OFFICIAL Columbus Blue Jackets Thread

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Dispatch

Friday, November 03, 2006

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Friday, November 03, 2006


Dispatch

Friday, November 03, 2006

[jimotis4heisman]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/s...=notebook_1103

MISSING PERSON Has there been any bigger disappointment early on this season than the play of former NHL scoring champ Rick Nash? After tying Ilya Kovalchuk and Jarome Iginla for the goal-scoring lead in 2003-04 with 41 and then missing 28 games to injury last year, Nash was expected to spearhead the Blue Jackets' first playoff drive. Thus far Nash has just three goals in 10 games, zero in the last seven games. Just one of those goals came while the Blue Jackets were at even strength. The focus in Columbus, especially after Wednesday's 5-3 loss to Colorado, is on coach Gerard Gallant's future but critics would be better served organizing a search party for the hitherto invisible Nash. -- S.B.

OUCH

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LINK

Blue Jackets still wearing loser's tag



In two short weeks, all eyes will be on the city of Columbus for the biggest game of the college football season, the much- anticipated matchup between No. 1 Ohio State and second-ranked Michigan.
,The Columbus Blue Jackets will likely relish all the focus on the Buckeyes, since it diverts the attention from the team's recent lack of success.

Columbus lost for the sixth time in seven games on Wednesday, a 5-3 setback to Colorado at Nationwide Arena. Prior to that defeat, the Jackets were shut out for the third time this season in Saturday's 1-0 loss at New Jersey.

The Blue Jackets had one of the league's most anemic offenses last season, but appeared to have significantly upgraded that area in the offseason. The club traded for right wing Fredrik Modin, a key member of Tampa Bay's run to the Stanley Cup in 2003-04, and signed veteran sniper Anson Carter, who was coming off a 33-goal campaign with Vancouver.

But through its first 10 games of the season, Columbus has managed only 22 goals, the third-worst average in the league. Superstar forward Rick Nash hasn't found the net in seven consecutive games, while Carter (1 goal, 1 assist) has been a huge early disappointment recently relegated to fourth-line duty.

The offense did show some life, however, in Wednesday's defeat. The Blue Jackets peppered Avalanche goaltender Jose Theodore with 44 shots, but cost themselves dearly with sloppy defensive play. Most of Colorado's five goals came on odd-man rushes.

"We beat ourselves (against Colorado)," said Columbus head coach Gerard Gallant. "We had probably our best offensive game of the season, but every time we made a mistake it ended up in the back of the net."

The Blue Jackets, who are mired in the Central Division basement with only seven points, take on another slumping club on Friday when the Calgary Flames visit Nationwide Arena.

[jimotis4heisman]

needless to say that was exciting...

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Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS 5 FLAMES 4, SO
Jackets show fire in win over Flames

Malhotra?s score in 11 th round of shootout ends thrilling game

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


Blue Jackets goalie Pascal Leclaire prepares to stop a shot by the Flames? Dion Phaneuf during the shootout. Leclaire had 28 saves.

Pascal Leclaire, left, and Manny Malhotra celebrate after Malhotra scored the winner in the 11 th round of the shootout.


The Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames were locked in a tie through overtime, and their strangely important game was decided in a shootout that went on and on last night. Pressure compounded as shooter after shooter made their naked forays at the net. Here was wonder and torture in equal supply.
For both teams, there is heat on the general manager and/or the coach because of early season struggles. For both teams, the extra point for a shootout victory was like a grail ? more so for the Jackets, who were at home and facing a crowd that at times was hostile. The last shot would determine the ultimate mood for the 16,103 on hand.
In the end, there was joy for Blue Jackets fans. Manny Malhotra, the 22 nd shooter to take the puck at center ice and make his stab at a penalty shot, scored to give the Jackets a 5-4 victory. Malhotra came at an unrushed pace down the slot and beat Flames goaltender Jamie McLennan clean through the legs. The Jackets piled off the bench to mob their thirdline center and the crowd roared.
"What a fun experience," Malhotra said. "To have 16,000-plus on their feet cheering, it?s a lot of fun. Every guy in the room dreams of this kind of situation, goes through it in his head. It?s like when you?re a kid on the pond, thinking of sudden death, and next goal wins."
David Vyborny had two goals for the Blue Jackets (4-6-1). Sergei Fedorov (goal, assist) and Ron Hainsey (two assists) also had multipoint games. Duvie Westcott had a goal. Goaltender Pascal Leclaire (28 saves) was helped by his team?s four power-play goals.
For the Flames (3-7-2), Daymond Langkow had a goal and two assists, Jarome Iginla had a goal and an assist, and Alex Tanguay and Dion Phaneuf each had a goal. McLennan made his first start of the season.
"(The extra point) was huge," Blue Jackets coach Gerard Gallant said. "If we?d lost in the shootout, it would have felt like a loss. The crowd has been on our players, and with good reason, so even though it wasn?t a great finish (in regulation), I think everyone left pretty happy. But we have to play a better second half."
What Gallant was alluding to was this: The Jackets were terrific in the first period, poor in the second and fair in the third.
They converted three of their four power plays in the first period. Fedorov scored for the second time in as many games. Westcott got a wrist shot through traffic. Vyborny took a lovely cross-slot pass from Fedorov and tucked a wrist shot inside the near post. The only thing that marred the opening 20 minutes for the home team was a short-handed goal by Iginla.
The thing that deflated the Blue Jackets in the second period was an instant goal, at the 19-second mark, on a rush by Langkow. It was the start of a 30-minute span of dominance for the Flames. By midway through the third period, they?d erased a two-goal deficit and taken a 4-3 lead. Vyborny saved the Jackets with another power-play goal, from a wicked angle, at 12:51 of the third period. That got the game to overtime. Both teams had chances four-on-four, but the game seemed destined for a shootout.
It was the second-longest shootout of the young season, 11 rounds, 22 shooters. The goalies were good early, the shooters were better late. On the ninth shot, Vyborny scored to keep the Jackets alive. On the 10 th shot, Fedorov scored to keep the Jackets alive. On the 14 th shot, Anson Carter scored to keep the Jackets alive. Seven more shooters tried and failed before Malhotra took the puck at center ice. The building was ready to explode, or implode, as he skated toward McLennan.
marace@dispatch.com

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Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS
Vyborny varies approach to provide scoring punch

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Dan Fritsche, center, and teammate Manny Malhotra celebrate a goal by David Vyborny.


On the Blue Jackets? roster, beside every player?s name, is a category describing how the player shoots: "L" for left, "R" for right.
Beside David Vyborny?s name, it might as well say "S," as in, seldom.
Vyborny, the Blue Jackets? No. 1 right winger and the franchise points leader, fancies himself a playmaker, almost to a fault. He is constantly prodded by coach Gerard Gallant and the rest of the Blue Jackets to shoot more often, to use his stick for purposes other than passing and defending.
Last night, Vyborny took three shots, scored two goals and had a successful shot in the shootout in the Blue Jackets? 5-4 victory over the Calgary Flames in front of 16,103 in Nationwide Arena.
"I just played like I have the last 10 years," Vyborny said. "I don?t want to change anything. I don?t think I need to change anything. I?m too old to change something."
But Vyborny wasn?t the same old Vyborny last night.
At 17:32 of the first period, with the Blue Jackets on a power play, Vyborny took a pass from Sergei Fedorov on the right faceoff circle and threw a seemingly innocent shot on Calgary goaltender Jamie McLennan.
The puck caromed off McLennan?s left shoulder and found the back of the net, giving the Blue Jackets a 3-1 lead.
Midway through the third period, after the Blue Jackets had gagged away the 3-1 lead and trailed 4-3, Vyborny fired an odd-angle shot from the goal line extended. McLennan didn?t have the post covered, and the puck sneaked through.
"I just tried to put it on the net, try some simple play," Vyborny said. "I was hoping for a rebound. (Alexander) Svitov was standing right there. It was a lucky goal."
Vyborny, with three goals in the past two games, has four goals this season, tying him with Nikolai Zherdev for the club lead.
"I don?t think he realizes how good a shot he has," Jackets defenseman Anders Eriksson said. "If you ask the goaltenders here, they?ll tell you that Veebs probably has the most accurate shot on the team. He can thread it through the smallest of spaces."
It must be said that McLennan was making his first start of the year ? and he looked like it, too.
The Blue Jackets used that to their advantage.
"We?ve been saying to shoot the puck more the last two weeks, not just to David but to all the guys," Gallant said. "But it was especially important tonight that we get a lot of pucks on the net, and David and the rest of the guys did a pretty good job of that."
Vyborny also came up big for the Blue Jackets in the shootout, staving off defeat in the fourth round after Alex Tanguay gave Calgary a 1-0 lead.
Holding the puck on his stick long enough for McLennan to go down, Vyborny carried it wide and buried it in the back corner of the net. aportzline@dispatch.com

