into a low scoring area. No bad pass, no easy shot, no goal.
Mistake 3 :: Grant Clitsome coughs the puck up late in the game, without a goalie to defend them, and Detroit scores easily. I don't even see the point of analyzing this. Fault Clitsome. No bad turnover, no easy shot, no goal.
As you can see, while the scapegoat style blame fest falls on Mason, it is teammate breakdowns which lead to three of the goals, and a really fortunate series of deflected pucks that lead to another. Without these glaring mistakes, Mason would be hanging on to a one goal lead into the waning seconds of the third period. But the easy thing to do is blame Mason (as of course the scoresheet tells the best tale) so let's review..
Mason
He was tremendous on a number of occasions. The two most notable saves of the game were on Helm on the breakaway (shorthanded for Detroit, as the CBJ defense watched on) and a ridiculous glove save on Franzen from slightly further out than where he scored his first goal of the game. He was not a Hall of Fame candidate last night, though, letting in four goals, so here's the breakdown on them:
Goal 1 :: Franzen picks up the puck in the slot thanks to Pahlsson taking the puck behind the net and listlessly throwing it out in front on the penalty kill, and gets an uncontested shot on Mason from about 8 feet out, going far post. For those who don't know, Franzen is a tremendously talented shooter who has a knack for finding the back of the net. He is a goal scorer who scored. Give Mason a break.
Goal 2 :: Franzen attempts to make a pass across the crease during the powerplay. Mason begins to cross with the puck when it is blocked by a Columbus defensemen's stick and returned to Franzen's stick. He then makes ANOTHER attempt to pass it across the crease, and the puck deflects off of Johnson's stick, off Mason's pad (he scrambled to get back after the first pass was deflected) but it finds the back of the net. Give Mason a break.
Goal 3 :: Two saves in tight had Mason out of the crease to the left of the net, hunting for the rebound to cover. Johnson plays the puck directly onto the stick of Pavel Datsyuk (yes, THAT Pavel Datsyuk) and he buries into the empty net. Give Mason a break.
Goal 4 :: Once again on the powerplay, Mason is fighting to get an eye on the puck as he is blocked by a Detroit forward and Marc Methot. The Detroit winger with the puck fakes the shot (which causes Mason to go into a save position, while the puck is passed to Lidstrom at the point who bombs one far side shelf. I'm not going to say give Mason a break on this one, as he made the mistake of reading the fake as a shot, but I can certainly understand why he did. So alas, one goal out of four is questionably his fault.
Here's the kicker. For those who read this and actually disagree with me, feel free to describe each play in the comments section. Show me how it is Mason's fault on any of the first three goals, and maybe I can be persuaded. Until then, it is defense, NOT goaltending, that can fix this team in terms of goals against. While I do not think Mason has been a Hall of Fame level goaltender, the team needs to make his job easier, especially on the third, and sometimes fourth shot in a row that finally end up making it into the back of the net.
The Rest of the Team
I don't really feel the need to make this into a book so I'll be brief with the rest of the team. I thought Giroux had another solid game and is fitting in nicely with the Jackets lower lines. Were it my choice, I'd drop MacKenzie and play Giroux in his role.
A prime example of why MacKenzie doesn't belong in the NHL came when a fantastic pass from the corner landed on DMac's stick in front of Howard, who was slightly out of position. Rather than burying the puck far side post (not unlike Franzen) he panicked, and shoveled a shot directly into his pads. That might have been one of the biggest game changers right there, and was easily Columbus' best scoring chance of the night.
Brassard was moving around the ice with great effort for the second game in a row, and scored his second in as many games. I think it's great to see him get success as he is clearly one of the hardest working players right now.
Vermette and Umberger are still irrelevant. Without question, having these two guys find success is absolutely crucial for the team to start winning, so whatever it takes, these two "team leaders" need to pull their heads out of their.. uhh.. off-season and get with the program. Hard work and effort will reward. Maybe they can sit down with Brassard to get some knowledge dropped on them.
Does Rick Nash still score goals? Does Rick Nash backcheck? Does Rick Nash care?
