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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on Apr 15, 2019 14:31:35 GMT -5
The bottom seed in the NHL East playoffs, the Columbus Blue jackets, have won 3 straight over the top seed, the Tampa Bay Lightning! They lead the series 3-0!
In franchise history, the CBJs have never won a playoff series! This could be the year that changes!
HOW ABOUT THOSE JACKETS!
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Post by SUVFan on Apr 15, 2019 16:57:30 GMT -5
I've not followed the Jackets a ton this season. I was aware that they were playing very well in the first half of the regular season, then next thing I knew, they were on the outside of the playoff field looking in. They fought hard, and soon they became a bubble team for a wild card berth. They clinched the wild card spot, but the prize for that was a series against Tampa Bay, a team that had drummed them soundly in each of their three meetings in the regular season.
So avoiding a sweep seemed to me to be the definition of a successful playoff run this season.
I caught the last 5 and a half minutes last night and was very relieved when they put the empty netter in with just under a minute left. Tampa Bay's coach was mad as hell, as he believed the refs had missed an icing call at the end of the Jackets' previous possession. Local TV showed a replay that showed a TB player deflected the puck outside the TB blue line, I believe, so it was a good no call.
It would be nice if the Jackets can close out the series on home ice. If TB gets any momentum, as good as they were during the regular season, they could still win 4 in a row and move on.
The key in all sports these days due to the large number of teams that make the post season (instead of just the conference winners as it was in Football and Baseball when I was a kid) is to be playing your best at the end of the season. As noted above, it looked like the Jackets may have played their best hockey in the first half of the regular season, but it's starting to look like maybe they've found the magic again and may not have peaked yet!
Go Jackets!!
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Post by SUVFan on Apr 16, 2019 20:48:58 GMT -5
Game 4: CBJ 7, TBL 3
Series: 4-0, CBJ!! A very misleading score -- it was 4-3 from late in the 2nd until 3 empty net goals poured in during the last 2 minutes of the game.
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on Apr 16, 2019 20:56:43 GMT -5
Nice graphic SUVFan!
I watched parts of the first 2 periods (opposite my usual Tuesday night NCIS) then all of the 3rd period. At one point the Lightning tied the game 3-3 in the 2dn period. But the BJs came right back with a goal to make it 4-3 and never looked back. As stated, the final 3 CBJ goals were open net in the last 2 or so minutes of the game.
I don't have a deep appreciation of hockey (I too am not a great hockey fan). But I was impressed by the BJ's goaltender, Sergei "The Human Backstop" Brobrovsky. I don't know how many shots he blocked, but it was a lot.
For the first time in franchise history, the Columbus Blue Jackets are moving on in the playoffs! Then will play the winner of the series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins. Toronto leads that series 2-1.
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Post by SUVFan on Apr 17, 2019 7:16:38 GMT -5
Nice graphic SUVFan!
At one point the Lightning tied the game 3-3 in the 2nd period. It was 2-1 at the end of the first. The Jackets jumped ahead 3-1 fairly early in the 2nd, and were dominating play. Then about midway through the period, it shifted and TB was getting the better of it, eventually scoring a goal during regular play with about 5 minutes or so left in the period. Almost immediately the Jackets were called for a nickel/dimer penalty and TB scored the equalizer on what would end up being their only power play goal of the series. Things were not looking good for Columbus. Then with about about 2 minutes left, a delayed penalty was called. The Jackets maintained possession for about 30 seconds of 6 on 5, scoring the go ahead goal. In the 3rd, it was obvious that Torts put them into a defensive mode, relying on Bob to take care of whatever got though and he did. The first empty net goal came quickly after TB pulled their goalie, relieving pressure as anticipation of a win really started to build. Of course the party was on when a second empty netter went in with about a minute remaining. The third was scored with just 8 seconds left off a very long shot that would have been icing had it not found the net. That's just the kind of night and series this was for the Jackets. Now they have a nice chance to rest with at least two more games being required to get a winner in the other series, and it could go 6 or even 7. With the playoff series monkey finally off their backs, it will be interesting to see how far the team can ride this high!
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weaslespit
All Star Member
Social Liberal, Fiscal Conservative - Usually
Posts: 11,468
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Post by weaslespit on Apr 17, 2019 9:19:30 GMT -5
Have to say - wow;
1) on sweeping the League overall #1 seed
2) in taking 18 years to win 1 playoff series
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Post by SUVFan on Apr 17, 2019 11:24:45 GMT -5
Have to say - wow;
1) on sweeping the League overall #1 seed
2) in taking 18 years to win 1 playoff series The first feat has never happened before according to the announcers. I have no idea what the stat is for longest dry spell without winning a playoff series or for the longest time it took an expansion team to win one. I know the first 10 years were very brutal for the franchise and it took forever just to make the playoffs. They've fared much better since the move to the Eastern Conference. Part of it is they did finally improve to a competitive level, but part of it was all those long road trips out west.