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Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS NOTEBOOK
Berard on mend after back surgery

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




The Blue Jackets got a dose of good news yesterday when defenseman Bryan Berard walked briskly through the dressing room after the morning skate.
Berard had surgery Oct. 19 in Los Angeles to repair a herniated disc in his lower back, his second such surgery in only seven months.
"I?m moving around a lot better, and in a much shorter period of time, than I was after the first surgery," Berard said. "I feel like my body is healing.
"There?s still a lot of swelling in the area, but that?s perfectly normal. The pain I was feeling is pretty much gone."
Berard started rehab yesterday with the Blue Jackets? medical staff, mostly core exercises. It?s hard to predict, he said, when he might return, although mid- to late January is a safe bet.
"It takes six weeks for the disc to heal after surgery, for the scar tissue to fill in around the area," Berard said. "So I?ve got four more weeks left in my ?be careful? period.
"I have no idea when I?ll even start skating. We?re going to take it slow and smart."
Berard was all smiles, unlike last March when he was recovering from the first surgery.
He knew within days, he said, that something wasn?t right. It turns out Berard had two herniated discs, and one of them ? the one that was surgically repaired ? was masking pain caused by the other.
When he started to skate in training camp, the pain coming from the undetected herniated disc was excruciating.
"It was constant discomfort, 24 hours a day," Berard said. "Now I feel good. It?s been two weeks and I?m definitely moving at a faster walking speed than I was last time."
Solitary man

Roughly 90 minutes before faceoff, when the arena is empty and relatively quiet, left winger Jason Chimera takes to the ice wearing shorts, a T-shirt and tennis shoes.
Home or away, it doesn?t matter.
"I try to visualize things, go through different situations in my mind," Chimera said. "It?s nothing too complex; I just try to get myself into game mode."
Every once in a while, defenseman Duvie Westcott will join Chimera, the two firing the puck back and forth, blade to blade.
"We?re both bald brothers," Chimera said. "We stick together."
Usually, though, it?s Chimera all by himself for about 10 minutes, shooting pucks into the boards, the sound echoing throughout the building.
"It?s good to get a feel for the puck on your stick before the game," Chimera said. "And sometimes the boards have dead spots or hard spots. Those can be kind of tricky.
"But, honestly, it?s mostly just me collecting my thoughts."
Johnson out

Defenseman Aaron Johnson was a healthy scratch for the eighth time in 11 games. Johnson, considered a prospect, has played only one game since Oct. 7. aportzline@dispatch.com

