Contenders in Columbus?

[British_Pharaoh]

3 straight wins 12-6-0 record (7-1-0 on the road). Only 3 teams in the NHL have more wins and they've all played more game than the Jackets. They have the league's best goaltender

Looks like they could be ready to win a playoff series now :D

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Ugh.... It's early, the other shoe could still drop. But yeah they've been grinding people out and the Brass/Nash/Voracek line is playing as good as anyone in hockey.

[skatingtripods]

They finally have the prospect depth to be able to trade a draft pick for a viable piece at the trade deadline. Granted, that's 4 months away, but the important thing is that they should be in that position.

I like both Mason and Garon pushing each other. It starts from the net and with Rick Nash. Both parts of the team are playing extremely well, therefore, so is the team.

[Love child of shawn kemp]

Yeah, the best goalie in hockey is our second stringer. Sounds like a QB debate.

[skatingtripods]

Yeah, the best goalie in hockey is our second stringer. Sounds like a QB debate.

The best goalie in hockey this season has been Tim Thomas. Not Mathieu Garon. Thomas is 10-1-1 1.49, .954, and 4 shutouts. He's also 7-0 on the road. His loss was a 2-0 loss to Ottawa.

Not taking anything away from Garon. If he had played 12 games instead of 7, I doubt very much that his stats are as good as they are. But, as I said in my post, Garon's pushing Mason to be better and it's making the Jackets better.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Watching them beat the Blues down was tremendous.

I hope we do so the samething vs Gashville tonight.

[RickNashEquilibrium]

Darth Vader got owned last night. Great to see my Jackets showing up to play night in and night out. Arniel has molded this team into something completely different from years past. I am a hockey fan first so Columbus doing this well is an early X-mas gift. What I feel is the most impressive is the the 7-1-0 away record. You win on the road, you make the playoffs. Lets hope this offenese/transition game continue to develop. Our 2nd lines need to produce more, but Vermy and Filly are creating chances. Just a matter of time............

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Jakub Voracek is becoming my favorite athlete to watch. He may not be great yet, but he has "it". The dude hustles for every minute he's on the ice and he made a sick pass the Nasher last night. They are just leaving it all on the ice on the defense, there's a toughness this team lacked last year. Mason/Garon have confidence in the D and you can see it in their play.

And yes, once that Vermette/Filatove lines gets going this could be a dangerous team.

Kyle Wilson and Chris Clark have been solid so far too.

[skatingtripods]

And yes, once that Vermette/Filatove lines gets going this could be a dangerous team.

They need a veteran, hard-nosed winger for that line willing to go in the places where you get your ass kicked to score a goal. Somebody with some serious grit. A Matt Cooke kind of player.

Not going to find one of those now, though. Too much parity league-wide.

But those guys are acquirable at the deadline. Gotta get there in this position and then make the right move.

[swerb]

Been trying to watch the Jackets a lot more this season. Have caught parts of 4-5 games. Have Nash, Mason, and Vermette (disappointment so far) on my fantasy hockey team.

Excited to see em playing well. Get more excited for their bigger games than games like tonights Cavs/Pacers game. Looking forward to watching more of them throughout the winter. Hopefully that can keep this up. Division is a meat grinder.

[RickNashEquilibrium]

And yes, once that Vermette/Filatove lines gets going this could be a dangerous team.

They need a veteran, hard-nosed winger for that line willing to go in the places where you get your ass kicked to score a goal. Somebody with some serious grit. A Matt Cooke kind of player.

Not going to find one of those now, though. Too much parity league-wide.

But those guys are acquirable at the deadline. Gotta get there in this position and then make the right move.

The only potential pitfall of a move like that is R.J. getting relegated to the third line. Not saying that is a bad thing, but this team has enough production/chances up and down each 4 lines. Arniel is already going to have "trouble" getting Juice and Moreau back in the line-up and I am eager to see what he does.

