Canadiens prospect Charles Hudon looks good, and an assortment of other Habs links for your Tuesday morning

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Montreal Canadiens Links:

Charles Hudonparticipated in the QMJHL/Russia challenge last night and played on the top line with top centre Jonathan Drouin and "guy I really wanted the Habs to draft" Anthony Mantha. The entire line shined, as Hudon registered two goals and an assist in the Q's 3-2 win. The former 5th round pick should be a shoe-in for Team Canada at the World Juniors if healthy.

Coming off the 1-0 shutout loss to the Rangers, and in advance of tonight's matchup with the Wild, Head Coach Michel Therrien changed up his lines in practice on Monday, giving all four lines a scoring flair. It is yet to be seen whether he'll stick with those lines for tonight's game.

The always controversial Jack Todd weighs in on David Desharnais, arguing that he's a victim of his contract... or something.

Around the NHL:

It looks like the NHL is giving us some new behind the scenes access; here's a preview.

Dan Rosen of NHL.com looks at the big storylines so far this season.

Evgeni Malkin is slowly becoming less M.I.A, as he had an Ovechkian skate around the ice last night before setting up Brian Gibbons for his first career NHL goal.

Matt Brigidi chimes in on the impressive start in LA for Ben Scrivens.

More from Eyes On The Prize:

• Fight breaks out at Bulldogs practice
• Montreal Canadiens scoring chances after 20 games
• Catching The Torch: Reway takes 1st star
• Habs vs Rangers: Scoring chances
• Game Recap: Shutout and shut down by New York
• Monday Habs Links: Martin Reway scores at will
• Is Douglas Murray the worst defenseman in the NHL?
• Carey Price flashes the leather in three gifs
• Carey Price plays foosball with Peter Budaj

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• The Oilers look to make it two in a row with a victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight.
• Sergei Bobrovsky and Devan Dubnyk are tonight's starting goaltenders. Unless there's a tire fire in the first period, don't look for Ilya Bryzgalov until at least Thursday's game.
• Justin Schultz is a coin flip for tonight's game.
• Remember, you're a good person. You didn't ask for a 5-15-2 start to the season, and it's not a reflection of what kind of person you are. We're all in this together. Deep breaths work wonders.
• Check back for updated rosters during the day.

The Edmonton Oilers

Taylor Hall - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jordan Eberle
Nail Yakupov - Sam Gagner - Ales Hemsky
Ryan Smyth - Boyd Gordon - David Perron
Luke Gazdic - Mark Arcobello - Jesse Joensuu

Andrew Ference - Jeff Petry
Nick Schultz - Justin Schultz
Anton Belov - Philip Larsen

Devan Dubnyk

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Columbus Blue Jackets

Brandon Dubinsky - Ryan Johansen - Cam Atkinson
R.J. Umberger - Artem Anisimov - Marian Gaborik
Derek MacKenzie - Mark Letestu - Blake Comeau
Nick Foligno - Michael Chaput - Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin - Jack Johnson
Ryan Murray - James Wisniewski
Nikita Nikitin - Tim Erixon

Sergei Bobrovsky

The Jackets head west to face the sad sack Oilers... who seem to always give the Jackets fits. Can Columbus keep building?

Columbus Blue Jackets at Edmonton Oilers

November 19, 2013 - 9:30pm EST
Rexall Place - Edmonton, Alberta
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponents Blog: The Copper and Blue
SBN's Oilers vs Blue Jackets Coverage

First, some good news, though it has no direct bearing on tonight's game: Matt Calvert is close. He's with the team, he won't play tonight, but he will play this week. Possibly in Calgary, but most likely on Friday in Vancouver. ALSO, one Mr. Nathan Horton is practicing with the team on the trip. THIS IS A THING THAT HAS POSITIVE QUALITIES.

The Jackets have points in five straight (2-0-3), and are just three points out of third place in the Shitro Division. They will ice the same lineup with which they dispatched the Senators on Sunday, and they will ice it against a pretty, frankly, crappy Oiler team. Despite coming off a win against Calgary, the Oilers have just five wins on the season thus far: they're actually off to a WORSE start than the Jackets got off to last year.

With all of the offensive talent on the Oilers' roster, it's surprising how much they're struggling to score consistently. That was never the problem for this team in the past; the defense was always the Achilles heel. And, it is again: the Oilers are currently last in the entire NHL in goals-against with a 3.73 gaa. Let that number waft over you for a second.

Is it wafting?

[sniffffffffffffff]

Ahh, yes. This is what the Jackets need to cure what ails 'em. Coming off a four-goal performance against Ottawa, it might seem like the offense has turned a corner. But, three of those goals were on Power Plays, including a 5-on-3. So, we're still waiting to see that even strength offense. The Jackets only have 30 even strength goals in 20 games, which just isn't going to cut it. Thankfully, Edmonton has allowed 60 (!!!!) even strength goals (including 4-on-4) in 22 games. Oof, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

So, if the Jackets can play like they did on Sunday and generate chances, they should be able to get some even strength goals.

Edmonton is bad, people. They make eyes bleed. This is a game the Jackets simply HAVE to win if we're going to take them seriously.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(7-10-3, 17 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)

Edmonton Oilers
(5-15-2, 12 Points; 7th Division, 14th Conference)

Season Series

11/19/13 - Columbus at Edmonton
11/29/13 - Edmonton at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

Edmonton		Columbus
2.36 (23)	GPG	2.55 (18)
3.73 (30)	GAPG	2.80 (21)
17.1% (19)	PP%	19.7% (13)
81.7% (19)	PK%	80.3% (21)
five tied, 5	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 6
Jordan Eberle, 11	A leader	James Wisniewski, 14
Jordan Eberle, 16	Pts leader	James Wisniewski, 16
Luke Gazdic, 50	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 40
1-7-0	Home/Road	3-4-2
11/16 @ Calgary, W 4-2	Last Game	11/17 @ Ottawa, W 4-1
2-7-1	Last 10	2-5-3

The Jackets head west to face the sad sack Oilers... who seem to always give the Jackets fits. Can Columbus keep building?

