Tonights game will be the teams first game with the teams new interim coach Claude Noel, as Hitchcock was dismissed after Tuesday’s 5-1 loss.

This will be the fourth time these two teams have played. Currently, the Blue Jackets are up 2-1 on the Stars. The two teams will not meet again in the regular season. On Thursday November 19th, the Blue Jackets went into Dallas and beat the Stars 4-1. Dallas got revenge on December 23rd, beating Columbus 3-1. The loss was the seventh loss in the streak of eight straight around Christmas. Then, on Saturday January 10th, the Blue Jackets blanked Dallas 2-0.

Columbus is led in goals and assists by LW Rick Nash. Nash has scored 24 goals and dished out 27 assists. Goaltender Steve Mason has started 40 of the Blue Jackets 66 games this season, winning 13, allowing 3.28 goals per game. His back-up Mathieu Garon, is 9-8 in 26 games played.

The Stars have won three of their last four games. Their latest win was a 4-2 win over Minnesota. Dallas is 8-14-6 when playing on the road this season. Brad Richards leads the team in total points with 59. Richards leads the team in assists with 44, while adding 15 goals. The top goal scores for Dallas are Loui Eriksson and James Neal with 21. Their number one goaltender is Marty Turco. He has played in 37 games and won 15. Through the season, he is allowing 2.88 goals per game.

Here’s to hoping.

The Blue Jackets jumped on top with a Antone Vermette goal at the 5:43 mark in the first period. It was his 18th of the season, and came shorthanded. The Avalanche tied the game with just 1:29 to go in the period, when Kyle Quincey netted his fifth goal of the season. Paul Stastny picked up the assist on the goal.

Colorado scored the lone goal in the second period. At the 4:33 mark, Brandon Yip scored his seventh goal of the season. On the goal, he was assisted by Kyle Cumiskey and T.J. Galiardi.

The third period was all Avalanche. Brandon Yip scored his second straight goal just 0:41 in, putting Colorado on top 3-1. Ryan O’Reilly scored the final two goals of the game, his 6th and 7th of the season. Both of the goals came shorthanded, and also were assisted by T.J. Galiardi. Galiardi finished the game with a season high four assists.

Mathieu Garon was between the pipes for the Blue Jackets, allowing 5 goals on 26 shots. Craig Anderson picked up his 27th win of the season for Colorado. Anderson saved 20 of 21 shots in the win. Colorado was whistled for 12 penalty minutes to Columbus’ 6.

The win for Colorado moved them to 31-18-6. They are currently sixth in the Western Conference. The loss for the Blue Jackets dropped them to 22-27-9. They remain ahead of only Edmonton in the conference.

The Union Blue were in the Gateway City last night to take on divisional foes the St. Louis Blues. The CBJ have not faired well in St. Louis over the past few seasons, 0-7-1 in their past eight outings heading into last night. At points last night it appeared the Jackets were set extend that not so illustrious streak, but Kris Russell and Mathieu Garon had other plans.

The Blue Jackets picked up an important two points with a 3-2 overtime win over the Blues. Russell scored the game-winner seconds after Mathieu Garon kept the Jackets alive with a kick save on Andy MacDonald at the other end. It was a very good, hard-working win, especially after such a dismal performance against the LA Kings Thursday night.

There was a bit of role-reversal to start the game off as it was the Blue Jackets who scored in the first five minutes. Derek Dorsett was set up with a great pass from Freddie Modin and slid a back-hander past Blues goalie Chris Mason at the 4:09 mark.

It appeared that the Jackets would be able to carry the lead into the first intermission but David Backes redirected TJ Oshie’s shot with less than two seconds remaining to tie it up. That goal came on the power play and made even the most cynical of Jackets fans and media cringe.

Things got pretty chippy in the second period with a total of 11 penalties, 36 minutes worth, doled out between both teams. The majority of those stemmed from a fight between Jared Boll and Brad Winchester that occurred just over three minutes into the second. Winchester took exception to a big open-ice hit that Boll laid on Jamie McClement and drew instigator and game misconduct penalties as well. There were numerous other scrums along with a notable, helmet-optional battle for position between Jake Voracek and Eric Brewer.