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Dispatch

RED WINGS 4 BLUE JACKETS 1
Blue Jackets come undone in disastrous second period

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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DETROIT ? The Blue Jackets played a couple of epic overtime games in Joe Louis Arena at the end of last season and it fueled their promise. Now, the fuel looks spent.
The Red Wings buzzed all night, put 37 shots on net and rolled to a 4-1 victory over the Blue Jackets before a sellout crowd last night. Dan Cleary had two goals, including a nifty one on a short-handed breakaway. Henrik Zetterberg and Mikael Samuelsson also scored, and goaltender Dominik Hasek made the two or three big saves that had to be made.
"It was a big win," Cleary said. "Now, we?ve got three days off. We wanted to come in hungry, and we did."
Then there are the Blue Jackets (4-7-1). Ron Hainsey had their goal, his first of the season. Otherwise, they struggled on offense. They managed just 17 shots.
"We just didn?t sustain any pressure," Blue Jackets coach Gerard Gallant said. "I guess we played pretty well on the perimeter. The (Wings) were going to the net and getting pucks through, and that?s how they beat us. It wasn?t tictac-toe stuff from Zetterberg. They paid the price to score, to win. We didn?t."
The Red Wings (9-4-1) have won six in a row, and this was the easiest of the string. Their team defense has been excellent, their goaltending solid.
Hasek is coming around. He made his presence felt with a highlightreel save with 2:38 remaining in the first period. Blue Jackets defenseman Rostislav Klesla made a bold move down the right wing and put a gorgeous pass through the crease. Nikolai Zherdev was waiting and got off a point-blank shot without settling the puck. Hasek went post to post in a heartbeat.
Seconds later, off a faceoff down at the other end, the Wings scored the first goal of the game. Kris Draper won the draw back to Chris Chelios at the right wall and Chelios sent a wrist shot toward the net. Ten feet from the crease, Cleary made a redirect with Ole-Kristian Tollefsen draped on his back.
At the start of the second period, the Blue Jackets killed off two penalties and then scored on a power play. This goal was Hainsey?s on a wrist shot from the high slot that deflected off the skate of Wings defenseman Danny Markov. It was 1-1, but not for long.
The Jackets came undone in a seven-minute span in the middle of the second period. Zetterberg ended an interminable shift with a shot through a pile of humanity in front of the net. After that, the Jackets butchered a four-minute power play ? and Cleary scored again, on a short-handed breakaway, which was sprung when the puck jumped over Hainsey?s stick at the point, and Hainsey fell.
"Two bounces," Hainsey said. "One went in the net and the other one went in the other way."
Then, at 15:33, Samuelsson scored when he put a rebound through another pile of humanity. Suddenly, the Wings led 4-1.
Gallant has been harping on playing a "full 60 minutes." But for the second time in as many nights, the Jackets, after a decent first period, came unraveled at the sight of a goal against in the second period.
"We were down 1-0 after one and I thought we were playing OK," Gallant said. "They scored that second goal, and our guys stopped playing, stopped competing. It was game over. For whatever reason, we were deflated on the bench."
Backup goaltender Fredrik Norrena replaced Leclaire in the third period, just for the sake of a shakeup. Top-line center Sergei Fedorov, nursing a bit of a groin strain, was rested down the stretch. He?s expected to practice Monday.
marace@dispatch.com

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Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS NOTEBOOK
With Westcott injured, Johnson?s idle time over

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




DETROIT ? Blue Jackets defenseman Duvie Westcott, one of the team?s back-end bulwarks, suffered a hand injury in a shootout victory over Calgary on Friday.
Blue Jackets spokesman Todd Sharrock said more will be known today about the extent of Westcott?s injury, but there has been some talk of surgery and a long-term convalescence, perhaps six weeks.
Entering the game last night against Detroit in Joe Louis Arena, Westcott was the team?s secondleading scorer with eight points. His totals (three goals, five assists) mirrored those of Rick Nash. What?s more, Westcott was third on the team in average ice time (22:27) behind fellow defensemen Adam Foote and Ron Hainsey.
Taking Westcott?s spot in the lineup last night was defenseman Aaron Johnson, who had been a healthy scratch in eight of the previous nine games.
Johnson, 23, is at the stage of his career where he needs minutes so his development can be gauged. But with a healthy defensive corps, he?d been the odd man out.
Team president and general manager Doug MacLean doesn?t want to send Johnson back to minor-league Syracuse because Johnson has waiver rights, and there?s little doubt another team will claim him (see: Francois Beauchemin and Hainsey, two young defensemen claimed by the Jackets in past seasons).
"I know we?d like to get him in there, but something has to give," MacLean said last week. "We?ll see where it goes. It?s just hard for him to get in there. We can put him down in Syracuse for a conditioning assignment; that?s one option. But at this (early stage of the season), I?m not too concerned about it. He can wait his turn."
Johnson?s turn came last night. Depending on the severity of Westcott?s injury, he might get a good, long look.
"This is where I want to be," Johnson said in a recent interview. "This is the team that drafted me and gave me the chance. I?ve spent five years trying to get here. This organization knows me and what I can do. I want to give it my best shot."
Platt?s back

The Blue Jackets, looking for an offensive spark, yesterday recalled forward Geoff Platt from Syracuse. Platt had six goals and 10 points in eight games with the Crunch.
Nash?s streak

Nash put eight shots on Jamie McLennan, Calgary?s backup goaltender, on Friday night. He had his chances, but his goal-less streak was extended. Nash was the fourth shooter for the Blue Jackets in the shootout, but his forehand attempt was thwarted.
So Nash carried an eight-game drought into last night, one of the longest of his young career.
He had an 11-game goal-less streak early in his rookie year of 2002-03, and also streaks of nine and eight games that year. He had two eight-game droughts in his second season, when he led the league in goals with 41.
Last season, he had 31 goals in 54 games.
Friday?s leftovers

The Blue Jackets tied franchise records for power-play goals in a period (three in the first) and a game (four) Friday night. ? The Jackets are 4-0 at home in shootouts over a season-plus. ? The game marked the second shootout of the season for the Jackets. They?re 1-1. Last season, they were 8-3 in shootouts and 6-1 in games decided in four-on-four overtime.
marace@dispatch.com

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Dispatch

NHL NOTEBOOK
Jackets had hand in odd early schedule
Moving back Detroit game left Columbus with nine in October

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> Some of former Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock?s players didn?t express much sorrow after his firing.


