image: TSN

While his game has not quite been on fire, he is off to a fairly decent start having scored five goals and posting four assists in the 13 games he’s played.  Last year, he notched up 56 points.

I think that Huselius is a really great player so I’m sure they will miss him.  While he was on the Calgary Flames roster, he did well at first but then he seemed to fall apart so I was glad when he got traded to Columbus since he seems to fit in better there.  He’s got a lot of finesse even though he’s a little softer with the puck than I normally like.

The Blue Jackets have called up Alexandre Picard to fill in for Juice in the meantime.

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Sure, Calgary didn’t really need it with 4:05 left in the third since they were already up two goals but since Sjostrom is new to the team, I haven’t really seen what he can do and last night I was totally surprised.

image: TSN

He approached the net and couldn’t get a shot away, faked out Columbus goalie, Steve Mason, and then did a spin-o-rama right into the net.  It really was awesome so I thought I’d share the video:

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image: TSN

The 22-year-old center posted 10 goals and 15 assists in 31 games but was sidelined with a shoulder injury in December.  It’s too bad because he was off to a great start – he was leading all NHL rookies in points and was named “Rookie of the Month” in October.

Blue Jackets GM, Scott Howson, said: “we are pleased to have Derick under contract for the next five years.  Derick’s determination, passion and talent make us believe he will be an important part of our team in the coming years.”

The team drafted Brassard sixth overall in 2006.  He was their first pick so I hope he has healed up and is ready to pick up where he left off, especially since they’ve elected to pay him so much.  Hopefully, it will pay off.

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The young netminder, who beat out Bobby Ryan (Anaheim Ducks) and Chris Versteeg (Chicago Blackhawks), had an incredible year despite suffering from mononucleosis. 

I don’t know if I ever agreed with him playing while he was so sick but I am glad that his efforts have been recognized. He definitely deserved this award after the year he had even though he kind of fell apart during the postseason.

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The teams scored and answered each others goals and you could tell that the players really made an effort to take more shots but the goaltenders also struggled.  Shockingly, the teams were tied 5-5 late in the third when the worst possible thing happened.  The Blue Jackets incurred a penalty for having too many men on the ice and with 47 seconds left in the game, Johan Franzen scored the game-winning goal.  The worst part about it was that goalie, Steve Mason, was partially impaired by his fellow teammate, Mike Commodore, who had fallen into the crease.  It was just a nasty goal and an even nastier way to be eliminated from the playoffs. 

The reigning Stanley Cup champions are the second team in the Western Conference to advance to the next round (along with the Vancouver Canucks).

image: TSN

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image: TSN

It’s sad because it was the first time a playoff game was played at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio and it was catastrophic.  There, in front of the franchise-record crowd of 19,219 fans, the Blue Jackets crashed and burned, losing 4-1.

The Wings’ 4-1 victory was largely powered by Henrik Zetterberg last night who scored two goals who had the audacity to say the following:  “It was an exciting game for the first playoff game in this building,” said Zetterberg, whose empty-netter gave him 30 goals and 25 assists in his 64 playoff appearances. The fans were excited. We tried to defeat that, too.”

Exciting for who?  Certainly not the Blue Jackets or their fans.  I’m sure it started out that way but I’m sure the mood changed somewhere around the second period when the third goal was scored against them.  I’m seriously stunned about the performance of goalie, Steve Mason, though.  I know he’s just a kid (a rookie) and he’s been battling mono but he had been stellar all season.  What happened?

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Despite the unfavorable outcome of the first game in the series, I really was stunned that the Blue Jackets were not only shut out but lost 4-0 to the Wings.  It’s like Steve Mason has completely fallen apart between the pipes in the postseason but, then again, I felt like the team pushed the rookie goaltender too hard during the regular season.  Star player, Rick Nash, is also underperforming so, unless things change, the Blue Jackets will be making an early exit.

Watch the highlights from last night’s game:

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image: TSN

I can’t believe the Blue Jackets went down like that and you really can’t blame goaltender Steve Mason, who faced 13 more shots on goal than Chris Osgood which is really unacceptable in a playoffs game.  You can’t get outshot by that wide of a margin.

image: TSN

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image: Newscom

In the Western Conference the following teams will square off:

• San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues
• Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks
• Vancouver Canucks vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
• Chicago Blackhawks vs. Calgary Flames

Those are some interesting matchups. I predict that the Sharks will take out the Blues and the Wings will pick off the Ducks but I am not sure what will happen with the others. Vancouver is red hot right now but Columbus is also doing well. The thing that is going to make this pairing sizzle, though, is the battle between goaltenders, Roberto Luongo (Canucks) and rookie Steve Mason (Blue Jackets). I can’t stand Vancouver (although, I have to admit that they’ve been amazing) so I want them to lose the series but I will be watching these games whenever I can just to see whether Luongo or Mason will come out on top. The Chicago vs. Calgary games could go either way since both teams have been patchy throughout the season and Calgary has been really struggling since acquiring Olli Jokinen at the trade deadline. They had been doing so well so it’s anyone’s guess whether they will be able to shake off whatever is bothering them in order to get more effective on the ice…

image: Newscom

In the Eastern Conference, you will find the following matchups:

• Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Washington Capitals vs. NY Rangers
• New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins/li>

I can’t even believe that Boston is going to battle Montreal in the first round.  Both were part of the original six teams that made up the NHL and they are long-time rivals.  The fans are going to go crazy and I wish I could head back east and watch a Montreal game with my family.  I don’t know who will win the Caps vs. Rangers series but, if it comes down to it, I think that Alexander Ovechkin is going to do all that he can to stay in the game.  After the season that goaltender, Martin Brodeur, has had, I’m hoping the New Jersey Devils will beat out the Carolina Hurricanes but I don’t think it’s obvious enough to make a prediction.  Also, although it may not be as rooted in history as the Montreal/Boston series, it’s going to be intense when the Flyers take on the Penguins.  It’s going to be one long “Battle of Pennsylvania” for the fans and I am hoping the Pens skate away with a strong victory. I know that Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin are going to want that second chance after narrowly losing the Stanley Cup finals last year.

I’d love to hear what you think!  Which matchups are you most looking forward to and who do you think will move on?

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Here are a list of the teams that made it:

Who do you think will take home Lord Stanley?  I think that the two teams leading each conference (Boston and San Jose) are going to be tough to beat so I wouldn’t be surprised if either of them won the finals (I think Boston might be a little more likely).  Still, the playoffs can be so unpredictable so it’s hard to tell…

image: NBCUMV

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