http://dispatch.com/bluejackets/blue...01.html&chck=t
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JACKETS 3 | WILD 2, SHOOTOUT
Leclaire’s first win comes in shootout
Balastik scores winner on Jackets’ third attempt
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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ST. PAUL, Minn. — It was hard for the Blue Jackets to decide which milestone to celebrate last night.
Goaltender Pascal Leclaire earned his first NHL victory, center Sergei Fedorov played in his 1,000 th NHL game and the Blue Jackets beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout last night in the Xcel Energy Center.
It’s only the second time all season the Blue Jackets have won backto-back games, and the first time they’ve done so on the road.
"More than anything else," Fedorov said, "we needed a win. . . . That’s the most important thing."
Jaroslav Balastik, the third Jackets shooter, scored the only goal in the shootout, a simple but effective little wrist shot that passed over the right shoulder of Minnesota goaltender Manny Fernandez.
"We won a second straight game," Balastik said. "That’s very good for us."
The only sobering thought on this night concerned rookie forward Gilbert Brule, who suffered a left leg injury midway through the third period and did not return. More will be known today, but the club might have to call up yet another player from Syracuse.
Leclaire, appearing in his seventh NHL game, was at his flexible, flashy best. In the shootout, he became impenetrable, stopping Marian Gaborik, Mikko Koivu and Randy Robitaille.
He had been 0-6 for the Blue Jackets.
"They say the first win is always the most difficult," Leclaire said. "This being my (seventh) game, obviously I was thinking about it a little bit, when it was going to happen.
"This was a fun night. It’s real exciting. Now it’s off my head a little bit."
Leclaire made 32 saves, including stopping 14 of 15 shots in the third period.
"I felt he was the best player out there, for sure," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "He kept them in the game.
"We put a lot of pressure on him in the second and third periods."
Leclaire stopped several primo looks for the Wild, including two in the final 20 seconds of the second period. With 1.9 seconds left, Gaborik snuck in on the near post and bounced the puck off the far post.
Other than that, Gaborik’s many scoring chances were swallowed whole by Leclaire.
"(Leclaire) played well," Gaborik said. "Maybe we should have put more shots high on him. He was down on most of them."
Trevor Letowski and Duvie Westcott scored for the Blue Jackets, both in the first period. With Westcott’s goal at 18:53, the Jackets led 2-0 for only the second time all season.
The Wild slowly crept back into it. Koivu scored early in the second and Robitaille tied the score with 6:33 left in regulation. Robitaille was parked in the slot when he redirected a shot by Filip Kuba, skipping the puck down and past Leclaire’s right pad extended.
"I think that’s the only way they were going to beat (Leclaire), honestly," Blue Jackets coach Gerard Gallant said.
The Blue Jackets could have — should have? — won it in overtime, but they failed to score despite having a 4-on-3 advantage for four of the five minutes.
On to the shootout, when Gallant showed some guts in his shooter selection.
Letowski went first because he scored to give the Jackets a shootout win over the Wild on Oct. 28 in Nationwide Arena.
Fedorov was next in line. No questions there, he’s Sergei Fedorov.
Balastik was a curious choice, especially with skillful forwards David Vyborny and Nikolai Zherdev on the bench.
"The third choice was Balastik because he shoots the puck very hard," Gallant said. "I think he was 3 for 4 in the preseason.
"He’s a sniper. He shoots the puck. I just had a good feeling with him."
aportzline@dispatch.com
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and on manny malhotras injury
http://dispatch.com/bluejackets/blue...201-D8-03.html
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BLUE JACKETS | NOTEBOOK
Back spasms keep Malhotra on bench
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>CHRIS POLYDOROFF | KNIGHT RIDDER </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Sergei Fedorov of the Blue Jackets applies a hit to Stephane Veilleux of the Wild. Fedorov played in his 1,000 th NHL game last night. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Manny Malhotra, one of the few offensive bright spots for the Blue Jackets, was a late scratch from last night’s game against the Minnesota Wild in the Xcel Energy Center.
Malhotra experienced back spasms toward the end of yesterday’s morning skate. He’s questionable for tonight’s game in St. Louis.
Jaroslav Balastik, who likely would have been a healthy scratch last night, took Malhotra’s spot in the lineup.
Malhotra had been centering the Blue Jackets’ No. 2 line, with rookie Gilbert Brule on his left and David Vyborny to his right.
In recent games, that line has been the Blue Jackets’ most dangerous in terms of creating scoring chances.
Malhotra, with 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) is third on the team in scoring. His 13 assists have already matched a career high set during the 2003-04 season, and his minus-1 rating is tops among Blue Jackets who have played more than eight games.
Malhotra’s 54 percent faceoff winning percentage is 13 th in the NHL among players with 300 or more faceoffs.
Welcomed move
Defenseman Ron Hainsey joined the Blue Jackets yesterday morning, a day after he was claimed off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens.
"I’m absolutely excited," Hainsey said. "I want to play in the NHL, and I look at this like it’s a fresh start for me."
Hainsey, 24, was the 13 th overall choice in the 2000 draft but had played only 32 games with the Canadiens.
He’s the second defenseman the Canadiens have lost on waivers to the Blue Jackets in 14 months. In September 2004, the Blue Jackets took defenseman Francois Beauchemin, who recently was traded to Anaheim in the Sergei Fedorov trade. Last night, the Blue Jackets paired Hainsey with Luke Richardson on the No. 3 group.
Slap shots
Fedorov played his 1,000 th NHL game last night, becoming the first Russian to do so. Fedorov will be honored before the Dec. 8 game against the New York Islanders. Among the gifts from the organization will be an engraved watch. . . . Hainsey will wear No. 6, previously worn by Jamie Heward (2000-02) and Jamie Pushor (2003-04). . . . Defensemen Cale Hulse and Aaron Johnson were healthy scratches.
aportzline@dispatch.com
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no word yet on this years first round draft pick gilbert brules injury. he left the game after being slashed in the leg. last i heard his skates were off in the third period and he was headed for x rays.
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