I think Vinny P was a fire ball out there, which is great after his scathing comments regarding the team effort on the ice. As much as I do enjoy watching him work, I think it's concerning that he is one of their best players right now, and he was brought in to be a depth forward that benefited from Nash and Carter taking the spotlight. I also saw him getting frustrated by terrible low percentage shots, and I love it. I hope he had a few choice words for the shooters once they reached the bench.
I am not touching the defense. There's just too much wrong right now. Methot it a tank for finishing the game, and Russell's flip out after the brutal call on him for checking Bertuzzi late in the game was fun to watch. The rest of the defense are not even worth noting, as I am sure their names have already been mentioned a couple times in this blog.
Ottawa
While I am not a terribly patient guy, I will lose all of it if the team can't win their first game tonight against Ottawa. Maybe a part of it is pride, or just exhaustion from what we have been forced to watch, but I need something to give the fans hope that there could still be a season in Columbus worth watching.
I will be watching for the Vermette/Umberger tandem to start being relevant. I will look to the "captain" to backcheck further than his blueline, and I am going to hold my breath while they start the game hoping to see some level of compete from the Jackets. I may not need 55 wins a year to be a fan, but I most certainly need some sign that the compete level, the interest level, the heart, is there.
Carry the Flag.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Recap :: Dallas vs. Columbus 10/18
These are starting to write themselves. Columbus begins the game while an anxious (and generally prepared for a disappointment) crowd watches on. Kudos to the 9,157 other fans that joined me tonight at Nationwide instead of watching with the feet up at home. Despite outshooting the opposition 24-11 through two periods of play, the Jackets found themselves in a hole thanks to a ridiculous overcommit by Radek Martinek which gave Steve Ott a free shot from a high scoring area, beating Steve Mason about mid-level on the glove side. Certainly one he would have liked to have back.
The third period offered no favours either, with Jamie Benn being left alone by Rick Nash (backchecking is only mostly overrated) took an inexcusable turnover by Aaron Johnson and beat a rather surprised Steve Mason after dragging the puck all the way through the slot. Hard work brought the Jackets within one goal thanks to Brassard scoring his first of the year on a powerplay rebound, but the Stars came rolling right back thanks to more questionable defense by the Jackets.
Thoughtful of Kris Russell to bang home a fantastic point shot to bring it to within one again, but silly errors by Grant Clitsome spoiled the final two offensive pushes by the Jackets and once again, that 2-3 final score flashed before my eyes.
I've got fingers pointed in a number of directions, but I won't get ahead of myself too quick with the negative. On the positive note, I think Kris Russell had another noticeably decent game, scoring his first of the year and making a tremendous play to avoid the empty netter in the final minutes of the third period. Certainly when it comes to the Jackets defense right now, upwards of five spots seem to be as solid as jello, and I think Russell has done a fine job of making himself a strong candidates for one of the six.
On the other hand, Grant Clitsome has seemed to string together a series of truly mediocre games, making himself noticeable in a number of key situations, and faltering heavily on more than one occasion. Specifically, I can think of two within the last two minutes that were definitively glaring, coughing up the puck to Dallas while fiddling around at the blueline almost leading to an empty net goal, and then skating up the ice with the puck only to fire up down for an icing call with 18 seconds left on the clock thanks to no passing options. Frankly, I am disappointed. Between the bad decision making while looking for the pass, and skating across the blueline to shoot on net only to STILL find a shin pad, Clitsome and his excellent name are dropping heavily on my depth chart.
Hard to not be positive about forty shots on goal, but were they all that tremendous? I think rebounds and forcing difficult saves on account of traffic were two scenarios that Kari Lehtonen did not have on his mind. There were some solid shots, along with some absolutely atrocious misses (Pahlsson, I am looking at you after receiving a great pass from behind the net and missing shortside with at LEAST 40% of the net to work with) leaving me once again somewhat underwhelmed with the effort offensively. 40 shots are great, but make them 20 GOOD shots, and I'll be a happy guy.
Defensively I still don't understand Arniel's logic. The center seems to follow the puck regardless of how deep the puck goes in the defensive end, as well as at least one of the defenders typically. This leaves the two wingers dropping from the point down to pretty much the faceoff circle. I can certainly understand closing down the scoring zone, but when the passes reach the point (and more often than not they do) it leads to an excellent opportunity for the opposition. I just don't get it, and I can't get on board with that kind of coverage. I am tired of seeing that passing option.