The Blue Jackets played just nine games in October. They had a stretch in which they played one game in 10 days. It was a strange way to break from the gate, or falter.
Why just nine games from Oct. 4, the day of the first game of the NHL season, to Halloween?
Larry Hoepfner, Blue Jackets senior vice president of business operations, is in charge of the Jackets? schedule. The hockey operations department has a great deal of input. The task is awesome.
"I can?t tell you how many different versions of the schedule I had before everything was finalized," Hoepfner said, pulling a fat binder out of his bookcase in his Nationwide Arena office.
The Blue Jackets had 10 games on their October schedule before the league asked them to move a date. The Jackets capitulated and, in return, got a December date with the Detroit Red Wings moved later in the season.
"It was a horse trade," Hoepfner said. "We had three games with the Wings scheduled in December, and we got one moved, so we got something we needed in exchange."
They were left with nine games bunched around the weekends, with long stretches in between.
"Every team in the league wants every Saturday night," Hoepfner said.
There?s the rub, especially in the autumn ? when college football dominates Saturday afternoons and the NFL eats up every Sunday. Teams want weekend games, Saturday is the preference, Friday night is acceptable and Sundays are avoided.
The Blue Jackets got a stretch in which they had one game in 10 days. This plays havoc on the coaches and players, who prefer to get into an every-other-day rhythm.
Other teams found themselves in a similar situation. The Pittsburgh Penguins played nine games in October. The Calgary Flames played 10 games in October and had a five-day layoff in there. The Florida Panthers played 16 games through Nov. 2 and are in the midst of a five-day layoff. They?re at the beach this weekend.
"What we really wanted was a balanced schedule of 82 games spread over six months," Hoepfner said. "This is the way it worked out (for October), but there are a lot of other things we looked at. Home-road balance (for instance); you don?t want to be heavy on the road at the beginning or the end of the season. And you don?t want to be overloaded with back-tobacks."
Also, a team doesn?t want to be coming off a road trip and have a visiting team sitting there, waiting for them. These situations were ironed out of the Blue Jackets? schedule.
The Blue Jackets have 21 back-to-backs this season, which is about average. They had five home games in October. Among their last eight games in March/April, they?ll play five at home, including the last two.
Unbalancing act

The unbalanced schedule, introduced after the lockout last year, has drawn bites of criticism from most corners of the league. The goal of promoting divisional rivalries has been accomplished. The bone of contention is the dearth of nonconference games.
The unbalanced schedule goes like this: Teams play eight games against each of their division opponents and four against conference opponents. That?s 72 games. The other eight games are nonconference games, four home and four away. The way it works, fans in a Western Conference city will see the Toronto Maple Leafs in their town once every three years.
Commissioner Gary Bettman and his deputy, Bill Daly, have heard a lot of griping about the unbalanced schedule. In fact, they?ve heard enough to poll general managers on the matter.
It?s likely that the schedule will be a big issue at the GM meetings on Tuesday in Toronto. It may well be that proposals will be drawn up for the next meeting of the Board of Governors, with the aim of injecting a little more balance.
Disa and data ?

