Category Archive for ‘Blue Jackets’ at On the Wings

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4/4 Notes

Published

on April 4, 2008

in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets, Dominik Hasek, Injuries, Justin Abdelkader, Tomas Holmstrom and Tomas Kopecky

. 2 Comments

… I only caught the first period of the game, so I can only comment directly on that.

I thought it was a marked improvement over their first period performance in Chicago Wednesday night. Dominik Hasek looked strong, the forwards were dangerous, and the defense was relatively tight.

It’s easy to write the Jackets off because they aren’t making the playoffs once again. However, they have developed into a talented team and are just a piece or two away from providing competition in the Central. The common assessment is that they just need a center for Rick Nash and a puck-moving defenseman. It’s hard to disagree. They’ve already got most everything else.

… Just from the highlight reel, it’s easy to see why the Wings had to make a comeback in this one: Pascal Leclaire. The guy had 36 saves in his first game back from a concussion and there were some very impressive ones.

Hasek’s 20 saves is an obvious improvement over his performance prior to being pulled Wednesday, but I’m a little concerned about the two goals he did allow. The replays show long shots that were only marginally screened. I can’t tell if either of them was tipped, but I do know that the original shooter got credit both times. So, if they came off deflections, it was off a Red Wing both times. That would just be Dom’s luck.

Maybe someone who saw them live can comment on Dom’s performance.

… The good news to come out of the game, aside from the win, was the fact that the Wings finally locked up first place overall and home ice throughout the playoffs. I hear they hand out a trophy for that, but I’m more interested in the fact that they won’t have to deal with any road Game 7’s.

… The bad news to come out of the game was the injury to Tomas Kopecky. He hurt his knee 6:40 into the third period when he got tangled with Manny Malholtra. He didn’t make it back and the initial impression isn’t a positive one. He’ll be undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury.

Kopey is a role player on the team, but a valuble one. He’s still in the maturing phase of his game, but he plays with an edge that will be vital in the post-season. Here’s hoping he’s not out long.

… In addition to the bad news about Kopecky, the news on Maltby was less than good: Mickey Redmond said before the game that it looks like he’ll be out 10-14 days.

… With Vancouver’s loss and Nashville’s win, the Canucks and Blackhawks were eliminated from playoff contention. The remaining possibilities are Calgary and Nashville.

If Chicago beats the Preds tonight, we’ll see Nashville in the first round. If the Predators lose and the Predators win, we’ll get the Flames in the first round for the second year in a row.

… By all accounts, it sounds like Justin Abdelkader had a strong debut. Given that and the fact that Kopecky is hurt, he may find a regular injury replacement spot in the coming weeks.

Of course, there remains the small issue of his entry level contract, on which he and the team must agree by Saturday or he’ll be inelligible for post-season play. I doubt there’ll be much trouble with that, though.

… An injury update: Tomas Holmstrom (groin/abdomen) characterized himself as definitely in for Sunday’s game.

GameDay: vs. Columbus (34-33-12, 80 Pts) 7:30 ET

Published

Matt Saler

on April 3, 2008

in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and GameDay

. 4 Comments

Update (5:51 PM): George Malik has a couple roundup posts worth checking out here and here. - Matt

Update (4:14 PM): George Sipple reports that Kirk Maltby (hamstring) underwent MRI and ultrasound tests today. Apparently, he suffered the injury when he fell awkwardly along the boards and “felt a pop.” That doesn’t sound good.

Sipple asked Ken Holland about a possible return date and was told,

“We haven’t got a clue, other than to say he’s questionable for Game 1 of the playoffs and won’t play the rest of the regular season.”

That’s certainly not good news. Malts isn’t the player he once was, but he still kills penalties well and can be a good energy player, as last night’s game showed. The sooner he’s able to make it back, the better. - Matt

Update (3:00 PM): The Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline has a post-practice update posted here.

Interesting bit:

Oh, and the Red Wings are mad. Won’t be easy tonight.

… — The Wings are honked off following a 6-2 loss in Chicago on Wednesday. “They’re going to be battening down the hatches early in the hockey game,” Hitchcock said. “Their coach (Mike Babcock) is not a happy guy today.”

Good.

Also interesting is this quote from AHL-er Zenon Konopka:

“I’ll be running Chelios tonight. I hope I get an opportunity to really crank a few guys.”

“Zenon”? Seriously? He and Zoltan Mesko should get together and start a club. As for running Chelios, I’d love to see him try.

Portzline also provides the lines for tonight:

Nash — Malhotra — Zherdev
Chimera — Peca — Brule
Murray — MacKenzie — Boll
Lindstrom — Konopka — Pineault

He leaves us with what is apparently an obligatory shot at the city Detroit. You stay classy, Portzline. - Matt

Update ( 1:33 PM): George Malik scouts the Blue Jackets here. - Matt

Update (1:19 PM): Red Wings TV has a video of Abdelkader talking with the media. The network is painfully slow here at school at the moment, so I pass it on without comment, having not watched it. - Matt

Update (12:40 PM): Bruce MacLeod has added more on Abdelkader to his earlier post. He also has some information on other Red Wing prospects.

Of more immediate relevance is the revelation that Maltby has a strained hamstring. No date has been set for his return.

Tomas Holmstrom will not play tonight, but MacLeod says he will “definitely be back in the lineup Sunday.”

Kris Draper will not return before the playoffs.

Brad Stuart told MacLeod that he’s on track to play in Game 1. - Matt

Update (11:56 AM): It looks like right winger Adam Pineault will fill in the TBA spot on the Jackets’ roster. The Dispatch’s Puck-rakers blog reports that Columbus has promoted the Syracuse Crunch forward on an emergency recall. He will be making his NHL debut.

Interesting stat: he is second in the AHL with six shorthanded goals. - Matt

Update (11:38 AM): The injury parade continues: Bruce MacLeod reports that Kirk Maltby is out tonight because of an unspecified injury.

