Ohio Jones
Game on...
CD -- Columbus
Maybe it was rust after finishing off their first-round opponents early, but the Jackets started last night's opener in their second-round series with St. Louis as though they were still on break. On a night of close matches, when all four HFNHL playoff games were decided by a single goal, the rusty Columbus Blue Jackets still managed to came back against a tough St. Louis squad to win game 1 of their second-round series.
The Blues, smarting from two losses to Columbus late in the season, dominated the first period with an 11-3 edge in shots and a number of big hits that had the Jackets skating on their heels. With the play almost entirely in the Columbus end Martin Brodeur was under seige, and he eventually caved under the onslaught as the Blues' Vincent Lecavalier scored his first of the post-season at 10:05, one-timing a Zdeno Chara feed high on the short side.
The pressure mounted to start the second period as Sergei Samsonov scored his third of these playoffs at 0:22, jamming home the puck during a goal-mouth scramble. Lecavalier and Chara picked up their second points of the night on the play.
Head Coach Mike Babcock, furious with the lackadaisical play of his top lines, gave his grinders a chance to set a different tone, and they delivered, cycling the puck down low in the St. Louis end and eventually having a cross-ice pass go in off the skate of a Blues defender. The goal, at 2:06 of the second, was attributed to Mike Leclerc from Bob Boughner and Chris Gratton, demonstrating Babcock's confidence in rolling four lines.
Following the goal St. Louis seemed a bit shaken - not displaying the confidence one would expect from a veteran team that had made quick work of their higher-seeded round 1 opponents. The Blues' trap began to break down and the swift-skating Jackets forwards took advantage, outshotting the Blues 11-7. Linemates Slava Kozlov and Mike York were the most busy, taking advantage of an early second-period injury to standout Blues defender Derian Hatcher to pressure the Blues, resulting in two more goals before the close of the period to put the Jackets ahead 3-2.
The Blues came out for the third much more determined, and we got to see some of what the rest of this series could hold - two physical, defensively sound teams grinding away at each other. Shots were about even as both Brodeur and Blues goalie Nikolai Khabibulin were tested, but neither would falter and the Jackets went on to a 3-2 decision.
The Jackets' special teams were perfect last night, with the powerplay going 1-for-1 and the penalty kill successfully killing off both St. Louis powerplays, but the Jackets will have to enjoy a lot more of that kind of success against St. Louis in order to make up for a dismal performance at both ends of the ice in the opening round versus Chicago.
Despite the result and the discipline his players showed, Babcock was disappointed. "A win's a win", he said, "but that should have been a loss for us - Marty made the difference. We didn't generate enough chances, we were outhit, we lost battles in the corners, especially in that first period. Our practice this morning is going to focus on getting the jump back in our legs."
It will be interesting to see which Jackets team shows up for the start of tonight's match.
Milo Minderbinder
Columbus Discoverer
Maybe it was rust after finishing off their first-round opponents early, but the Jackets started last night's opener in their second-round series with St. Louis as though they were still on break. On a night of close matches, when all four HFNHL playoff games were decided by a single goal, the rusty Columbus Blue Jackets still managed to came back against a tough St. Louis squad to win game 1 of their second-round series.
The Blues, smarting from two losses to Columbus late in the season, dominated the first period with an 11-3 edge in shots and a number of big hits that had the Jackets skating on their heels. With the play almost entirely in the Columbus end Martin Brodeur was under seige, and he eventually caved under the onslaught as the Blues' Vincent Lecavalier scored his first of the post-season at 10:05, one-timing a Zdeno Chara feed high on the short side.
The pressure mounted to start the second period as Sergei Samsonov scored his third of these playoffs at 0:22, jamming home the puck during a goal-mouth scramble. Lecavalier and Chara picked up their second points of the night on the play.
Head Coach Mike Babcock, furious with the lackadaisical play of his top lines, gave his grinders a chance to set a different tone, and they delivered, cycling the puck down low in the St. Louis end and eventually having a cross-ice pass go in off the skate of a Blues defender. The goal, at 2:06 of the second, was attributed to Mike Leclerc from Bob Boughner and Chris Gratton, demonstrating Babcock's confidence in rolling four lines.
Following the goal St. Louis seemed a bit shaken - not displaying the confidence one would expect from a veteran team that had made quick work of their higher-seeded round 1 opponents. The Blues' trap began to break down and the swift-skating Jackets forwards took advantage, outshotting the Blues 11-7. Linemates Slava Kozlov and Mike York were the most busy, taking advantage of an early second-period injury to standout Blues defender Derian Hatcher to pressure the Blues, resulting in two more goals before the close of the period to put the Jackets ahead 3-2.
The Blues came out for the third much more determined, and we got to see some of what the rest of this series could hold - two physical, defensively sound teams grinding away at each other. Shots were about even as both Brodeur and Blues goalie Nikolai Khabibulin were tested, but neither would falter and the Jackets went on to a 3-2 decision.
The Jackets' special teams were perfect last night, with the powerplay going 1-for-1 and the penalty kill successfully killing off both St. Louis powerplays, but the Jackets will have to enjoy a lot more of that kind of success against St. Louis in order to make up for a dismal performance at both ends of the ice in the opening round versus Chicago.
Despite the result and the discipline his players showed, Babcock was disappointed. "A win's a win", he said, "but that should have been a loss for us - Marty made the difference. We didn't generate enough chances, we were outhit, we lost battles in the corners, especially in that first period. Our practice this morning is going to focus on getting the jump back in our legs."
It will be interesting to see which Jackets team shows up for the start of tonight's match.
Milo Minderbinder
Columbus Discoverer