After the Philadelphia Flyers fired coach Ken Hitchcock (on the heels of GM Bob Clarke?s resignation) two weeks ago, the younger Flyers were quick to shoot a few arrows in Hitchcock?s back. Simon Gagne said Hitchcock was unduly tough. Mike Richards praised Hitchcock?s replacement, John Stevens, because Stevens doesn?t "bark." Ohio State product R.J. Umberger also was said to be relieved that Hitchcock was gone. . . . Rumors in Philly had Hitchcock headed for Phoenix, either as coach or GM. Not the case, owner/coach Wayne Gretzky told The Arizona Republic. "Absolutely not," said Gretzky, who had a 45-minute conversation with Hitchcock the day Hitchcock was fired. "The only thing I said to Ken was to come out and spend a few days with me and get away and play some golf and watch some hockey out here if he wanted to," Gretzky said. "As far as coming on board with us, (the answer is) unequivocally no." . . . Boston Bruins rookie defenseman Matt Lashoff has been playing with Zdeno Chara, and playing well. Suddenly, the Bruins have a stockpile of blue liners ? nine of them. Anyone need a defenseman? Nathan Dempsey ought to be available. ... Tampa Bay is hovering around .500 and GM Jay Feaster is considering a shakeup. The Lightning is on a four-game trip and if the team struggles, changes will be made, Feaster told the St. Petersburg Times. Salaries will be dumped. Martin St. Louis, Dan Boyle and Filip Kuba have no-trade clauses. Marc Denis and Brad Richards have no-trade clauses that kick in July 1. . . . Florida Panthers goaltender Ed Belfour, who has a history of drunk-and-disorderly episodes, apparently got into a scuffle with bouncers at a Long Island nightclub during a recent trip. Eyewitnesses alleged that Belfour lost his temper when his teammates tried to get him back to his room. The Panthers? other goalie, Alex Auld, wound up with a gash above his right eye that required stitches. Auld later said he was horsing around with Belfour in the lobby of their hotel when he spilled some water and slipped on the floor. A Florida writer responded, "They had two days to come up with a story and that was the best they could do?" ... The Anaheim Ducks started the season with a 13-game point streak. It was the best season-opening streak since the 1995 Pittsburgh Penguins went 12-0-1. The longest streak of this kind belongs to the 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens, who went 11-0-3, with no shootout/overtime losses. ... In its first eight losses, Phoenix was outscored 39-8.
marace@dispatch.com

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Dispatch

Jackets, like fans, feeling frustrated
Hopes were high before season, but team struggling again

Monday, November 06, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



Daniel Boone, the great 18 th century frontiersman who explored the Continental Divide, once said: "I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks." What a great line. The Blue Jackets, after losing 4-1 to the Detroit Red Wings, shuffled out of Joe Louis Arena in a collective daze Saturday night.
It was their seventh loss in nine games. On the heels of it, they learned that that Duvie Westcott, a top-four defenseman who pulls heavy minutes, will need surgery on his left index finger and will be lost for six to eight weeks.
There is a growing consternation among their fans, especially the season ticket-holders who have been writing checks year after year. Their sold seats count in attendance figures, but some of them aren?t showing up. Others are dumping their tickets at less than face value. Nationwide Arena has seen one sellout, opening night, through seven home dates. The average announced attendance has been 16,571, which is 1,564 below capacity.
Last season, coming out of the lockout, the Blue Jackets had two sellouts and averaged 16,370 through their first seven home dates. The lockout hangover has turned to, "Here we go again."
The Jackets? 4-7-1 record through 12 games looks a lot like their 4-8-0 last year, or their 4-7-0 of the season before that ? or, for that matter, their 3-8-0-1 of the inaugural season, 2000-01. The difference is, this year the team is carrying a payroll of more than $40 million, and their playoff expectations were thought to be well-founded.
Asked whether he senses the fans? frustration, team president and general manager Doug Mac-Lean said, "I do."
Asked if he was considering a coaching change, MacLean said, "No. No, I?m not."
MacLean has appeared ashen after recent losses. Coach Gerard Gallant is frustrated and groping for answers.
Gallant, too, can feel the heat coming from the stands.
"It?s part of the business," he said. "It?s all about winning. I like our team and I?m disappointed we haven?t won more games. All I can do is just keep working hard every day to try and get things turned around."
The Blue Jackets are in 13 th place in the Western Conference, which is where they finished last season. The top three teams in the conference, based on their status as division leaders, are: the Anaheim Ducks, with whom the Jackets did the Sergei Fedorov trade a year ago, and the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators, two recent expansion teams, like the Jackets.
No doubt, the fans are processing the standings in such a manner, and it?s like three knuckle cracks to the skull.
"We?re sitting (six) points out of the playoffs with a couple games in hand," MacLean said. "We?ve got to hang in there, keep battling and get on track. We?ve just got to win a couple of games here. (The fans) are no more frustrated than we are."
marace@dispatch.com

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Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS NOTEBOOK
Westcott out 6-8 weeks with finger injury

Monday, November 06, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Duvie Westcott, right, has a broken joint in his left index finger and will undergo surgery today. He was injured Friday against the Flames.


