Tag: Columbus Blue Jackets

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In stunning fashion the Columbus Blue Jackets lead the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0

Embed from Getty Images Overwhelming favorites to win the Stanley Cup, the Tampa Bay Lightning look completely lost and over matched against the Columbus Blue Jackets. How did this happen? A closer looks shows us what has happened.

The Tampa Bay Lightning winners of 62 regular season games and 128 points in route to the Presidents Trophy, were heavily favored over the Blue Jackets. However, the Columbus Blue Jackets have shown they should not be treated lightly.

Game one of the playoffs saw the Lightning jump out to a 3-0 lead. Then the bottom dropped out. The Blue Jackets stunned Tampa and came back and won. Game two saw Columbus put the pedal to the metal and cruse to a 5-1 win and a 2-0 series lead.

David vs Goliath, Buster Douglas vs Mike Tyson pick your analogy. Columbus fought and barley made the playoffs. That does not matter. Tampa has looked like the 8th seed.

The Lightning star players have gone silent. Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point finished the season with 40 goals each and a combined 318 points!  Through two games they have zero goals and zero assists. Kutcherov and Point are -2 and Stamkos is -3. No hockey fan or writer saw that coming.

Heading back to Columbus, Kucherov has been suspended 1 game for a bad hit to the Blue Jackets, Markus Nutivaara. Dealing the Stanley Cup favorites what could be a death blow.

Another reason Columbus has taken control is they have been more physical than Tampa Bay. Blue Jackets defenders have punished Lightning offensive players. Columbus has been dominant on the forecheck knocking the Lightning off their game.

Sergei Bobrovsky has been unreal. After a shaky start to game one. Bobrovsky has looked like the two time Vezina Trophy winner. Since giving up 3 game one goals, Sergei Bobrovsky has stopped 40 of 41 shots. Proving his elite status and when he is on Bob is a game-changer.

What has set Columbus apart is they are getting scoring from all over the place. Tampa Bay has had no answers for the speed Columbus has. It has been a full Blue Jackets effort.

The Lightning had the top ranked power play and penalty kill during the regular season. Yet, Columbus is 3 for 6 with a man advantage and are a perfect 5 for 5 on the penalty kill.

The Lightning are in trouble leading head coach Jon Cooper to say his team is in “a five-alarm fire.”

 

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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Tampa Bay Lightning series preview

Embed from Getty Images In what could be one of Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella’s best coaching jobs to date, he somehow managed to rally a Blue Jackets team that had many different distractions this season. From pending free agents to a goalie who struggled for most of the season to find his game. Tortorella held the team together.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs! That is the good news. The bad news, the Tampa Bay Lightning awaits them. The same Lightning team that won 62 regular season games and racked up 128 points. The fourth best numbers seen by an NHL team, ever.

Tampa Bay lost back-to-back games only two time this season. The Lightning were so good they finished the season with a +103 goal differential. One more point the Tampa Bay Lightning were 3-0 verses Columbus this season.

So the real question is do the Blue Jackets have any real shot to slay the beast from the East? Let’s take a look.

The Columbus Blue Jackets absolutely need to steal a win at Tampa. Does not matter what game. They need to win on enemy ice to take home ice advantage away.

Two time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky who’s playoff struggles have been well documented needs to have the series of his life. Bobrovsky played very well coming down the stretch. That needs to carry over into the playoffs.

Last season the Blue Jackets jumped out to a 2-0 series lead over the Washington Capitols. Then they could not stay out of the sin bin. Penalties suffocated the team and Washington took the series. The Blue Jackets must stay out of the penalty box against Tampa or they will fair no better than last year.

Columbus goal scoring was great down the stretch. The Jackets outscored opponents 30-6. They are playing as well as any team right now. They need to keep that momentum up.

If Oliver Bjorkstrand can keep up his scoring the Jackets have something the Lightning do not. Secondary scoring off the bench.

The Blue Jackets defense needs to keep the play in front of them and not allow anything behind them. It will not be easy. But Tampa does not have the team speed Columbus does. I think this series could be closer than many.

 

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In a bit of a surprise the Columbus Blue Jackets call up top prospect

Embed from Getty Images 19 year old Alexandre Texier from Grenoble, France, has been called up by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He will join the team tonight as the Jackets take on the New York Rangers in a huge game for Columbus.  Texier has one of the highest ceilings in the entire Blue Jackets pipeline of prospects.

Alexandre Texier,  has a genuine chance to be special with his play. He plays both center and left wing.  Texier isn’t a one-dimensional player, he plays very well in the defensive end of the ice. Alexadre  is a dynamic offensive talent who is mature and can handle playing against any competition.

Current Columbus Blue Jacket Alexander Wennberg seems to have fallen out of favor with the entire Blue Jackets organization. His poor play and lack of goals at $5.4 million per season has placed him as a regular healthy scratch.

Tonight, the Columbus Blue Jackets will play their biggest game of the season. Win and they will enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team has once again scratched Wennberg in favor of  the speed demon Texier who possesses  good goal-scoring ability and puck-handling skills that set him above Wennberg skill wise.

If you can not tell I am VERY bullish on Alexadre Texier because he has the tools and pedigree to become a top-line player. Alexadre projects as having a point-per-game  potential.

The young player from France,  skates well, handles puck well and and also has  good sense. Very good upside. One more point, if fans want something else to drool over Texier has lightning fast speed. When he takes the ice tonight at Madison Square Garden Alexandre Texier will be the fastest player on the ice for both teams.