We are almost too "skilled" at the wing position to even make that kind of move when this team is healthy. Don't confuse skill with good because I mean that in a finesse/grit kind of way. If Juice is on the 2nd line, I'd actually like to see our 2nd and 3rd lines look like this:

Juice-Pahlsson-Filatov
Umberger-Vermette-Clark/Moreau.

That alloys Arniel to roll 4 lines every night with a LOT of play between how that 3rd line looks. You can always put Wilson on the third and move Clark down with the energy line of Dorsett-McKenzie/Murray. Ahh such a relief to have a coach who has gotten these Jackets to buy into his system and its paying off. Amazing the same team we had last year looks so different this year and that Arniel's style has created a depth problem. CBJ never had that in the past 9 years!

[skatingtripods]

The only potential pitfall of a move like that is R.J. getting relegated to the third line. Not saying that is a bad thing, but this team has enough production/chances up and down each 4 lines. Arniel is already going to have "trouble" getting Juice and Moreau back in the line-up and I am eager to see what he does.

Adds a scoring punch to your third line. I have no problem with it. A guy like Moreau makes sense on that 2nd line if he can handle the ice time. He'll be a responsible defender on the weak side winger when Filatov gets caught in the zone and lags ass getting back.

I like Umberger, he's just not a big enough body on that line. They could really use a Tomas Holmstrom type player.

We are almost too "skilled" at the wing position to even make that kind of move when this team is healthy. Don't confuse skill with good because I mean that in a finesse/grit kind of way. If Juice is on the 2nd line, I'd actually like to see our 2nd and 3rd lines look like this:

Juice-Pahlsson-Filatov
Umberger-Vermette-Clark/Moreau.

Huselius needs to be traded. The team's playing terrifically without him because of his turnovers and lack of finishing ability. You notice how Nash is playing significantly better without Juice on his wing. Huselius drags down every line he plays on.

Your idea isn't bad, except for the fact that Pahlsson negates Filatov's offensive ability and then Juice and Filatov on the same line is a recipe for odd-man rushes. What would be a better option is moving Filatov to the opposite wing, to play the off-wing like most speedy Russians prefer anyway, and then have Vermette and Clark finish off the line. Guys like Filatov need playmaking centers, not playmaking wingers. Then you've got Umberger-Pahlsson-Moreau as a shutdown line with a little offensive upside. Clark will get to the net and get to those hard-nosed areas to pick up the garbage goals. He's also a leader and will keep Filatov in line.

That alloys Arniel to roll 4 lines every night with a LOT of play between how that 3rd line looks. You can always put Wilson on the third and move Clark down with the energy line of Dorsett-McKenzie/Murray. Ahh such a relief to have a coach who has gotten these Jackets to buy into his system and its paying off. Amazing the same team we had last year looks so different this year and that Arniel's style has created a depth problem. CBJ never had that in the past 9 years!

Rolling four lines is outstanding. It keeps you fresh, especially with the Jackets in a stretch of 16 games in 28 days. The reason that the team is playing so well under Arniel is that they're being taught to play in all three zones. Hitchcock was only worried about two zones, the defensive and the neutral. Arniel welcomes creativity, Hitchcock denounced it in favor of defensive responsibility. The Jackets were never built for Hitchcock's system.


The Jackets are still a hard nosed (more talented than Clark/Moreau) winger and a puck-moving defenseman away from a chance at a deep playoff run, IMO. Steve Bernier comes to mind for the former, if Florida would move him. And I'm sure they would.

[RickNashEquilibrium]

The Jackets are still a hard nosed (more talented than Clark/Moreau) winger and a puck-moving defenseman away from a chance at a deep playoff run, IMO. Steve Bernier comes to mind for the former, if Florida would move him. And I'm sure they would.

Deadline trades for Jamie Langenbrunner and Bryan McCabe/Sergei Gonchar. That would probably never happen but one can wish. I don't care how bad Gonchar's +/- is right now, I'd take him in a heartbeat.