After Roman Polak’s roughing penalty put the Jackets up on the two-man advantage late in the period, Fedor Tyutin let loose a rocket from the point that beat Mason. RJ Umberger set the screen that made it all possible. Playing the low position on the umbrella to perfection. The Blue Jackets took a 2-1 lead heading into the third period.

Rick Nash took an odd interference penalty with 2:51 remaining in the third after he swept a wayward glove toward Keith Tkachuk, who had do a little toe drag to get around it. MacDonald beat Garon on the ensuing power play to tie it up with 1:35 remaining in regulation. Here we go again right?

It looked like MacDonald would be the hero again for St. Louis when Paul Kariya set him up with a beautiful pass in space. MacDonald, one of the fastest skaters in the game, got behind Russell and tried to tuck it inside the far post but Garon kicked it away and Brassard gather it up and found Russell with some open ice. Russell skated it up and let loose a slap shot from the left dot that beat Mason just 1:32 into the overtime period. The Jackets goal of going 8-2 heading into the Olympic break is still possible.

Notes:

Both Mathieu Garon and his counter part Chris Mason were spectacular last night. Garon stood tall on a number of occasions, OT especially, but Mason really kept the Blues in the game last night.

The Captain, Rick Nash, got involved physically last night and showed his mean-streak with a nice hit on BJ Crombeen. Nash has very few peers in this league when he’s playing with a physical edge and scoring.

Kris Russell was made for 4-on-4 hockey. It looks effortless at times when he skates the puck out from the defensive zone 5-on-5. In overtime, with even more open ice, his skill set makes him downright dangerous. Last night’s goal was another example.

For all that has been made of the Blue Jacket’s recent struggles against St. Louis, Fedor Tyutin may wish he could play all his games against the Blues. In nine games against St. Louis over the past two season Tyutin has 5-3-8 including last night’s power play tally.

Bart Logan

bartftc@gmail.com

Twitter: @BartFTC

With the 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames, the Blue Jackets won back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 19, and won back-to-back road games for the first time since Nov. 5.

Columbus was led by Antoine Vermette, who totaled three points in the victory. His goal with 14:38 remaining in the third proved to be the game winner.

The Blue Jackets received a solid effort in goal from Mathieu Garon, who started his second straight game. Garon made 20 saves in the win.

Columbus started the scoring just over a minute into play with a goal from Raffi Torres.

Calgary’s Mark Giordano tied the score-sheet at one with his first period goal.

The Blue Jackets regained the lead with a second period goal from Jan Hejda before a third period goal by Rene Bourque knotted the score at two.

After assisting on Raffi Torres’ goal, Torres retuned the favor by feeding the puck to Vermette who stuffed it into the wide-open net.

The Blue Jackets held the Flames to only five shots in the third period, and played stellar defense down the stretch to keep Calgary from tying the game at three.

Columbus returns home to face the Dallas Stars Sunday at 7 p.m.

After taking a 2-0 lead in the first period, the Blue Jackets allowed three straight goals and trailed 3-2 heading into the first intermission.

Columbus’ R.J. Umberger and Kristian Huselius scored sixty-one seconds apart, propelling the Blue Jackets to the early lead.

Alex Burrows scored three times for the Canucks as he recorded the second hat trick of his career. Former Ohio State Buckeye Ryan Kesler assisted his final goal.

Kris Russel added a second period goal for Columbus to reach the three-goal total.

Columbus goaltender Steve Mason made 11 of 17 saves before being replaced by Mathieu Garon at 14:53 of the second period.

Columbus was 0-5 on the power play, while Vancouver was 1-3.

The Blue Jackets recent power play struggles have dropped their overall percentage to 20.6 percent, or 8^th in the NHL.

The penalty kill sits 14^th in the league at 81.2 percent.

Columbus lost for the 13^th time in 14 games, and recorded their 13^th straight road loss.

The Blue Jackets take on the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night at 10 p.m. before heading to Calgary on Friday to conclude the western trip.

Putting Garon in is not the be-all-end all solution to the Jackets woes this season. While Steve Mason has struggled mightily, Garon too has had poor games in behind the porous Jackets defense. With that said, Mason needs to realize that he has to compete for every minute of ice time he sees. The 2008-2009 season is over and a Calder win and runner-up finish for the Vezina don’t stop peewee-style Chris Stewart backhands for you. Hitchcock has made every other player on this team earn their time, to the extent that many consider it a detriment (Nikita Filatov anyone?). It’s about time the Mason got with the program.