To fill in the empty roster spot, the team has signed former Michigan State standout Justin Abdelkader to a one-game amateur tryout. By accepting, he loses his remaining college eligibility.

Abdelkader, taken 42nd overall in the 2005 entry draft, plays left wing. My guess is McCarty will take Maltby’s place on the third line and Abdelkader will fill in on the vacated wing on the fourth. The official blog reports that he will wear #8.

The team is trying to sign Abdelkader to a three-year entry level contract and if they are able to do so by Saturday, he will remain with the team throughout the playoffs. With the Griffins’ season all but over, it would make sense to keep the kid around. - Matt

Tonight is the eighth and final game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets this season. The Wings lead the series 4-3 with wins November 9th (4-1), November 18th (5-4 SO), March 19th (3-1), and March 22nd (4-1). The Jackets won the November 24th (3-2 OT), February 15th (5-1), and March 16th (4-3) meetings.

Columbus posted a 4-6-3 record in March. They are coming off a pair of losses to finish the month, beginning with a 2-0 loss at home to Nashville and continuing with a 5-4 shootout loss in Chicago on Sunday. After tonight, they will finish up their season with a home-and-home series against St. Louis.

The Jackets are currently 13th in the West and were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention by the Wings’ March 30th OT win over Nashville.

Columbus is lead offensively by Rich Nash, who has notched 67 points this season. Nikolai Zherdev is #2 in scoring with 60. Nash’s 38 goals are a team best. Zherdev is the only other Jacket to crack 20 goals with 26.

The Jackets have quite the injury list: Fredrik Modin (concussion), David Vyborny (flu), Ole-Kristian Tollefsen (neck surgery), Dan Fritsche (broken hand), Jiri Notovny (thigh contusion), and Dick Tarnstrom (concussion) are listed as out.

Projected lines (via Columbus Dispatch):

Nash-Malholtra-Zherdev
Chimera-Peca-Brule
Murray-McKenzie-Lindstrom
TBA-Konopka-Boll

Projected pairings:

Hejda-Klesla
Hainsey-Rome
Russell-Wilson

Pascal Leclaire, who has missed the last eighth with a concussion, will start tonight, says the Dispatch.

For the Jackets’ perspective, see Light the Lamp, Better on Ice, The Jacket Times, Army of the Ohio, End of the Bench, Neutral Zone Trap, Bethany’s Hockey Rants, and the Bleacher Report Columbus Blue Jackets page.

The Wings are coming off one of their worst performances of the season last night in Chicago. They were disinterested against a highly-motivated Blackhawks team that kept its very slim playoff hopes alive with a 6-2 home win.

Detroit began the game well enough, but their play started to slip when Chris Chelios lost his head and cross-checked Patrick Kane about 7 times while the Hawks were already on the power play. Kane gave Chelios a startled look before responding with a couple slashes. I didn’t blame him. Chelios just inexplicably went berserk. Chelios was sent off for just one of the cross-checks, while the refs gave young Mr. Kane a pass.

The Hawks scored their first goal just after the end of the ensuing 5-on-3 and never looked back.

Dominik Hasek got the hook after allowing three goals on six shots (only one of which was really his fault). The Wings proceded to leave Chis Osgood out to dry and only managed brief periods of pressure throughout the remainder of the game.

The most exciting it got was an Aaron Downey fight and another Downey altercation that didn’t reach full fight status. His efforts to spark his team failed.

I noticed Kirk Maltby last night more than I have in months, maybe years. He was highly involved in the offense (he scored a goal with a purely individual effort) and had looked to be one of the few men in the Winged Wheel motivated to play hard. Two others were Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, who put forth strong efforts but couldn’t do it all. Maybe a Maltby-Zetterberg-Datsyuk line could have salvaged things!

The officiating seemed a little one-sided, but to place any blame on the officials is merely an excuse for the Wings’ pathetic performance. It wasn’t so bad that it couldn’t have been overcome.

The Hawks deserve a lot of credit for taking advantage of the Wings’ lack of concentration.

For a team with little tangible motivation to overexert themselves at this point in the season, last night probably shouldn’t be that surprising. That does not, however, mean it’s not highly disappointing. These final games are useful for the team to fine-tune their game and head into the playoffs on a streak rather than a skid.

There’s also that little matter of first place overall. Is it too much to ask that they gain a single, solitary point in one of final three games of the season? If last night is any indication, it may be.

Henrik Zetterberg scored his team-leading 42nd goal last night. His 91 points are good for second on the team. Pavel Datsyuk leads with 95 and is second in goals with 31. It’d be nice to see him crack 100 points, but that doesn’t seem likely.

The Wings will be without Kris Draper (groin) tonight. He’s likely out until the playoffs.

Brad Stuart (broken finger) also remains out.

Tomas Holmstrom (groin) may return tonight, but it’s more likely he’ll be back Sunday.

Mikael Samuelsson (groin) may play tonight, but since he hasn’t gone through a full practice since March 27th, that seems unlikely.

Probable lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Cleary
Filppula-Franzen-Hudler
Maltby-Hartigan-Kopecky
McCarty-Drake-Downey

Probable pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja

Dominik Hasek will start tonight. Here’s hoping he’s more solid and has better luck this time around.

For more of the Wings’ perspective, see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, BR Red Wings, and Winging It In Motown.

I’m just going to go ahead and suggest that a win tonight is essential. They have to get back to their A-game somehow and this is a great opportunity to do so. The Jackets are in something of a skid and ought to be vulnerable. The Wings are missing some key personnel, but have more than enough talent to pull out a win.

The last thing they need is to go into the playoffs on a skid and if they lose tonight, it’ll be that much easier to fall prey the Blackhawks for the sixth time this season on Sunday.

