GDT: #62 Yinzers @ Your Columbus Blue Jackets

[Sore Loser]

Gotta agree. At some point you have to let your guys who "are flawed defensively" to just figure it out in the d zone. We had the momentum at the end of the 2nd but just could never pot that 3rd goal. To be honest I dont think it was ever coming, Pittsburgh's journeymen had our new team completely shutdown.

I agree with both of you ... but I would actually argue that Bjorkstrand has more than held his own defensively.

I think Torts is guilty of losing control a little bit. He knows he needs to get back in the game, so instead of rolling his four lines, it's the Panarin line every other shift to try to get a goal.

He has to learn to rely on some of his other talent. Totally a big issue with this team.

 

[Columbus Jack]

I agree with both of you ... but I would actually argue that Bjorkstrand has more than held his own defensively.

I think Torts is guilty of losing control a little bit. He knows he needs to get back in the game, so instead of rolling his four lines, it's the Panarin line every other shift to try to get a goal.

He has to learn to rely on some of his other talent. Totally a big issue with this team.

Oh I don't actually think that line is bad defensively. I was writing in the viewpoint of Torts. He is convinced that if you don't crash and bang, you are probably not good in the d zone. At some point your best players need to just play instead of micromanaging every minute.

 

[Long Live Lyle]

Yup , Torts being Torts . Sure wish he held himself to same accountability that he does to certain players . Also , Now that Wennberg is sticking around for the remainder of the year , you can’t tell me that he isn’t atleast better than Nash , or Dubinsky .

Nash seems like he’s playing better lately. I’d like to see Wennberg draw in on the wing on that line in place of Dubi. Just see at least what he can do.

 

[Robert]

How many of the exact same songs were played from the last time you went ? Game ops is beyond pitiful at Nationwide , and don’t get me wrong , it’s a loud deafening building , if the fans are engaged . Thing is , they aren’t . Slow transitions , and the same ole , same ole every night , gets old

I went to most games for the first ten years... Game ops where awesome... Planes flying, bombs dropping, film clips of hockey movies with players kicking butt, Gladiator and more... It all changed, became tempered, passive and non emotional...

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Post game... Torts refuses to comment on a Portzline question about Bob.... crickets.. hahaha

He was very depressed....

Number one issue according to Torts, NOT ENOUGH offense.

I don’t recall it being a question. It was more of a statement stating what bob said of his own performance. Something Torts had nothing to disagree with or add to.

 

[Johansen2Foligno]

How many of the exact same songs were played from the last time you went ? Game ops is beyond pitiful at Nationwide , and don’t get me wrong , it’s a loud deafening building , if the fans are engaged . Thing is , they aren’t . Slow transitions , and the same ole , same ole every night , gets old

Definitely a few. Mike Todd looks to have lost even the tepid enthusiasm he once had for his job.

There was an air of lethargy that permeated the entire arena. Even the Pens fans weren't that excited about their win

 

[Maylo]

Dzingel and Bjork got barely more TOI than the Nash gang. He resorted to his oft used MO of playing only two lines. Give Torts talent and he’ll find a way to waste it.

In these kind of games I always get to see the real Torts. And that guy I see is not a Stanley Cup coach

"We’re not going to skill our way in, we need to stay true to our identity."

 

[CBJ VGK]

"We’re not going to skill our way in, we need to stay true to our identity."

Didn't give the interference call much attention, other than the fact that I thought it was borderline and PIT always gets the call.

Then I saw an almost identical play in the DAL/VGK this evening, which was upheld. The league's reasoning: "Situation Room confirmed that the position of Radulov did not by itself impact Fleury’s ability to play his position in the crease and therefore no goaltender interference infractions occurred." -NHL

Are you kidding me?? And Jenner's foot, which Murray grazed on Jenner's way out of the crease, was?

F Toronto and F the Pens. NE Patriots of the NHL

 

[Theo Von]

just realized Robinson has now played 10 career games in the NHL and hasn't had a single point... which is mind blowing considering how well he has played in his role.

