Time To Shine!!!

By: Jeff Little • April 23rd, 2009

About 20 minutes to puck dropping, and unfortunately this is a much different atmosphere than Tuesday.  Where the seats were packed long before the game started then, Nationwide is 70% empty right now, with the majority apparently still outside, perhaps engaging in the consumption of an adult beverage or two.  I am sure the energy will come, but it will have to go a long way to get to the buzz level of Tuesday.  


Looks like Hejda is out, but unclear whether it will be Backman or Rome filling in.  Top line will be Nash, Vermette and Umberger.  Malhotra, Modin and Huselius look like the third line.  

Need to build on the energy we started to build in the second half of Game 3, and the intensity we showed throughout the third period.  Lots of pucks to the net, lots of traffic, and do not let ourselves get caught in 1 on 1 battles in our own zone.  

I expect the team to leave it all out on the ice tonight.  No reason not to!   Go Jackets!!

About

author photo

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.

See All Posts by This Author

Post a Response