Columbus Blue Jackets at Edmonton Oilers

November 19, 2013 - 9:00pm EST
Rexall Place - Edmonton, Alberta
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponents Blog: The Copper and Blue
SBN's Oilers vs Blue Jackets Coverage

First, some good news, though it has no direct bearing on tonight's game: Matt Calvert is close. He's with the team, he won't play tonight, but he will play this week. Possibly in Calgary, but most likely on Friday in Vancouver. ALSO, one Mr. Nathan Horton is practicing with the team on the trip. THIS IS A THING THAT HAS POSITIVE QUALITIES.

The Jackets have points in five straight (2-0-3), and are just three points out of third place in the Shitro Division. They will ice the same lineup with which they dispatched the Senators on Sunday, and they will ice it against a pretty, frankly, crappy Oiler team. Despite coming off a win against Calgary, the Oilers have just five wins on the season thus far: they're actually off to a WORSE start than the Jackets got off to last year.

With all of the offensive talent on the Oilers' roster, it's surprising how much they're struggling to score consistently. That was never the problem for this team in the past; the defense was always the Achilles heel. And, it is again: the Oilers are currently last in the entire NHL in goals-against with a 3.73 gaa. Let that number waft over you for a second.

Is it wafting?

[sniffffffffffffff]

Ahh, yes. This is what the Jackets need to cure what ails 'em. Coming off a four-goal performance against Ottawa, it might seem like the offense has turned a corner. But, three of those goals were on Power Plays, including a 5-on-3. So, we're still waiting to see that even strength offense. The Jackets only have 30 even strength goals in 20 games, which just isn't going to cut it. Thankfully, Edmonton has allowed 60 (!!!!) even strength goals (including 4-on-4) in 22 games. Oof, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

So, if the Jackets can play like they did on Sunday and generate chances, they should be able to get some even strength goals.

Edmonton is bad, people. They make eyes bleed. This is a game the Jackets simply HAVE to win if we're going to take them seriously.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(7-10-3, 17 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)

Edmonton Oilers
(5-15-2, 12 Points; 7th Division, 14th Conference)

Season Series

11/19/13 - Columbus at Edmonton
11/29/13 - Edmonton at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

Edmonton		Columbus
2.36 (23)	GPG	2.55 (18)
3.73 (30)	GAPG	2.80 (21)
17.1% (19)	PP%	19.7% (13)
81.7% (19)	PK%	80.3% (21)
five tied, 5	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 6
Jordan Eberle, 11	A leader	James Wisniewski, 14
Jordan Eberle, 16	Pts leader	James Wisniewski, 16
Luke Gazdic, 50	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 40
1-7-0	Home/Road	3-4-2
11/16 @ Calgary, W 4-2	Last Game	11/17 @ Ottawa, W 4-1
2-7-1	Last 10	2-5-3

Our wounds may never heal,
and our grieving may never cease.
This rebuilding disease is incurable,
but we must bear it.
The team we once loved is gone,
and those entrusted to rebuild it are like a cancer.
Even our children are being sent away,
and we'll never see them again.
Our leaders have lost their senses!
They have forsaken God's wisdom,
and the result is complete and utter failure,
so that even the fans are beginning to scatter.

Columbus Blue Jackets @ Edmonton Oilers

Rexall Place, 7:30 p.m. MST
Television: Sportsnet

Visiting Team Scouting Report: Sergei Bobrovsky is having another fine season for the Blue Jackets and Curtis McElhinney has been far better than they had any right to expect in his limited ice time too. Together, they've given the team a cumulative .928 even strength save percentage and .884 shorthanded save percentage, both of which are better than league average. The problem? That's not an improvement on last season (.930 at EV and .877 on the PK), and the Blue Jackets didn't improve enough in other areas to pull them from also-ran into playoff contender, even with their move to the weaker Eastern Conference. Scoring has been a problem, which is something of a self-inflicted wound given that Vinny Prospal, the team's leading scorer last year, was practically begging to return only to get pushed aside in favor of the still-injured-and-yet-to-debut Nathan Horton.

Expected Lineups:

Edmonton Oilers (5-15-2):

Hall - Nugent-Hopkins - Eberle
Yakupov - Gagner - Hemsky
Smyth - Gordon - Perron
Gazdic - Acton - Jones

Ference - Petry
Belov - Larsen
Schultz - Potter

Dubnyk

Columbus Blue Jackets (7-10-3):

Foligno - Johansen - Umberger
Jenner - Dubinsky - Atkinson
MacKenzie - Letestu - Comeau
Chaput - Anisimov - Boll

Johnson - Tyutin
Murray - Wisniewski
Nikitin - Savard

Bobrovsky

By The Numbers:

• Devan Dubnyk has been getting much better results over his last several games, but that bad start certainly was a monster. Dubnyk remains 28th out of 28 goaltenders with at least ten starts in even strength save percentage with an .883 so far in 2013-14. Evgeni Nabokov is in 27th, and he's more than twenty points ahead at .905.
  