In what is critical to his development Texier rarely looks overmatched on the ice. That could be the reason Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen made the call to bring the young player up and give him ice time right off the bat. It is a daring move to be sure. But, it is a move that could pay high dividends for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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Columbus Blue Jackets sign defenseman Andrew Peeke

Embed from Getty Images Having just completed his third season at Notre Dame, Andrew Peeke totaled 119 games, 12 goals, 40 assists and a plus 20 rating. Peeke is a Columbus Blue Jackets second-round pick- No. 34 in 2016, he agreed to a three-year entry-level deal.

Andrew Peeke, was captain of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey team this season. He is a big, mobile defenseman that plays great in his own zone and gets the puck moving up ice quickly. Andrew Peeke is not a player that will put up great offensive numbers. For the Columbus Blue Jackets he does not need to.

It is a safe bet however, the Blue Jackets will encourage Peeke to shoot the puck more.  Andrew has a terrific shot and had an 8.8% shooting last season. In a move that is not typically seen in Columbus, Andrew Peeke is headed to the Blue Jackets, not the Cleveland Monsters.

The team is willing to burn through the first year of his entry level contract. The Blue Jackets have a log jam of talented defensive players, the team obviously sees something in Peeke that can help them coming down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Many NHL teams covet and put a premium on defenseman who are right handed puck movers. Which is exactly what Andrew Peeke is. Not only that but Andrew has  great size and strength. Strength is something that usually hampers rookies. Making his three seasons at Notre Dame valuable.

Andrew Peeke projects as a shutdown defenseman with some offensive upside. He should fit in with the Blue Jackets pretty quickly. During his time in college Peeke was a model of consistency. That is a trait general managers and coaches prize above all else.

Andre Peeke said he likes to watch a player like Seth Jones, a two-way player who can shut opponents down in the defensive zone while adding something in the offensive end, the two players are now teammates.

Andrew Peeke is expected to arrive in Columbus Ohio,  Monday afternoon.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets appear to be peaking at the right time

Embed from Getty Images The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to win a playoff series! That has been Blue Jackets fans thoughts the past two Stanley Cup Playoffs. One problem the team peaked too early during the season and fell apart in the playoffs. This season while the Jackets have had to fight for a playoff spot, they are getting hot at the right time of year.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, has been up and down in a widely inconsistent season for the usually steady neat-minder. “Bob” as he his known around Columbus Ohio, has found solid grounding since March. Posting an even strength save percentage of .953.

Columbus is sort of in a sweet spot if you will. The team is currently in the wild-card, they could also grab one of the top seeds. Not only is Bobrovsky hot, but suddenly the Blue Jackets season long struggle to score goals is gone.

Lead by 40 goal scorer Cam Atkinson the Jackets have scored 11 goals in their last two games. The team is playing more confident as a whole. When head coach John Tortorella was asked about why his team has turned it on his answer was perplexing.

“No idea, if we did we could have avoided a lot of headache.” While to a casual hockey fan that sounds like a stupid answer it really is not. A closer look shows us that hockey players and teams feed off of each other like in no other sport.

In hockey it only takes one or two guys to get hot then suddenly everyone around them heats up as well. Case and point Bobrovsky and Atkinson. “Bob” gets hot allowing the defense to play more relaxed in front of him. While 40 goals from Atkinson sounds like and it is. He went through scoring droughts of his own during the season. Now hot, the rest of the Blue Jackets offense is hot.

This season looks different for the Blue Jackets. Talent has never been an issue in Columbus. Peaking to soon has bee a major issue. This season the team has finally peaked at the right time of year. Leading many hockey people to say “watch Columbus in the playoffs.” This time it just may be true.

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Columbus Blue Jackets: Werenski

Embed from Getty Images The Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, has built the team from the back (goalie and defense) out. The Blueliners for the Blue Jackets, are the driving force of the team. Enter what many say will be the teams next captain Zach Werenski.

Drafted in the first round of the 2015 NHL draft out of the University of Michigan, the smooth skating tough checking Werenski, is already a fan favorite no small feat because of where he played his collage hockey.

He drives the Blue Jackets power play and is very skilled in the offensive end. Of all the Columbus Blue Jackets defensmen he is hands down the best passer on the team.

In only his second NHL season Zach, was named to the all-star team. He has outstanding vision and poise nothing rattles this kid.  Including, breaking his orbital bone in the 2017 NHL playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

His eye swollen and black and blue  Zach Werenski, came back out on the ice face shield and all and played. And just like that a kid from Michigan became an Ohio sports legend. Leaving his head coach John Tortorella, to tell the media “That kid has stones the size of this building.”

Zach, will be captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was capatin of a Michigan hockey team that won a National Championship. He is a born leader. The Columbus Blue Jackets are a better team because of him.

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Columbus Blue Jackets: Pierre Luc-Dubois

Embed from Getty Images The Columbus Blue Jackets, had been searching for a first line center. They found one in rookie Pierre Luc- Dubois. His growth this season has been nothing short of remarkable.

During the 2016 NHL  draft many experts full expected the Blue Jackets, to take Jesse Pujujarvi, and said to be electric scorer. Then came the shocker When Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen made the call Pujujarvi looked stunned Dubois looked stunned. But in the end it was the right pick.

Pierre, kind of flew under the radar. He started making a name for himself a month before the draft. He has elite speed great hands and is fearless on the boards. At 6′ 3″ he is a good size for center.

He plays on the first line in Columbus,  with Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin. That’s realy good company. Dubois has  earned the right to anchor the top line. 20 goals and new Columbus Blue Jackets rookie record 48 points tell part of the story.

His want to continue to play sound defense should not be over looked. He has improved through the season on faceoffs and forechecking. Pierre Luc-Dubois is the total package.

Fans of the Blue Jackets, should enjoy watching his career unfold as he is only going to improve. The 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us. If you have not seen him play. You should tune in.