Dallas’ Brad Richards cut the deficit to one only 21 seconds later, but it was too little, too late as the Blue Jackets held on for the 2-1 victory.

The win was the first for interim head coach Claude Noel, who toke over after the firing of Ken Hitchcock on Wednesday.

Steve Mason made 22 saves to grab the win.

Columbus captain Rick Nash played in his 500^th game, and assisted on Umberger’s goal.

Dallas did not commit any penalties, but was not able to capitalize on any of the three Columbus committed.

The Blue Jackets continue the home stand against Buffalo on Saturday night, and then are off until a Wednesday night affair with Dany Heatley and the San Jose Sharks.

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.

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.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins: It’s hard to pick against the defending champs at 4-1. They were shutout in their one loss by a Phoenix team flying under many people’s radar.

3. Los Angeles Kings: After dropping their season opener to the Coyotes, Anze Kopitar and Captain Canada Ryan Smyth have led the upstart Kings to four straight wins.

4. Calgary Flames: Brent Sutter’s debut behind the Calgary bench has been fairly successful thus far. The Flames can thank a league best 43.8% power play that has already netted seven goals through six games.

5. Chicago Blackhawks: Who says you can’t split up Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews? Joel Quenville’s spreading out the scoring and the Hawks are 3-1-1 thus far with no Hossa.

6. Edmonton Oilers: A pair of 4-3 losses to the Flames keep the Oils out of the top five. Losing Sheldon Souray for some time with a concussion could hurt their chances of breaking in.

7. Philadelphia Flyers: After starting off 3-0, the Flyers have slowed down a bit with a pair of losses, one coming in OT. Chris Pronger seems comfortable in his new home. Matt Carle is certainly enjoying playing with him.

8. Colorado Avalanche: Through five games at least, it looks like the Aves may finally have found their goaltender. Free agent pickup Craig Anderson is 3-1-1 with a .935 save percentage and a shutout on the young season.

9. Columbus Blue Jackets: Who would have guessed that Mathieu Garon would pitch the first shutout for the Union Blue after reigning Calder Trophy winner Steve Mason put up 10 last season. Aside from a lopsided affair in San Jose, the Blue Jackets are off to one of the best starts in franchise history.

10. San Jose Sharks: Memo to the rest of the NHL: Joe Thorton and Dany Heatley are going to combine for a lot of goals. Thorton’s made All-stars out of 3rd liners before and it’s scary to envision this duo all season.

11. Phoenix Coyotes: It appears thus far that the ‘Yotes have been able to keep all the off-season turmoil outside the locker room. New head coach Dave Tippett can’t get enough credit for the 3-2-0 start.

12. New Jersey Devils: Jacques Lemaire’s start to his second tenure with the Devils was rather dubious. Three consecutive road wins are easing concerns from the New Jersey faithful.

13. Ottawa Senators: The jury is still out on the beginning of the Pascal LeClaire era in Canada’s capital. After a lot of turnover from last year’s roster, it looks like the Sens players are still trying to feel each other out.

14: Buffalo Sabers: In three games in net Ryan Miller has allowed a grand total of three goals. However, the Slugs – errr Sabers have only managed to net 4 goals of their own on the season.

15. Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman, you know the player taken after Tavares in this summers draft, has four assists and a plus 2 rating in five games played. Flyers castoff Antero Nittymaki is 2-0 in two starts in net.

16. Atlanta Thrashers: Ilya Kovalchuk has 5 goals in 3 games played. The Thrashers need to get him under contract pronto.

17. Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks are 2-2-1 on the young season. Goaltender Jonas Hiller has both of those wins and is doing his best to stake his claim to the starting spot in net.

18. Detroit Red Wings: After dropping a pair to St. Louis in Stockholm, the Red Machine has started churning again with two straight wins. No Lidstrom, Zetterberg and co. did not decide to stay in the home country after the losses.

19. Washington Capitals: After a pair of wins to start off the season the Capitals have lost four consecutive games by a one-goal margin. The line of Ovechkin, Backstrom and Semin has combined for 31 points through six games.

20. St. Louis Blues: St. Louis is on the opposite end of the spectrum from their Stockholm counterparts. After winning a pair in Scandinavia, the Blues haven’t been able to get the W on American soil.

21. Dallas Stars: Four games in and the Stars already have three overtime losses. Marty Turco’s rebound season has been put on hold so far with an 0-3 record and giving up three OT game-winners is not going to help his confidence.

22. Vancouver Canucks: After an 0-3 start to the season, the Canucks have picked up wins in their last two games. There’s still a lot of uncertainty in British Columbia, especially with Daniel Sedin sidelined until November with a broken foot.

23. Nashville Predators: The Predators never seem quite sure who their starting goalie is. After making a strong bid for the Calder Trophy last year, Pekka Rinne is 0-2 this season while Dan Ellis has both Nashville wins.