• Ryan Johansen is having something of a breakout season. His thirteen points in twenty games is already one more than he managed in forty last year. Some of that is better luck with the percentages, but Johansen has also been a better possession player this year, registering a five-on-five Corsi percentage of 51.5%, which compares very favorably to the abysmal 44.3% the Jackets managed with him on the ice last year.
• I know that Ryan Smyth isn't what he was in his 20s, but I'm still hoping the Oilers bring him back to play on the fourth line next year, in part because, if they do, he has a chance to pass Kevin Lowe as the team's all-time leader in regular season games played. Lowe's record stands at 1,037 and Smyth is currently sitting on 914 heading into tonight's game. (In other games played news, Andrew Cogliano has now played 481 consecutive games. Impressive.)
  

The Blue Jackets came into snowy, sub-zero Edmonton riding a five game point streak, coming off one of their most dominating performances of the year. They responded with their worst effort of this season -- and possibly one of the worst ever.

I closed my recap of the Ottawa game by suggesting that the Blue Jackets would be traveling to Edmonton in search of one thing -- consistency.  Did they find it in the frozen tundra of the Alberta plains?   Not even close.

Inexplicable Awfulocity

Yes, I know there is no such word as awfulocity , but the caliber of hockey displayed by the Blue Jackets in the first frame demanded coining a new term -- a fine blend of "awful"and "atrocity".  Before reading further, send the children to bed, because this one was not fit for any eyes, let alone those of young, impressionable children.

The omen was there early.  Edmonton coughed up one of those beautiful in-zone turnovers that have plagued them all season.  Derek MacKenzie took the gift, moved unmolested to the crease . . . and missed the net.  It wasn't tipped, it didn't hit the post -- it missed entirely.  By a wide margin.

That was all of the encouragement the Oilers needed. For the next 19 minutes, they skated, shot and dominated Columbus in all three zones.  The final shot tally was 15-3 Edmonton, and it's tough to remember those three.  As Jeff Rimer pointed out, the Blue Jackets did lead by a wide margin in hits (18-7) -- which is one of the most overrated stats ub the game.  What Rimer failed to mention was that clubs that rack up large numbers of hits all share one characteristic --- they don't have the puck very much.

The details are almost anticlimactic. Jordan Eberle cashed in the only even-handed goal of the first at the 2:37 mark, catching Nikita Nikitin napping.  David Perron was next on the board, with a power play goal at the 12:01 mark -- a wide open chance.  Predictably, Ryan Smyth notched the final tally of the period, also on the power play, batting a goal mouth feed out of the air and into the back of the net.

This wasn't a situation where the Blue Jackets got caught in a track meet.  In truth, they never left the blocks.  Before the game, I tweeted that the one thing that the club could not do was to over-respect the Oilers' speed and provide too much room in the defensive zone.  Yet this is precisely what they did, playing a loose, collapsing defense (to the extent it could be called a coherent defense) that allowed the Oilers endless chances to skate and make plays  . . . which they obligingly did.

Bobrovsky was not the confident presence we saw in Ottawa -- struggling with rebound management.  However, the goals could not be laid at his doorstep, as all three were really wide open chances.  Bob had to feel like a duck in a shooting gallery.

On a positive note, the Blue Jackets got their bad period out of the way earlier, as they could not possibly get any worse. Could they?

Inexplicable Awfulocity -- The Sequel

Characterizing the second period as worse than the first might be an overstatement, but not by much.  At least the Blue Jackets looked like they might know how to play hockey in this frame, and kept the shots close -- trailing just 9-7 for the period.  Unfortunately for Columbus, Edmonton batted .333 during the second, posting a 6 - 0 lead after 40 minutes.

Columbus came out with more resolve, and frankly did a better job of maintaining possession early in the period.  Jared Boll predictably squared off with Luke Gazdic two minutes into the period, in what came across as a rather futile attempt at inspiration.  Let's face it -- if a bunch of professional athletes need another guy to get in a fight to become motivated, the issues are massive.

The floodgates opened at the 8:30 mark, when David Perron, again unmolested, made what Bill Davidge would call a "goal scorers goal"-- a nasty wrister that found a tiny hole between Bobrovsky's left ear and left shoulder, and found the roof of the net.  That was it for Bob, though you had the impression that the switch to McElhinney was more out of pity than punishment.

Of course, goal tending matters little with no defense, and Jack Johnson and James Wisniewski showed some truly awful play. The next goal --  a power play tally by Nail Yakupov -- was the culmination of an almost comical sequence by Wisniewski, who had the puck on his stick, with plenty of time and the entire rink to clear the puck.  Instead, he played it up the middle, directly to the Oilers, and then skated backward, interfering with McElhinney, falling backward, and knocking the goal off the pegs while Yakupov scored.   The final goal, by Justin Schultz, came on the only true odd man rush that converted for Edmonton, as Anisimov was caught deep in the offensive zone, and could not recover.  Johnson played more matador than defenseman all night, and frankly looked just silly.  In post-game comments, Jack Johnson showed a remarkable capacity for understatement by saying "We didn't smother them the way we smothered Ottawa." Ya think?  Nick Foligno was far more concise -- and accurate:  "This was disgusting."

On the offensive end, Johansen had some chances, but was stymied.  Comeau and MacKenzie worked hard, but what energy there was at the beginning of the frame had long since been sapped.  Finally, to add injury to insult, Brandon Dubinsky hobbled off the ice at the end of the period, after sliding awkwardly into the boards.  Another thoroughly forgettable period.

Merciful End

Dubinsky came out to the bench briefly in the third, but soon disappeared to the room.  He was joined shortly thereafter by Nikita Nikitin, who fell awkwardly while retreating in his own zone.  In an ironic twist that shows just how little was going right for the Blue Jackets , Nikitin was called for tripping.   On the bright side, the club managed their first successful penalty kill in four attempts. (Nikitin returned to action shortly thereafter)

The remainder of the third was remarkable only for how much it resembled the first two from the Columbus perspective, in terms of shoddy defense and the inability to present a consistent offensive threat.  Devan Dubnyk faced only 14 shots on the night, making this shutout one of the easier efforts in recent NHL memory.

