Last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets made it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Though they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs, they played well, and got their fans into it. Over the summer, deals with captain Rick Nash, Rusty Klesla, and Antoine Vermette helped to keep the team solid. Looking to use these three veterans, as well as their new faces, CBJ was ready to start this season's campaign.
Game Recap
With 18,000+ fans on hand (a sellout), the Jackets started their 2009-10 season off with a bang. In the first period, they dominated the Minnesota Wild as they skated right over them. Winning face off after face off and all the battles at the boards, the Blue Jackets looked like a team on a mission. Though they didn't manage to convert on any of their 11 shots, they controlled the puck well, and had many great chances.
When Period Two started, the Jackets were rearing to go. Right off the bat, the team was shooting on the net, and checking like crazy. When Derick Brassard and Samuel Pahlsson were called for penalties, the rest of the team backed them up, easily killing the power plays. During the later one, Marc Methot popped the puck away from a Minnesota player, Andrew Murray hit it forward, and R.J. Umberger (1) shot it for his first goal of the season. The rest of the period went by without any incident.
While the Jackets were hoping to continue dominating in Period Three, the Wild had a totally different plan. When Nikita Filatov was called for tripping, the Wild used the power play to tie the game up. Andrew Brunette got the puck from Mikko Koivu and shot it in behind goaltender Steve Mason. Though this took the crowd out of the game for a few moments, they were not out for long. Six minutes later, Rusty Klesla (1) got a pass from Jakub Voracek and sunk it into the net. This gave the Jackets the lead, and ended up being the game winner.
Article comments
1 - Rick
Filatov was pulled in favor of Torres as the Wild were playing a more physical game towards the end and Torres was doing what he does best when healthy. Hitch really likes Torres and he was the better choice to have there than the young rookie. Also, the Wild shortened to 3 lines and Hitch responded in kind. Filatov will make mistakes, all rookies do. It's nice to know that they have the depth to make these kind of adjustments.
2 - Robert M. Barga
Oh, I agree that he was pulled for that reason. He was slowing down, and needed to be rested
same reason he was pulled last night (Vancouver)