I?m starting to like Colombus in this one. Will have to look deeper but I think they can pull out the upset. Here what I have for now be back later for more on this one.
Ottawa Senators (27-17-7-3) at Columbus Blue Jackets (14-32-7-1), 7:05 p.m. -
Note - Ottawa is winless (0-1-3-1) in its last five road games. Note - Columbus has lost seven of its last eight games. Note - Columbus has lost four of its last five home games.
Ottawa last five games Columbus last five games 01/22 - T at Philadelphia, 1-1 ot 01/24 - W vs. San Jose, 6-2 01/24 - W vs. Boston, 4-3 01/26 - L vs. Phoenix, 2-3 01/26 - T at Montreal, 1-1 ot 01/28 - L at Dallas, 2-4 01/30 - W vs. Philadelphia, 3-1 01/30 - L at Anaheim, 1-3 02/04 - T at Tampa Bay, 4-4 ot 02/04 - L vs. Boston, 0-8
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Ottawa away scoring 3 goals or less 3-12 (62% of away games)
Ottawa away scoring 4 goals or more 9-0 (38% of away games)
Colombus home when allowing 2 goals or less 6-1(31%of home games)
Colombus home when allowing 3 goals or more 3-12.(69% of home games)
-------------
Colombus at home when scoring 2 goals or less 1-8 (47% of home games)
Colombus at home scoring 3 goals or more 9-1 (53% of home games)
Ottawa AWAY when allowing 2 goals or less 6-0 (37% of away games)
Ottawa Away when allowing 3 goals or more 4-12 (63% of away games)
-------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------SF SA PP PK
Ottawa last 5 games 34 28.5 18% 92%
Colombus last 5 games 28.5 26.6 28% 100%
--------------------------------------------------------
RECENT MEATINGS
Colombus 3---Ottawa 3
Ottawa 2------Colombus 2
----------------
Players are concern about their last outing:
There were probably three guys that made mistakes on every single goal. Our goalies battle for us, and it was a little disheartening to see Marc sort of look like the goat. There's 20 guys in here that had an awful game.''
It's not devastating if you bounce back from it. It's like my dad always told me, there's nothing wrong with falling down -- you've just got to get back up
Veteran right winger Robert Kron was passed through waivers a month ago. He was sent to Syracuse on Jan. 22. Now he's on his way back to Columbus.
General manager wants some change on the ice.
General manager went into the locker room after the lost against Boston and he is bringing Kron up (today),'' Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean said. "He's gone down and played his butt off. That's just what we wanted to see. We'll be anxious to see how he finishes.''
I think some major surgery would be required to get everything fixed right away,'' Blue Jackets coach Dave King said. "I don't think anyone thinks they were exempt from that performance; I think it was a collective effort.
"So now we see if we can rebound. Unfortunately, we're going to have to rebound against some really good teams. It's going to be a real good test for some of the character of the team.''
It was frustrating, it was embarrassing, the effort was . . . it wasn't right,'' captain Lyle Odelein said. "After the second period, it was like, 'Let's stop the bleeding and win a period.' Then, to play the way we played in the third is just not acceptable. Every play they made was tic-tac-toe. They looked like the old Russian Army team. We didn't respond at all.''
COACH KING IS NOT HAPPY:
Specifically, King said, "We had difficulty playing the rush (Monday night). A lot of even rushes, two-on- twos, gave us difficulty. Our defensemen looked like they were lost in terms of how to play it man-on-man or whether to play a switch. So we did some of that work on the ice.:
"We also did a little work on our forechecking and back pressure. I don't think we collectively backcheck as hard as we backchecked a year ago. A year ago, if we turned the puck over on the attack, we were instantaneous into our backcheck. This year, it looks like guys are kind of flipping coins to see who will be the backchecker -- and we need three (forwards) coming back, hard, to press from behind.''
Such was the tactical bent of practice. As for the emotional end of things, the Jackets had to take another spanking. King was, one might suspect, very specific when he put his scalpel to the tape of the Bruins game. Furthermore, team president and general manager Doug MacLean paid a visit to the dressing room to vent his feelings about the debacle.
The guys are not in a terrific mood at all,'' King said. "They're really concerned about the way they played. Everybody feels like they're responsible; that's a good thing I sense in the room.
"But I know the team has got some character, I know people will bounce back and show up (tonight). And that's the key. If we expect to play well against Ottawa, I think all 20 of our players have to prepare, to commit to play a complete game. If we do that, we're a competitive team, we know that. If we don't, we're not a competitive team.''
