The Stretch Drive

[punk_o_holic]

If Detroit snags the 8 spot ahead of us, I think it's fair to say Richards got out-coached by a level of 9000.

The way Detroit is playing, they might snag the 7th spot. The 8th spot might come down to Columbus,Washington,Toronto, and New Jersey. It sucks that Washington acquired Halak at the deadline. It seems like he's playing well and keeping them in the games. Could have been different if Holtby had to play majority of the games.

 

[CBJfan4evr]

We are inching closer to the 8 games in 12 day marathon. The odds are really long to make it at this point. Thinking only an 8-3 finish guarantees a spot, anything less and other teams control your destiny.

 

[Mayor Bee]

With the Toronto loss tonight, Columbus still controls their playoff destiny.

However, with the way both Columbus and Washington have played lately, what was once a five-point cushion there is now down to one.

 

[Nanabijou]

These games against teams that don't have much to play for always scare me. We think they are going to be easy points but these out-of-the-playoffs teams (which we are very familiar with) tend to garner a lot of wins down the stretch.

The Toronto and Detroit (in OT) losses tonight are huge. Beat Detroit on Tuesday and everyone will be back on board the believe train. Maybe this is the wakeup call the team needs to get their act together.

 

[CBJfan4evr]

These games against teams that don't have much to play for always scare me. We think they are going to be easy points but these out-of-the-playoffs teams (which we are very familiar with) tend to garner a lot of wins down the stretch.

The Toronto and Detroit (in OT) losses tonight are huge. Beat Detroit on Tuesday and everyone will be back on board the believe train. Maybe this is the wakeup call the team needs to get their act together.

Thought that wake-up call was answered in Montreal. Now not so sure...

 

[Cash for Nash]

Thought that wake-up call was answered in Montreal. Now not so sure...

Yep. It's really iffy for sure. Maybe we beat Detroit but then the Pens await.

Feel like the Wings will get in (Pavel is returning soon). Gotta outpace Toronto and Washington it seems.

 

[punk_o_holic]

Yep. It's really iffy for sure. Maybe we beat Detroit but then the Pens await.

Feel like the Wings will get in (Pavel is returning soon). Gotta outpace Toronto and Washington it seems.

And for Toronto, isn't Bernier close to returning? He's the better goalie between him and Reimer and Reimer looked iffy his last couple of starts. Perhaps with better goaltending they start winning games or at least get points?

 

[Cash for Nash]

And for Toronto, isn't Bernier close to returning? He's the better goalie between him and Reimer and Reimer looked iffy his last couple of starts. Perhaps with better goaltending they start winning games or at least get points?

Yeah...I know. The whole thing just sucks lol.

 

[Wendy Clear]

It's probably gonna be up and down for us the rest of the way, but the problem I have is that the downs shouldn't be so low I might wake up in Australia. Lose a close, hard-fought, could've-gone-either-way game to the Rangers? Sure, OK. But to lose against a bottom 3 worst team, without its formerly best 3 forwards, and not even score a f'ing goal?!

 

[EspenK]

These games against teams that don't have much to play for always scare me. We think they are going to be easy points but these out-of-the-playoffs teams (which we are very familiar with) tend to garner a lot of wins down the stretch.

The Toronto and Detroit (in OT) losses tonight are huge. Beat Detroit on Tuesday and everyone will be back on board the believe train. Maybe this is the wakeup call the team needs to get their act together.

Not this fan. I'll believe when they are mathematically assured a spot in the playoffs. Right now I have little hope; a win over Detroit will boost that emotion but believe? No.

 

[blahblah]

The Toronto and Detroit (in OT) losses tonight are huge. Beat Detroit on Tuesday and everyone will be back on board the believe train. Maybe this is the wakeup call the team needs to get their act together.

A win in Detroit isn't going to help out my apathy.

At this point I'm beginning to wonder how much this team is missing Murray.

If anything good has come out of this stretch is that we've tightened up our defensive game quite a bit. We are just now an average team in all aspects.

The way that it's playing out, and it should be no surprise, if we figure out how to score 3 goals - we get points. If we don't; it's a toss up. The good news is that is that we're still getting some points scoring a goal or two (6 points this month).

 

[Nordique]

Well we've backed ourselves into a bit of a corner after ******** the bed over the weekend. Friday night's loss may be the one that we look back on if we don't make the cut. 11 games left, and I'd say we need 14 points to have a good shot at the playoffs. The way the Rangers and Flyers are playing, home ice hardly seems possible at this point. Gotta put our heads down and focus on every game, every period as if its playoff hockey. Get your ***** in front of the net and fire the puck in, PP, even strength, it doesn't matter, drive the net, score ugly and stop leaning on Bobrovsky.

