Five months ago I had circled this date on my calendar, purchased tickets and smiled at the thought of two playoff-bound division rivals going toe-to-toe as they entered the final stretch of the regular season. Well, things don’t always work out as planned and you could consider this one of my biggest fortune-telling blunders.
Regardless, this journey into Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center was still one of the more entertaining experiences. What could any Pittsburgh fan say or do to my hopes and dreams that this team hasn’t done already?
The lineup that Columbus iced against the most successful divisional opponent of the past decade was a far cry from what any of us could have expected just a few months ago. However, this was my first chance to ever really watch David Clarkson live. (More on him in a bit.)
The Good: Ryan Johansen
The only answer the Jackets had to counter the Penguins offensive prowess was Ryan Johansen who has really begun to get physical and use his stick to create turnovers, while utilizing his speed in the neutral zone to take advantage of those situations to force scoring chances. In the first shift of the game, Johansen knocked Sid Crosby off of the puck in the neutral zone which led to the Jackets getting the first scoring chance of the game just seconds in. Only a few minutes later, Johansen knocked the pucked away from a Penguins defender (Despres maybe?) in the defensive zone which he and Cam Atkinson quickly turned into a 2-on-1 as they sped through the neutral zone. If it wasn’t for Marc Andre Fleury’s incredible timing, Cam should have had the first goal of the game.
Johansen would continue to dominate throughout the rest of the game, assisting on the first goal, scoring a shorthanded goal, and forcing the turnover on the last goal.
At this point, Johansen is the only player worth watching on this roster and any time he isn’t on the ice, I find myself waiting for him to come back out.
The Bad: This Roster
This point has probably been made by another writer here at some point. Most of this can be blamed on injuries, and blamed on the medical staff. (Has anyone been fired yet?) Last season was a thrill to watch Boone Jenner’s physicality and hockey IQ, Ryan Murray’s ability to move the puck out of the defensive zone, Brandon Dubinsky’s passion and leadership, and Sergei Bobrovsky shut the door through the last two months of the season.
It’s just a sham right now. However, we still know what this roster is made of, and with a healthy lineup next season we might recapture the magic that was from the season before.
The Ugly: Discipline
The Jackets have always had a problem with taking too many penalties and losing games due to their sub-par penalty kill. Tonight was no different as they allowed the Penguins to win the game early in the second due to two quick penalties, forcing a 5-on-3 which led to two quick goals.
Has a team ever taken two delay of game penalties, and another delay of game penalty for closing their hand on the puck in one game?
David Clarkson
Obviously, I was very interested to see what Clarkson would try to do tonight. In the pregame warm-up he had the most pep in his step, and genuinely looked excited to be out on the ice with this team. Playing on a line with Scott Hartnell and Artem Anisimov, he went unnoticed throughout most of the game. Occasionally a play would move past him, but he wasn’t ever out of position. The speed of the game that the Penguins play at is more than many players can keep up with. He wasn’t the only one getting left behind. As he grows to understand his teammates, he’ll become a decent contributor. He still seems to have developed good habits alongside Kovalchuk in New Jersey, and that should translate over in Columbus too.
Personally, he has something to prove right now and that has me excited.
Keep in mind, players are people too, and a different work environment does wonders for a tired and broken spirit.
More Thoughts
Pittsburgh’s resident analysts warned fans that they expected the Jackets to set the tempo of the game, establish a strong forecheck and use the power play to their full advantage. Unfortunately, Columbus only accomplished to set the tempo by slowing it down at times, dramatically. The top two lines for the Penguins controlled play, created scoring chances on the rush and by using the cycle to their advantage. The Jackets first line of Joey, Cam and Foligno seemed dominant against the Penguins first line, but using the home-ice advantage Mike Johnston was able to create favorable matchups throughout the game.
The Jackets just had no answer to the Penguins power play, allowing them to score on three of their six opportunities. In fact, everybody on the ice was guilty of watching the play happen in front of them and doing nothing to stop it.
@nickjbiss the Columbus D going with the "everyone face away from the play" technique there
— Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) March 2, 2015
What really irks me is that when Marko Dano is on the ice, good things usually happen. But the rookie only played 10 minutes last night, registering 3 shots on net. (That’s 18 shots/60.) The season is lost but the coaching staff still refuses to allow the younger players to get some real playing time, unless your name is Alexander Wennberg, who had one shot in over 16 minutes of ice time.
At some point, we may have to start being much more critical of this front office and coaching staff.
Tweet of the Game
Oh my god this bulldog is adorable.
Suite Life. At the @penguins game . #onlydoghere https://t.co/MhIR0wKZ2s
— Manny The Frenchie (@FrenchieManny) March 1, 2015
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