Riding the hot goalie is one of the most successful hockey philosophies out there. If a guy pitches a shutout and your other guys struggling, it shouldn’t even be a question who starts in net the next night. Obviously the mental aspect of the game affects goalies in most cases more so than position players, but it’s for that precise reason that you ride the hot goalie. That’s how Steve Mason won his job last year. That’s how Carolina won the Stanley Cup on 2006. Sometimes personal pride has to take a hit for the team to succeed. Good goalies use that as motivation to win back starting jobs and the trust of their teammates. Other goalies become shell-shocked and rarely return to their top form. It’s time to find out what kind of goaltender, what kind of person, Steve Mason is.

The change in the crease won’t be the only significant switch in tonight’s game. Jakub Voracek, who’s been about the only player not to skate with Rick Nash, will get his shot tonight. He will  join Nash and Antoine Vermette on the first line tonight. Interestingly, Voracek will move to the left wing and Rick Nash will stay on the right. Voracek has played right wing all season on the second line, but Nash’s natural position is on the left. Hitchcock started playing Nash on the right when it became abundantly clear that Kristian Huselius could not. He’s kept Nash on the right because the team is backlogged with left wingers, including but not limited too Huselius, Jason Chimera, Raffi Torres, RJ Umberger (who has excelled on the wing although he is a natural center) and Fredrick Modin (who’s been forced to move to the right side as well). It will be interesting if at any point during the game, Hitchcock switches Nash and Voracek around.

Voracek has been one of the most consistent Jackets all season long and has more than earned the opportunity to play on the first line. Jakub is fifth on the team in scoring with 8-13-21 in 36 games. He’s on pace to set career highs in goals, assists and points. He’s one goal away from tying his total from last season. He’s still getting used to his larger frame but he’s becoming a force to be reckoned with on the boards and in open ice. He’s the player that the franchise has tapped to play along side Nash in the future, but the future is now for the struggling Jackets.

The playoffs are quickly becoming a more and more distant possibility. The arena issues have not been solved and lackluster attendance numbers, which are completely justified, are not making for a volatile season. And unfortunately, personell-wise, the Jackets will have to wait for the after-Christmas sales to pick up another player. The roster freeze will not be lifted until the December 26th. There are three games between now and then to help define the season.

Notes:

-Other lines shakeups include Derick Brassard returning to center the second line between Chimera and Umberger. The Three Swedes will be reunited on the third line with Huselius, Sammy Pahlsson and Modin. Mike Blunden returns to the lineup tonight to center the fourth line between Torres and Jared Boll.

-Mathieu Garon, who will start tonight in net has given up just one goal in regulation against Phoenix this season.

-The Dispatch reports that Anton Stralman is “somewhere between questionable and probable” for tonight’s game in Glendale, AZ.

Bart Logan
bartftc@gmail.com
Twitter: BartFTC

Last Two:

Toronto:

The Jackets blew a chance at getting well against lowly Toronto when the Maple Leafs came to Nationwide Arena last Thursday.

The leafs scored twice in the first and three times in the second to jump out to a 5-1 lead.

Columbus’ Jason Chimera recorded his first point in 13 games with a third period goal that brought the score to 6-1.

The Jackets outshot Toronto 36-25 but were unable to capitalize when given the opportunity.

After allowing four goals on 14 shots, Columbus goaltender Steve Mason was pulled in favor of Mathieu Garon, who made nine of 11 saves.

Colorado:

This game marked the return of former Blue Jackets’ captain Adam Foote, who two seasons ago demanded a trade back to his former team.

Foote was booed by the Columbus faithful every time he stepped on the ice or touched the puck.

After a scoreless first period of play, Colorado took a 2-0 lead into the second intermission courtesy of Wojtek Wolski and Milan Hejduk’s 11^th and 12^th goals, respectively.

Jason Chimera and Jakub Voracek both scored in the third for Columbus, but it was too little too late after Chris Stewart’s fourth goal of the season sealed the 3-2 Colorado victory.

