Game #41: Minnesota Wild at Columbus Blue Jackets, Saturday January 10, 2009 at 6:00pm (CST), Nationwide Arena (GAME PREVIEW)

Minnesota Wild (20-17-3) 43pts 3rd in Northwest Division

2.38 Goals per Game (29th in NHL)2.22 Goals Against per Game (2nd in NHL)21.5% Power Play (9th in NHL)87.5% Penalty Kill (1st in NHL)

Absent minded professor

Top 5 Scorers:1. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 11G 26A = 37pts2. #20 Antti Miettinen ~ 9G 16A = 25pts3. #15 Andrew Brunette ~ 10G 11A = 21pts4. #25 Eric Belanger ~ 8G 12A = 20pts5. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard ~ 7G 12A = 19pts

Top 3 Penalty Minutes:1. #24 Derek Boogaard ~ 61PIM2. #2 Erik Reitz ~ 41PIM3. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 34PIM

Goaltenders:1. #32 Niklas Backstrom ~ (19-13-2) 2.17GAA .927SV%2. #29 Josh Harding ~ (1-4-1) 2.00GAA .927SV%

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Columbus Blue Jackets (20-17-2) 43pts 3rd in Central Division

2.56 Goals per Game (21st in NHL)2.66 Goals Against per Game (9th in NHL)10.9% Power Play (30th in NHL)81.3% Penalty Kill (17th in NHL)

Top 5 Scorers:1. #61 Rick Nash ~ 17G 22A = 39pts2. #20 Kristian Huselius ~ 12G 13A = 25pts3. #16 Derick Brassard ~ 10G 15A = 25pts4. #18 R. J. Umberger ~ 12G 9A = 21pts5. #33 Fredrik Modin ~ 8G 10A = 18pts

Top 3 Penalty Minutes:1. #40 Jared Boll ~ 99PIM2. #15 Derek Dorsett ~ 65PIM3. #22 Mike Commodore ~ 59PIM

Goaltenders:1. #1 Steve Mason ~ (14-9-1) 1.74GAA .939SV%2. #31 Pascal Leclaire ~ (4-6-1) 3.83GAA .867SV%3. #34 Daniel LaCosta ~ (0-0-0) 3.43GAA .895SV%

There’s a dirty, little secret in Columbus, and I doubt most Blue Jackets fans know it. One that their television broadcast duo of Jeff Rimer and Danny Gare won’t tell their viewers. Oh, but it’s one that they will accuse the Wild of non-stop during tonight’s broadcast download horror. If you’re like me and will be watching tonight’s game via NHL Center Ice, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t figured out what I’m talking about, it is this. The Columbus Blue Jackets are not being just “defensively responsible,” they’re download animation movies playing the much maligned (and often by Jackets fans), neutral zone trap. I know, what a shock, but should anyone expect differently from a team coached by one Ken Hitchcock? Oh their fans will try and tell you differently, but seriously, they’re only kidding themselves. To spare the fragile feelings of Blue Jackets fans, I’m not going to call it the neutral zone trap, from here on out, I’m going to call it being “defensively responsible.”

The first sign of a defensively responsible team is often a low goals per game stat. Of course the Wild are almost the winners in that category, but that’s beside the point. Look at the relatively low 2.56 goals per game for the Blue Jackets, which is 21st in the league. It’s not great, but not exactly terrible either. Why is this number so telling? Well, a defensively responsible team often waits for the other team to make mistakes, which often results in somewhat low offensive numbers. Plus, considering some of the talent on their roster, it’s clear that Hitchcock isn’t letting loose the reins.

Next, let’s take a peek at the even more telling goals against number. You’re not in the Top Ten playing run and gun hockey. Yes, the Wild clearly have them beat in this particular category, but then they usually have. It is these more recent years where the Jackets have been coached by Hitchcock where we have seen a gigantic improvement in their team defense. It’s curious how that works, isn’t it?

However, the Blue Jackets haven’t completely mastered the art of being defensively responsible yet. They still have a ways to go with their special teams. Most defensively responsibly teams have much better power plays than what the Blue Jackets are currently sporting, which is 30th in the league. Personally, I’d love to be a fly on the wall during their practices to hear Hitch bemoan their abysmal power play. Their penalty kill could also use a little work as well. However, with a few more years with Hitchcock at the helm, I could easily imagine the Blue Jackets having a penalty kill almost as good as the Wild’s.

Tonight should be a …

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