The lone highlight of the period belonged to Edmonton, of course.  With just over three minutes left in the game, Derek MacKenzie blew a tire entering the offensive zone on the right wing.  Wisniewski had over-committed, and Taylor Hall took the puck in all alone on McElhinney, depositing the puck through the five hole and into the back of the net.  7 - 0, and the touchdown spread was covered.

Exorcising the Demons

This loss will bring out all of the extreme positions among the fan base, ranging from calls for the firing of all concerned to demands for immediate trades to assertions that the season is over.  You'll hear lots of "unacceptables"  and "fails", but these are empty phrases that signify nothing other than the mood of the speaker.  Let's face it, every team has one or more of these games in the course of a season -- a juxtaposition of bad play & bad luck on their part and equally good play and good luck on the other side.  However, the fact that this one happened to come on the heels of a particularly good effort against Ottawa makes it particularly galling.

The good news is that there is little time to dwell on this one, as Calgary awaits tomorrow.  However, I'm not sure that this one should be lightly dismissed.  With Bryzgalov joining the Oilers and Justin Schultz returning to the lineup after an extended injury absence, it was entirely predictable that Edmonton would have a lot of jump and motivation to reverse an awful home record.  With Tim Erixon now on the roster, this seems like the ideal game to utilize his skills, and give a Nikitin or Johnson a rest.  Yet that was not done.  Why?  Coupled with the massive inconsistency, questions about the leadership behind the bench are going to grow louder and more fervent -- and perhaps there is fire behind that smoke.

At the end of the day, however, the club is left with an awful loss, but presented with the opportunity to rectify matters just 24 hours later.  They need to lick their wounds -- literally and figuratively -- and get back on the proper path.  The next three games will be telling, particularly if Dubinsky is compelled to miss any significant time, which is a blow both in terms of skill and leadership.   For his part, Todd Richards needs to show that he has the helm of this ship, can bring a club back from this type of experience and can have the club prepared to do what is necessary.  Yes, the players play the game, but there are nagging concerns about they quality of leadership they are receiving.

So, after all that, what did Richards have to say after the game? "We weren't ready to play the game. . . there's no desperation, no urgency. . . If you're not willing to battle, this is exactly what happens."  "I don't know if this is a team that can handle success."   These statements are fine, as far as they go, but they ring a bit hollow, as it's simply a variation of what we have heard after every loss.  He claimed responsibility for not having the club ready, but what does that really mean?  There is a befuddled tone to Richard's statements that is eerily reminiscent of Scott Arniel.  The club may need to find it's identity, but that starts with the coach.

Oh, by the way -- the Blue Jackets won that hit statistic, 45 - 19.

The Edmonton Oilers beat the crap out of the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 7-0 win at Rexall Place

The words "perfect game" haven't been used that often in Edmonton lately but tonight's game was just that. Coming off of a third period win in Calgary, where the Edmonton Oilers scored 4 unanswered goals, the Oilers faced off against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rexall Place.

Anyone that knows hockey probably also know the Oilers have had a tough time scoring on home ice. Even with talent like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Nail Yakupov and David Perron the Oilers just haven't played well enough at home to score goals. That was about to change tonight.

Highlights

Goal of The Game

This goal has to go to David Perron on his impossible angle goal. On a shot, from a similar angle as the game winning goal against Calgary, David Perron buries a beauty top shelf on a cheating Sergei Bobrovsky.

Boyd Gordon wins the draw, despite what Louie DeBrusk says, and gets the puck to Ryan Smyth. Smyth chips the puck to Perron who skates towards the goal line with the puck. He catches Bobrovsky cheating just a little bit and shelfs the puck through the 2 inches between Bobrovsky and the crossbar.

Tweet of the Game

Nail Yakupov had a great game. He took 3 shots on net, had 2 shot attempts blocked and missed on 3 other shot attempts but he also drew two penalties one of which he scored on. These two tweets by the Edmonton Journal's John MacKinnon sums this up.

Yakupov draws another #CBJ penalty with some O-zone hustle. Been flying all game. #oilers#nhl#yeg

— John MacKinnon (@rjmackinnon) November 20, 2013

It had to happen. Yakupov whacks in rebound to make it 5-0 #Oilers. Best player on the ice all night. #yeg#nhl

— John MacKinnon (@rjmackinnon) November 20, 2013

Take Aways

Nail Yakupov

What else can be said. Since "The Incident" this guy has been on fire. He has shown up every game and is doing what this team needs him to do.

David Perron

You know what makes Perron such a good player? He isn't afraid to shoot the puck. Hopefully it starts rubbing off on some of the others on the team.

Devan Dubnyk

So he only had to face 14 shots. He still played well, he deserved to get a rest. After all if it wasn't for him in the first two periods the Flames would've beat the Oilers last game. Hey! Looks like Dubnyk does do better with a crazy Russian, waiting to take his place.

The Defense

This was their best game of the season. Not many huge mistakes like we've seen in the past. Hopefully they can keep this going against real NHL teams.

The Fourth Line

The Oilers win in Calgary but the 4th line craps the bed. The fourth line stays together because of chemistry and even in a 7-0 win you could tell when they were on the ice. My guess is that stay together for the Florida game because of tonight's win. All the while Mark Arcobello sits in favour of Will Acton or Luke Gazdic or Jesse Joensuu. It doesn't make sense.

Three Stars

Probably the easiest decision I've had for while.

1. Nail Yakupov
2. David Perron
3. Jordan Eberle

Well, after last night's complete and total dumpster fire, who better to face than the Flames?!?