Again, Columbus outshot their opponent, this time 31-19.

The Youth:

Yesterday, Columbus General Manager Scott Howson announced that the club has traded forward Pascal Pelletier to St. Louis in exchange for defenseman Brendan Bell and forward Tomas Kana.

According to Howson, both players have been assigned to AHL Syracuse.

Bell, 26, has seven goals and 21 assists in 101 career NHL games with Toronto, Phoenix and Ottawa.

This season, Bell has totaled four goals and 13 assists in 22 games with the Peoria Rivermen, St. Louis’ AHL affiliate.

Kana, 22, a third round pick in the 2006 entry draft, has tallied six assists in 11 games with the ECHL Alaska Aces.

Power Play Watch:

The Jackets were 2-5 with the man advantage against Toronto and 0-5 against Colorado. This brings the season total to 27-144, or 23.7 percent.

Columbus is second in the NHL on the power play, behind only Washington who converts on the pp at a rate of 24.4 percent.

The Kill:

Columbus killed off all three power plays opportunities against both Toronto and Colorado. That brings the new season total to 100-127, or 78.7 percent.

The Blue Jackets currently rank 19^th in the NHL in this category, up one percent from a week ago.

Central Race:

With the recent losses, the Blue Jackets have managed to fall all the way to fourth place in the central with 31 points.

Chicago leads the pack with 39 total points in 28 games played.

Columbus leads the division in average goals-per-game with 3.17.  However, Columbus is tied with Carolina for most goals given up in the entire NHL at 105.

Injury Report:

The Blue Jackets have announced that they have activated forward Derek Dorsett off of injured reserve. Dorsett missed nine games after taking an ugly hit from Dallas’ James Neal.

Forward Fredrik Modin practiced with the team for the first time all season Monday, and could play as early as Saturday against Anaheim, or sometime early next week.

Up Next:

The Blue Jackets will try to gat back on track against the Florida Panthers tonight at Nationwide Arena.

The Panthers are 1-4-4 in their last nine games, and rank 27^th in the NHL in goals allowed per game at 3.31.

Columbus will face Central Division foe Nashville on Thursday, followed by the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.

After three straight days without a game, Columbus will not have another three-day stretch without a game until Feb. 7-9.

The San Jose loss came in the middle of what has turned into a five game point streak for Columbus, their longest of the season.

This is the midweek report.

Last Three:

San Jose:
After a hard fought overtime win over Washington, the Blue Jackets returned home to face Dany Heatley and the San Jose Sharks.

The game marked the first game back for Columbus defenseman Jan Hejda, after missing three weeks with a sprained knee. However, Columbus was without regulars Derick Brassard, Mike Commodore, and Kristian Huselius, who were all out with minor injuries.

As usual, the Blue Jackets allowed the first goal of the game, a wrist shot from Joe Thornton, his fourth of the year.

But with less than one minute remaining in period number one, Jason Chimera scored his fourth goal of the year and tied the game at one.

In the second, the two teams traded power play goals from Dany Heatley and Rick Nash, both their 10th of the year.

In the shootout, Nikita Filatov, Anton Stralman, and Rick Nash were all denied by San Jose goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, while San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle put one past Columbus goaltender Steve Mason, handing the Sharks the 3-2 shootout victory.

Atlanta:
Raffi Torres recorded his second two-goal performance in three games in the 4-3 win over Atlanta last Thursday night.

Jakub Voracek and Derick Brassard both scored first period goals while Columbus goaltender Mathieu Garon made 32 of 35 saves for the win.

Torres, who now has eight goals on the season, scored only 12 during all of last year and recorded only one multi-goal game.

In all, Atlanta outshot Columbus 35-21.

Carolina:
After falling down 1-0, and being held scoreless through two periods, the Blue Jackets came out firing to start the third period.

Courtesy of Nikita Filatov, Jared Boll, and Rick Nash, Columbus scored three goals in the first 3:31 of the third period to take a commanding 3-1 lead.

Filatov scored his second goal of the year just 50 seconds into the period on a wrist shot assisted by Derek Dorsett and Derek MacKenzie.

Jared Boll added his first goal of the season just two minutes later on what may have been the goal of the night in the National Hockey League.

