Tag Archives: Boston Bruins

All-Star Break: Five Pleasant Surprises.

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Let us all catch our breath, re-charge and enjoy a fun weekend ahead in Ottawa at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. Then, a few days later, we get set for the unofficial second half of the NHL season. For the Blue Jackets, it has been an eventful first half of the season, but we’re starting to see glimpses of improved hockey and a lot of credit goes to interim head coach Todd Richards for, as he put it, “restoring some joy” to the locker room.

So far this season, we have seen the hard work and tireless preparation of a true professional be rewarded with a starting goaltender role in the NHL once again. We’ve seen a future franchise center grow into his skates and show he can be an impact player at this level, and the players recalled from Springfield (AHL) have shown us that the organizational pipeline contains kids who can make a difference. That’s what every team strives for.

Read more for my five pleasant surprises of the first half.

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What’s going on?

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I’ve been going over previous games in my head and re-watching game tape for the past few days, trying to find a common theme among previous (and upcoming) Blue Jackets opponents. Why were they so successful against Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver but struggled against Los Angeles and Boston?

To me, it’s pretty simple: when the Blue Jackets have played their “team” game, they can beat just about anyone. What’s part of that “team” game? Well, to name a few things: quality minutes from all four lines, boxing out in front of their goaltender and staying disciplined. They have defended well against skilled teams not allowed them to play in the attacking zone.

Look at the Sedins on Tuesday night — I can’t remember a single one of those “here we go again” shifts, the 60-to-90 second marathons that never seem to end. That’s what the twins are best at, and the Blue Jackets’ grinders (and top line, too) kept the puck 200 feet away from Steve Mason. Against the Kings, they got away from that and got caught up in a slow, “someone do something exciting” kind of game. Scott Arniel felt the game hung in the balance for most of the night, but defensive breakdowns plagued his team and Anze Kopitar had a hand in both Kings goals.

To sum it up: the Blue Jackets must defend well (tonight, I guess) against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that has 8-10 players capable of scoring goals at any time. Take away the speed of their defense, too, and you’ll be in good shape. They can’t start chasing the puck like they did vs. the Kings, because we know how that ended up.

I’ll check back in after the morning skate.