The Jackets headed into New Jersey with a lot of historical baggage. Their record against the Devils this season has been hellish. Dubinsky’s return was certainly welcome although it seemed apparent that the CBJ were embracing the tank by starting the game with Boll on his wing. I’ve got to give it to the squad, they really executed well tonight. Perhaps the best thing to see was that after taking the 1-0 lead early in the game, the Jackets didn’t seem to let up and allow a quick answer from the Devils.
3rd Star: Jordin Tootoo
CBJ fan favorite Jordin Tootoo got on the scoreboard tonight with a power play goal. I’m not sure who came up with the idea of Tootoo on the power play unit but he got in front of the net and buried the biscuit. I’ll begrudgingly acknowledge that Tootoo played hockey tonight.
2nd Star: Justin Falk
This poor guy had more changes on the scoresheet to his goal than New Jersey seemed to have shots on goal. Falk broke open the scoring with a healthy even strength blast from the point and was largely effective defensively although I’m sure he’d love to have an opportunity to adjust the way he played the goal that Harrold netted in the 3rd. Harrold absolutely undressed him. That said, I like this kid. It might be his name.
1st Star: Brandon Dubinsky
Wow. You always wonder if players returning will need to step into the water slowly and get used to the game speed. Dubinsky is not one of those players. He was immediately effective and did a great job capitalizing on a great stick move by Nick Foligno to create an odd man rush towards Schneider. His 2 points on the evening and 17 minutes logged remind us what a pillar of this team he is and how much better the Jackets are when he’s around.
Stud: David Savard
Not for the fight itself so much as he immediately let Bernier know that high shots on teammates would not be tolerated and there would be no waiting around for an enforcer to have to take the ice to send that message.
Dud: Bernier’s hit on Hartnell
I wonder if Bernier will set his phone to ‘do not disturb’ in hopes that if he doesn’t pick up he won’t get a call from player safety. Disappointing that the on-ice officials didn’t catch it in real-time.
The Jackets will head home from this short trip this evening to welcome Patrick Roy’s Colorado Avalanche who are above .500 but highly unlikely to steal one of the coveted wild card spots in the Western Conference. One thing’s for sure: if the games against the Capitals and Devils are any indication, more than likely both teams will exit Nationwide Arena with a little black & blue in what will surely be a hard-fought contest.
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