Columbus Blue Jackets at Calgary Flames

November 20, 2013 - 10:00pm EST
Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, Alberta
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponents Blog: Matchsticks and Gasoline
SBN's Flames vs Blue Jackets Coverage

First and foremost, here's the explanation of the title, which of course had to be "cleaned up" for publication. This (NSFW!!!) clip is how I feel/felt about last night's game:

I honestly don't have a lot else to say in preparation for this game. Blah blah blah, never outworked. Brick by brick. Please for the love of God, score a goal and don't allow seven goals. Also of note, after last night's game, CALGARY IS NOW THE WORST DEFENSIVE TEAM IN THE LEAGUE!!1! What could possibly go wrong?

So, uh, Jackets, you guys should maybe just suck it up and go to White Castle.

Super-Projected Lineups (NO INJURY UPDATES FOR COLUMBUS)

Columbus Blue Jackets
(7-11-3, 17 Points; 8th division, 14th conference)

Calgary Flames
(7-11-3, 17 Points; 6th Division, 13th Conference)

Season Series

10/04/13 - Calgary 4 at Columbus 3
11/20/13 - Columbus at Calgary

Head to Head Stats

Calgary		Columbus
2.76 (13)	GPG	2.43 (23)
3.71 (30)	GAPG	3.00 (23)
14.5% (24)	PP%	19.4% (15)
74.6% (28)	PK%	77.1% (26)
Mike Cammalleri, 9	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 6
Jiri Hudler, 14	A leader	James Wisniewski, 14
Jiri Hudler, 21	Pts leader	James Wisniewski, 16
Tim Jackman, 41	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 40
3-4-2	Home/Road	3-5-2
11/18 @ Winnipeg, W 5-4	Last Game	11/19 @ Edmonton, L 7-0
2-7-1	Last 10	2-5-3

Well, after last night's complete and total dumpster fire, who better to face than the Flames?!?

Columbus Blue Jackets at Calgary Flames

November 20, 2013 - 10:00pm EST
Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, Alberta
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponents Blog: Matchsticks and Gasoline
SBN's Flames vs Blue Jackets Coverage

First and foremost, here's the explanation of the title, which of course had to be "cleaned up" for publication. This (NSFW!!!) clip is how I feel/felt about last night's game:

I honestly don't have a lot else to say in preparation for this game. Blah blah blah, never outworked. Brick by brick. Please for the love of God, score a goal and don't allow seven goals. Also of note, after last night's game, CALGARY IS NOW THE WORST DEFENSIVE TEAM IN THE LEAGUE!!1! What could possibly go wrong?

So, uh, Jackets, you guys should maybe just suck it up and go to White Castle.

Super-Projected Lineups (NO INJURY UPDATES FOR COLUMBUS)

Columbus Blue Jackets
(7-11-3, 17 Points; 8th division, 14th conference)

Calgary Flames
(7-11-3, 17 Points; 6th Division, 13th Conference)

Season Series

10/04/13 - Calgary 4 at Columbus 3
11/20/13 - Columbus at Calgary

Head to Head Stats

Calgary		Columbus
2.76 (13)	GPG	2.43 (23)
3.71 (30)	GAPG	3.00 (23)
14.5% (24)	PP%	19.4% (15)
74.6% (28)	PK%	77.1% (26)
Mike Cammalleri, 9	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 6
Jiri Hudler, 14	A leader	James Wisniewski, 14
Jiri Hudler, 21	Pts leader	James Wisniewski, 16
Tim Jackman, 41	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 40
3-4-2	Home/Road	3-5-2
11/18 @ Winnipeg, W 5-4	Last Game	11/19 @ Edmonton, L 7-0
2-7-1	Last 10	2-5-3

When I last checked in, the standings for the AHL Northeast Division saw the Springfield Falcons in second place, one point behind the Hartford Wolfpack. The Birds had just come off their first losing weekend of the young season, leaving their mark at 5-1-1. The picture has improved for the Birds these past two weeks.

Riding a 5-2-0 mark over the next seven games, Springfield has taken over sole possession of the Northeast Division lead. Over their last ten, the Wolfpack have stumbled along at a 3-6-1 pace. Currently on the Falcons' heels are the Albany Devils. Today the standings look like this:

Six of these past seven games have been one goal affairs. The only aberration being a 3-0 blanking at the hands of the Adirondack Phantoms at The Nest in Springfield on November 8th.

The coaching staff of Brad Larsen, Nolan Pratt and Jared Bednar are getting the most out of a squad that features fifteen holdovers from last year. Of those fifteen, a handful (Trent Vogelhuber, Jake Hansen, Lukas Sedlak, Alex Aleardi, Will Weber and Austin Madaisky) saw limited playing time or were late season walk-ons. All have been called upon at one time or another this young season to contribute.

Leadership has been a hallmark of the affiliation between the Blue Jackets and the Falcons. This season is no exception. Ryan Craig is the team's captain for the second consecutive season. In his absence, while on recall to the Jackets, veterans Andrew Joudrey, returning Cody Bass and newcomer Frederic St. Denis have inspired and mentored their mates.

Falcons Top Ten:

( "X" indicates player is not currently with the team)

An area of concern could be that the club's two leading scorers are both defensemen. Beyond that, Tim Erixon was recalled by the Jackets this past weekend. On the plus side, Jake Hansen has played very well so far, already tying the Falcons season record for short handed goals, chalking up three so far.

Darryl Boyce has been a key acquisition, both in showing a nice scoring touch as well as bringing a strong physical presence to the team. Sean Collins has had an opportunity to step up, both in Springfield and Columbus. Back with the Falcons, he can continue to grow as a winger.

