Islanders 2 Blue Jackets 0 (NHL)

[swamprat]

The up down thing continued in Uniondale, NY, with the Jackets getting shutout. It's the 3rd shutout of Columbus in the last 5 games. They either win or get shutout.

 

The Islanders got a goal 13 minutes into the 1st period, then nothing until an empty netter with time running out in the game. This one is not on Bobrovski.

 

The Blue Jackets out shot New York, 31 - 20, but the Isles had 16 blocks to Columbus's 4. Greiss was doing well, but Cam Atkinson had a couple go off the pole. A lot of wide shots by the Jackets, too.

 

At the moment, Columbus retains the last playoff spot over Montreal, who was idle last night. The Islanders, 2nd place in the Met, keep pace with Washington.

 

13 games left for both the Jackets and the Canadians. Carolina and Pittsburgh are now 4 points up on Columbus. Philadelphia is 3 points behind them.

 

Columbus hosts Boston, this evening.

[neilman1234]

There's a major offensive power outage affecting the Blue Jackets. With their brutal remaining schedule, if they don't start putting pucks in the back of the net in bunches, they're going to be on the outside looking in. They really need to catch fire or their race will be over with a couple weeks left in the season.

[neilman1234]

Side note: I've always liked Tortorella and thought he was a good coach for this super young team. The Jackets are still the youngest team in the NHL and I figured that all the previous growing pains were directly related to their youth. Over the past 3 weeks, I'm not so sure anymore. I know that the new guys have to find their roles and break in to their new team but this is maddening. Last year's trade deadline pickups immediately meshed and the team caught fire. If the Jackets miss the playoffs or get hammered again in the first round, I wouldn't be afraid to make a coaching change.

[swamprat]

Side note: I've always liked Tortorella and thought he was a good coach for this super young team. The Jackets are still the youngest team in the NHL and I figured that all the previous growing pains were directly related to their youth. Over the past 3 weeks, I'm not so sure anymore. I know that the new guys have to find their roles and break in to their new team but this is maddening. Last year's trade deadline pickups immediately meshed and the team caught fire. If the Jackets miss the playoffs or get hammered again in the first round, I wouldn't be afraid to make a coaching change.

 

You go after Torts and not the GM?

[neilman1234]

You go after Torts and not the GM?

 

If push came to shove, yes I'd get rid of Torts first. Again, I have always been a fan of his and haven't even thought about this until the past few days. He's a coach that some players love to play for and some guys can't stand him. The Athletic recently polled 200 NHL players anonymously and Torts was in the top 5 for "Coaches I'd Like To Play For" and was also in the top 5 for "Coaches I Would Never Play For". I think when you look at guys like Wennberg, Jenner and Bjorkstrand, these guys are still pups and have had their best years early on in the Torts regime in Columbus. I wonder if he's getting the most out of these young players - if his style is conducive to growth and future production. Not saying he should be on the hot seat but for the first time since he arrived in Columbus, I'm wondering if he's part of the problem.