Offensively I thought Brassard had a great night, along with the entire Giroux - Vermette - Prospal line which was an absolute pleasure to watch at times. I know people are getting down on Brassy a bit for losing the puck and falling over, but I see that as a guy who is giving it everything he's got, trying to do a little too much to create a scoring opportunity. In time, if he keeps up that level of confidence, I think those efforts will turn into excellent scoring opportunities (assuming all of these trade rumours are just rumours). I also have a bit of a bone to pick with Nasher, but there will be plenty more on that when I get a chance to sleep on some of the thoughts brewing in my head. I understand he's the face of the franchise, so I will be making a point of picking my words carefully.
Finally, Steve Mason. Certainly the kid would like to have goal one back, but it was a solid shot from a scoring position with no defensive coverage to back him up. The other two, well, 18 shots, and I think I could think of at least 4-5 that should have never even come close to Mase. I am getting a bit bored of the fan base claiming that he needs to be traded, so I won't really go into depth on this, but I felt that he gave them a chance to win again tonight, making a few very tough saves to keep them above water.
Carry the Flag!
The third period offered no favours either, with Jamie Benn being left alone by Rick Nash (backchecking is only mostly overrated) took an inexcusable turnover by Aaron Johnson and beat a rather surprised Steve Mason after dragging the puck all the way through the slot. Hard work brought the Jackets within one goal thanks to Brassard scoring his first of the year on a powerplay rebound, but the Stars came rolling right back thanks to more questionable defense by the Jackets.
Thoughtful of Kris Russell to bang home a fantastic point shot to bring it to within one again, but silly errors by Grant Clitsome spoiled the final two offensive pushes by the Jackets and once again, that 2-3 final score flashed before my eyes.
I've got fingers pointed in a number of directions, but I won't get ahead of myself too quick with the negative. On the positive note, I think Kris Russell had another noticeably decent game, scoring his first of the year and making a tremendous play to avoid the empty netter in the final minutes of the third period. Certainly when it comes to the Jackets defense right now, upwards of five spots seem to be as solid as jello, and I think Russell has done a fine job of making himself a strong candidates for one of the six.
On the other hand, Grant Clitsome has seemed to string together a series of truly mediocre games, making himself noticeable in a number of key situations, and faltering heavily on more than one occasion. Specifically, I can think of two within the last two minutes that were definitively glaring, coughing up the puck to Dallas while fiddling around at the blueline almost leading to an empty net goal, and then skating up the ice with the puck only to fire up down for an icing call with 18 seconds left on the clock thanks to no passing options. Frankly, I am disappointed. Between the bad decision making while looking for the pass, and skating across the blueline to shoot on net only to STILL find a shin pad, Clitsome and his excellent name are dropping heavily on my depth chart.
Hard to not be positive about forty shots on goal, but were they all that tremendous? I think rebounds and forcing difficult saves on account of traffic were two scenarios that Kari Lehtonen did not have on his mind. There were some solid shots, along with some absolutely atrocious misses (Pahlsson, I am looking at you after receiving a great pass from behind the net and missing shortside with at LEAST 40% of the net to work with) leaving me once again somewhat underwhelmed with the effort offensively. 40 shots are great, but make them 20 GOOD shots, and I'll be a happy guy.
Defensively I still don't understand Arniel's logic. The center seems to follow the puck regardless of how deep the puck goes in the defensive end, as well as at least one of the defenders typically. This leaves the two wingers dropping from the point down to pretty much the faceoff circle. I can certainly understand closing down the scoring zone, but when the passes reach the point (and more often than not they do) it leads to an excellent opportunity for the opposition. I just don't get it, and I can't get on board with that kind of coverage. I am tired of seeing that passing option.
Offensively I thought Brassard had a great night, along with the entire Giroux - Vermette - Prospal line which was an absolute pleasure to watch at times. I know people are getting down on Brassy a bit for losing the puck and falling over, but I see that as a guy who is giving it everything he's got, trying to do a little too much to create a scoring opportunity. In time, if he keeps up that level of confidence, I think those efforts will turn into excellent scoring opportunities (assuming all of these trade rumours are just rumours). I also have a bit of a bone to pick with Nasher, but there will be plenty more on that when I get a chance to sleep on some of the thoughts brewing in my head. I understand he's the face of the franchise, so I will be making a point of picking my words carefully.