Seconds later, captain Rick Nash tallied his 11th goal of the campaign to reach the Jackets’ three goal total. Nash’s goal came unassisted.

The loss stretched Carolina’s winless streak to 12 games, the longest in franchise history.

Columbus goaltender Steve Mason made 20 of 22 saves, and also recorded an assist on the Boll goal.

Carolina goaltender Cam Ward left the game at the 7:35 mark of the first period after being cut by a skate. Ward was treated at a Columbus hospital and was not able to travel back with the team.

The Youth:

Columbus forwards Derick Brassard and Jakub Voracek combined for a pair of goals and a pair of assists in the 4-3 win at Atlanta.

Nikita Filatov tallied his second goal of the year in the win over Carolina while Jared Boll scored his first.

Power Play Watch:

Columbus was 1-1 on the PP against the Sharks, 0-2 at the Thrashers, and 0-3 against the Hurricanes.

This brings the season total to 14-63, or about 22.2 percent, which is good enough for ninth in the NHL, a slight drop from where it was a week ago.

This is one area the Blue Jackets have seen vast improvement after ranking last in the NHL on the PP for much of last season.

The Kill:

The Blue Jackets killed off one of two penalties against San Jose, six of eight verses Atlanta, and five of five against Carolina.

With the new totals, The Blue Jacket rank 18th in the NHL on the kill, and the season total runs to 58-73, or 79.4 percent, similar to what it was a week ago.

Columbus continues to take too many penalties. In the game against Atlanta, the Blue Jackets took seven straight penalties, on which they allowed two goals that kept the Thrashers in the game.

It is hard on a penalty-killing unit when they are asked to kill that many penalties in one game.

Central Race:

The Blue Jackets and Blackhawks sit in a tie for first place atop the central division with 20 points apiece.

Detroit, with only 15 games played compared to 16 for every other team in the division, sits in second with 17 total points.

St. Louis and Nashville have 16, and 15 points, respectively.

Columbus continues to lead in goals per game average with 3.18. However, the Blue Jackets also have the worst goals against average in the division with an average of 3.37 goals allowed per game.

Injury Report:
According to the Blue Jackets’ official website:

Winger Fredrik Modin remains on the injured reserve with a knee injury and is expected to be out for four to six weeks.

Forward Kristian Huselius has missed the last three games with an upper body injury.

Andrew Murray also remains on the IR with shoulder issues.

Up Next:

Columbus face division foe Detroit at home on Wednesday night for the first time since the Red Wings swept Columbus out of last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The game will be the 1,000th NHL game for Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock.

Detroit is 7-5-3 on the season and currently sits in third place in the central division.

On Friday night, the Blue Jackets will welcome Scott Niedermayer and the Anaheim Ducks into Nationwide Arena where they will face off for the second time of the year.

Columbus won the previous match 6-4 in Anaheim.

With recent performances, injuries and the constant tinkering with lines and their cadre of young phenoms – specifically, Derek Brassard and Nikita Filatov – the Blue Jackets emergence as a Western Conference power might be put on hold, at least until these issues are addressed.

Let’s start in goal, where defending Calder Trophy winner Steve Mason is struggling early on. During the last West Coast swing, Mason completed the trip with a whopping goals against average of 5.33, and a not-so-stellar save percentage of .807.  This performance certainly doesn’t conjure up images of Patrick Roy, but more like memories of Marc Denis, perhaps Brian “Bobby” Boucher. What’s most disconcerting about Mase’s performances, is that he appears to have now developed some bad habits or flaws, chinks that had not occurred during his stellar rookie campaign.

During his rookie year, the “book” on Mase (Steve Mason) was to go “glove hand high”. This year, however, Mase has been beaten, as they say, Five Hole (between the wickets – twice) and in the lower areas (low blocker stick – 6 times; low glove side – 6 times). He has also struggled with rebound control, again, something that had not surfaced, at all, last season.

Now, here’s the puzzling part: It was reported today that Dave Rook – the recently hired goaltending consultant – had joined the team, now that the Blue Jackets have returned from their West Coast “roadie”, to work with Mase and Mathieu Garon. Here’s My question: He wasn’t there for the catastrophic tennis matches – with scores of 3-6, 4-6 (Garon was in goal), 6-4 and 2-6? If it’s not the protocol to have the goaltending consultant accompany the goalies on road trips, tough economic times, aside, you might want to look into springing for it.  Sure, Rook’s gig is to assess the goaltending for the entire organization – AHL, Juniors – but, if, on a road trip, the goalies are giving up that many goals, on those few shots, uh, the AHL and Juniors can wait.