[jack_tors]

Wow, not really sure they are contenders if they are wearing this bullshit. Not a fan of this jersey at all. Thoughts?

http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=544478&navid=DL|CBJ|home

[Govbarney]

I like the new sweaters, reminds me of an old school OHL Jersey.


I will know the Jackets are contenders when I start seeing their games on "Today's Slate" on the front page of TCF.

Speaking of OHL, to me it always made more sense for Cleveland to have a OHL team instead of a AHL team. There could be natural cross lake rivalries with Erie PA, London Ontario, and Plymouth, MI.
Most importantly we would not have to worry about our best players leaving during the middle of year. And if you have ever been to a OHL game , you would see the atmosphere for those games is intense. The OHL is like Canada's version of NCAA Football.

[skatingtripods]

This is the Florida Panthers 3rd jersey.




Way, way too similar. Looks like a complete rip-off.

Not a huge fan of the Jackets third. Could be worse.

[Govbarney]

That's the recent third jersey trend in the NHL. Minnesota, and Pittsburgh also have ones that look like that , just a different color combination.

[skatingtripods]

That's the recent third jersey trend in the NHL. Minnesota, and Pittsburgh also have ones that look like that , just a different color combination.

Yeah, but Pittsburgh's is meant to be vintage toward the late 60s, early 70s teams who actually had those colors.

[swerb]

Clinic being put on right now by two of the hottest goalies in the league, Rinne and Mason.

Jackets need this one.

[StewieG]

Really wish I could watch this on something other than crappy streaming video.

[skatingtripods]

Huge two points on the line for sure over the next 20 (25?) minutes. Minnesota probably beats EDM. If DAL beats NJ, with a loss, that would put CBJ 6 pts back.

One is acceptable. Two is outstanding. Zero is a problem.

[StewieG]

Nash is playing out of his fucking mind.

[swerb]

Nash!

What a run this cat is on.

Prior to this year I've heard murmurs about Nash not being in shape, not backing his guys, not being a willing leader.

Watching this team extensively this season, Nash has been an outstanding captain. And he is so god damn talented. Always says the right things. Leads by example.

Give him a legit #1 center and he is with the Sedins, Crosby, and Stamkos atop the point leaders.

What a season for Nash. That was a big goal. And a sweet move.

[skatingtripods]

You've probably heard those from me. Guy pisses me off to no end. Immense talent, a big body. Just never wanted to use it. Something clicked on him in the Olympics last year. He was impossible to move off the puck in Vancouver and he's continued it through.

Big time for the captain to show up.

[swerb]

Speaking of people on fire - Calvert.

Kids emergence (Clitsome as well) into a 2nd/3rd line scoring threat has done wonders for this team.

Very fun run this team is on.

[skatingtripods]

Speaking of people on fire - Calvert.

Calvert's 3 seasons of juniors for the Brandon Wheat Kings: 230 points in 198 games. Always had the talent. It's the fact that he's 5'9" 164. But, with confidence, he's 5'11" 195. That's the biggest thing for young players.

[swerb]

See Boll beat someone's ass, have Mason preserve the shutout, and this one will be god damn near perfect.

[swerb]

Wow.

Clitsome. To Russell. To Vermette. Bang.

[skatingtripods]

That was a Scott Arniel goal. They don't score that goal under Hitchcock. Defensemen getting involved, Voracek keeping the play alive along the boards.

They're gelling at the right time. They just have do exactly this for another 9 weeks.

Howson has to find them some help if they beat Phoenix on Friday.

[StewieG]

The floodgates have opened.

[skatingtripods]

The floodgates have opened.

Yep. Time to watch Miracle now. 31 years ago today.

Rich, if you haven't seen it, I suggest you move it up that Netflix queue. Nick'll love it too.

[swerb]

The floodgates have opened.

Yep. Time to watch Miracle now. 31 years ago today.

Rich, if you haven't seen it, I suggest you move it up that Netflix queue. Nick'll love it too.

Oh - it's one of my favorites.

The Kurt Russell locker room scene before the USSR game is goosebumpie. One of the greatest scenes from any sports movie ever.