Finally, Steve Mason. Certainly the kid would like to have goal one back, but it was a solid shot from a scoring position with no defensive coverage to back him up. The other two, well, 18 shots, and I think I could think of at least 4-5 that should have never even come close to Mase. I am getting a bit bored of the fan base claiming that he needs to be traded, so I won't really go into depth on this, but I felt that he gave them a chance to win again tonight, making a few very tough saves to keep them above water.
Carry the Flag!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Reviewing the Goals Against: Dallas
Thanks in large part to the many folks on twitter throwing Steve Mason under the bus over the last couple games, I thought it might be worth going back to review each of the goals scored to see exactly who is worth blaming. There does seem to be a fair assessment that Mason is not exactly an 'All-star' goalie (which is fine, he's not), but the disconnect seems to be on what defines a goalie as an all-star, a solid goaltender, and a hopefully sieve. So without further adieu, let's look at the goals scored against the Blue Jackets in Dallas.
Goal 1 :: Bredan Morrow
Midway through the first period, with Columbus carrying a 1-0 lead, Mike Ribeiro threads the needle, sending a pass through two Columbus defenders and finding a wide open Brendan Morrow who finishes on the one timer.
Scott Arniel said it very well after the game. Cross crease one-timer goals are seen once every fifteen games or so for the average team, and they gave up THREE of them in one game. This mental lapse by the Columbus defense is flat out what loses teams hockey games, and something I personally don't expect to see on the "Mason saves" highlight reel. On this specific play, Savard chases Ribeiro behind the net essentially taking himself out of the play, and Martinek is covering the blue paint on the short side of this specific play. It leaves Morrow wide open to hammer home the one-timer. Fault: Defense, 100%.
Goal 2 :: Loui Eriksson
The puck is carried around the net by Steve Ott, who fires a pass in front of the similar to the first goal, finding the stick of Loui Eriksson who gets just enough of the puck to get it through Steve Mason.
Covering on the pass was Martinek, who watched Ott go beyond the net, and decide to leave the front of the net probably later than he should have, leaving him in dead ice covering nothing. Covering the pass was Marc Methot, who seemed to be scrambling back to get Eriksson after Martinek's decision to move away from the net. Again, these passes should never be allowed to make it through to players, and I am once again putting pretty much all of the blame on the Jackets defense. Fault: 90% Defense, 10% Mason.
Goal 3 :: Sheldon Souray
Ribeiro sends a backhand pass to the point, where Sheldon Souray is waiting. He sets, loads, and fires a knuckler that seems to change directions part way to the net, hitting the top of the net and going in.
I know this may be hard for some to agree with, and that's fine, but I am not going to put this entirely on Mason. So far this season we have watched as pucks are deflected perflectly to the upper 90, far post, off feet and in, etc, etc. In this case, these fluttering pucks are just about as bad as a tip. What I DO want to point out, is that while Vermette (the center) chases around Ribeiro, RJ Umberger (the winger) leaves the top faceoff circle (covering the pass) and moves into the middle slot (I assume to cover for Vermette who is all over the place). This leaves Souray wide open, with plenty of time to load up a cannon. Fault: Bad Coverage 50%, Mason 25%, bad luck 25%.
Goal 4 :: Michael Ryder
Ribeiro sends a pass to Morrow, who is near the goal line about 10 feet away from the net. He then sends a pass through Clitsome to Ryder, who one times the puck off the near post and in.
Powerplay goals are hard to dissect, especially when you downplay coverage quality, but Clitsome has to be better. He is a good couple feet high as the pass is received by Morrow, and does little to stop Ryder from scoring. This is once again the defensive breakdowns that lead to goals on every single goalie in the NHL, not just Mason. I would like to see Mason with a bit more of an active stick, but that's a dangerous game to play as teams begin to try deflecting the puck off the goalie and in. Fault: Defense 90%, Mason 10%.
As you can see, the misguided hatred towards Mason has become silly. Of the four goals scored on him, none of them were normal, textbook saves that he has been making all year long. They were one timers from down low and a freak knuckler that I am still trying to figure out how it went in. While I can understand the frustration of most Blue Jackets fans (trust me, I waited a day to post anything) I think it's time to start pointing the finger in the right direction, not just at the guy who is the easiest to blame.