Wings 4, Blue Jackets 1

Published

Matt Saler

on March 23, 2008

in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and GameDay

. 0 Comments

… Let me begin by saying I was embarrassed for the Blue Jackets last night. I don’t know how many times a Columbus player would just fall to the ice for no apparent reason or blow an easy pass for no apparent reason. The brief stretches that the Jackets looked interested were mostly brought on by Rick Nash and did nothing to make up for the long periods in which they looked like they were playing in an exhibition game.

… On the other side of the ice, the Wings were spectacular in moments, less so in others. The first and third were strong periods, but the second was a virtual yawn fest as the Wings sat back and easily beat back the feeble attempts at a comeback by a Columbus team not taking itself seriously enough to be dangerous for more than a minute at a time.

… The Wings’ first goal felt about 10 seconds late, as Pavel Datsyuk had Fredrik Norrena down and out but chose to pass it back to Nick Lidstrom, who had a clean shot at a virtual empty net. The goal was another example of Pavel’s maddening practice of passing the puck when he has a glorious scoring chance of his own. He frequently makes the right decision in those situations, and this was one such case. If he were a right-handed shooter, he would have had a clear shot at the net, but he isn’t so he didn’t.

… Henrik Zetterberg’s goal was just pathetically easy. A perfect pass from Datsyuk made the Jackets look like a pee-wee squad.

… The Jackets’ goal came off the stick of Rick Nash, who earned it with a performance the whole night that put his teammates to shame. In a perfect world, you’d like to see Hasek stop that shot, but Nash is a bona fide goal scorer and released a rocket.

… Franzen’s certainly got the hot stick. We can only hope it carries through to the playoffs.

… Datsyuk made the Jackets’ defense look like amateurs on his third period shorthanded goal. He stole the puck not once, but twice, en route to his 31st of the season. He was flying all night.

… For some reason it didn’t click with me before, but the Wings’ strategy with the first power play unit seems to be to have the defense carry the puck nearly to the blueline before dropping it off to Pavel Datsyuk, who streaks in after building up speed coming out of the Wings’ zone. They haven’t quite gotten the timing right yet, but it’ll be spectacular when they do.

… Hasek was solid. He didn’t have to face many shots (12), which has to drive him crazy. It was good to see him maintain his concentration, though.

… All in all, a solid win for the Wings, who are in a battle to retain their concentration as they finish the season against the Central.

… In response to the fact that the Wings have now had three consecutive 50-win seasons, Pavel Datsyuk told John Keating:

50 wins very important, more important sixteen wins.

Exactly. (via Snapshots)

… Tuesday should be an interesting game against the Blues. The Wings should see the return of Dan Cleary and Valtteri Filppula, as well as Dallas Drake, that night, and will be able to begin kicking into playoff mode for real.

GameDay: @ Columbus (33-30-11, 77 Pts) 7:00 ET

Published

Matt Saler

on March 22, 2008

in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and GameDay

. 0 Comments

Update (5:20 PM): LTL of Light the Lamp has a preview posted. Note to LTL: the Jackets have Lindstrom. The Wings have Lidstrom (no “n”). - Matt

Update (3:00 PM): Bethany of Bethany’s Hockey Rants has her game day comments posted. - Matt

Update (2:10 PM): Bruce MacLeod reports that Kris Draper will in fact play tonight.

Dallas Drake, on the other hand, will not. He has some sort of chest injury, according to Mike Babcock, though he could be back Tuesday. Draper will take Drake’s slot in the lineup so there won’t be any healthy scratches.

MacLeod also reports that Dan Cleary is expected back Tuesday and there’s a chance Valtteri Filppula could return then as well. Ansar Khan says nothing about Fil, but reports that Tomas Holmstrom is expecting to play Tuesday, too.

Khan also confirms that Dominik Hasek will start.

In another post, MacLeod provides the projected lines and pairings for the Jackets. The lines he gives are the same as below, but here are the pairings, which I did not have earlier:

Hejda-Klesla
Hainsey-Rome
Tollefsen-Tarnstrom

Lastly, a Jackets injury update from Puck-rakers: No David Vyborny (knee) or Kris Russell (groin) tonight, as both are not expected back until the Jackets’ Tuesday game. - Matt

Tonight is the seventh of eight meetings between the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets this season and the third in the past week. The series stands tied at three, with the Wings winning November 9th (4-1), November 18th (5-4 SO), and March 19th (3-1), and the Jackets winning November 24th (3-2 OT), February 15th (5-1), and March 16 (4-3). The final game will be played on April 3rd in Detroit.

The game is on FSN Plus tonight, not FSN Detroit. If you don’t know what channel that is, see this list.

The Jackets have not played since losing to the Wings on Wednesday. The loss dropped them to 3-3-2 in March.

They are in 13th place in the West, 7 points behind the 8th seed with only eight games remaining.

Columbus lost two players Wednesday night: Dan Fritsche’s left hand was broken by a shot and Jared Boll suffered a hip pointer when he missed Tomas Holmstrom and hit his teammate Fredrik Modin instead. Fritsche will miss the rest of the season. Boll is 3-4 days from returning to the ice.

The Jackets will also be without Pascal Leclaire, who is still suffering the effects of the concussion a teammate gave him prior to the game on Sunday. Defenseman Kris Russell (groin) could return tonight, apparently. David Vyborny (sprained knee) may participate in the morning skate, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll play.

Lines from practice yesterday (via Puck-Rakers):

Nash — Malhotra — Modin
Chimera — Peca — Brule
Murray — Novotny — Zherdev
Picard — MacKenzie — Lindstrom

With Leclaire still out, Fredrik Norrena will get the start.

For the Jackets’ perspective, see John Arvai at Bleacher Report (Light the Lamp) Better on Ice, The Jacket Times, Army of the Ohio, End of the Bench, Neutral Zone Trap, and Bethany’s Hockey Rants.