[skatingtripods]

There's your Boll fight.

[swerb]

And a Boll fight to end it. Perfect. What a night.

(Tootoo is a bad little MF'er)

[skatingtripods]

Voracek creates another play with the rush and the sick saucer pass. Love that kid. Glad Arniel took the straitjacket off him.

[swerb]

One more from Nash on the PP for a little icing on the cake.

All the reasons this team has been on a roll - on display tonight.

Special teams play, Steve Mason, Rick Nash, Matt Calvert.

[swerb]

Matt Freaking Calvert.

Excellent comeback from the early 2-0 hole. Umberger and Calvert have been all over the ice. Calvert - this kid can play. He has all the intangibles to make up for his lack of size. Just makes things happen.

Jacket power play has been outstanding these last few weeks.

Finish this thing off tonight.

[StewieG]

Right on cue, Calvert with another. His 3rd point tonight (2G, 1A)

[swerb]

Two funnest wins of the season back to back.

That was awesome tonight. Looked ugly early. Then the storm back. Hat trick for Calvert. Six goals in the last five games for the rookie. He just turned 21 years old.

Team is rolling offensively right now. Without Brassard. Just totally abused Rinne and Brysgalov, two of the leagues best goalies this year.

68 points. In addition to being right on the cusp of the playoffs, they're just 4 points behind the current #5 seeded Kings. They're right there. With Mason rolling and this team putting the puck in the net, they're in a real good spot right now.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

What a fun night. That place went nuts when Calvert hit that 3rd goal, and I now have one less hat.

This team is firing on all cylinders and they look good. I hope they keep it up, god knows they're streaky. Get us in the playoffs and we're playing with house money.

[skatingtripods]

Up to Howson to get them the help that they need. This roster, as is, cannot keep up this pace. Get them a solid RH d-man with some PP experience ant they're right there.

8-3-2 without Klesla in this latest run. That's a shock to me. They're usually a much better team with him in the lineup.

I'm not saying they can't make the playoffs if they don't get help by Monday. What I am saying is that they're probably one and done in the playoffs without help.

[British_Pharaoh]

Only 1 loss in regulation in their last 10. Jackets are on a mish

Good game from the rook last night too

[Govbarney]

I was at that game last night , whats odd is when I showed up at the game I was wearing a hat... but when I left the game said hat was no longer on my head...

[swerb]

My son's first time seeing the ice littered with hats. Kid thought it was so cool. And wants a Calvert jersey.

Fun win last night. Had to be a fun one to be at.

[skatingtripods]

My son's first time seeing the ice littered with hats. Kid thought it was so cool. And wants a Calvert jersey.

Fun win last night. Had to be a fun one to be at.

When you took him to the game, did you take him past the display on the concourse where they put all the hats that get thrown onto the ice? That's one of the coolest things at Nationwide.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

The PA had to ask people to stop throwing hats so they could resume the damn game. Some guy from the upper bowl threw one that almost landed perfectly on my head.

We got the REAL Matty Ice.

[swerb]

My son's first time seeing the ice littered with hats. Kid thought it was so cool. And wants a Calvert jersey.

Fun win last night. Had to be a fun one to be at.

When you took him to the game, did you take him past the display on the concourse where they put all the hats that get thrown onto the ice? That's one of the coolest things at Nationwide.

It was literally right at the top of our section. Very cool.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

My son's first time seeing the ice littered with hats. Kid thought it was so cool. And wants a Calvert jersey.

Fun win last night. Had to be a fun one to be at.

When you took him to the game, did you take him past the display on the concourse where they put all the hats that get thrown onto the ice? That's one of the coolest things at Nationwide.

It was literally right at the top of our section. Very cool.

What section were you in?

I'm in 115.

If i'm there, i'm not hard to find.

[swerb]

Wanna say 121? On the corner, like parallel with the goal, bench side. Opposite end of the cannon.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Yeah that's right by the smokers' alley.