Time To Panic?

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Lost 4 in a row they blew a 2 goal advantage. In a game where everything was going your way (ref running into a Caps Dman!) you even scored SH on a 5 on 3 . I see they called up Lindstrom and Mason to replace Leclaire and sent Westcott to Syracuse.

[skatingtripods]

Nah. Washington's making a push and Alexander Ovechkin is just god on skates. As long as they keep their heads above water, the west will remain wide open.

I wouldn't start panicking unless they get 8-10 points off the pace. There's too many things that can happen in the crowded Western Conference.

[buckeyehoppy]

No time to panic in the West. Every thing's bunched up in the middle and all its going to take is one hot streak between now and the end of the season.

The Jackets have always played better down the stretch. Of course, that has always been with the pressure off. This season is different and we'll see if the Jackets can get past the pressure and play well enough to break through in the West.

That'll be no small feat if they can do it and the teams that get to the playoffs in the West will have earned it. I feel that the Jackets have enough to get there.

[skatingtripods]

So far 3 points in 4 games on their west coast swing. They dominated San Jose last night, but a stupid Fritsche penalty killed them in OT. Outshooting a good Sharks team 30-13 is a great feat, along with getting a point. That was one of the games I felt they'd really have difficulty with before the deadline but they brought it.

Psychologically, GM Howson making a move would be very good for the team going forward.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Typing this on my cell phone from Nationwide I have to say I like Tarnstrom alot him keeping that puck in the zone allowed Nash to score the tying goal as the 5 0n 3 ended. That Kopitar guy the Kings have is pretty good. Ohh I almost forgot anyone see that Jared Boll hit on Donald Brashear the other night? I love this Kid!

[buckeyehoppy]

Typing this on my cell phone from Nationwide I have to say I like Tarnstrom alot him keeping that puck in the zone allowed Nash to score the tying goal as the 5 0n 3 ended. That Kopitar guy the Kings have is pretty good. Ohh I almost forgot anyone see that Jared Boll hit on Donald Brashear the other night? I love this Kid!

Tarnstrom should be pretty helpful going down the stretch. He did cost them Glencross, so I wasn't really thrilled with that move. OTOH, Tarnstrom fills a need and Glencross had a lot of traffic at his position, so the Jackets FO bit the bullet on an expendable player to meet need.

Boll is afraid of nothing and actually contributes to the team for more than just his physical play. Every team needs a guy like Boll...not a star, but will eat minutes and lay the wood when necessary.

Kopitar is a future star and I have seen the Kings quite a few times this year on Centre Ice and I'll say that they are going through significant growing pains. I don't think Crawford is the answer as coach there. The Kings need a young guy who can grow with the team, yet lay down the law to his young charges at the right time. A couple years from now, with a bit of tweaking, I think you'll see a vastly different Kings team.

That said, it was a lackluster effort for the Jackets tonight. They can't be playing teams like the Kings like that at home. The West is tough enough to negotiate without losing at home to a team lower than yours in the standings playing a back-to-back on the road. They got one point, but should have had two.

[skatingtripods]

Regardless of the opponent, that first game back from a west coast swing is always a killer. Sure, they didn't play that well, but every point is huge from here on out and Los Angeles isn't a threat to them in the standings.

Either way, they did good to take 3 of 4 possible points in PHX and SJ. It was certainly a letdown to not beat the Kings at home, but they at least managed to get a point.

On Tarnstrom, he's eventually going to hurt them more than help them. I haven't seen a game with him yet, so I don't know who he is paired with, but he's never going to be able to see PK time and he's a very subpar 5 on 5 defensive defenseman. The problem is that he is, by and large, a PP specialist. While he's in the lineup, I think they need to dress 11 forwards and 7 defensemen, just so Tarnstrom only sees 7-8 minutes of even strength ice time.

They still need to make a move by the 26th. I think that if they can get Joe Corvo from Ottawa for Sergei Federov, they should pull that trigger. I like Kris Russell's potential, but if he can get them a Marty Reasoner, Mike York, or Mike Comrie type player, I think that's a deal that they should do as well.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

I would love to have Comrie I would give up Russell to get him he is only 27 a great passer and is very mobile and you could would fit great on either of our top 2 lines.