 

[CBJRzeznik]

The lack of urgency in the NYI game on Sunday bothered me. They were a step slow the whole game. However, they played with playoff intensity in both MTL and NYR games. Was it fatigue or being a young team....doesn't matter....win and they will get in. Play inconsistently and they will fall just short again. This is where we see if the team is ready to take the next step in their development. A short stretch like this past week was inevitable. Nonetheless, they have to come up big this week. 3-0 or 2-0-1 will be enough to keep pace or reclaim a spot. I still believe in this team making the playoffs and being a team noone wants to play in round 1.

 

[Mayor Bee]

Well we've backed ourselves into a bit of a corner after ******** the bed over the weekend. Friday night's loss may be the one that we look back on if we don't make the cut. 11 games left, and I'd say we need 14 points to have a good shot at the playoffs. The way the Rangers and Flyers are playing, home ice hardly seems possible at this point. Gotta put our heads down and focus on every game, every period as if its playoff hockey. Get your ***** in front of the net and fire the puck in, PP, even strength, it doesn't matter, drive the net, score ugly and stop leaning on Bobrovsky.

To me, Friday night's loss was a simple case of some bad breaks going against our team. It involved a young and inexperienced CBJ team going toe-to-toe against a much more experienced Rangers team that was playing with extra motivation, and still being one or two bounces away from winning that game.

All losses count the same, but if this team ends up out of the playoffs, I look to a couple of games in December when Bobrovsky was out and the team lost despite plenty of offensive support. That third-period collapse against Philadelphia is particularly galling.

 

[Cash for Nash]

To me, Friday night's loss was a simple case of some bad breaks going against our team. It involved a young and inexperienced CBJ team going toe-to-toe against a much more experienced Rangers team that was playing with extra motivation, and still being one or two bounces away from winning that game.

All losses count the same, but if this team ends up out of the playoffs, I look to a couple of games in December when Bobrovsky was out and the team lost despite plenty of offensive support. That third-period collapse against Philadelphia is particularly galling.

If we don't get in, it will be for one reason only. Too many close (1/2-goal) regulation loses.

 

[Xoggz22]

What probably worries me most is that our home schedule looks very tough. CHI, PIT, COL, DET, PHO and the Islanders that we just got shut out by. If we can't realistically lose 4 games in regulation, we are done. I see PIT, CHI, COL and PHO as realistic regulation loses with DET possible too. Add TB on the road and I just don't see a post season experience... Sadly

 

[Wendy Clear]

Friday night's loss may be the one that we look back on if we don't make the cut.

Not me, at least. They lost at home to a tanking Carolina team and got shut out by the freakin' Islanders. That's 2-3-4 points you make up for any loss against a team like the Rangers, hard-fought as it was. Donuts in those games is just unacceptable. No other word for it.

 

[cbjfanjim]

What concerns me, is the way they looked tired against the Islanders. How tired will they be in games with the 8 in 12 days against teams like CHI, PHI, COL, PHX, and TBL?

 

[EspenK]

What probably worries me most is that our home schedule looks very tough. CHI, PIT, COL, DET, PHO and the Islanders that we just got shut out by. If we can't realistically lose 4 games in regulation, we are done. I see PIT, CHI, COL and PHO as realistic regulation loses with DET possible too. Add TB on the road and I just don't see a post season experience... Sadly

I think we can still eke out a wildcard if we win 6 games and Toronto continues to sink and Washington cools off. Otherwise its looking like wait till next year.

What concerns me, is the way they looked tired against the Islanders. How tired will they be in games with the 8 in 12 days against teams like CHI, PHI, COL, PHX, and TBL?

This is a major concern. I've always maintained that the style required by the Jackets to win is so all out, all the time, every game that it is extremely hard to maintain that for 82 games and will be extremely difficult for 8 in 12 against the teams you listed.

 

[Nanabijou]

Well we've backed ourselves into a bit of a corner after ******** the bed over the weekend. Friday night's loss may be the one that we look back on if we don't make the cut. 11 games left, and I'd say we need 14 points to have a good shot at the playoffs. The way the Rangers and Flyers are playing, home ice hardly seems possible at this point. Gotta put our heads down and focus on every game, every period as if its playoff hockey. Get your ***** in front of the net and fire the puck in, PP, even strength, it doesn't matter, drive the net, score ugly and stop leaning on Bobrovsky.

Yes, it's going to be tough to catch either NYR or Philly now for the 2 or 3 slot.

