Canucks 7 Blue Jackets 3
Posted 12:56 PM ET | Comments 1
Hands up if you called the score in this one? Yeah, no one could have predicted this one, even as bad as the Blue Jackets have been lately I don't think anyone would have foreseen this. Especially they way they found themselves up 2-0 early in the first. Instead of seizing the opportunity, the Jackets looked bewildered, and a mere 29 seconds after Kristian Huselius made it 2-0, Rick Rypien fired a wobbling puck past Steve Mason, and I swear you could hear the entire team let out a huge "OMG here we go again"-type exhalation. 24 seconds later, the Sedins set up Alex Burrows for his 1st of 3 on the night, and as odd as it sounds as that tied the game, the rout was on. A little over 8 minutes later Burrows struck again, on a carbon copy of the 1st goal, and the Canucks went to the dressing room up by 1 after they had trailed by 2. Henrik Sedin made it 4-2 with his 20th of the season (that line combined for 9 points), but that goal was quickly answered by Kris Russell of Columbus. While Russell had a decent game for the Jackets (about the only player you could say played well for Columbus), that goal was all Aaron Rome, standing in front of the net as though he were waiting for a cab, Russell's shot careening in off his shinpads. Meh. To the pressbox with you, Rome! Ahem. Though it was the 5 on 5 play that killed the Jackets (as it has all season) The Canucks did get a PP goal. Some good work in the corner by Daniel Sedin forced a turnover to Sami Salo who wired one off the post and in. 5-3 and that it got weird. The Jackets appeared to clear the puck out of the zone, but it bounced off a linesman and over to Ryan Kesler, who quickly fed Mikeal Samuelsson. The salty-mouthed Swede fired it past Mason and at 6-3, Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock had seen enough, pulling last years Calder trophy winner and replacing him with Mathieu Garon. Garon let in one in the 3rd, a shorthanded marker from Burrows, on a nice pass from Ryan Kesler for the hat trick. Canucks were 1-3 on the PP while they successfully killed off all 5 Columbus PP's. Rick Nash, even with 2 assists was a non-factor in the game, effectively neutralized for the rest of the evening by the Canucks defense, who really settled down after the quick 2 goals in the first. Nash was a -2 for the night, which tells out about his game. Fedor Tyutin was a -3, while Salo and Burrows were both +3. The win moved the Canucks into a tie for 6th in West, getting the nod over LA and Nashville because they have more wins. They now sit one point back of Colorado, and 2 behind the new division leaders Calgary, who defeated the Predators 3-1 last night. Christian Ehrhoff is now a league leading +22, and Henrik is 1st in the scoring race, tied with Joe Thornton at 55 points, but with more goals. A day off for the Canucks before a shot at redemption against the Phoenix Coyotes Thursday, with a battle against the Flames looming Saturday.
good blog mate.