24. Boston Bruins: Last year’s President’s Trophy winners aren’t on pace to repeat this season. The Bruins are 2-3-0 on the season and the reigning Vezina winner Tim Thomas has allowed 12 goals in three games.

25. Carolina Hurricanes: The Canes are 2-3-0 on the season and have the league’s 26th ranked power play. Eric Staal’s two goals account for half of their PP production but he hasn’t registered a single point at even strength.

26. Montreal Canadians: After starting off 2-0, Montreal has lost its last 3. The new-look Habs may be having some difficulty getting acclimated. Mike Cammalleri hasn’t socred a goal through five games after potting 39 last season.

27. New York Islanders: The Jonathan Tavares era hasn’t started off quite as planned. The Isles are 0-1-3 on the season but the summer’s 1st overall pick has done his best with two goals and three assists on the season.

28. Minnesota Wild: The Wild are the proud owners of the leagues fifth best power play. The problem: Minnesota has scored only three goals without the man advantage and Nik Backstrom is off to a relatively slow start.

29. Florida Panthers: After opening the season with a 4-3 shutout win over the Blackhawks in Helsinki, the Panthers have dropped their last four games.

30. Toronto Maple Leafs: A lack of firepower up front can’t be blamed for the Leafs’ 0-4-1 start. The “new and improved” Toronto defense has given up a staggering 24 goals in five games.

Jeff will continuing feature writing and game coverage for Inside Hockey, and will likely be periodically contributing pieces to The Hockey Writers, among others.

We all believe this will be a good move for all concerned, and Jeff will continue to provide his own unique perspective on the Jackets, Hockey and the unique fan experience in Columbus!

For those of you who do not already know Jeff, he has featured on some of Eric Smith’s podcasts and here is a short introduction

“A native of the SF Bay Area, my first exposure to hockey was the SF/Oakland/California Golden Seals, including Charlie Finley and the white skates. Fast forward to the late 1980′s when Gretzky and the Kings came up to the Bay Area for an exhibition game at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, for which we had glass seats. I was at the first San Jose Sharks game in the Cow Palace, and followed them for their first few pathetic years, before moving to Columbus in 1994. I attended the first pro-NHL rally downtown, and have been a season ticket holder since Day 1, wife & I are active in the Jacket Backers, and son is an avid fan as well. I cover the Jackets for Inside Hockey, and contribute regularly to a variety of hockey sites. I maintain contact with the Jackets organization, and like to dig into stories, bringing a fresh, and sometimes irreverent perspective to hockey.“

Assuming, however, for the sake of argument, that this is what the deal ends up like, Ottawa and San Jose each seem to be getting what they want in this deal.  Ottawa finally ends the ongoing headache that Heatley represents, and avoids an awkward camp with him present. They also get some young scoring help. Similarly, San Jose gets a talented forward, and avoids the discomfort of having Marleau, the defrocked captain, in their camp. 

Los Angeles may  be the loser in this one.  They are giving up a lot of scoring in favor of adding some age and leadership.  Not sure that is an even deal, considering that Frolov and Stoll combined for 100 points last season. Sure, Marleau ended up with 71 points, but he is notoriously streaky, and LA has removed 2 of the key offensive tools that would help Marleau’s numbers. 

Interesting stuff.  Now let’s see if some other deals start happening.

Rather than just providing a rather sterile recitation of facts and data, I want to try and weave a more complex tapestry, bringing history, experience, opinion and even some emotion into the picture, where appropriate. After all, this is my blog, not the N.Y. Times. I will be careful to attribute facts and opinions as appropriate.

By way of full disclosure, I bring a lot of different experience to bear on these issues, so you should know where I am coming from. As is obvious, I am a huge Blue Jacket fan — Day 1 season ticket holder, involved in the Jacket Backers, attend a few away games per year, etc. I am also a big hockey fan in general — few sporting events provide as much speed, skill and excitement as a hockey game. I am not a native to Columbus, or Ohio for that matter, having moved here 15 years ago from Northern California. While there, I lived through a number of franchises that left (California Golden Seals, Oakland Raiders), some that came (San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Raiders, Oakland A’s), some on the brink of being sold and moving (S.F. Giants, Oakland A’s) and all who had numerous stadium and Arena battles, some of which are ongoing. I also practiced law for the better part of 20 years, and spent a lot of time negotiating with government officials at all levels.

So, I bring a lot of “stuff” to the table when it comes to issues involving professional sports teams. I watched a bad S.F. 49ers team for years before they started piling up Super Bowls. I went to a few pathetic Seals games, and suffered through equally pathetic San Jose Sharks years (few realize that the Sharks still hold the NHL record for most losses in a season — 71). So I think I have earned my scars and have the basis to offer some opinions.

Agree, disagree as you will. My primary goal is to get people to look at this rationally, consider all of the facts, and not react in a knee-jerk manner. In general, I will examine in separate installments where we are today, how we got here, and where things are likely to proceed down the line.