The Wings improved to 7-2-0 in March with their 6-3 win over Nashville on Thursday. It was a slightly more competitive game than the score indicates, with the Wings blowing a lead in the third period only to pull away again in the end. In that sense it was a messy win, but probably a confidence building one, as they were able to overcome the Preds’ third period push.

With San Jose’s 2-1 win over Anaheim last night, the Wings’ seven-point lead decreased to five with seven games remaining for both teams.

The Wings could see the return of Kris Draper (groin tear) tonight. He centered the third line this morning, according to Bruce MacLeod.

Dan Cleary will not return today after all, having decided to wait until he has the wires removed from his jaw. He could return as soon as Tuesday, but no later than Friday.

Valtteri Filppula (knee, groin) is out until Friday.

It’s looking like Darren McCarty (ribs) could play Friday as well.

According to Ken Holland, Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen) is getting closer and could be back soon, but not today.

Projected lines (via MacLeod)

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Hudler-Franzen-Kopecky
Hartigan-Draper-Maltby
Meech-Helm-Downey

MacLeod reports that Dallas Drake did not take part in the morning skate, which could indicate an injury. However, if Drake was just given the practice off and is able to play, Derek Meech is the likely scratch.

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Lilja
Lebda-Chelios

Dominik Hasek will be the starter.

For more of the Wings’ perspective, see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, BR Red Wings, and Winging It In Motown. OklahomaWingNut’s GDT is here.

This is another key game for the Wings, who need to keep winning in order to hold off the red-hot San Jose Sharks. At this point in the season, losing first place overall would be a morale killer, especially given the fact that they’d have to lose to Central Division teams to do it.

The emphasis today needs to be on scoring the first goal and playing a complete game.

GameDay: vs. Columbus (33-29-11, 77 Pts) 7:30 ET

Published

Matt Saler

on March 19, 2008

in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and GameDay

. 5 Comments

Update (2:15 PM): The Columbus Dispatch’s Tom Reed reports that rookie defenseman Kris Russell is now out tonight with a groin injury. Dick Tarnstrom will enter the lineup as a result. - Matt

Update (2:08 PM): George Sipple has it from Ken Holland: Valtteri Filppula will sit tonight and probably tomorrow with a sore groin. The injury is not believed to be as bad as Draper’s.

Draper, by the way, is now looking to return Saturday instead of tomorrow night. His skate today wasn’t quite as good as he’d hoped.

New projected lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Hudler-Franzen-Kopecky
Draper-Helm-Drake
Meech-Hartigan-Downey

I erroneously included Holmstrom in my projected lines below. Sorry about that. An early morning gaffe. - Matt

Update (12:58 PM): The official blog reports that Meech will play on the left wing. There is still no word on who will sit.

I wonder why the team didn’t just call up Mattias Ritola if they need another forward. It could just mean this is a move to give a regular rest rather than one to cover for an injury. Alternatively, if it’s this is just an effort to get Meech playing time, it’s an odd way to do it. - Matt

Updated (12:39 PM): Bruce MacLeod reports that Derek Meech will play forward tonight. You read that right. It’ll be the first time in his NHL career that he’s moved to the front.

MacLeod also says that Aaron Downey and Darren Helm will play, which, together with the Meech news, means there is another forward injured or in need of rest, though the team would not specify who. My guess? Henrik Zetterberg.

Also, Brett Lebda and Chris Chelios will comprise the third pairing, which makes Andreas Lilja tonight’s healthy scratch.

Lastly, Tomas Holmstrom (abdomin) is still having trouble with “straight-ahead skating,” though he did participate in battle drills. Expect him back Saturday at the earliest. - Matt

Update (12:20 PM): Thanks to Bethany of Bethany’s Hockey Rants for leaving this clarification on Picard’s status in the comments:

Picard hasn’t been called up, so he definitely won’t be in the lineup.

- Matt

Update (10:11 AM): Jeff (OklahomaWingNut) has posted his GDT here. - Matt

Update (10:08 AM): A minor update to the list of injured Blue Jackets: the Columbus Dispatch does not include Alexandre Picard, so presumably he is a possible for tonight.

Also, the Dispatch confirms that Norrena will start. - Matt

Update (9:17 AM): Helene St. James has now backed up her characterization of the third pairing roster battle with a quote from Babcock that came as a direct response to the question of Chris Chelios’ status:

“”You can speculate all you want. I just went through it:There’s three guys, and there’s two jobs.”

So, Chelios isn’t a lock for a spot after all. That’s technically true for everyone on the team under Babcock’s “you have to earn it” standard, though the threshold for being scratched is obviously lower for some players than for others. It’s hard for me to imagine Chelios not earning “it,” however, so that spot’s pretty much as good as his.

A further Chelios-related note: George Malik points out that there is some question as to whether#24 will be in the lineup tonight, given the fact that team policy has been to avoid playing veterans in consecutive games. So, it’s possible we could see a slightly different third pairing. - Matt

Update (8:00 AM): By the way, I started this blog five-years ago today. Read the embarrassing first post here. - Matt

The Detroit Red Wings host the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight in the sixth meeting between the two teams this season. Columbus leads the series 3-2, with wins November 24th (3-2 OT), February 15th (5-1), and March 16 (4-3). Detroit won the November 9th (4-1) and November 18th (5-4 SO). Tonight’s game is the second of three between the Wings and the Blue Jackets this week. They face off again Saturday in Columbus..

Columbus is 3-2-2 in March thus far. They began the month on a 0-1-2 skid, but turned it around somewhat with a 5-3 win over Tampa Bay on the 9th. They lost on the 14h to Chicago, 6-3, but have won both of their games since, beginning with Sunday’s 4-3 decision over the Wings. They shut out the Flames last night en route to a 3-0 victory, earning revenge for a 1-0 loss on the 4th.