Coming off a record shattering season in goal, the Falcons looked to start fresh this season, bringing in Jeremy Smith and Mike McKenna. Smith had spent the past three seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals, posting a 66-46-6 mark with eight shutouts along the way.

McKenna has toiled in the "A" since 2005. Since then, he's played 17 NHL contests, 15 with Tampa Bay in the '08-'09 season and 2 for the New Jersey Devils in '10-'11. McKenna is currently the league's top netminder with a 1.92 GAA and a .929 save percentage.

Currently Springfield is flying high on a three game winning streak. Check out the video highlights below from the win on Friday night at The Nest over Bridgeport (from the Falcons YouTube channel):

On Saturday night, the Birds made their way to Lewiston, ME to take on the Portland Pirates. Long time sports aficiandoes will remember that what is now known as the Androscoggin Bank Colisee was the arena (then known as the Central Maine Youth Center) where a brash Muhammad Ali phantom punched his way to the heavyweight boxing championship back in May of 1965.

The Pirates, despite keeping "Portland" as their city, moved all their home games to Lewiston just prior to the start of the current season due to a dispute between Pirates ownership and the Cumberland County Civic Center Authority over rent of the renovated building in Portland. Ironically, the Pirates slogan this season is "My Town, My Team".

No phantom punches in the game and McKenna was the #1 star of the game, recording 35 saves as the Falcons took a 2-1 shootout victory. Boyce scored late in the final frame to send the game to OT. In the shootout, goals by Cody Goloubef and Sean Collins made the difference.

This week, the Falcons look at their first three-in-three of the season. Friday night, the Birds host second place Albany at The Nest. Saturday night, the Wolfpack come to town. The Birds close out the weekend on Sunday afternoon in Providence when the clash with the Bruins.

We'll call this Reto Berra stop on Jack Johnson a bicycle kick save. It's the save of the night.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson probably thought he had an easy power play goal for himself in the first period against Calgary on Wednesday night, but Flames goalie Reto Berra had other ideas.

This is what can only be described as a bicycle kick save. It's pretty spectacular, and it's the best save we've seen across the NHL on Wednesday.

That save kept the game scoreless until Columbus' Nick Foligno beat Berra with a rocket of a shot just a few minutes later to give the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead.

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Just 24 hours after a humiliating loss at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, the Blue Jackets sought redemption on the ice and in their own minds, without their de facto leader, Brandon Dubinsky. Displaying a controlled, disciplined game, with just a single irritating interval of relapse, the Blue Jackets found the effort when they needed it most, edging Calgary 2- 1

All of the extremist positions had been vented, the cliches tossed about like Christmas wrapping paper.  The travesty of the Rout at Rexall is old news, and the focus turned to the Saddledome in Calgary to see how the Blue Jackets -- individually and organizationally -- would respond to the predicament that they created just 24 hours earlier.  While suggestions that this was a "must-win"situation were overblown, there was little question that their effort would be scrutinized microscopically..

Come In Off The Ledge

The opening lineup was remarkably unchanged from the Edmonton squad, save for the scratch of Brandon Dubinsky, lost to a foot injury at the end of the second period against the Oilers.  There was no official word on prognosis -- or even the specific nature of the injury -- but Dubinsky reportedly made an effort to go earlier in the day, but just could not answer the bell.  His injury allowed Artem Anisimov to receive his pardoning call from Governor Todd Richards, escaping the fourth line to center Atkinson and Jenner.  Jack Skille assumed Anisimov's slot on the fourth line.  Remarkably, Tim Erixon remained on the sidelines, despite the horrific showing by the blue liners last night..  (As anticipated, Dalton Prout was placed on IR earlier in the day, due to back spasms.)

To the relief of all concerned, Columbus came out of the blocks skating hard.  They entered the zone with speed, maintained their spacing and created opportunities early.  Particularly noticeable was Nick Foligno, who has sneaky speed, a lot of tenacity, and may have worked his way into second place in the captaincy sweepstakes, behind only Dubinsky.  Shaking of the personal concerns for his infant daughter, Foligno was the best player on the ice in the period, followed closely by Johansen.  Foligno drew a penalty against Wideman at the six minute mark, and the power play showed good control and patience.  Only an unbelievable acrobatic stop by Reto Berra on a Jack Johnson wrist shot denied the Jackets the lead.  However, that did not last long.

At the 9:21 mark, Nikita Nikitin laid a pass in space for R.J. Umberger, who made a questionable play near the blue line, but just managed to get it to Foligno on the left wing, who zipped a laser past Berra for a 1 - 0 lead. Although the Jackets were out-shot 7-6 in the period, the stat does not describe the action.  Columbus once again had trouble putting shots on net, but created ample opportunities. Calgary also blocked nine shots in the frame The Anisimov-Atkinson-Jenner line looked dangerous, but Atkinson needs to start skating and stop coasting, which is when he seems to disappear on the ice.

The defensive zone was an entirely different entity front he previous night.  Bobrovsky was confident and more in control of his rebounds, and there was good support, for the most part, and quick identification of incoming threats.  They still have a tendency to play a "soft zone" defense up high, giving the  Flames too much time and space.  However, though Calgary had some extended periods of possession, there was enough support to snuff out the threats.

All in all, it was an solid opening gambit, enough to call the jumpers in from the ledge and to the sofa for the next period.

Road Hockey

The second period was an exercise in control, rather than opportunity.  Again, the Blue Jackets's skating gave them some opportunities, but a few of those were quashed by R.J. Umberger's inability to make a quick decision with the puck.  Still, they spent a good portion of the period in the offensive zone, forcing the Flames to expend a lot of their energy in the defensive end of the ice.  Derek MacKenzie fought back spasms throughout the period, but still pulled shifts all the way to the end.  Obviously, the club can ill-afford another injury up front.