We have to be two of Detroit, Toronto, Washington now for the wild card. That is do-able.

The wild cards will be in tough against Boston and Pittsburgh, but that doesn't matter too much to me. With a playoff spot so close two years in a row, I have only one criteria for whether this year is a success or a failure. I want to see a home playoff win at Nationwide. Anything more is gravy, anything less shows stagnation from last year.

 

[db2011]

Yes, it's going to be tough to catch either NYR or Philly now for the 2 or 3 slot.

We have to be two of Detroit, Toronto, Washington now for the wild card. That is do-able.

The wild cards will be in tough against Boston and Pittsburgh, but that doesn't matter too much to me. With a playoff spot so close two years in a row, I have only one criteria for whether this year is a success or a failure. I want to see a home playoff win at Nationwide. Anything more is gravy, anything less shows stagnation from last year.

That's kind of a large swing in assessment.

I go back and forth. I thought we'd challenge for the playoffs this year but even that wasn't assured, and I kinda thought it was expecting a lot to get in. Not that it matters but most prognosticators had us sitting outside the playoffs.

Missing the playoffs will be a major disappointment, but I don't think I'd call it a stagnation from last year. We proved we can hang, and some youngsters took important steps. I'll be most upset with JK. I have the bad start on his shoulders for not bringing Vinny back, and the bad finish on his shoulders for doing ****all at the deadline. If we don't get in, I'll think the guys almost made it into the playoffs in spite of his decisions.

But, the future is secure!

 

[Mayor Bee]

If we don't get in, it will be for one reason only. Too many close (1/2-goal) regulation loses.

I don't think that's accurate. If this team doesn't get in, it will be for a myriad of reasons, any one of which could fit at any given scenario.

Is it because Bobrovsky went down, and there were three games with plenty of offensive support and nothing in net? The front office decided that Steve Mason wasn't an NHL-caliber goalie any more, but that Curtis McElhinney is.

Is it because Murray and Wisniewski were paired early in the season, which looked like a disaster for the first month? They started to come around as a pairing, and then Murray got hurt.

Is it because Gaborik was injured for most of the season, or because Horton was injured most of the season? Is it because a few key players disappeared for extended stretches? Is it because the Olympic break broke up some momentum? Is it because the bizarre incident in Dallas (and resulting postponement) actually caused some type of subconscious damage that no one can see or calculate? Did trading Gaborik for picks have some type of negative impact on the locker room?

Every one of these things has had some type of an impact. Perhaps everything has combined to losing too many close games, but there isn't one single cause.

 

[Bobcat110]

Is it because Gaborik was injured for most of the season, or because Horton was injured most of the season? Is it because a few key players disappeared for extended stretches? Is it because the Olympic break broke up some momentum? Is it because the bizarre incident in Dallas (and resulting postponement) actually caused some type of subconscious damage that no one can see or calculate? Did trading Gaborik for picks have some type of negative impact on the locker room?

Every one of these things has had some type of an impact. Perhaps everything has combined to losing too many close games, but there isn't one single cause.

Or is it because the NHL gave Detroit 2 points by allowing that goal vs. LA in which the puck bounces off the safety netting into LA goal.

I think the CBJ will be ready tomorrow. Detroit's turn to be playing 3rd game in 4 days. Toronto hosts St. Louis and Washington hosts LA, so has potential to be a good day.

 

[CBJfan4evr]

That's kind of a large swing in assessment.

I go back and forth. I thought we'd challenge for the playoffs this year but even that wasn't assured, and I kinda thought it was expecting a lot to get in. Not that it matters but most prognosticators had us sitting outside the playoffs.

Missing the playoffs will be a major disappointment, but I don't think I'd call it a stagnation from last year. We proved we can hang, and some youngsters took important steps. I'll be most upset with JK. I have the bad start on his shoulders for not bringing Vinny back, and the bad finish on his shoulders for doing ****all at the deadline. If we don't get in, I'll think the guys almost made it into the playoffs in spite of his decisions.

But, the future is secure!

Off topic but; don't know that I can accept the latter statement. Have been very under impressed with moves JK has made to this point. Starts with the NYR trade for Gabby; The inability to get a better alternative than Mcbackup for Bob; the lack of production from Horton and finally the deadline day meltdown that saw us move Gabby for a bag of pucks (Frattin is redundant and Schultz walks after this year). Adding someone like Moulsen or even Vanek would have sent the right message. He also failed to clear the glut of D-men and 3/4 forwards.

Just my .02

 

[dnmccoy]

Does anyone forsee any free agent activity in the offseason?