Blue Jackets defenseman Duvie Westcott will have surgery today to repair his left index finger and will need six to eight weeks to recuperate, team president and general manager Doug MacLean said.
"He has a broken joint and they need to put a screw in it," MacLean said yesterday.
Westcott is tied with left winger Rick Nash for second among Blue Jackets scorers, with three goals and eight points. Westcott is also among the team leaders in playing time, averaging more than 22 minutes per game.
He was injured in the third period Friday night of the 5-4 shootout victory over the Calgary Flames in Nationwide Arena. Team trainer Chris Mizer said the injury might have occurred during a late-game scuffle, but the cause hasn?t been pinpointed.
"It?s a big loss, but it?s also a chance for Aaron (Johnson)," MacLean said.
Johnson stepped in for Westcott on Saturday night in Detroit, where the Blue Jackets suffered a 4-1 loss in Joe Louis Arena. It was their seventh loss in nine games.
"I thought our defense played well," MacLean said. "They weren?t our problem."
What is the problem?
"I?m frustrated by the lack of scoring by some of our key people," MacLean said. "They?ve got to get going. David Vyborny and Sergei Fedorov started to get something going last week. Now, we?ve got to get the big guy going."
The big guy would be Nash, who has gone nine games without a goal. It matches the secondlongest drought of his career.
"For him to go eight or nine games (without a goal) is really unusual," MacLean said. "The coaches said he has had almost 40 chances during the stretch. The puck?s not going in for him, and it?s leaving a big hole for us."
The Blue Jackets and the Philadelphia Flyers have scored the fewest goals (28) in the league. The Jackets have played 12 games, the Flyers 13.
Disa and data

Blue Jackets left winger Fredrik Modin took a puck on the foot Friday night. He remained in Columbus on Saturday morning for a magnetic resonance imaging, which was negative. He joined the team in Detroit and played the whole game without incident. ... Center/winger Geoff Platt, recalled in case Modin couldn?t play Saturday, was reassigned to Syracuse yesterday. ... Fedorov, the top-line center, is nursing a slight groin strain. He also was seen with a large ice pack on his left shoulder after the game in Detroit. He missed much of training camp, and the first six games of the season, because of a left shoulder sprain. Coach Gerard Gallant said he expects Fedorov to practice this morning. ... Modin after the loss Saturday night: "I don?t think we created any offense at all, for some reason. I thought we were doing well the (previous) couple of games, but it really wasn?t there (against Detroit). We went back to losing too many battles and not making sure we were on the right side of the puck most of the night. It was definitely a step back from what we wanted, and from what we were doing earlier in the week."
marace@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Westcott?s absence opens door for Johnson
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean said he has talked with a "handful of teams over the last three or four days" about acquiring a defenseman, but the NHL trade market is stagnant at this early stage of the season.
"I?ve got absolutely nothing working right now," said MacLean, who will attend the NHL general managers? meetings today in Toronto.
"And, you know what? That?s OK. Our blue line has played really well."
The Blue Jackets, though, are facing a difficult stretch, now that defenseman Duvie Westcott is out six to eight weeks because of a broken index finger.
Westcott joins fellow blueliner Bryan Berard, who had back surgery last month, on the injured list until mid- to late January.
So far, the Blue Jackets? offense has been the main culprit in their 4-7-1 start.
Does their defense now begin to suffer?
"You have to deal with it and move on," coach Gerard Gallant said. "I can?t say we?re not going to miss Duvie, because he?s an important guy for us. So it hurts.
"But other guys now get a chance to step up for us and show they can play."
Defenseman Aaron Johnson, 23, has been languishing in Columbus all season because the club didn?t want to risk losing him on waivers.
Now he gets a chance to be an everyday player. On Thursday, when the Blue Jackets play in St. Louis, Johnson will be paired with Rostislav Klesla, just as he was in a 4-1 loss to Detroit on Saturday.
Johnson, a very good skater with high-end offensive skills, has failed to stick in Columbus previously ? he played 29 games in 2003-04 and 26 games in 2005-06 ? because he made too many mistakes on the defensive end.
"I wouldn?t say he?s just an offensive guy (anymore)," Klesla said. "He?s good defensively, but when he gets room, he likes to skate the puck.
"The difference is, up here (in the NHL), you don?t have that much time or space. In (the minors) or junior (league), everything?s like a breakaway."
Gallant was impressed with Johnson?s play Saturday, calling it "the best he?s looked all season."
Johnson trusted his instincts, Gallant said, showing the ability to carry the puck against the Red Wings, who love to play keep-away.
"I can?t try to fill Duvie?s shoes or change my game," Johnson said. "I think that?s what caused me problems in training camp.
"We had a good game the other night, Rusty and me, and that was my first game back. I?ll get better and better the more games I play."
Gallant plans to keep the other two defensive pairs intact: Adam Foote with Ron Hainsey, and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen with Anders Eriksson.
Westcott was on the first power-play unit and penalty-kill unit, too.
His power-play time will be absorbed mostly by Eriksson, but Johnson could get a chance on the point ? and so could forwards Sergei Fedorov and David Vyborny ? if the power play falters.
Tollefsen likely will see more time on the penalty kill.
"Not only did Duvie play a lot, but he was playing really well," Hainsey said. "It?s going to be a different unit without Duvie in there."
But different isn?t always bad.
One of the reasons for the Blue Jackets? offensive struggles ? they have just 10 five-on-five goals in 12 games ? is that the defensemen have done a poor job feeding the forwards with outlet passes, making it hard for them to generate speed through the neutral zone and into the attack zone.
"We have to work at getting the puck and moving it up the ice, rather than standing still with it," Hainsey said. "(Johnson) is good at that. We all can be good at that, or at least better at it.
"If we can do that, maybe we won?t miss Duvie quite at much until he gets back."
aportzline@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS NOTEBOOK
Scratch of Shelley no big deal
His standing with team not in jeopardy
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



