20 Down, And A Long Way To Go!
- Updated: November 25, 2014
Tonight the CBJ play the Winnipeg Jets at Nationwide Arena, the 21st game of the year. The Jackets come in sporting a 6-12-2 record. Good enough for last in the Metro. Winnipeg comes in 10-9-3, 5th in the Central. Needless to say, the Jackets need a win in the worst way.
The season has been an absolute debacle. It seems that every player on the roster has been hurt at some point. You’ll hear fans say “dont blame injuries”, but come on! This season the CBJ have played 7 guys that have played at Springfield at some point this season. They currently have 6 guys on IR, and another 8 guys that have spent time on IR. 14 different players on IR makes for a disastrous start. So I ask again, Can we blame Injuries?
Ryan Johansen and Nick Foligno have played out of their minds. Johansen leading in points with 23, and leading in assists with 16. Foligno is leading the way in goals with 10. On the surface it would seem that Jack Johnson and newly acquired Scott Hartnell both are playing well, Hartnell with 9 assists and Johnson with 8. BUT, they are a combined -24. Johnson has a bit of a distraction on his plate, so Ill give it a pass. In fact the only 2 players with a + rating are Foligno and Brian Gibbons.
Sergei broke a finger and missed a few weeks, so McElhinney and Anton Forsberg had to shoulder the load. They didn’t do so well. Curtis is 1-5-1 and Forsberg got 1 start and lost. Bob is back, but the defense and lack of scoring is making him look bad. Bob is still great!
Time is slipping away fast. Brandon Dubinsky and Mark Letestu are skating and may be back soon. The rest of the IR has no time table. The record compared to last year is very similar, but they would need to play close to .750 hockey to make a push for the playoffs. I will always stay positive and root on this team no matter what. 45 wins out of 61 games, no biggie right?
There are 61 games left after tonight, and the CBJ need to 45 to get into the playoffs, if they can pull this off, it would epic. So stay on the bandwagon and cheer the guys on. I’ve been a fan since day 1, so I know how hard it is to stay on board. Tell all of the new fans that came on last year to hang on and join us. It’ll work out, I believe that!
About Jason Newland
