Ohio Jones
Game on...
CD - Detroit
Most of the time, one expects a Round 1 series between the 4th and 5th seeds to be pretty even. Of course, it doesn't always work that way, as teams might match up differently, or have different momentum heading into the series.
The Blue Jackets and Red Wings, however, seem to have taken "balance" to a new level. For the second consecutive night, these two teams had to go to overtime to decide a winner in their tightly-contested series. Fortunately for our Blue Jackets, who were facing elimination, they came out the victors this time thanks to Phillippe Boucher, whose rocket from the high slot beat Olaf Kolzig to keep the Jackets alive for at least one more night.
The tale of the tape shows just how close this series really is: Wins: Detroit 3, Columbus 2; Shots: Detroit 147, Columbus 141; Powerplays: Detroit 2 for 15, Columbus 3 for 14. In games 1, 2 and 5, the teams were within 2 shots of each other. In game 3, Columbus outshot Detroit by 10; in game 4, Detroit outshot Columbus by 18 (accounting for the difference in shots on the series).
Game 4 was the hardest in the series to date for the Jackets: despite having been hugely outshot, they carried a 2-0 lead into the third period thanks to simply spectacular play by Martin Broduer. But the bubble burst at 12:15 of the third as Niklas Lidstrom woke up, earning his first of three consecutive assists (the final one came at 2:26 of the extra frame) to put the Jackets into their current must-win position. Clearly rattled, the Jackets were no match for the surging Wings in the extra frame.
Which brings us to game 5. Once again saw the Jackets worked up a 2-goal lead only to watch it evapourate, forcing overtime. After the disappointment of the previous game, one could perhaps have understood if the Jackets were gripping their sticks a little tight, and had the Wings put the last nail in the Jackets' coffin last night, few would have been surprised. Instead, strong work down low from the tandem of Mike York and Brendan Shanahan, who had been hot all night, set up the juicy rebound in the slot that Boucher hammered home to bring the series back to the Nationwide Arena.
Shanahan, who had a goal and three points in game 5 and leads the Jackets with 3 goals and 7 points in the series, explained the Jackets' recovery.
"We were pretty down after Game 4, no question. I mean, (the Wings) were taking it to us pretty heavily throughout that game, and yet we were winning by two goals late in the third, and then the floodgates opened. Marty was amazing, and we just didn't give him any help. So we had to come away from that, and say 'All right, that was one game, but next game is a different story'.
"But then when we came into last night's game, it was the same thing: we had a two goal lead, then we forgot our jobs, and found ourselves back facing overtime. (Head Coach) Mike (Babcock) just walked in and said 'OK, we were here last night, and we couldn't take it. Now our season is on the line. Are we gonna roll over again, or are we gonna show these guys that we deserve to be here?'
"Well, we hadn't been outplayed all game like the one before, so we had a little more confidence, and once again Marty was there for us making a couple of incredible saves, and then we got the puck low. There was no way we wanted to end our season like that, with our tail between our legs, so we made it happen. We got the bounce, and we jumped on it.
"Hopefully that gives us a little more momentum heading into tonight at home."
Mike York, Shahan's centre through most of hte last three months, offered this: "The fans have been great, coming out and supporting the team all through our run in the second half and really being excited. This is their first taste of playoff hockey, and we don't want it to end here. We win tonight and it's down to a one-game series. And we've already proved last night we can win at the Joe (Joe Louis Arena in Detroit). Our fans deserve the best we can give them, and we have every reason to believe that our best should be able to beat the Wings. Hoefully tonight won't be the last home game of the year."
Tonight's game is a 7:00 PM start. Round 1 tickets sold out almost instantly, but a pair can be had from scalpers if you don't mind parting with $1,000. Each.
Sounds like the hockey bug has bitten Ohio. And it wears a blue jacket.
Milo Minderbinder
Columbus Discoverer
Most of the time, one expects a Round 1 series between the 4th and 5th seeds to be pretty even. Of course, it doesn't always work that way, as teams might match up differently, or have different momentum heading into the series.
The Blue Jackets and Red Wings, however, seem to have taken "balance" to a new level. For the second consecutive night, these two teams had to go to overtime to decide a winner in their tightly-contested series. Fortunately for our Blue Jackets, who were facing elimination, they came out the victors this time thanks to Phillippe Boucher, whose rocket from the high slot beat Olaf Kolzig to keep the Jackets alive for at least one more night.
The tale of the tape shows just how close this series really is: Wins: Detroit 3, Columbus 2; Shots: Detroit 147, Columbus 141; Powerplays: Detroit 2 for 15, Columbus 3 for 14. In games 1, 2 and 5, the teams were within 2 shots of each other. In game 3, Columbus outshot Detroit by 10; in game 4, Detroit outshot Columbus by 18 (accounting for the difference in shots on the series).
Game 4 was the hardest in the series to date for the Jackets: despite having been hugely outshot, they carried a 2-0 lead into the third period thanks to simply spectacular play by Martin Broduer. But the bubble burst at 12:15 of the third as Niklas Lidstrom woke up, earning his first of three consecutive assists (the final one came at 2:26 of the extra frame) to put the Jackets into their current must-win position. Clearly rattled, the Jackets were no match for the surging Wings in the extra frame.
Which brings us to game 5. Once again saw the Jackets worked up a 2-goal lead only to watch it evapourate, forcing overtime. After the disappointment of the previous game, one could perhaps have understood if the Jackets were gripping their sticks a little tight, and had the Wings put the last nail in the Jackets' coffin last night, few would have been surprised. Instead, strong work down low from the tandem of Mike York and Brendan Shanahan, who had been hot all night, set up the juicy rebound in the slot that Boucher hammered home to bring the series back to the Nationwide Arena.
Shanahan, who had a goal and three points in game 5 and leads the Jackets with 3 goals and 7 points in the series, explained the Jackets' recovery.
"We were pretty down after Game 4, no question. I mean, (the Wings) were taking it to us pretty heavily throughout that game, and yet we were winning by two goals late in the third, and then the floodgates opened. Marty was amazing, and we just didn't give him any help. So we had to come away from that, and say 'All right, that was one game, but next game is a different story'.
"But then when we came into last night's game, it was the same thing: we had a two goal lead, then we forgot our jobs, and found ourselves back facing overtime. (Head Coach) Mike (Babcock) just walked in and said 'OK, we were here last night, and we couldn't take it. Now our season is on the line. Are we gonna roll over again, or are we gonna show these guys that we deserve to be here?'
"Well, we hadn't been outplayed all game like the one before, so we had a little more confidence, and once again Marty was there for us making a couple of incredible saves, and then we got the puck low. There was no way we wanted to end our season like that, with our tail between our legs, so we made it happen. We got the bounce, and we jumped on it.
"Hopefully that gives us a little more momentum heading into tonight at home."
Mike York, Shahan's centre through most of hte last three months, offered this: "The fans have been great, coming out and supporting the team all through our run in the second half and really being excited. This is their first taste of playoff hockey, and we don't want it to end here. We win tonight and it's down to a one-game series. And we've already proved last night we can win at the Joe (Joe Louis Arena in Detroit). Our fans deserve the best we can give them, and we have every reason to believe that our best should be able to beat the Wings. Hoefully tonight won't be the last home game of the year."
Tonight's game is a 7:00 PM start. Round 1 tickets sold out almost instantly, but a pair can be had from scalpers if you don't mind parting with $1,000. Each.
Sounds like the hockey bug has bitten Ohio. And it wears a blue jacket.
Milo Minderbinder
Columbus Discoverer
