OFFICIAL Columbus Blue Jackets Thread

[jimotis4heisman]

http://www.nhl.com/scores/previews/417_2_preview.html

<table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="headline" align="center" bgcolor="#ded8b6" width="100%">NY Islanders at Columbus</td></tr> <tr><td align="center" valign="middle" width="50%"></td> <td align="center" valign="middle" width="50%"></td> </tr></tbody></table> <!-- End Header Table --><!-- Begin Head-to-Head Stats Table --><!-- End Head-to-Head Stats Table --><!-- <span jwcid="visitingTeamName" />-<span jwcid="homeTeamName" /> Preview
--><!-- Begin Article Body --> <!--This is a GAME PREVIEW--> Islanders-Blue Jackets Preview
<!-- Begin Article Body --> GAME: New York Islanders (14-12-1) at Columbus Blue Jackets (7-19-0).
TIME: Thursday, 7 p.m. EST.
Mike York got off to a slow start with the New York Islanders, but he's hoping his early season slump is behind him.



York looks to build on his strongest offensive performance of the season and lead the Islanders to their first-ever win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
York scored two goals and assisted on three in the Islanders' 6-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. York, who spent the previous three seasons with Edmonton, entered the game with just four goals and nine assists in 26 games.
"His production hasn't been what he would like or what we would like," coach Steve Stirling said. "But through all that, he still does the little things, still kills penalties, still does the things we need him to do."
York scored a career-high 26 goals in his rookie season of 1999-2000 for the New York Rangers and recorded a career-best 57 points (18 goals and 39 assists) for the Rangers in 2001-02. He had 16 goals and 26 assists for the Oilers last season.
"It was no different than any other night," said York, who also scored the winning goal in Sunday's 2-1 victory at Detroit. "Sometimes they're going in and sometimes they're not. Tonight, they were."
The five-point game was the second of York's career. He also had five against Boston on Jan. 23, 2002, while with the Rangers.
"It's always good to get off to a lead and get those goals," said York, who scored both of his goals Tuesday in the first period. "It wasn't a great period, but we came away with a 3-0 lead."
Mark Parrish added two goals, the first of which gave him 150 for his career, and 100 with the Islanders. New York has won three of four and is 7-3-1 in its last 11 games.
The Islanders have won four straight on the road for the first time since 2001.
"We did some positive things, but overall I don't think that was one of our better games," said goalie Rick DiPietro, who made 31 saves. "We did a good job of capitalizing on our quality chances and that was our difference."
The Islanders are 0-5-1 all-time against the Blue Jackets and lost their only meeting with Columbus in 2003-04.
The Blue Jackets have not played since last Thursday, when they lost 4-1 to St. Louis. The six days between games is the longest non-Olympic break for the team this season.
Jaroslav Balastik got his first career goal for Columbus, which had won two in a row since a seven-game losing streak. Goalie Pascal LeClaire had 40 saves a night after getting his first career victory in a 3-2 shootout victory over Minnesota.
The Blue Jackets placed center Manny Malhotra, who is nursing a back injury, on injured reserve before last Thursday's game.
STANDINGS (through Dec. 7): Islanders - 29 points, 3rd place, 11 PB, Atlantic Division. Blue Jackets - 14 points, 4th place, 26 PB, Central Division.
TEAM LEADERS: Islanders - Jason Blake and Miroslav Satan, 13 goals; Alexei Zhitnik, 19 assists; Alexei Yashin, 29 points; Janne Niinimaa, 52 PIM. Blue Jackets - David Vyborny, 6 goals; Malhotra, 13 assists; Vyborny and Bryan Berard, 16 points; Jody Shelley, 48 PIM.
SPECIAL TEAMS (through Dec. 7): Islanders - Power play 18.5 percent (30 for 162), 11th (tied) in NHL. Penalty killing: 83.2 percent (154 for 185), 9th. Blue Jackets - Power play: 10.1 percent (15 for 148), 30th. Penalty killing: 81.3 percent (148 for 182), 22nd.
GOALTENDERS: Islanders - DiPietro (10-9-1, 3.19 GAA); Garth Snow (4-3-0, 3.37). Blue Jackets - Marc Denis (3-11-0, 3.51); Martin Prusek (3-3-0, 3.22); LeClaire (1-5-0, 3.77).
2003-04 SEASON SERIES: Blue Jackets, 1-0.
LAST MEETING: Nov. 22, 2003; Blue Jackets, 2-1. At Columbus, Rick Nash and Todd Marchant scored for the Blue Jackets, who got both of their goals in the second period.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Islanders - 9-7-0 on the road; Blue Jackets - 4-8-0 at home.

and the tenative lines
http://dispatch.com/bluejackets/blue...00.html&chck=t

[jimotis4heisman]

foote and malhotra have been taken off the IR, expected ot play tonight against the isles.

http://bluejackets.com/news/press/arts/2745.0.html

[CrabMan]

Finally, a bit of good news. I'm hopeful the team will be completely healthy by next Tuesday.....I'll be in section 112, row B to cheer the boys on.