The bottom line here, is that if the defense were doing what needed to be done, that game could have very well been a win for the Jackets.
Carry the Flag.
Goal 1 :: Bredan Morrow
Midway through the first period, with Columbus carrying a 1-0 lead, Mike Ribeiro threads the needle, sending a pass through two Columbus defenders and finding a wide open Brendan Morrow who finishes on the one timer.
Scott Arniel said it very well after the game. Cross crease one-timer goals are seen once every fifteen games or so for the average team, and they gave up THREE of them in one game. This mental lapse by the Columbus defense is flat out what loses teams hockey games, and something I personally don't expect to see on the "Mason saves" highlight reel. On this specific play, Savard chases Ribeiro behind the net essentially taking himself out of the play, and Martinek is covering the blue paint on the short side of this specific play. It leaves Morrow wide open to hammer home the one-timer. Fault: Defense, 100%.
Goal 2 :: Loui Eriksson
The puck is carried around the net by Steve Ott, who fires a pass in front of the similar to the first goal, finding the stick of Loui Eriksson who gets just enough of the puck to get it through Steve Mason.
Covering on the pass was Martinek, who watched Ott go beyond the net, and decide to leave the front of the net probably later than he should have, leaving him in dead ice covering nothing. Covering the pass was Marc Methot, who seemed to be scrambling back to get Eriksson after Martinek's decision to move away from the net. Again, these passes should never be allowed to make it through to players, and I am once again putting pretty much all of the blame on the Jackets defense. Fault: 90% Defense, 10% Mason.
Goal 3 :: Sheldon Souray
Ribeiro sends a backhand pass to the point, where Sheldon Souray is waiting. He sets, loads, and fires a knuckler that seems to change directions part way to the net, hitting the top of the net and going in.
I know this may be hard for some to agree with, and that's fine, but I am not going to put this entirely on Mason. So far this season we have watched as pucks are deflected perflectly to the upper 90, far post, off feet and in, etc, etc. In this case, these fluttering pucks are just about as bad as a tip. What I DO want to point out, is that while Vermette (the center) chases around Ribeiro, RJ Umberger (the winger) leaves the top faceoff circle (covering the pass) and moves into the middle slot (I assume to cover for Vermette who is all over the place). This leaves Souray wide open, with plenty of time to load up a cannon. Fault: Bad Coverage 50%, Mason 25%, bad luck 25%.
Goal 4 :: Michael Ryder
Ribeiro sends a pass to Morrow, who is near the goal line about 10 feet away from the net. He then sends a pass through Clitsome to Ryder, who one times the puck off the near post and in.
Powerplay goals are hard to dissect, especially when you downplay coverage quality, but Clitsome has to be better. He is a good couple feet high as the pass is received by Morrow, and does little to stop Ryder from scoring. This is once again the defensive breakdowns that lead to goals on every single goalie in the NHL, not just Mason. I would like to see Mason with a bit more of an active stick, but that's a dangerous game to play as teams begin to try deflecting the puck off the goalie and in. Fault: Defense 90%, Mason 10%.
As you can see, the misguided hatred towards Mason has become silly. Of the four goals scored on him, none of them were normal, textbook saves that he has been making all year long. They were one timers from down low and a freak knuckler that I am still trying to figure out how it went in. While I can understand the frustration of most Blue Jackets fans (trust me, I waited a day to post anything) I think it's time to start pointing the finger in the right direction, not just at the guy who is the easiest to blame.
The bottom line here, is that if the defense were doing what needed to be done, that game could have very well been a win for the Jackets.
Carry the Flag.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Matt Calvert
There is no question in my mind that Matt Calvert is a major bright spot on the Columbus roster of late, and could easily be considered the top prospect that has brought the most upside to the main club this year. In fact, I would be hard pressed to believe anyone who claimed that the 127th pick in the 2008 draft would make such a substantial difference with the big club next year, let alone this year. His hattrick last night upped his goal total to nine this year, in the twenty games he has spent with the big club.
As much as I am personally excited to see his success, I have focused on a couple different aspects of how his play has made a difference on the team dynamic, and I wanted to share them.
