In what was likely one of the most improbable victories of the 80 games played thus far, the Columbus Blue Jackets achieved the goal that had been in existence since Robert Kron won the first-ever faceoff for the Blue Jackets (over Alexei Zhamnov of the Blackhawks) in October 2000 — a seat in the Stanley [...]
April 9th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 1 comment | ContinuedOther Recent Articles
Thanks, Blackhawks!!! (Reprise)
Chicago has just defeated Nashville, 4 – 2 in Nashville’s home finale!!! The Jackets now just need one OTL or better over their final three games to clinch their first playoff spot in history! Nashville can only reach 90 points if they win their last two games, and the CBJ already have 90. If Nashville [...]
April 8th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Winning In the West . . .
Time once again to take advantage of an “off night” and do some serious rooting for teams we might not otherwise care about: Chicago over Nashville — Nashville is at home, last home game, and clawing for a playoff spot. Chicago is striving to hold onto the 4th slot, and gain the home ice advantage [...]
April 7th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Playoff Math — Revisited
Upon further review, some of my statements about playoff possibilities were incorrect, due to my failure to account for the number of wins each team might have. That is the first “real” tiebreaker, assuming all teams have played the same number of games. My bad. Here is the “real” scoop (honest!): 1 win and 1 [...]
April 6th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 2 comments | Continued
New Writing Gig
As if I don’t have enough to keep me occupied, I have joined our own Hitch Rules (aka Ed) as a columnist covering the CBJ for Inside Hockey. They gave my piece on tonight’s game a nice link on the front page, so check it out when you get a chance. Ed will be covering [...]
April 6th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Updated Stretch Performance
By popular demand, the following is the updated list of performance over the course of the Dirty Dozen last 12 of the season: Anaheim 8 – 2 – 0 16/20 possible points .800 points percentage Chicago 6 – 2 – 0 12/16 possible points .750 points percentage St. Louis 6 – 2 – 1 13/18 [...]
April 6th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
The Frozen Water Torture . . .
Somebody needs to ask Scott Howson if the player contracts have incentive clauses that kick in if we can delay clinching the playoffs as long as possible. Tonight’s 1 – 0 OT loss to the Chicago Blackhawks was a playoff caliber affair, a defensive struggle highlighted by the goaltending of Steve Mason and Nikolai Khabibulin. [...]
April 6th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Sunday Morning Sanity Check
With 8 days left in the regular season, time to take stock of where things stand in this insane playoff race. The Tracker at the right has been updated through the games of last night, so you can view some of this there. But to summarize: CBJ hold 6th place with 89 points. We have [...]
April 5th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 2 comments | Continued
What A Battle!
Who did not know that this one was going to be a war?? With Nashville having its back very much against the wall after a loss last night in Chicago, they were in a “must win” situation to keep their playoff hopes realistically alive. Every write-up leading up to this game focused on the first [...]
April 5th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 1 comment | Continued
Thanks, Blackhawks!!!
Thanks go out to the Chicago Blackhawks, who bested Nashville tonight, 3 – 1, clinching a playoff spot for Chicago, who moves up to 4th in the West with 95 points. Calgary and Vancouver are battling for the Northwest Division title, but the loser of that battle now sits in 5th, and would lose the [...]
April 4th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 2 comments | Continued
A Welcome Break . . .
The current 3 day break in the schedule comes at a great time, both for the club and the fans. After an exhausting stretch of games, the club gets a chance to catch a breath, give Mason a breather, and decompress from the daily pressure of the playoff chase. Not only that, but the fans [...]
April 3rd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 3 comments | Continued
Filatov Coming
According to a Bluejackets Press Release, and Puck-Rakers, Nikita Filatov has been recalled from the Syracuse Crunch. GM Scott Howson indicates that the club wants Filatov to experience the big club training and atmosphere during the playoff push. The extent to which he might play is uncertain right now.
April 1st, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
The Force Is Strong With This One . . .
After a disappointing home and home with St. Louis, and the ensuing panic among the more squeamish CBJ fans, the last name many wanted to see on the schedule was Nashville. Darth Vader. Death Star. Doom. Well, not so much actually . . . Our own version of Luke Skywalker, Raffi Torres, slammed home the [...]
April 1st, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
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