Ohio Jones
Game on...
CD - Columbus
The Jackets held on for a 2-1 win over the visiting Ottawa Senators tonight, with star center Mike Modano watching from the Press Box. The win extends their franchise-record winning streak to 13 games.
Modano received a possible concussion in the Jackets' last game after a late hook sent him crashing into the boards at the Shark Tank in San Jose.
In his absence, Jackets scoring leader Slava Kozlov stepped up and led former linemates Mark Bell and Jeremy Roenick, while Henrik Sedin stepped in between Mike York and Brendan Shanahan.
After a scoreless first in which the Jackets and Senators traded chances, the Jackets started the second period off with a goal in the first minute from none other than Kozlov, assisted by Bell and Roenick. The Jackets controlled play throughout the period, with 13 shots to Ottawa's 7, and were rewarded with a second goal late in the period, this from Shanahan with assists from York and Adrian Aucoin, who extends his scoring lead among Jackets blueliners.
Martin Brodeur, who looked sharp all night after a couple of soft goals in San Jose, was perfect until early in the third period, when the Sens' Viktor Kozlov managed to bang home Alex Karpovtsev's rebound in the crease before Brodeur could freeze it. Brodeur shrugged off the goal, however, and that was as close as the Sens would get.
Following the game, the Jackets announced that Modano - who had been previously listed as out for at least a week - had cleared all doctors' tests earlier in the day, and would be a game-time decision when the Jackets face off against the Flyers in Philadelphia tomorrow night. The Flyers are coming off an 8-1 drubbing at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, so they can be expected to have something to prove tomorrow. Jackets Head Coach Mike Babcock said they may decide to keep Modano out, as a precaution.
"We played well tonight against a very tough team, we played well defensively, and came away with the win", Babcock told reporters. "I'm comfortable going into tomorrow night with our current lineup, but of course any time you can add a player of Mike's skill and leadership, you want to do it. He wants to be in there too, but head injuries can be tricky. We'll have to play it by ear."
* * *
Central Division rival Detroit GM Drew Niece, who recently fired his entire medical staff after repeated misdiagnoses and longer-than-expected recovery times for his injured players, and whose team has been in a free-fall since trading starting goaltender Olaf Kolzig and checking center Wes Walz, is reported as having had this to say when he heard about Modano's swift recovery: "@#$%^& figures."
Milo Minderbinder
Columbus Discoverer
The Jackets held on for a 2-1 win over the visiting Ottawa Senators tonight, with star center Mike Modano watching from the Press Box. The win extends their franchise-record winning streak to 13 games.
Modano received a possible concussion in the Jackets' last game after a late hook sent him crashing into the boards at the Shark Tank in San Jose.
In his absence, Jackets scoring leader Slava Kozlov stepped up and led former linemates Mark Bell and Jeremy Roenick, while Henrik Sedin stepped in between Mike York and Brendan Shanahan.
After a scoreless first in which the Jackets and Senators traded chances, the Jackets started the second period off with a goal in the first minute from none other than Kozlov, assisted by Bell and Roenick. The Jackets controlled play throughout the period, with 13 shots to Ottawa's 7, and were rewarded with a second goal late in the period, this from Shanahan with assists from York and Adrian Aucoin, who extends his scoring lead among Jackets blueliners.
Martin Brodeur, who looked sharp all night after a couple of soft goals in San Jose, was perfect until early in the third period, when the Sens' Viktor Kozlov managed to bang home Alex Karpovtsev's rebound in the crease before Brodeur could freeze it. Brodeur shrugged off the goal, however, and that was as close as the Sens would get.
Following the game, the Jackets announced that Modano - who had been previously listed as out for at least a week - had cleared all doctors' tests earlier in the day, and would be a game-time decision when the Jackets face off against the Flyers in Philadelphia tomorrow night. The Flyers are coming off an 8-1 drubbing at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, so they can be expected to have something to prove tomorrow. Jackets Head Coach Mike Babcock said they may decide to keep Modano out, as a precaution.
"We played well tonight against a very tough team, we played well defensively, and came away with the win", Babcock told reporters. "I'm comfortable going into tomorrow night with our current lineup, but of course any time you can add a player of Mike's skill and leadership, you want to do it. He wants to be in there too, but head injuries can be tricky. We'll have to play it by ear."
* * *
Central Division rival Detroit GM Drew Niece, who recently fired his entire medical staff after repeated misdiagnoses and longer-than-expected recovery times for his injured players, and whose team has been in a free-fall since trading starting goaltender Olaf Kolzig and checking center Wes Walz, is reported as having had this to say when he heard about Modano's swift recovery: "@#$%^& figures."
Milo Minderbinder
Columbus Discoverer