After graduating from college and living in Columbus for the first time in four years, one thing that I thought would happen in my life was getting to watch and attend more Columbus Blue Jackets hockey games. However, due to my work schedule, that hasn't been the case...and quite frankly, I haven't missed much.
The Blue Jackets have done just what I feared would happen this season: completely flop after finally reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time. There are plenty of reasons why the team has been a bust, and I don't particularly want to get into that right now. After going to last night's game against the St. Louis Blues(the second time I've seen the Jackets win in person this season...both times against the Blues). I realize this loses some poignancy since the Blue Jackets played again tonight (and lost 5-3), but I wanted to share some of my thoughts on the game and the team in general.
I was impressed by...
Raffi Torres's 2-goal night
Torres has rebounded from an up-and-down season and become a major goal contributor for a team that is wildly inconsistent offensively. Unfortunately for Torres and fans, he'll likely be traded before the season ends.
Derick Brassard's physical play
This kid isn't going to crush anybody, but for a pretty small player who's only known for his playmaking ability, he showed no fear in playing the body and getting involved in the forecheck, a mindset young players don't always have.
Derek Dorsett's much deserved 'A'
For the first time, the 23-year-old wore the 'A' of an alternate captain on his sweater. This guy couldn't ever be a top-6 forward, but he can impact the game just as much as a scorer. His engine is always at top speed when he's on the ice and is great at swinging momentum in his team's favor. Since the team's inception, I've never seen a Blue Jacket grinder affect the game as much as Dorsett.
Kris Russell leading the rush
The young defender showed flashes of this offensive ability in his first full season, but not consistently. Russell is now much more willing to start the rush and carry the puck through the neutral zone, and while he isn't scoring a ton of points, it creates a lot of offensive opportunites that have never existed for Columbus in the past.
I was not impressed by...
Defensive zone play
While the Blue Jackets' defense played better than they have in the majority of the season, they still had some breakdowns. If you've heard me talk about this team this year, you know about my extreme disdain where Mike Commodore is concerned, but this is a problem the whole group is suffering from.
Line 1
Rich Nash, RJ Umberger and Antoine Vermette didn't get a whole lot accomplished. While Nash scored a powerplay goal and the line controlled the puck in the offensive zone a few times, they had trouble getting the puck to the net and turning possession into scoring chances.
Kris Russell getting beat wide
For someone whose best asset is his skating ability/speed(which allows him to lead the rush), it doesn't seem like this should happen.
Penalties taken
Torres took one 30 seconds in that led to the Blues' instant goal and Anton Stralman committed a pointless cross-check later in the period. While four penalties isn't too worrisome, none of them could be considered good penalties.
I'm lukewarm about...
Mathieu Garon
Has he been the Blue Jackets' better goalie this year? Absolutely. Is he a long-term option to be the team's starting goalie? I doubt it. Garon has proved that he's a very capable backup, which is what he was brought to Columbus to be. Am I saying he shouldn't be playing as much if not more than Steve Mason? No, Mason has obviously had a mess of problems this season. But Garon looked shaky at times and had some trouble controlling rebounds and the puck in general. I'm not saying he's played poorly, but he hasn't played well enough to be an obvious starting goaltender.