Enforcers are a dying breed in many NHL markets, but Jody Shelley?s role is secure with the Blue Jackets.
Coach Gerard Gallant said yesterday that his decision to scratch Shelley for Saturday?s 4-1 loss to Detroit is not a sign of things to come.
"It was just that game," Gallant said. "Detroit has a lot of speed and they play four lines, so we wanted to match that better if we could.
"Plus, we had (rookie winger Geoff Platt) up from Syracuse in case (Fredrik) Modin couldn?t play with his bruised foot. We thought if Platt was here, we might as well use him."
Already this season, three or four opponents have scratched their tough guys, either hoping to avoid a bout with Shelley or hoping to get more speed in the lineup to create a mismatch.
On Friday, for instance, Calgary made veteran tough guy Darren McCarty a healthy scratch.
Since it was a home game, Gallant had the Flames? lineup on his desk before he had to fill out his own, yet he stuck with Shelley.
On the road, the visiting team?s coach must turn in his lineup first.
"I look at Jody like a fourth-line guy who?s doing his job and playing his role," Gallant said. "It doesn?t really bother me what the other team is doing.
"Definitely, you take those things into consideration. But I like Jody and I like what he brings to this club, and not just the fighting.
"There are games where maybe Jody won?t play, but not very many of them."
Duvie?s decision

After huddling with team doctors this past weekend to consider options, defenseman Duvie Westcott will have surgery this morning for a broken left index finger.
"We were trying to figure out the best plan," Westcott said. "One of the doctors put it out there that I could risk playing with it like this and let it heal. But the odds of getting it disjointed were great, and once that happened I would need surgery anyway."
There?s a greater risk in waiting for surgery, too.
"If you wait too long, you risk losing the end of the finger," Westcott said, "and that?s the finger that wraps around the top of my stick. So if I lost (the tip), who knows how it would have affected me? "
Westcott could be back in the lineup by Christmas. More likely, he?ll be back sometime in January.
Slap shots

Shelley was approached yesterday by a reporter, who was cut off in midsentence when the name of Nashville?s Jordin Tootoo was mentioned: "Who wants to talk about that midget?" Shelley said. ? Gallant ran a physical practice yesterday, highlighted by lots of grinding and chopping for pucks in front of the net. At one point, Jason Chimera and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen shoved and slashed at each other and nearly came to blows. ? Center Sergei Fedorov and defenseman Adam Foote sat out practice. Fedorov has a slight groin strain; Foote was battling a bout of "general soreness," president and general manager Doug MacLean said.

Dispatch reporter Michael Arace contributed to this report
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marace@dispatch.com

aportzline@dispatch.com