 

[Ruudukkopupuset]

“I don’t want to see excuses about tiredness, fixtures, schedules, or how many games. That is nothing.

When you have the illusion to fight until the end, to retain the title, the power and the energy to give you that, it is higher than any excuses you can find."

El Senor.

 

[EspenK]

Are we still a playoff lock?

Give it a rest ffs.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Give it a rest ffs.

So, no?

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Disgusting. That went about as poorly as it could have gone. I repeatedly threw up my hands (emphasis on "my hands") while watching. That's a crap way to start after what Jarmo did at the deadline.

That said, it's only the first of 21 games that will determine if the team makes the playoffs.

 

[Madifer]

An empty bottle of vodka, a hangover, a whining girlfriend is all whats left of yesterdays illusions.

The battle hasnt been lost, there is more ahead.

some parts of the game were very good!

 

[Madifer]

Disgusting. That went about as poorly as it could have gone. I repeatedly threw up my hands (emphasis on "my hands") while watching. That's a crap way to start after what Jarmo did at the deadline.

That said, it's the first of 21 games that will determine if the team makes the playoffs.

cheer up, there is this russian saying which goes like "the first pancake is always botched" so lets forgive them for screwing it up considering this batter is entirely different Maybe the pan wasnt hot enough or maybe the cook hasnt realized that the batter is a bit thicker than it normally is.

It should be fine!

 

[GoJackets1]

Many thoughts to share.

• The CBJ have to figure out a way to prevent goals going off our own guys. Goddamn, this happens a lot. Bob probably could've had one, but I think some of you don't know how hard it is for goalies to play deflections. It's damn near impossible, but I do think Bob should be better at it.
• Pens always get all of the damn bounces, and the calls that matter. I said it once already but Jones gets a penalty for a slash on Crosby's breakaway, and Crosby does the exact same thing to Jones 2 minutes later and it results in a goal. Going all the way back to Werenski being down on the ice, whenever we play the Pens, we play the Pens and the refs. Sure, there was contact with Murray on the Jones goal, but was it caused by Boone, or did it hinder Murray's ability to make the save? I think the answer is no to both questions.
• As a result of what I said previously, a lot of bad luck certainly went into this loss. I thought we carried a significant portion of the play.
• Everyone's criticism of Torts is absolutely correct. The man does not know how to use talent, or properly matchup lines, and we paid for it tonight. The loss is just as much on him as it is anybody else. We won't win a cup without a Trotz/Quenneville-esque coach.
• For an example of the previous bullet, on the first goal, Torts was able to send out whatever line he wanted against the Crosby line after a break, and he incorrectly picked our 9-95-13 line. It should've been extremely obvious to him that the 71-38-77 line should've matched up against Crosby. I'm astounded that it wasn't.
• Lots of chemistry issues today, which will be mitigated in the future, as long as Torts keeps his goddamn lines together.
• Harrington has been much better, but he was absolutely not able to handle a big game today. He looked like he used to, and we paid for it on the 4th goal. He has to be better, and I think he should sit when Murray comes back.
• Overall, if Cam converts that 3 on 0, or Jones' goal counts, this ends up a completely different game. Shit happens over the course of the season, and that's what happened tonight. As such, the reason this was such a bad loss is because of the timing, and that it was against the Pens. This game did not do much of anything to worry me about missing the playoffs or being unsuccessful a month from now. Hopefully, they'll win tomorrow, and Sat/Sun, and we'll be back to thinking we can go on a deep playoff run.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

• ...and that's what happened tonight. As such, the reason this was such a bad loss is because of the timing, and that it was against the Pens.

Quality overall assessment. This is the crux of the reaction to last night, for me. I felt nervous about it going in, for those very reasons.

EDIT:
It's a microcosm of the feeling going into the '17 playoffs. Sure, beating the Pens would be greatly affirming, but a loss would be magnified because of the matchup. This being the first game for the "all-in" Jackets and it being against the Pens... both of those things were going to magnify a loss. That's what happened.