I call this “The Arena Manifesto” advisedly. Greg Kirstein went to great lengths to note that this is first and foremost an Arena issue, not a Blue Jackets issue, and I am inclined to agree. While there is certainly significant fallout that impacts the Jackets, and provides impetus for them to drive the solution, it is the fundamental structure of Arena ownership and operation that is the key here.

So, sit back, relax, and prepare to give me your best shots. My Kevlar vest is back from the cleaners, so I am good to go. Hoping to have Installment One ready for publication tomorrow, Installment Two on Thursday and Installment Three on Saturday.

Make no mistake about it, the Sharks are the best team in the NHL right now, and I’m not sure second is relevant. They have built a solid team that has gelled as a unit, and they just keep coming at you. Their transition game is scary, and they are always, always in position to make a play. They brought all they had las night as well, peppering Mason with 48 shots (though a big share of these were from the point, and our defense did a nice job of creating lanes of visibility).

Last night, however, was all about the Bluejackets. Yes, there were occassional periods where SJ appeared to dominate and where we appeared to scramble, but the overriding theme of the night was the ability to play hard, technically sound hockey for 60 minutes, and at the same time find another gear when they needed it. I suspect Hitch has been waiting for the team to find that gear, and they did it last night.

Up to the Shark’s goal in the 3rd, the Jackets had played tough defense, technically sound offense, and had been spotless on the PK. When SJ scored however, their game elevated to a place those of us who have been in the seats since Day 1 have rarely, if ever, seen. They were not “reckless”, in the style of the NY Islanders, but were intensely aggressive. Their game got heavy in a hurry. It was as if the team had collectively said to themselves, “No, no, not in OUR house!” I have to think that the steel curtain Mason was throwing up provided them with the freedom to play that way, and it was refreshing to see.

Don’t get me wrong, the graveyard is filled with teams who have tried to play the up and back game with San Jose, and I am not necessarily suggesting it as a 60 minute strategy (though wouldn’t that be something to watch?) However, at that time and place, it was necessary and the team responded. Sure, we gave up more chances that way, but Mason was not surrendering rebounds, and our defense was clearing the dangerous pucks with reasonable efficiency. You are not going to play the Sharks for 60 minutes without giving up chances.

It was great to see Huselius bounce back from some bad decisions and bad shooting to assist on the game winner with calm efficiency. Some fans were riding him pretty hard for the way he handled some prime chances during the game, but we also have to remember that his skill put him in the position to have those chances in the first place.

Great to see the fan response as well. Instead of flocking to the exits the minute the horn sounded, they stayed to cheer the team, hear the 3 Stars and cheer Mason as he got interviewed. Well done. Pass the word!

Plusses and Minuses:

Guts — Call it “competetive composure”, a “heavy” game, whatever. The CBJ reached down at crunch time and found a way to win against a superior opponent. Both sides had chances that were squandered during the game, but when it mattered most, we were there. Also overcame some very questionable officiating down the stretch. Some bad calls against us, and some equally bad non-calls on the Sharks.

Goaltending — Those who watched NHL On The Fly on the NHL Network after the game were treated to some great stuff on the CBJ in general and Mason in particular. They were just about ready to wrap the Calder Trophy and send it to Mason’s house. Great stuff!

PK — A really solid and decisive PK effort against a very good PP team.

Defense — We were really good in our own zone for the most part. Many of the 48 shots were from the blue line, and we created lanes for Mason to see. We reacted quickly to fill gaps, and survived some missteps with great goaltending. However you slice it, limiting the best team in the league to 1 goal is huge.

Offense — Sure, it took overtime to get us two goals, but we did put 32 shots on net, and had some awfully good shifts throughout.

Individual Stars — Everyone played hard, tough hockey. Really a team effort. The obvious stars are Mason, Umberger, Tyutin, Peca. Russell played great and took clearing into his own hands. He created space in the offensive zone as well. Brassard was in constant motion, and created lots of action at both ends. Voracek had another strong game and is obviously more comfortable. Nash makes the one key play when it is needed most. Backman played noticeably better, and Methot was strong.

Minuses — Just a couple to note for this one:

Power Play — Didn’t make anything happen on our couple of chances, but it was not a deciding factor in the game.

Puck Control In Our Zone — We continue to be a bit lazy with the puck in our own zone. Much like a receiver waiting for the pass in football, we too often stay stationary and wait for the puck to get to us. With a team like the Sharks, it often doesn’t get there, as they are in motion and we aren’t. Methot and Commodore had some bad giveaways in our zone, but we got away with them.

Injuries — Chimera and Murray go down — no word yet on severity. Novotny will need to step up, and Wilson will likely share remaining slot with another call up.

Bottom line — a huge win for the organization, and at exactly the right time. Let’s build on this one and get 4 points in Dallas and Phoenix. Go Jackets!