The Jackets are currently in 11th place in the West, 7 points behind 8th place Colorado. They have only a slim chance of making the playoffs, if they have any at all.

Rick Nash is the Jackets’ point and goals leader with 64 and 37, respectively. Nikolai Zherdev’s 58 points is good for second on the team, as are his 25 goals. Nash and Zherdev are the only two Jackets to crack the 20-goal barrier. Only Jason Chimera (14), Manny Malholtra (10), and Dan Fritsche (10) have reached double-digit goal totals.

Columbus will be without Fredrik Modin (flu), who did not make the trip to Detroit. The Freep lists David Vyborny (knee) as questionable and Alexandre Picard (knee) as out.

With Pascal Leclaire out with a concussion suffered Sunday in the pre-game warm-up, Fredrik Norrena should get the start tonight.Given the Jackets’ need for wins, it seems doubtful AHLer Dan LaCosta would play.

The Wings fell to 5-2-0 with their second consecutive loss Sunday afternoon in Columbus. The day before, they dropped a home game to Nashville, 3-1. The five-game win-streak with which they started the month marked a turnaround from a 4-8-2 February. They are two games into an 11-game stretch in which they will only play Central Division teams. Tonight is the first of a back-to-back that will see them in Nashville tomorrow.

The Wings clinched the Central Division and a playoff berth on the 13th with a 5-3 win over Dallas. That in part explains their subsequent lapse over the two games since: they’ve taken their foot off the pedal.

Pavel Datsyuk is the Wings’ point leader with 84. 19 of those points came over the past 19 games.

Henrik Zetterberg is the goals leader with 36, but he has not scored in seven. It seems he’s being bothered by his back or wrist. We can expect to see him rested soon.

Johan Franzen has had the hot stick lately, with eight goals in his past seven. He became the fifth Red Wing this season to break the 20-goal barrier with his second of the game Sunday and is warming up nicely for the post-season.

The Wings will be without Kris Draper (groin tear) tonight. The team called up Darren Helm to fill in if deemed necessary.

Tomas Holmstrom (abdomin) will also sit out.

Aaron Downey (flu) is able to return, though it’s possible he could be a scratch in favor of Helm.

Projected lines:

Filppula-Datsyuk-~~Holmstrom~~
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Maltby-Kopecky-Drake
Helm-Hudler-Downey

~~That’s right. No Mark Hartigan. Wishful thinking, probably.~~ Update: Especially since Hartigan has to play, with Holmstrom out.

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Chelios-Lilja

It’s possible Babcock will mix up the top four again, putting Rafalski with Stuart and Kronwall with Lidstrom.

Chris Osgood will get the start tonight. Dominik Hasek will play tomorrow.

This is a key game for the Wings. Their lead over San Jose has dwindled to just five points and at this stage in the season, losing 1st place would be a bit of a letdown after all their hard work to this point. They need to elevate their play in preparation for the playoffs, rather than allow themselves to become bored by the meaningless nature of these last games. The highly-motivated Columbus Blue Jackets provide a good opportunity to return to form and to work on weaknesses.

Wings 3, Blue Jackets 4

Published

Matt Saler

on March 17, 2008

in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and Game Reports

. 0 Comments

Well, I’m back from my break. It turns out I wasn’t as cut off from the internet as I thought I might be, so I’m not completely out of the loop. Still, I didn’t have time to blog. Thanks to Sarah for posting on the Mattias Ritola call-up.

I missed the Blackhawks and Predators games, but caught the two against the Stars and the Blue Jackets. Neither were the Wings’ best.

Against Dallas, if it weren’t for Pavel Datsyuk and a monumental Stars meltdown, their win streak would have ended at four.

Yesterday in Columbus, though they outshot the Jackets 46-17, they were outhustled from the drop of the puck to the final horn. Columbus refused to let up and played a gutsy game with a very aggressive forecheck and a whole-sale shot-blocking mindset. By the time the Wings started taking the game seriously, they were already in a hole against a team that was earning its breaks. Obviously, the Jackets didn’t play great or they wouldn’t have been outshot by such a wide margin, but their effort easily doubled that of the Wings, I thought.

I couldn’t help but wish Mike Babcock had pulled Dominik Hasek after the Jackets went up 2-0. At that point, it was becoming clear that it wasn’t Dom’s day. A change may have lit a fire under the skaters’ collective rear ends. I don’t really blame Dom for the four goals, though it would have been nice if he’d stopped that first one. By the way, it’s painful to see Dallas Drake just miss pokechecking the puck away from Rick Nash on the replay of that one. Another inch or two and we might have had a different game.

It was interesting to see Babcock mix up the top four yesterday and by interesting I mean I’m mystified as to his reasoning. Brad Stuart is just getting used to Niklas Kronwall. Why break such a new pairing up? Stuart’s certainly not hurt by playing with Nick Lidstrom, but I don’t know that Brian Rafalski and Niklas Kronwall comprise the best second unit. After all, they are the two most offensively-minded defensemen on the team and aren’t as defensively responsible. It’s my opinion that Lidstrom and Rafalski belong together, while the Stuart/Kronwall pairing should be allowed to continue to gain familiarity. Those units have the right balance of offensive flair and defensive responsibility.

It’s great to see Johan Franzen take off at this stage in the season. Here’s hoping it carries over to the playoffs.

I thought Henrik Zetterberg had a higher profile than Pavel Datsyuk yesterday. Of the games I’ve seen recently, it’s been the other way around.

With Jarrett Boll throwing his body around with impunity yesterday, I was wishing Aaron Downey was in the lineup.

The comeback attempt was solid, but, pessimist that I am, I never really believed they’d complete it. I was thinking it could happen after the Tomas Kopecky goal, but the Nikolai Zherdev tally killed it for me. They came close toward the end, but it was one of those games where they weren’t going to get any breaks.

The team has today off and can turn their attention to exacting revenge on the Blue Jackets Wednesday night.