 

[JacketsDavid]

A win would have been nice against a beat up Penguins team.
But lot of new guys getting use to each other. Torts especially needs to figure out what he has and how to deploy them.
Right now I'm still hoping we get hot and can make a run at home ice in first round. But will need the Islanders or Caps to fade a bit and for us to get hot.

 

[Monk]

So, no?

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

As a long time fan of this franchise, I'd like to just not feel like we're the butt of f***ing joke, which is how I feel this morning.

I know there are other games, but dammit why did it have to be this game and in this way at this time.

 

[Long Live Lyle]

So, no?

Nobody has said we’re a lock. People were perhaps getting a little too optimistic and carried away and I think you provide a good perspective to keep it in check, but people also don’t want to hear it (especially in that tone) right after we lose to the biggest thorn in our side.

Additionally (and this is the bigger point of contention from my end, since this is actually content-based, as opposed to the point in my first paragraph which is more about posting style/timing) is your insistence we need to do something crazy to make the playoffs, like a 7- or 8-game winning streak or 10-game point streak to make it. Honestly, we’re more likely to win the Stanley Cup than we are to miss the playoffs if we have “only” a 5- or 6-game winning streak: that’s how unrealistic you are to that side (obviously if the longest winning streak we have the rest of the year is 2 games, that doesn’t bode well, either).

All we need is only ONE of CAR/PIT to get X-1 points in 19 games (one fewer game than us) or MTL to get X-2 in 18 games (two fewer games than us).

Something like (and I haven’t looked at the schedule to know if the team we play 11 games from now is really good or not, this exercise isn’t a prediction): W W W L W OTL W L L W L W W W L L W L W W

^The above includes no winning streak more than three games. The hottest we get is a stretch of getting points in 6 out of 7. There are multiple multi-game regulation losing streaks/2-points-in-4-games stretches. Yet the above would give us 25 points (98 total). In order to miss, ALL (not just one or two, all three) of these would have to happen: CAR and PIT finish with 25 points in 19 games and MTL finishes with 24 points in 18 games.

Even if you change the last L of the year to a W and the L in the 11th game to a W, we’d have played a lot of good hockey, but still have no winning streak longer than 5 games and still have multiple times we lost back-to-back games in regulation. We’d finish with 29 points (102 total). CAR and PIT would have to finish with 29 in 19 and MTL would have to finish with 28 in 18 (and Washington would have to finish with 24 in 18, the NYI with 24 in 20).

I will never post on this site ever again if WC2 (no matter who it is, and even if we go on a 13-game winning streak and end up winning the division) ends up with 103+ points.

Philly needs a 7-game winning streak. Buffalo needs a 7-game winning streak. We (nor Pitt/CAR/MTL) do not.

ETA: Also, I’m not saying this team won’t go on a 7-game winning streak. They certainly have the capability. I’m saying they don’t need to. A 7-game winning streak would put us in home-ice-in-the-first-round conversation.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

As a long time fan of this franchise, I'd like to just not feel like we're the butt of ****ing joke, which is how I feel this morning.

I know there are other games, but dammit why did it have to be this game and in this way at this time.

It is ever this way for the CBJ. There has not been a lot of karmic justice in the history of the team. I wonder if it will ever change and, if so, what that will look like.

 

[MAHJ71]

Can only hope this was the let down that was needed to refocus the room after all of the moves over the weekend. Or at least thats the narrative I'm going with...

Many things come to mind to complain about ... but lets just get 2 on Thursday and go from there.

 

[KJ Dangler]

I’ll go out on a limb and say we are a lock for the playoffs . I think the team has an abundance of talent , in spite of Torts being our coach . Guys just need to play a few games together. Also , I think Torts needs to adjust his system slightly . There is plenty of talent to ditch the riverboat gambling , safe is death . As much as I despise Wennberg , because he vastly underperforms due to his compete level , not skill , I think he atleast should be mixed in on the 4th line . His face offs have vastly improved as of late . Also , Murray makes a huge difference as well . So, even though I have 0 confidence in Torts , I think the talent is too great , and I’m putting a stake in the ground , I guarantee they make the playoffs

 

[Ice9]

That was the game I figured we'd need to get out of the way with this new group. I hope it's the only one...