Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
This Week: 1-1-1, 3 points
Overall: 21-20-4, 46 points (5th division; 13th conference)
While the point total isn’t overwhelming, it’s possible that this past week—or, more specifically, the weekend—could be viewed as a turning point. It will depend on what the team does the rest of the way, but their big slide started with back to back losses to Detroit in a home-and-home right after Thanksgiving. So, perhaps being a questionable save/goal review away from taking four points in two nights from those same Red Wings might be the spark that gets them back on the right track. As bad as things have largely been over the last six weeks, the Jackets are still just six points (i.e., three games) out of a playoff spot.
Tuesday, 1/11 in Columbus – Coyotes 4, Blue Jackets 3 – recap
Friday, 1/14 in Columbus – Blue Jackets 3, Red Wings 2 – SO – (box) – Highlights
Saturday, 1/15 in Detroit – Red Wings 6, Blue Jackets 5 – OT – (box) – Highlights
There’s some good there, but it’s also important to note some of the bad. First and foremost, the Jackets literally had 2-0 first period leads in ALL THREE of these games. Look at the scores, and do the math. Not good times. I will, however, give the team credit: normally blowing two-goal leads would send them spiraling, most likely ending in two- or three-goal losses. So, I guess a lot of it depends on whether you’re a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of fan. Having followed this team all season closely, I tend to look at it as a step in the right direction, but only validated if the team keeps playing the same way.
On to the roster craziness!
Here we will update everything from last week, as despite the rumors floating around a couple of weeks ago all remains quiet on the trade front. Let’s review what’s happened:
- D Mike Commodore cleared waivers, was assigned to AHL Springfield, and then was put through re-entry waivers (wherein a team could claim Commodore and only have to pay half of his remaining contract). No teams claimed him. Commodore is heading to AHL Springfield. “We are certainly still open to discussions,” GM Scott Howson said. “We’ve exhausted our trade options for now with him, but things can change pretty quickly in this league. Right now, we want to get him playing.”
- Kyle Wilson cleared waivers, but has been in the lineup of late. It remains to be seen why he was waived, though it was believed that originally he was waived so that a roster spot could be immediately freed up for a trade.
- Forward Ethan Moreau is on IR with bruised ribs. Prospect Matt Calvert was called up to take his place. Calvert has scored two goals so far in the past four games, including a beautiful break-away finish on Saturday against the Wings.
- D Grant Clitsome has been recalled from Springfield. Originally it sounded like he would be the “seventh defenseman,” but with illness to Anton Stralman and Rostislav Klesla, Clitsome has gotten to play in three straight games, and has had an impact. See more below in “hot or not”.
Still nothing close on a “big trade” that had been rumored on the last West Coast trip. When something is out there this long, its likelihood of happening decreases.
Up Next
The Jackets are back on the road for three games this week, though the travel schedule is a little more forgiving. They play two Eastern Conference foes, so hopefully they can continue to get well against the East. They’re in Tampa Tuesday night to play the Lightning (26-15-5, 57pts), and then head south to play the Panthers (21-20-3, 45pts) on Wednesday. They then get a couple of days off, and finish out their week on Saturday in St. Louis (21-17-6, 48pts). The latter has been a house of horrors—not quite on the Nashville level, but…—for this team over the last few years. The last time they played in St. Louis it wasn’t really close.
By The Numbers
Let’s take a quick look at the Jackets by the numbers, through 29 games:
Scoring:
2.53 gpg (t22nd NHL)
Defense:
3.13 gapg (26th NHL)
Power Play:
13.1% (28th NHL)
Penalty Kill:
79.6% (23rd NHL)
Goals Leader:
Rick Nash – 21
Assists Leader:
Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek – 19
Points Leader:
Rick Nash – 39
Wins (Goalie):
Steve Mason – 13
Goals-Against Average:
Mathieu Garon – 2.70
Save Percentage:
Mathieu Garon – 90.2%
Injury Update
The club has a couple of injuries from this week. First, Ethan Moreau is still on the IR list (bruised ribs). In addition to that, goaltender Steve Mason suffered a strained groin last week, and missed some time; he was back both Friday and Saturday against Detroit. Rick Nash also missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a sore groin, but played both Friday and Saturday night. Finally, there has been a flu bug going through the dressing room, and this week saw Anton Stralman and Rostislav Klesla fall victim, the latter missing the game Saturday night because of it.
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not
Hot: I’ll give it to Grant Clitsome this week. Statistically he might not have had the best week, but upon being called up he was immediate put in a position to try to help the team’s ailing Power Play. He scored two goals from the point in two games against Detroit, including one on the Power Play. His ability to shoot the puck with some weight behind it from the point is a HUGE breath of fresh air for this club. He also hasn’t looked completely lost on defense. Bonus!
Not: Rostlislav Klesla. Between having the flu and general ineffectiveness, it’s been a steady decline for the guy who was once leading the league in +/-. Klesla is –6 in his last 10 games. I know some people don’t put a ton of faith into that stat, and I’m not here to say it’s a super-meaningful stat. But, it’s worth noting that he has struggled with it after such a good start. It’s a little bit indicative of his overall play, which has steadily declined over the course of the season. He looks slow, he looks almost terrified each time he has to make a pass under even a little duress. It’s not a good recipe for success.
Quote of the Week
So, what’s the secret for the improved play against the Red Wings?
I think we are just playing harder against them. We knew we needed to do it and now we are doing it. [Friday] night, we saw some frustration in them. They were hitting us back with their sticks and stuff. Maybe we were getting to them, but that’s how you have to play against these guys. You got to get in their heads and frustrate them and slow them down. We’ve had three tough games against them and I think they have a sense of how we want to play against them.
–Forward RJ Umberger, talking on Saturday about playing the Red Wings and having success on Friday night.
I use this quote for one reason: it’s clear there was some kind of extra motivation to play the Red Wings this weekend. The Jackets—while not perfect—certainly played much better against Detroit. Umberger touches on some reasons why: they “knew [they] needed to play harder… and [they were] doing it.”
So, I have to ask: WHY CAN’T THEY DO THIS EVERY GAME?? If they knew they could win two thirds of their games by playing that hard all the time would they do it?
At various points this season, they’ve shown they can play with anyone in the league if they play their game with effort. We’ve also seen they can get blown out by just about any team in the league if they’re lazy and sloppy. So, until they figure out which team they want to be, we can’t seriously talk about Playoffs. But, if they DO somehow answer those questions in the affirmative, then all bets are off.