Highlights

Snapshots wrap-up

GameDay: vs. Columbus (26-24-9, 61 Pts) 7:30 ET

Published

Matt Saler

on February 15, 2008

in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and GameDay

. 3 Comments

Update (4:47 PM): In his latest update, the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline delivers a typical below-the-belt shot at Detroit.

My response? Have you been to Toledo lately? I hear they’re painting abandoned buildings to make them look occupied. And they kicked Marines out so that they couldn’t undergo necessary training. How’s that for an image? My point is there are blighted cities in every state and kicking them while they’re down does nothing more than perpetuate that image. It certainly does nothing to contribute to that city’s recovery. Thanks, Mr. Portzline.

Aside from taking easy potshots at the city, Mr. Porztline does provide some actual journalistic content:

No Fedorov tonight, though he may return ~~tomorrow~~ Sunday in St. Louis.

No Jiri Notovny, either.

Pascal Leclaire will start.

Modin will skate on the top line with David Vyborny and Rick Nash.

Portzline also thinks the rumors of Fedorov’s return to Detroit are “premature,” saying the Jackets will probably wait until just before the deadline to move him. - Matt

Update (1:51 PM): Bethany has her pre-game thoughts posted. I found this comment to be particularly interesting:

Fedorov has had an amazing career and after this season I’m certain that he will call it quits.

I’m not as up to speed on Fedorov as I used to be, but I find it hard to believe that he’d automatically “call it quits” after this season.

Also, check out JacketBuzz for more of the Columbus perspective. - Matt

Update (11:50 AM): Ryan Doherty confirms the defensive pairings listed below (Lidstrom/Chelios, Lebda/Lilja, Quincey/Meech).

He also notes that Sergei Fedorov made the trip with the Jackets and that he is participating in the team’s morning skate.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Fedorov will play tonight, however. It’s probable that he came along with the team just so that he could stay in shape as he continues to recover. - Matt

Update (11:37 AM): IwoCPO has some more on a possible Fedorov-to-Detroit move at the deadline as USA Today’s Kevin Allen weighs in here. - Matt

Update (10:38 AM): I missed this: Columbus activated Fredrik Modin off the IR Wednesday, so he’ll be in the lineup tonight. He has missed 47 games this season, but scored 22 goals for the Jackets last year and is an offensive threat. - Matt

Tonight is the fourth of eight games between the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets this season. Detroit leads the series 2-1 with wins November 9th (4-1) and November 18th (5-4 SO). Columbus won the November ~~23rd~~ 24th meeting, 3-2 in a shootout. The teams will face-off three times in March and once in April to round out the series.

The Blue Jackets are 1-2-3 in February, with their only win coming in Phoenix on the 7th. The 2-1 decision snapped a four-game skid that began in January. Since then, however, they have lost three in a row, starting with a 2-1 overtime loss in San Jose on the 8th. Two nights later, they played host to the LA Kings and lost 3-2 in a shootout. On Tuesday, they were embarrassed by the Chicago Blackhawks in their own arena, losing 7-2.

Tonight’s game kicks off a five-game road trip for the Jackets, who will make stops in St. Louis, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal before returning home for a game against the Sharks on the 27th.

Columbus’ 61 points are good for third in the Central Division and 11th in the Western Conference. They are five points behind Nashville for second place in the Division and four points behind Colorado for the eight seed.

Nikolai Zherdev leads the team with 48 points, 26 of which are assists. Rick Nash is the top goal-scorer with 29. Just Zherdev (22) and Jason Chimera (11) have reached double-digit numbers in goals scored. Former (and perhaps future?) Red Wing Sergei Fedorov has 19 assists and 27 points.

Jan Hejda is unique for the Jackets in that he is +6 through 58 games. The rest of the team is +1 or below.

The Jackets have been hit pretty hard by injuries/sickness lately. The Columbus Dispatch lists Zherdev (knee) and Jiri Notovny (shoulder) as questionabale, while Sergei Fedorov (concussion) and Jared Boll (bronchitis) are out.

Pascal Leclaire is expected to start tonight, though he has had the flu and isn’t a lock to play.

For the Columbus side of things, see Better on Ice, The Jacket Times, Army of the Ohio, End of the Bench, Neutral Zone Trap, and Bethany’s Hockey Rants.

The Wings fell to 3-3-1 in February with their fourth straight loss Tuesday night. They began the month with three wins extending a streak to eight games, but the skid began with a 5-3 loss at home to the Kings on the 7th. They lost 3-2 in overtime on the road against the Leafs on the 9th and followed that up with a 3-2 loss to Anaheim the next afternoon. On Tuesday, they dropped a game to the Predators in Nashville, 4-2.

Tonight’s game is the last before a five-game road trip that will take them to Dallas, Denver, Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton. They will play San Jose at home on the 29th.

Despite their recent troubles, the Wings maintain a 12-point lead over Dallas and a 14-point lead over Ottawa to hold their place atop the League.

Henrik Zetterberg leads the team in points with 70 and his 33 goals are also a team high. He is goalless in his last three games. Pavel Datsyuk is the top assist man with 48. Five active Red Wings have 10 or more goals: Datsyuk (20), Tomas Holmstrom (20), Valtteri Filppula (15), Johan Franzen (12), and Jiri Hudler (11).

The Wings will be without Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) for the eight straight game. He is hoping to return Sunday in Dallas. Derek Meech will continue to gain NHL experience.

Dan Cleary (broken jaw) will miss his second full game. It looks like Aaron Downey got the most reps in practice yesterday, so there’s a good chance he’ll dress tonight instead of Matt Ellis.

Brian Rafalski (groin) will sit out. Kyle Quincey has been called up from the AHL to fill in.