The second period was all about control and discipline in all three zones, but particularly in the neutral zone.  The Blue Jackets maintained an aggressive forecheck, which stymied the Flames'  attempts at organized breakouts.  Columbus was able to reverse the flow of the puck repeatedly, and when the puck did make it into their own zone, they quickly neutralized the offensive potential.  Bobrovsky was only called upon to intervene during a couple of flurries, and he did so with alacrity.

Boone Jenner, Artem Anisimov, Blake Comeau and Ryan Murray were the standouts of the period.  Anisimov looked more confident and in control than he has in a long time, and Jenner continues to do all of the little things that make a difference. Comeau is all over the ice, creating space and showing more puck skill than you might think.  Murray is.  . . well, just a helluva hockey player.  His poise and execution are just beautiful things to watch.

Again, the statistics did not reflect the momentum of the period, as the Jackets never were seriously threatened.  Calgary had an 8-7 shot advantage in the stanza (and 15-13 overall), had a big 13-4 edge in blocked shots, and a narrow 15-13 advantage in face-offs.  However, this simply illustrates a point -- that the Blue Jackets need to convert all of that domination into goals.  Heading into the third with a slim 1 - 0 lead on the road is a shaky position, but it certainly beats the alternative.  Cycling is great, and pretty to watch, and the low-high passes are also impressive, but they are not ends in themselves.  The whole point is to score goals, and right now the club seems to have more guys interested in passing than shooting.

One major element of discipline that cannot be ignored is the fact that the Blue Jackets avoided the confines of the penalty box during the first 40 minutes.  That's huge in any road game, but most certainly for Columbus, after a positively transparent effort last night on the PK.

Solid, if not spectacular hockey was the byword for the first two periods.  But could the club make it a sixty minute effort?

Medication Time

The good news is that the Blue Jackets came close to playing sixty  minutes of hockey.  Call it 55 minutes, including 2:25 of overtime.   The problem is that they abdicated the ice for the first seven minute or so of the third period.  They stopped skating, exerted no offensive pressure, and simply fed the aspirations of a Calgary team that came out with desperation. The Flames carried the play and tilted the ice, with the predictable result.  A stretch pass to Joe Colborne caught Jack Johnson napping, and Colborne was able to use his large frame to protect the puck and park a nifty backhand behind Bobrovsky.  Suddenly it was a tie game, and folks were creeping off the sofa to go back on the ledge.

To the club's credit, they righted the ship -- and leveled the ice -- once again getting the legs moving, being active in all three zones and diffusing the pressure in their own zone.  Still, much of the effort was expended in passing and cycling, with few true scoring opportunities.  Still, they regained control of the game and extended matters through the end of regulation, guaranteeing at least a point.  While not on the ledge, the folks on the sofa were fidgeting with their Xanax bottles.

Columbus came out strong in overtime, and really carried the play throughout.  After stemming a brief Calgary rally, during which Bobrovsky was run over, triggering a delayed penalty, the Jackets took to the offensive zone with speed -- and an extra attacker.   Anisimov carried the play and showed terrific patience in moving the puck across the crease, finding a seem, and firing a shot.  It was blocked, as was a follow up by Atkinson, but the force of the attack sucked all of the Flames to the center of the ice.  The puck caromed to Savard, who fired another shot, which was blocked.  This time, however, it went right to Nikita Nikitin on the left, who had 24 square feet of net to look at -- and did not miss the opportunity.  Two points in hand, and you could hear the collective exhales of relief, from the Saddledome to the sofa.

Good News & Bad News

Of course it was important for the Blue Jackets to put the Edmonton matter behind them, and to come out in a back-to-back and garner two points was huge.  They showed control and discipline (no penalties in 62+ minutes), even without their spiritual leader in Dubinsky.  There were a lot of contributors to this win, which is a distinct positive.  Anisimov is on the verge of a breakout, and that could be huge. Atkinson is hopefully in about the same situation, and Jenner needs to start looking for more offensive opportunities.  Foligno seems ready to pick up any slack that Dubinsky's absence might precipitate.

The problem is that even a Ken Hitchcock club cannot consistently win NHL games with fewer than 20 shots on goal.  Again the Todd Richards mantra of "battle"and "compete"is fine, but only to a point.  Battling and competing is only useful to the extent that it creates opportunities to score (or prevent the opposition from scoring).  That's where the skill and talent kick in -- converting those chances.  There are few guys willing to step up and take on the shooting mantle.  The club is in desperate need of a 45 shot, 8 goal game to loosen up the guys and get the offensive juices flowing.

In the final analysis, Columbus has 4 of 6 points on this road trip and 9 of the last 14 possible points.  They found a way to win this one, when it had all the earmarks of one that could slip away early in the third. There's value in that fact, which can be leveraged later in the year, when the pressure is ratcheted up a few notches.  For now, it's on to Vancouver on Friday.  I sure hope the guys with the Xanax bottles wake up by then . . .

The New York Rangers make their first visit to the AAC since the 2010-2011 season.

The Dallas Stars, winners of six straight away from the American Airlines Center, have things figured out on the road.

At home- Not yet.

The AAC crowd has experienced more losses than wins in the early going (3-2-2) and the power play has yet to connect here in Dallas. A road-heavy stretch of schedule having been weathered, it's time for Lindy Ruff's bunch to carry that momentum into some holiday home cooking if they're to keep pace in a nearly impossible Western Conference race.

The Rangers are coming off a 2-1 home loss to the Boston Bruins and have lost three of four overall. They've failed to score at even strength in three straight games but got forward Rick Nash back in the lineup for the first time since he suffered a concussion against San Jose on October 8th.