First, this makes Nikita Filatov 100% expendable. At the beginning of the year, I had a tremendous amount of confidence in the potential star power Fily is capable of bringing to the Columbus top six. I can admit being both wrong, and was completely devastated when it became clear that he had a great deal of developing to do before he would become a viable top six forward. What makes him expendable, is the current Jackets lineup. With the addition of Calvert to the top six, the Jackets first two lines look like some form of the following:
Not only does this allow Arniel to force Juice down to the third line, it gives him room to bring in a legit top six player if someone is taking advantage of their position with lazy or foolish play. This lineup of course would be my ideal option once Brassard returns from injury, which should be somewhere within the next two weeks.
Second, it makes Huselius expendable. I have long badgered his lazy play, and I feel like Calvert is about as non-Huselius as a player can get. The kid flat out hustles, taking great advantage of every opportunity he is given, and forcing the issue when the opposition has the puck. While his size would lead you to believe he would be more of a finesse player, his 5'9 frame actually ends up giving the presence of a 6'3 player the way he throws his body around on the ice. Essentially, this roster swap changes the 'patience' of Juice to the frenetic, exciting play of Calvert, a player who was noticeably on the shoulders of the entire fanbase Friday night against Phoenix.
As it stands, Calvert has 9 goals in 20 games. He also has 5 goals in his last 3 games, and 6 goals in his last 4. These numbers are not familiar to fourth round picks who are brought up to the main club as a rookie over halfway into the season. It leads me to my final comment about his rise with the Jackets, and it relates to the quality drafting done by the Jackets over the last few seasons. Notably, on their current roster, they have (of those they have drafted) Methot (168th - 2003), Calvert (127th - 2008), Clitsome (271st - 2004), Dorsett (189th - 2006), Boll (101st - 2005), Murray (242nd - 2001). Obviously excluded are the players drafted in the top 100 who are finding great success (Nash, Brassard, Russell, Mason, Voracek) on the roster and most of whom are signed to fairly reasonable extensions with the club.
As much as I am personally excited to see his success, I have focused on a couple different aspects of how his play has made a difference on the team dynamic, and I wanted to share them.
First, this makes Nikita Filatov 100% expendable. At the beginning of the year, I had a tremendous amount of confidence in the potential star power Fily is capable of bringing to the Columbus top six. I can admit being both wrong, and was completely devastated when it became clear that he had a great deal of developing to do before he would become a viable top six forward. What makes him expendable, is the current Jackets lineup. With the addition of Calvert to the top six, the Jackets first two lines look like some form of the following:
Nash - Brassard - Voracek
Umberger - Vermette - Calvert
IR: Huselius
Not only does this allow Arniel to force Juice down to the third line, it gives him room to bring in a legit top six player if someone is taking advantage of their position with lazy or foolish play. This lineup of course would be my ideal option once Brassard returns from injury, which should be somewhere within the next two weeks.
Second, it makes Huselius expendable. I have long badgered his lazy play, and I feel like Calvert is about as non-Huselius as a player can get. The kid flat out hustles, taking great advantage of every opportunity he is given, and forcing the issue when the opposition has the puck. While his size would lead you to believe he would be more of a finesse player, his 5'9 frame actually ends up giving the presence of a 6'3 player the way he throws his body around on the ice. Essentially, this roster swap changes the 'patience' of Juice to the frenetic, exciting play of Calvert, a player who was noticeably on the shoulders of the entire fanbase Friday night against Phoenix.
As it stands, Calvert has 9 goals in 20 games. He also has 5 goals in his last 3 games, and 6 goals in his last 4. These numbers are not familiar to fourth round picks who are brought up to the main club as a rookie over halfway into the season. It leads me to my final comment about his rise with the Jackets, and it relates to the quality drafting done by the Jackets over the last few seasons. Notably, on their current roster, they have (of those they have drafted) Methot (168th - 2003), Calvert (127th - 2008), Clitsome (271st - 2004), Dorsett (189th - 2006), Boll (101st - 2005), Murray (242nd - 2001). Obviously excluded are the players drafted in the top 100 who are finding great success (Nash, Brassard, Russell, Mason, Voracek) on the roster and most of whom are signed to fairly reasonable extensions with the club.
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