Projected lines (via Khan):

Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Hudler-Draper-Kopecky
Maltby-Drake-Downey

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja
Quincey-Meech

That third pairing isn’t as frightening as you might think, as those two have experience together in Grand Rapids. However, we can expect some mixing on the blueline. Babcock seems to be giving Meech more responsibility, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he saw time with Lidstrom and Lilja.

Chris Osgood will get his second-straight start tonight. He was pulled Tuesday night as Babcock tried to send a message to the team. Jimmy Howard will back him up, as Dominik Hasek is out with a sore hip flexor.

OklahomaWingNut’s GDT is here.

This is a big game for both teams. The Wings are looking to halt a skid before they head out on a road trip this weekend and the Blue Jackets will be looking to rebound from their embarrassing loss Tuesday night. The Jackets have the added motivation of fighting for a playoff spot.

For the Wings, it’s a must-win situation. The last thing they need is to go into Dallas on Sunday while still on a losing streak. If nothing else, they have to elevate their game well above the level at which they’ve been playing lately. They cannot afford to have a slow start as they did Tuesday night, as a highly-motivated Columbus team will make them pay.

With a guy like Rick Nash dressed for the opposition, they’ll have to give Osgood better support this time around.

I will not be watching tonight because I will be at Van Andel Arena watching Darren McCarty’s home debut with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

GameDay: @ Columbus (10-8-4, 24 Pts) 7:00 ET

Published

Matt Saler

on November 24, 2007

in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and GameDay

. 0 Comments

Update (3:15 PM): Bruce MacLeod confirms that both Tomas Kopecy and Matt Ellis will sit out tonight. Ellis, apparently, did not make the trip to Columbus, while Kopecky is with the team, but not skating. According to Mike Babcock, both may be available for the game against Calgary on Tuesday night.

The fourth line will consist of Aaron Downey and Dallas Drake flanking Jiri Hudler, who MacLeod says, “will play center for the first time since coming to North America.” I don’t know about that. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure Jiri has played center before, both in the AHL and in the NHL. - Matt

Tonight is the third of eight games between these two teams this season. The Wings won the first two meetings, 4-1 on the 9th and 5-4 in a shootout on the 18th. The remaining games are in February, March, and April.

November has been a bit of a rough month for the Blue Jackets, who have posted a 3-5-3 record thus far. Last night in Minnesota, they snapped a 0-2-1 streak with a 4-0 shutout win. They are 0-1-1 on the second night of a back-to-back this season.

Rick Nash leads the team with 16 goals and 26 points, while Nikolai Zherdev leads in assists with 11.

Michael Peca, who had missed six games with a groin injury, returned last night and finished with a goal and an assist.

Despite having played last night because of Fredrik Norrena’s sudden contraction of the stomach flu, it looks as though Pascal Leclaire will be in net again tonight.

For the Columbus perspective, head to Better on Ice, The Jacket Times, Army of the Ohio, End of the Bench, Neutral Zone Trap, The Jacket Times, and Bethany’s Hockey Rants.

The Wings are 5-4-0 in November, which has been a bit of a rough month for them as well. Their win over Columbus on the 18th halted a three-game skid and since then, they’re 1-1-0. They’re coming off a 3-2 loss in Nashville on Thanksgiving, a game that came a day after beating St. Louis at home. They are 2-0-0 in the game after a back-to-back series this season.

Henrik Zetterberg leads the team with 16 goals and 32 points. Pavel Datsyuk leads in assists with 17.

Matt Ellis (headache) and Tomas Kopecky (shoulder) are questionable for tonight, which should mean Aaron Downey and Dallas Drake will be in the lineup.

Mike Babcock announced after the Nashville game that Chris Osgood would be the starter tonight. It looks like, for now at least, there’s a goalie rotation.

For more of the Detroit perspective, check out Snapshots, Gorilla Crouch, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Gloveside, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, and Winging It In Motown.

The Jackets are coming off a strong performance last night in Minnesota and will be looking to upstage the Wings tonight as well. Hopefully the Wings will be able to catch Columbus tired, much like the Predators caught them Thursday night. Still, the Jackets have already lost to Detroit twice this season and obviously aren’t interested in losing again.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to watch the game tonight, so I won’t have a recap or anything tomorrow.

Wings 4, Blue Jackets 1

Published

Matt Saler

on November 10, 2007

in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and Game Reports

. 4 Comments

Just have time for a few comments:

… The shot totals and the final score indicate a more lopsided game than it really was. I thought the Jackets played very well. They carried the play early the game and held their own throughout much of the rest of it. The Wings are great at shutting down the end of plays, which explains the Jackets’ 16 shots. What is surprising is that they only managed 8 shots with the man advantage, which isn’t much over one shot per power play on average. I’ll put that down to the Red Wing penalty killers.

… Niklas Kronwall laid a nice hit on Sergei Fedorov at the Columbus blue line in the first period, drawing a lot of cheers from the crowd. Sergei had just taken a pass and had time to get his head up before getting stopped in his tracks by a hit that connected all the way from his shoulder to his hip.

… Speaking of Sergei and the crowd, fans at the Joe continued their classless tradition of booing Fedorov every time he touched the puck. Apparently, that’s what three Cups are worth these days.

… Scary moment in the second period: Rick Nash on a carry-out backhanded the puck right in to Dan Cleary’s face. I’m not claiming it was intentional because the puck is harder to control on the backhand, but you’d like to see Nash be a little more careful there. Cleary was about six feet in front of him and Nash could have done any number of things with the puck beside put it in Dan’s face. Cleary went straight to the lockerroom and came back with a patched up face and a shield.

… Pascal Leclaire is a great goalie who is very likely to make the initial save. He doesn’t give up big rebounds, but he doesn’t always control the puck off a shot and that’s how two of the Wings’ four goals were scored: digging up rebounds around the net. On both plays, Leclaire did not hold the post. On Homer’s goal, he was able to flip it over Leclaire’s pad, while Cleary was able to put it past his skate on his second. I don’t know if that’s how he’s generally scored on, but the Wings should be able to recreate those conditions in future games given the fact that they have the best around-the-net guy in the league and several understudies of his on the roster.