From Stars PR: "The Stars return home for their first of two contests scheduled this season against the New York Rangers. Dallas is 4-1-1 in its last six tilts against the Rangers, and hasn't lost at home in regulation to New York since Dec. 14, 2006."

The Mavericks played last night so this one will be shown on Fox Sports Southwest proper just after 7:37pm CST.

The Stars:

Dallas is on a nice run, even without Ray Whitney, but had a wrench thrown into the works Wednesday after losing Alex Chiasson to an apparent facial injury.

"I know he got hit in the face and he's going to be evaluated," Ruff told media afterward. "He hit him pretty hard, so we are concerned there might be some damage."

Whitney himself, though he did practice Wednesday, will be a game-time decision.

"I'd like to see him get a couple more harder practices in," said Ruff of his veteran winger. "Yesterday was probably his first at full tempo, so we'll see where he is."

That makes trying to divine line combinations a mess past the first trio. Peverley practiced there upong Chiasson's exist but that doesn't mean that's the way it will end up. Practice seemed to indicate something like this:

Benn-Seguin-Nichushkin
Cole-Eakin-Peverley
Whitney-Horcoff-Roussel
Jeffrey-Fiddler-Garbutt

With Lane MacDermid places on waivers yesterday and the status' of Chiasson and Whitney up in the air it seems likely that newly claimed Dustin Jeffrey will make his Stars debut on the fourth line. If neither Whitney or Chiasson can go (and reports adamant that MacDermid would go to the AHL if not claimed) then the Stars would have to recall another forward.

Kari Lehtonen, of course, should be in the Stars net.

The Rangers:

New York had a less than ideal start to the season, dropping seven of ten for a 3-7-0 record, but have since made a nice turn-around (7-4-0 run) and now eye finally getting back to .500 tonight with a would-be 11th victory.

No words I could use here describe their start and climb back up the hill better than their Fenwick (shots, goals, missed shots) percentage presented here by ExtraSkater.com...

That's steady game-by-game improvement since hitting rock bottom five games in, all against Western Conference teams, oh by the way, and then they feasted on the East for 14 of their next 16. It's still improvement.

They've won four straight on the road and have converted on an impressive 5 of 13 power-play chances in that stretch while Dallas' home power play is the only one in the league that has yet to score, so this one has the potential for another easy story line if those trends continue. Box avoidance is key.

At 2.05 goals per game there are only three teams (all in the East) that score less than the Rangers do, but don't let that fool you. They rank 7th in the league (as of early Wednesday night) with 31.9 shots per game, including 44, 37 and 34 in their last three contests, in which they scored 1, 0 and 1 goals. So they're past due for an outburst.

Their lineup:Nash-Richards-Callahan
Kreider-Stepan-Zuccarello
Pouliot-Brassard-Hagelin
Boyle-Moore-Dorsett

McDonagh-Girardi
Staal-Stralman
John Moore-Falk

Joel Lundqvist's brother

Michael Del Zotto should be making his return to the Ranger blue-line Thursday night after a stretch of healthy scratches, so make of that what you will.

Between Brad Richards, Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and Rick Nash their lineup bears some resemblance to a 2009 Stars/Blue Jackets box score. Tonight is Brad Richards' first game back at the AAC since leaving for free agency in 2011.

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With both Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg on the mend, the call has gone out to Providence to send up a defenseman.

The Boston Bruins, currently atop the Eastern Conference, host the St. Louis Blues at TD Garden tonight at 7pm.  

• Former UVM Catamount Kevan Miller has been called up, possibly to make his NHL debut. [MetroWestDailyNews]
• A stiff westerly wind will blow into town, a team built very much on the same model as the Bruins. [BostonHerald]
• Injuries to Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg have combined to test the Bruins depth at defense. Young players stepping in present a challenge, and Tuukka Rask and Zdeno Chara have had to pick up the slack. [TheBostonGlobe]
• So how's realignment treating the Bruins so far in the new Eastern Conference? [BruinsDaily]
•  Tuukka Rask 's "sparkling play" ensures he will not be overlooked as a candidate for the Vezina again this year. [NHL]
• Here's what the Buffalo Sabres see in GM candidate Jim Benning. [SabreNoise]
• Don't be fooled by his "baby face," Ryan Spooner is working on his consistency, assertiveness, and aggression. [MetroWestDailyNews]
• Welcome back, Vladimir Sobotka! Revisit this vintage interview by Naoko Funayama, with David Krejci translating and Blake Wheeler offering the one word he knows in Czech. [YouTube]
• Enjoy the Jack Edwards call of the week, Milan Lucic 's breakaway goal in OT against the Blue Jackets, and a few more for good measure. [BruinsDaily]

Elsewhere around the rink: 

• The USA Hockey Sled Classic is underway in Colorado Springs, they will be streaming online if you'd like a look. [USAHockey]
• Got narrative? Dig into the "crazy tales" of the season so far. [TheGlobeAndMail]
• Sean McIndoe bravely reassesses his right and not-so-right predictions for the NHL season so far. [Grantland]
• Lessons were learned after the watershed JFK assasination that led to subsequent sensitivity in professional sports leagues' game postponements and cancellations after national tragedies. [Trentonian]
• Meet Stéphane Waite, and see why Carey Price is happy to have him in his corner. [MontrealGazette]
•  Rick Nash has a new perspective on head injury, and calls for players and the NHLPA to take responsibility for themselves. [NYPost]
• The Reading Royals for the WIN!  Get a load of their ugly Christmas sweater jerseys. [PuckDaddy]
• Jose Canseco was pulled over (and then laughed at) while transporting goats. Check out the diaper fail. [HuffingtonPost]