I'm glad to see Leclaire in the net tonight. Right now, he gives us the best chance of winning.

[jimotis4heisman]

sorry to break the bad news to you but nash/klesla target is the 20th (the jackets have a home game on the 21st)

[CrabMan]

Hadn't heard a date. Last report I heard was Nash has been skating for 4-5 days and would begin practicing Friday and would be considered day-to-day. Oh well....

[jimotis4heisman]

http://www.sportsline.com/nhl/injuries

its not the best but its ok ir report.

[CrabMan]

CBJ must have worked on the PP during their time off. PP goal by Zherdev 2 mins into the game.

[jimotis4heisman]

2-0 jackets, tally for the new captain on a 5-3 pp

[CrabMan]

And another PP goal, this one by Foote. The PP looks fantastic so far. The passing and movement has been excellent. Much better than at any other point of the season.

[jimotis4heisman]

3-3 through ot, shootout time. tune into this folks, most exciting thing in sports imo.

[CrabMan]

It's never easy for the CBJ. Take a stupid penalty late in the game which leads to a goal to tie it up.....barely hang on through OT.....win in a shootout. It wasn't always pretty, but I'll take a win anyway they can get one.

[scarletandgrey]

I'm really liking leclaire in these shootouts.

[jimotis4heisman]

i think pascal has earned his stay as the #1 goaltender. but i think they start denis tom down in atlanta. it is way to hard for a goaltender to go back to back. but, if pascal gets the start their will be zero questions who is #1.

[jimotis4heisman]

http://bluejackets.com/news/press/arts/2746.0.html

Three Power-Play Goals; Vyborny's SO Goal Lead Columbus To 4-3 Win Over New York

Pascal Leclaire Earns Second NHL Win
David Vyborny and Pascal Leclaire continue to thrive in shootouts.
<script **********"**********" type="text/**********" src="http://dkads2.bluejackets.com/ads/adx.js"></script> <script **********"**********" type="text/**********"> <!-- if (!document.phpAds_used) document.phpAds_used = ','; phpAds_random = new String (Math.random()); phpAds_random = phpAds_random.substring(2,11); document.write ("<" + "script **********'**********' type='text/**********' src=""); document.write ("http://dkads2.bluejackets.com/ads/adjs.php?n=" + phpAds_random); document.write ("&what=zone:148"); document.write ("&exclude=" + document.phpAds_used); if (document.referrer) document.write ("&referer=" + escape(document.referrer)); document.write (""><" + "/script>"); //--> </script><script **********"**********" type="text/**********" src="http://dkads2.bluejackets.com/ads/adjs.php?n=205556587&what=zone:148&exclude=,&refer er=http%3A//bluejackets.com/"></script>Vyborny scored the lone goal in the shootout and Leclaire made 37 saves before stopping all three shootout attempts as the Columbus Blue Jackets posted a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders.
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In improving to a perfect 5-for-5 in his shootout attempts this season, Vyborny netted the decisive goal for Columbus, which improved to 6-0-1 all-time against the Islanders.
Vyborny likely never thought his shootout heroics would once again become necessary when the Blue Jackets led, 3-1, late in the second period. They held a one-goal lead in the final minute of the third before Mark Parrish forged a tie, scoring on a rebound with 37 seconds left.
After an exciting but scoreless overtime, Columbus coach Gerard Gallant chose Vyborny as his first shooter, and the 30-year-old Czech rewarded him by unleashing a wrist shot that beat goaltender Rick DiPietro on the glove side.
Leclaire, who picked up just his second career victory, made the goal stand - barely. The rookie, who notched his first win in a shootout against Minnesota on November 30, caught a pair of breaks as New York captain Alexei Yashin hit the right goalpost on his attempt and the red-hot Mike York missed the top right corner by mere inches on the Islanders' final chance.
All three regulation goals for the Blue Jackets came on the man advantage, a major breakthrough for a team that entered Thursday last in the NHL with both 15 power-play goals and a 10.1 percent conversion rate.
Defenseman Adam Foote, who was activated from injured reserve prior to the contest, gave Columbus a 2-0 lead midway through the first period when he blasted a slap shot from the blue line past DiPietro.
Sergei Fedorov pushed the lead to 3-1 late in the second when he knocked a rebound behind DiPietro for his first goal in nine games with the Blue Jackets. The former Hart Trophy winner was acquired in a trade with Anaheim on November 15.

[jimotis4heisman]

http://bluejackets.com/news/press/arts/2748.0.html

Blue Jackets Recall RW Joe Motzko from Syracuse

Manny Malhotra Placed on IR



COLUMBUS, OHIO - Columbus Blue Jackets President and General Manager Doug MacLean announced today that right wing Joe Motzko has joined the club on emergency recall from the Syracuse Crunch, the club's American Hockey League affiliate. The Blue Jackets also placed center Manny Malhotra on Injured Reserve. Malhotra is out indefinitely due to a shoulder injury suffered in last night's 4-3 shootout win over the NY Islanders.