In short, it might be time for some serious net minding intervention – pronto.

Again, going from the back end, forward, the next concern is the team’s blue-line. Jan Hejda, AKA The Big Plus (for his stellar +51 +/- rating, over the course of the last 2-plus seasons), was injured on October 13th, against the Flames. While the Blue Jackets stepped up and defeated the LA Kings, the following home game, it has been anything but Ken Hitchcock hockey since then, having given up 22 goals in their last four games. While Hejda is, without a doubt, their best defender, that surge in goals allowed is inexcusable.

What’s also hurting the Blue Jackets, besides losing Hejda for the past two weeks (Hejda’s been skating with the Blue Jackets Strength and Conditioning coach, Barry Brennan, as we speak) is the early-season absence of Mike Commodore, Hejda’s first defensive pairing partner.

Commodore’s is battling with a lot of adversity, including the following: A groin injury, the flu and a groin injury. So this past Saturday’s game against the Ducks was his season debut, one pre-season game, aside. As a result of Commodore getting his conditioning back, expect that he won’t be back in the swing of things until Mid-November.

How’s that really impacted the Blue Jackets? By having their remaining defensive corps play additional minutes, many more than they would normally incur. And apparently, for some of the corps, that’s not exactly a good thing.

Need proof? See the recent scores, above.

But, the blame can’t be specifically pointed at the blueliners, no, there has been some shoddy play by the forwards, as it relates to being not-so-strong on the puck.  I’d list the culprits, but, that would take too long.

Regarding the handling of the young forwards, I will be the first to acknowledge that Hitchcock has taken the Blue Jackets to places very few coaches, if any could have taken them. In other words, the man has coached his rear end off. Merely getting the Blue Jackets into the playoffs, for the first time should automatically have punched his ticket to Toronto (the Hall of Fame). The man’s forgotten more hockey than any of us could remember or know, but, the handling of two young phenoms, Filatov and Brassard, has been a bit puzzling.

Filatov, for three games, has also seriously reducing his minutes played while sending a message that he needs to play the 2-way game required in the NHL. This may have also caused him to press far too much, and to think far too much, while on ice.

In Filatov’s particular case, while there’s no questioning his being benched against the opponents they were scheduled to play such as Calgary, a little lessening of the brakes might help restore his confidence and let him use his world-class offensive skills to impact the outcome of a game.  Word is Filatov’s being elevated, as a result of his recent play, to the 2^nd line, but, that can changes as quickly as…well, how about within a line change.

By this, I liken it to how Hitch allowed Nikolai Zherdev to improvise, during his last season in Columbus, with the intention of raising his trade value, after a disastrous prior season. Not that I’m suggesting this as an end state, merely stating how letting Filatov free-wheel it, a bit, might pay dividends, in the long run, in his overall transition to the NHL game.

In Brassard’s case, while there’s certainly some justification towards dropping him from the first line.  His percentage in face-offs being that low (sub-50%) is not something synonymous with Hitch’s system. With Hitchcock dropping him to the fourth line one again, this certainly didn’t boost Brassard’s confidence. It is true that he needs to understand the criticality of winning face-offs, at least within a sniff of 50%, but without having a playmaker of his caliber to accompany Rick Nash and Kristian Huselius, this certainly impacts a team that’s been known historically as being a bit offensively-impaired.

In both cases, it appears to be a bit of too short a leash extended to both young players, something that differs, historically, with the veteran players. This might be the reason why Hitch has been known to rely on more veteran-laden teams during his coaching career – it’s a trust factor.

However, not all is gloom and doom, in Blue Jacket land. Let’s not forget that they played seven of their first ten games in the Pacific and Mountain time zones, in traditionally hostile arenas, against pretty stout opponents, and they now play seven of their next nine games in the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena. But, after playing the much-improved Phoenix Coyotes, they then are squared up against the likes of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals (a road game), and the San Jose Sharks.