… Hasek looked good in his return. The Jackets’ goal was essentially a foregone conclusion, so I’m not blaming him for it. He made a number of key saves at various points in the game and definitely did his job. In the post-game, you could hear it in his voice that he wished he’d had more work, but he gave credit to his teammates for their tight defensive play. Dom had the best quote of the broadcast during a brief feature on his daily practice routine:

“… then I warm up my butt …”

I don’t know, maybe I was just tired, but the way he said it made it sound hilarious. Anyway.

… I had a feeling Henrik Zetterberg’s point streak would end last night. Well, his teammates, particularly Pavel Datsyuk, must have sensed my doubt, because they essentially forced the Jackets to give up a point to Zetterberg late in the third period. They went on the power play at 16:02 and after an ineffectual second unit went off, the first unit came out and, with the exception of Tomas Holmstrom (lost his stick and returned to the bench in exchange for Kirk Maltby) they did not leave the ice until 18:32, when Hank scored. Heck, they didn’t even leave the Jackets’ zone. It got to the point where I almost felt bad for Columbus because they could not get the puck cleared no matter how hard they tried. They had to be dead by the time Hank beat Leclaire 5-hole.

It was reminiscent of the power play on which the Wings scored their 7th goal on Colorado in the 2002 Conference Finals Game 7. That time, the Wings put on a clinic for about the whole power play until Pavel Datsyuk scored on a one-timer from the halfboards that blew past a diving Aebischer. Last night’s performance leading up to the final goal was a fine demonstration of what this team can do if it sets its mind on it.

… A good game for both teams, really. The Wings didn’t disappoint and the Jackets have been chastened a bit. I’m sure they’ll be ready for the rematch on the 18th.

Be sure to watch the highlight reel.

GameDay: vs. Columbus (8-4-2, 18 Pts) 7:30 ET

Published

Matt Saler

on November 9, 2007

in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and GameDay

. 4 Comments

Update (2:15 PM): Bethany of Bethany’s Hockey Rants has her pre-game post up. She says it’s a must-win game for the Blue Jackets and you can bet there’s a similar attitude in the lockerroom. If the Wings don’t come out flat, we should have a great game tonight, because you know the Jackets will be playing their best. - Matt

Update (11:05 AM): Bruce MacLeod reports that Tomas Kopecky and Dallas Drake will return to the lineup tonight after one game off. Matt Ellis and Aaron Downey will be healthy scratches. Derek Meech, not Andreas Lilja (obviously that was wishful thinking), will be the other healthy scratch, as the defensive corps will return to how it was before Niklas Kronwall’s groin injury. - Matt

Tonight is the first of eight games between these two teams this season. The Wings won the series last year 5-3. They’ll face each other two more times this month and will finish with games in February, March (3), and April.

Like the Wings, Columbus kicked off the season with a win over Anaheim, a 4-0 decision that came two nights after opening night in Detroit. They lost the next night in Minnesota, 3-2, and then dropped three of their next five games. Then, beginning with a 7-4 win over Chicago on October 23rd, Columbus won their next four. That stretch ended November 1st with a 2-1 shootout loss in Anaheim, a game in which former Red Wing defenseman Mathieu Schneider scored the game winner in his first regular season game as a Duck. In their two games since then, the Jackets are 1-1-0. Tonight’s game is the second of a three-city road trip for Columbus, who lost 5-2 in Chicago on their first stop. After tonight, they’ll head to Nashville to play Sunday.

The Jackets’ 8-4-2 record is good for second in the division, two points ahead of Chicago and only four ahead of the last place team, St. Louis.

Rick Nash leads the Jackets with 16 points (10G, 6A). Nash is the only Jacket so far to score 10 or more goals. Nikolai Zherdev is second on the team with 10 points (4G, 6A). Former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov has a rather pedestrian 8 points, only 3 of which are goals. It looks like Fedorov will be on the second line, while Michael Peca was evidently demoted to the fourth line after the loss Wednesday. Jiri Novotny will take his place on the top line with Nash and Zherdev.

Pascal Leclaire has been nothing short of a revelation for the Blue Jackets this season. His 1.12 GAA, .957 save percentage, and 5 shutouts are best in the league. The Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist has 4 shutouts, but the remainder of the top five only have 2. Needless to say, Leclaire has been playing some great hockey and will be tough to beat.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Fredrik Modin (back) is the only Jacket injury, though the Freep also lists Alexandre Picard (knee) and Duvie Wescott (concussion). Apparently, Westcott has been sent to Syracuse on a conditioning stint, having recovered from his concussion.

There are a number of great Columbus blogs out there. Be sure to check out Army of the Ohio, End of the Bench, Neutral Zone Trap, The Jacket Times, and Bethany’s Hockey Rants for their perspective.

The Wings have won their last eight games and can tie the team record with a ninth. Their last loss came October 15th in Anaheim and their other two losses were to Chicago. They’re coming off an unsatisfying 3-2 shootout win over Nashville Wednesday night in a game that kicked off a stretch in which they’ll face Central Division team nine times in a row. Calgary is their next non-Central opponent and that game isn’t until November 27th.

Henrik Zetterberg extended his point streak to 15 games when he noticed his 13th assist Wednesday night. It was his league-leading 25th point. Pavel Datsyuk is second on the team with 16 points.

Niklas Kronwall (groin) is slated to make his return to the lineup after missing four games. Derek Meech will return to the luxury suite as a result. That is, unless Babcock has been impressed enough with Meech to keep him in and sit someone else.

Don’t expect to see Aaron Downey tonight, since he was waived yesterday. Either Dallas Drake or Tomas Kopecky will r