Motzko, 25, has registered 3-11-14 and 12 penalty minutes in 17 games with Syracuse this season and has 48-73-121 and 122 penalty minutes in 166 career AHL games with the Crunch. Last season, he ranked second on the club in goals and points with 28-38-66 and 72 penalty minutes in 79 games. He made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets on Feb. 2, 2004 at Phoenix and did not register a point in two games with the club that season.
Originally signed by Columbus as a free agent on May 15, 2003, Motzko played four seasons at St. Cloud State University and collected 52-90-142 and 201 penalty minutes in 154 games from 1999-03. He tallied a career-high 17-25-42 and 59 penalty minutes in 38 games as a senior in 2002-03, leading the Huskies to their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Jackets return to action tonight at the Atlanta Thrashers. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET, with FSN Ohio's Ice Breaker pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m. The game will also be broadcast live on the Blue Jackets Radio Network and flagship stations WBNS-AM Sports Radio 1460 the Fan and WWCD-FM, CD101.
The Blue Jackets return home for games against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday (Dec. 11) and Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday (Dec. 13). Tickets to all Blue Jackets home games are on sale now and may be purchased at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, the Blue Jackets Zones at Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton, Chiller North, all Ticketmaster ticket centers, by phone at (614) 431-3600 or via the internet at www.BlueJackets.com and ticketmaster.com. For information on full season tickets starting as low as $13 per game, mini-season ticket plans or group tickets, call (800) NHL-COLS.

http://bluejackets.com/news/press/arts/2747.0.html

Blue Jackets Look To Win Second Straight Game

Face Atlanta Tonight



Blue Jackets-Thrashers Preview

GAME: Columbus Blue Jackets (8-19-0) at Atlanta Thrashers (10-16-3).
The Atlanta Thrashers hope to improve their special teams and end a season-high, five-game losing streak as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Thrashers are fifth in the league on the power play, but their effectiveness with the man advantage has been nonexistent during the skid. They have converted just 3-of-29 chances in those five games, and their penalty-killing unit continued its season-long struggle.
Atlanta has allowed nine power-play goals in 31 opportunities during its losing streak, the team's longest since a six-game skid from Jan. 30-Feb. 11, 2004.
Marian Hossa scored two goals in Atlanta's 5-3 defeat Tuesday to the San Jose Sharks. Linemate Ilya Kovalchuk, has not scored a goal during the losing streak - his longest drought of the season - and has just two assists in that span.
Columbus has won three of its last four games after a seven-game losing streak, including a 4-3 shootout victory Thursday over the New York Islanders.
David Vyborny scored the lone shootout goal for the Blue Jackets, who have won all three of their games decided by shootout.
The Blue Jackets may not have center Manny Malhotra for this game. Malhotra, who leads the team with 13 assists, returned to the lineup after missing two games with back spasms, but hurt his shoulder in a second-period fight and is questionable for this game.
Sergei Fedorov scored his first goal of the season and first in nine games since being acquired by the Blue Jackets. The veteran center had three assists in his first eight games with Columbus.
The Blue Jackets scored a season-high three power-play goals, matching their total from the previous six games.
STANDINGS (through Dec. 8): Blue Jackets - 16 points, 4th place, 24 PB, Central Division. Thrashers - 23 points, 3rd place, 15 PB, Southeast Division.
TEAM LEADERS: Blue Jackets - Vyborny, 6 goals; Malhotra, 13 assists; Vyborny and Bryan Berard, 16 points; Jody Shelley, 48 PIM. Thrashers - Kovalchuk, 17 goals; Marc Savard, 27 assists and 38 points; Andy Sutton, 60 PIM.
SPECIAL TEAMS (through Dec. 8): Blue Jackets - Power play: 11.6 percent (18 for 155), 30th in NHL. Penalty killing: 81.2 percent (156 for 192), 22nd. Thrashers - Power play: 20.1 percent (43 for 213), 5th. Penalty killing: 78.3 percent (152 for 194), 28th.
GOALTENDERS: Blue Jackets - Marc Denis (3-11-0, 0 SO, 3.51 GAA); Pascal Leclaire (1-5-0, 0, 3.77). Thrashers - Michael Garnett (3-7-1, 0, 4.09); Adam Berkhoel (2-4-0, 0, 4.08).
2003-04 SEASON SERIES: Tied, 1-1.
LAST MEETING: Nov. 7, 2003; Blue Jackets, 4-2. At Columbus, Ohio, Vyborny and Geoff Sanderson scored 56 seconds apart midway through the first period for the Blue Jackets, who limited the Thrashers to 14 shots.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Blue Jackets - 3-11-0 on the road; Thrashers - 5-7-1 at home.