While there’s is reason to be optimistic – usually, by Mid-November, the Blue Jackets have been mathematically eliminated. That is not to say there are some troubling signs that need improvement, but adjustments need to be made.

Last Three:

At San Jose:

After successive wins over Minnesota and Vancouver to start the season, the Blue Jackets took their winning streak on the road to face Dany Heatley and the San Jose Sharks.

Columbus struck first with an opening period goal from Rick Nash, but San Jose was relentless, scoring four times in the second, and twice again in the third to reach the 6-3 final.

Heatley, acquired by the Sharks from Ottawa only a month ago, recorded his eighth career hat-trick, with the third goal coming on a late-game penalty shot.

At Phoenix:

Recently acquired goaltender Mathieu Garon got his first start Saturday night in Phoenix, and capitalized on the opportunity.

Garon was perfect, stopping all 36 Coyote shots, and leading his team to a 2-0 victory in the desert. It was the first shutout of the year from CBJ net-minders, after reigning Calder Memorial Trophy winner Steve Mason recorded ten a year ago.

Rick Nash tallied his second goal of the season on a beautiful tic-tac-toe pass from Huselius and Brassard. R.J. Umberger put the icing on the cake with an empty net goal with 17 seconds remaining, also his second on the year.

Calgary:

Tuesday evening’s affair was the first game back on home ice since the season opener, and offered a tough test in the then 4-1-1 Calgary Flames.

Calgary got on the board first with a goal from former Blue Jacket Curtis Glenncross, and led 1-0 after one.

The Blue Jackets countered with two goals just 2:04 apart, scored by two former Flames in Anton Stralman and Kristian Hueslius, the first coming on a five-on-three man advantage late in the second period.

Rick Nash assisted on both goals, extending his multi-point game steak to four. Huselius has also put-up points in four straight games.

Mason was able to hang on for the victory, making  22 saves in a 2-1 Columbus victory.

The Youth:

After spending a brief one game stint down on the second line, Derick Brassard returned to the top line for Saturday night’s game against Phoenix, and has played well since, recording assists and creating opportunities in both games.

Jakub Voracek and Nikita Filatov have been quiet recently; both were pointless through the past three. Filatov was a healthy scratch against Calgary.

Mathieu Roy tallied an assist on a Chimera goal at San Jose, and is +1 on the year.

Power Play Watch:

Columbus was 1-3 on the PP against San Jose, 0-2 against Phoenix, and 1-4 against Calgary. This brings the season total to 3-15, or 20%

The power play was an area of need for the Jackets a year ago. The 20% the team is averaging this year is much improved from the 11% the team averaged last year.

The Kill:

The penalty kill, on the other hand, seems to be an area of great strength for the Blue Jackets. Columbus entered Tuesday night’s game as the best penalty-killing team in the NHL, and did not do anything to hurt that status, killing off the only penalty they took all night.

Columbus was 4-4 on the kill at San Jose and 6-6 at Phoenix, including a late-game double minor to Derick Brassard.

On the year, Columbus has killed 17 of 18 penalties, or 94%.

Fortunately the Jackets have done a good job killing off the penalties, but an even better way to prevent power play goals is to stay out of the box in general, somewhere many Jackets have spent significant time over the past few games.

Central Race:

With eight points, Columbus has claimed their spot at the top of the central, but is closely followed by Chicago, who sits just a point away with a 3-1-1 record.

St. Louis, Nashville, and Detroit each have four points.

Chicago leads in goals for with 19, while Columbus leads in goals against average with 2.2.

In recent years, with Columbus, Chicago, and St. Louis all struggling, the division was know as the “Comedy Central.” Now, the division may be the best in all of hockey. Who’s laughing now?

Injury Report:

Defenseman Mike Commodore (groin) and winger Fredrik Modin (knee) both remain on the injured reserve.

Commodore is listed as questionable for Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings and Modin is expected to be out until at least late October.

Up Next:

The Blue Jackets face off against the 4-1 Los Angeles Kings Saturday Oct. 17 at Nationwide Arena, then head back on the road for a four-game western trip making stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Anaheim, and Los Angeles.

The Kings have won four in a row after dropping their season opener and are led by wingers Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smith who each have four goals on the season.