Ottawa Senators (27-17-7-3) at Columbus Blue Jackets (14-32-7-1), 7:05 p.m. -
Note - Ottawa is winless (0-1-3-1) in its last five road games. Note - Columbus has lost seven of its last eight games. Note - Columbus has lost four of its last five home games.
Ottawa last five games Columbus last five games 01/22 - T at Philadelphia, 1-1 ot 01/24 - W vs. San Jose, 6-2 01/24 - W vs. Boston, 4-3 01/26 - L vs. Phoenix, 2-3 01/26 - T at Montreal, 1-1 ot 01/28 - L at Dallas, 2-4 01/30 - W vs. Philadelphia, 3-1 01/30 - L at Anaheim, 1-3 02/04 - T at Tampa Bay, 4-4 ot 02/04 - L vs. Boston, 0-8
-------------
Ottawa away scoring 3 goals or less 3-12 (62% of away games)
Ottawa away scoring 4 goals or more 9-0 (38% of away games)
Colombus home when allowing 2 goals or less 6-1(31%of home games)
Colombus home when allowing 3 goals or more 3-12.(69% of home games)
-------------
Colombus at home when scoring 2 goals or less 1-8 (47% of home games)
Colombus at home scoring 3 goals or more 9-1 (53% of home games)
Ottawa AWAY when allowing 2 goals or less 6-0 (37% of away games)
Ottawa Away when allowing 3 goals or more 4-12 (63% of away games)
-------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------SF SA PP PK
Ottawa last 5 games 34 28.5 18% 92%
Colombus last 5 games 28.5 26.6 28% 100%
--------------------------------------------------------
RECENT MEATINGS
Colombus 3---Ottawa 3
Ottawa 2------Colombus 2
----------------
Players are concern about their last outing:
There were probably three guys that made mistakes on every single goal. Our goalies battle for us, and it was a little disheartening to see Marc sort of look like the goat. There's 20 guys in here that had an awful game.''
It's not devastating if you bounce back from it. It's like my dad always told me, there's nothing wrong with falling down -- you've just got to get back up
Veteran right winger Robert Kron was passed through waivers a month ago. He was sent to Syracuse on Jan. 22. Now he's on his way back to Columbus.
General manager wants some change on the ice.
General manager went into the locker room after the lost against Boston and he is bringing Kron up (today),'' Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean said. "He's gone down and played his butt off. That's just what we wanted to see. We'll be anxious to see how he finishes.''
I think some major surgery would be required to get everything fixed right away,'' Blue Jackets coach Dave King said. "I don't think anyone thinks they were exempt from that performance; I think it was a collective effort.
"So now we see if we can rebound. Unfortunately, we're going to have to rebound against some really good teams. It's going to be a real good test for some of the character of the team.''
It was frustrating, it was embarrassing, the effort was . . . it wasn't right,'' captain Lyle Odelein said. "After the second period, it was like, 'Let's stop the bleeding and win a period.' Then, to play the way we played in the third is just not acceptable. Every play they made was tic-tac-toe. They looked like the old Russian Army team. We didn't respond at all.''
COACH KING IS NOT HAPPY:
Specifically, King said, "We had difficulty playing the rush (Monday night). A lot of even rushes, two-on- twos, gave us difficulty. Our defensemen looked like they were lost in terms of how to play it man-on-man or whether to play a switch. So we did some of that work on the ice.:
"We also did a little work on our forechecking and back pressure. I don't think we collectively backcheck as hard as we backchecked a year ago. A year ago, if we turned the puck over on the attack, we were instantaneous into our backcheck. This year, it looks like guys are kind of flipping coins to see who will be the backchecker -- and we need three (forwards) coming back, hard, to press from behind.''
Such was the tactical bent of practice. As for the emotional end of things, the Jackets had to take another spanking. King was, one might suspect, very specific when he put his scalpel to the tape of the Bruins game. Furthermore, team president and general manager Doug MacLean paid a visit to the dressing room to vent his feelings about the debacle.
The guys are not in a terrific mood at all,'' King said. "They're really concerned about the way they played. Everybody feels like they're responsible; that's a good thing I sense in the room.
"But I know the team has got some character, I know people will bounce back and show up (tonight). And that's the key. If we expect to play well against Ottawa, I think all 20 of our players have to prepare, to commit to play a complete game. If we do that, we're a competitive team, we know that. If we don't, we're not a competitive team.''
