Different view for Todd Richards. Same results.
1. Boy, thank god we made that coaching change. Team worked hard. Special teams clicked. No weak goals. Strong defense. Took advantage of opportunities. Stars made star plays. Overcame adversity... Oh wait. The Jackets didn't do any of that. It was classic Jackets -- not enough big plays for and gave up too many big plays against. But hey, they did out shoot them!! Just one game right? Give it more time? Folks, it would take a nuclear bomb to change this tiger's stripes. How long until we see that "what in the hell did I get myself into" post game stare from Richards? Somewhere Arniel is smirking.
2. Let's talk more coaching since that was the topic of the night. Richards made a couple of tweaks. Brassard moved to the top line. Johansen back in the lineup in the top 6. Minutes were much more evenly distributed. Some things stayed the same like Nash not seeing much PK time and still isn't being used in front of the net on the PP (which I have no idea why that is). Clistome was a scratch which isn't a great sign when you're the first guy singled out for the press box by the new HC. None of these tweaks translated into much but I did like seeing Brass, Johansen, Moore and Savard with more ice time. Why not right? Although I do worry about their confidence which is why I'd like to see most of these young guys stay down on the farm away from this disaster.
3. Victor Stralberg with a hat trick? Seriously? This guy is not *that* good and the Jackets have no excuse for not being able to contain him. That makes two hat tricks given up in the past two games. Now that said -- Hossa, Kane and Toews are *that* good. We don't have one player on our team, and that includes Rick Nash, who consistently makes the skill plays in the ozone (or dzone for that matter) that those three make night in and night out. That play Hossa made on the first goal while on the PK is why he is one of the top 2 way players in the league. That was sick.
4. Howson was on during the first intermission and once again, he said a whole lot of nothing. He's meeting with his pro scouts next week to "formulate a plan", he's got his "eyes on the future" and wants to see how the team "settles in under the new coach". Here's a new flash Howson. This is the 3rd coach you will now be waiting to see how things settle with YOUR players. Again, this is not a coaching issue at this stage. It's a systemic culture of losing that Arniel, along with Howson and Priest, have failed to cure. Time for some new doctors.
5. Sanford made a some big saves early otherwise this game would have been over by the 3rd period. That 4th goal was a back breaker though. He's got to have that one. He was completely fooled and no excuse not to make that save. Just 20 of 24 tonight for the Sandman with a dreadful .833 Save%.
6. The top line was just horrendous from a defensive standpoint. Between Prospal, Nash and Brass they were a collective -7. I noticed them on MULTIPLE occasions gliding back into their own zone be at the end of shifts or just plain laziness. It's unacceptable. I don't care how many shots Nash had, they weren't that good from an offensive standpoint either. Just not a lot of high percentage looks. Nash wasn't nearly as involved as he was against Anaheim and that is his problem. Too inconsistent. Out of the three, I actually thought Brassard was the most effective.
EXTRA SHOTS:
Credit to the officials tonight. I thought they called a good game and for once, got the instigator penalties correct. Apparently any hard hit provokes a fight these days. Credit to Boll for doin his role well as he drew three minors. Bout time Umberger and Vermette both got on the board. Jackets still not shutout this season. Jackets are now 3-5 when a new coach makes his debut. The very first PP actually looked like an NHL quality PP. Unfortunately it didn't covert and then the rest of the PP's were the same ole same ole. Too many bobbled pucks, bad decisions, lost battles and ill advised entries. Do you like water skiing? If so, you will like Kubalik's defense on that 2nd goal. Nikitin's D wasn't any better on goal 1. Savard looked like a keystone cop on goal 5. Only Eric Staal's -24 is worse than Nash's -22. The Jackets have a league worst -41 goal differential. They are on pace to score just 198 total goals this season. They scored 215 last year and 216 the year before. One thing I can say with certainty -- it appears the Jackets have finally figured out how to tank properly.
The good news? Nail Yakupov's injury from the WJC isn't as bad as first feared. He should be back playing in 3 to 4 weeks.
More good news? Anaheim won again. The Jackets now hold a 5 point cushion on their place in the league's placement.
The Jackets ended 1-3 on this road trip. They are on pace for 54 points this season. The franchise's worst is 57 points from year #2. But this is just a coaching problem.
Their next game is Friday @ home versus Rusty Klesla's Phoenix Coyotes.
-LTL
