As the NHL configured the tightly compressed schedule in the aftermath of the latest lockout incarnation, the pundits almost universally decreed that the Stanley Cup Final would pit the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings. While a smattering of votes for Chicago and Pittsburgh could be found, the consensus was so profound that an ...
Einstein teaches us that reality is a malleable concept, and in the case of moving bodies, reality is entirely dependent upon the observer. This has been repeatedly validated through experimentation, and last night’s game between the Blue Jackets and Oilers provided yet more proof. Reality on the ice in Edmonton did not square up with the ...
If you had polled NHL scribes prior to this season, and asked which clubs were most likely to post a ten-game point streak in this shortened season, chances are overwhelming that Columbus would not have made the top 25 in that list. Yet — 29 games in — the Blue Jackets are the proud owners of just such a streak, which is still alive thanks to a befuddling 1 – 0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes at Nationwide Arena on Saturday night — the club’s first-ever 1-0 shootout win.
The NHL returned stronger than ever in its first full month back since the latest lockout. The season was saved, but with an abbreviated season comes a myriad of pains for the players. From increased travel to a heavily inflated IR, the rigorous shortened schedule has resulted in less finesse and an increase in dump-and-chase ...
We’re now in the immediate aftermath of Hockey Day in America,with 16 games in the books — just emerging from the first turn into the back stretch. There’s an increased volume of grumbling among certain sectors of the fan base, so it’s time to take some snapshots of the club and a long hard look ...
This space had been reserved for a relatively sedate review of the first quarter of the Blue Jackets’ season. However, in the past 48 hours, the club has chosen to attract some serious attention, through moves both on the ice and off. Let’s ride this rocket while the fuse is still burning. The Other Shoe Drops ...
Hockey afficionados around the league are waking up this morning, reviewing the scores from Sunday’s action, and nodding their collectively heads knowlingly as they peruse the “Edmonton 3 Columbus 1″ entry. That is likely followed by something akin to “That’s no surprise . . .” Fortunately — or unfortunately, depending upon your perspective — those ...
The club returns home tonight after a forgettable early season road trip to Phoenix and Colorado — twin four-goal losses, in which the Blue Jackets managed but a single tally. Naturally, this resulted in early calls from the lunatic fringe to abandon ship, and the Twitterverse teemed with angst. To be sure, there was little ...
Much like the New Year, a new NHL season is also a time to hope. Minnesota Wild fans have hopes that cross and are at a crossroads this New Year: That there’s a 2012-13 season to showcase the second richest free agent signings in league history, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. In honor of the ...
Statistics can be taken out of context, or used to prove points that are not relevant to the statistics themselves. Some statistics can be close to irrelevant, plus/minus and shots on goal eventually may be phased out by better statistics like Corsi ratings and scoring chances. Some statistics however can help pinpoint a team’s issues ...