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Post by SUVFan on Apr 17, 2019 11:57:45 GMT -5
Following up on my previous post, I found a Wikipedia entry that covers a myriad of NHL playoff droughts. At 17, the CBJ were not really close to the record of 25 held by the Jets/Coyotes. A combined 17 year drought was also put together by an expansion team by Atlanta/Winnipeg. They were worse in that they had only two intervening playoff appearances during the drought, compared to the Jackets' 4.
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Post by SUVFan on Apr 28, 2019 7:33:45 GMT -5
The first two games of round two are in the books. The Blue Jackets and the Bruins head to Columbus with the series tied at a game apiece. Game one saw the Bruins come from behind to tie it up fairly late in the 3rd period and get the game winner early in OT. Last night, the Jackets fell behind 2-1 early in the 2nd, but managed to tie it up during a 4 on 4 session, then held the Bruins without a shot during the remaining nearly 3 minutes of a double minor. A scoreless first OT followed a scoreless 3rd period. The Jackets managed to get the win on a power play early in the 2nd OT. So they've traded 3-2 OT wins.
The teams take 2 days off before resuming Tuesday night at Nationwide.
Last night's game was on big NBC. That's the first time the Jackets have ever played in prime time on a national broadcast. They rarely show up on NBCSN, typically confined to Fox cable channels during the regular season. So last night was a bit of a coming out party for this band of upstarts!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2019 10:06:23 GMT -5
May the BEST, take the Series...Not the one picked by the Powers to be and their designated Pick for this year !!
Pro Sports in this Country are more Tainted than the Catholic Church World Wide.
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on Apr 30, 2019 13:37:56 GMT -5
Wow! I watched most of the first game against the Bruins and all of the second! The CBJs and the Bruins were certainly evenly matched in Boston, both games going to OT (the second to a very exciting double OT!).
Hopefully back at Nationwide Arena the "fifth line" in the stands will help carry the team, tonight and Thursday night!
(SUVFan: Please don't feed BP -- he was the "sports troll" back at that Other Place, and is still a bit of a topic spammer and troll here, with his casual anti-religious slur).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2019 5:07:03 GMT -5
Bobrovsky, Blue Jackets beat Bruins to take 2-1 series lead.
It's always FUN when the Underdogs do some harm !!
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on May 1, 2019 9:17:24 GMT -5
Last night, the Blue Jackets won their first ever second round playoff game played at Nationwide Arena! And in beating the Bruins 2-1, they did so in regulation!
Sergei Bobrovsky, the Human Backstop, made some amazing saves, 36 out of 37 shots (one snuck in near the end of the second period). Boone Jenner and Marcel Duchene scored the 2 BJ goals, Duchene's during a power play.
According to this story, the noise level inside Nationwide Arena last night hit 118 decibels, as the crowd cheered the final horn!
I have never seen Columbus this sports crazy, certainly not for a team other than the Ohio State Buckeyes!
GO JACKETS!
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Post by SUVFan on May 1, 2019 18:59:43 GMT -5
As GTH and BP noted, Bob came up huge last night. Not to take anything away from his great game but Bob was also fortunate! Two of the Bruins' shots in the 3rd clanged off the iron. An inch to the left on the first or half an inch lower on the 2nd and the Bruins would have had the equalizer.
Torts' style is to sit on a lead, even a thin 2-1 lead like the Jackets had last night, for the entire 3rd period after giving one up with less than a minute to go in the 2nd. Ruled no goal at first, it appeared to be a correct application of the continuation rule and replay ultimately got that one right. To bad there hadn't been any contact with Bob, as that would have negated the continuation once the whistle blew.
As there's nothing at all I can do about the team's tendency to mostly shut down the offense and sit on a lead, I just keep my eye on the clock and watch the minutes peel off one by one. Same process for the last 2 minutes, except I'm looking every 5 to 10 seconds. Foligno's diving attempt at an empty netter, fully extending his stick toward the puck and kind of punching it toward the open goal with about a minute left barely missed the right post by just a few inches. Had it gone in, that would have made the end of the game a lot less tense but just as much fun.
The Jackets were also very fortunate with about 7 and a half to go in the game. Early in a Bruins' power play, as he appeared to be one on the Bruins' goalie on a shorty goal attempt, 16 seconds in one of the Bruins took out the shooter, sending it to 4 on 4, which expired with no scoring.
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Post by SUVFan on May 1, 2019 19:14:01 GMT -5
I've got no use for the Bruins' Brad Marchand, who exposed his true personality last night with a sucker punch to the back of Scott Harrington's head when Harrington was down on the ice on his knees. I've linked to the video at the point of a replay from an angle right behind the coward's move: Apparently the NHL is going to let the hack get away with it.
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