More Gliding than the Ice Capades

It's good for Saad to feel the net

Hi folks.  I've been kinda quiet lately.  A big part of my silence is that I feel my role in the blogosphere is to try to provide perspective.  Welp.  I have no perspective here.  This is uncharted territory for the franchise, and even if I look back at it in hindsight all I can say is that this is our best team ever, hands down.  What that means in the grand scheme of things is something to be considered later.  Now, it's just the ride.

So I have this to offer for Blue Jackets fans.  Tonight's 5-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets is the most meaningless game the Jackets have played since preseason.  It has no impact on the standings or playoff position.  And seriously, a late season swoon by the Jackets is the perfect sucker play, because there will be a number of national pundits saying 'see, I told you so, these guys aren't that good'.  True.  They have performed poorly in games that don't really count all year long.  Props to the Caps for salting down their second consecutive President's Trophy.  They deserve it, they have played a lot of winning hockey.  Likewise, the Penguins deserve home ice, by winning in spite of their injuries.  And lastly, the Jackets have a big interest in having the Penguins believe they are the better team.  Perhaps they are.  They need to win a 7 game series to prove it, just as the Jackets do.  We get to watch.  Woot!

One thing the Blue Jackets know how to do is block shots.  However, shot blocking tonight was rather symbolic.  I watched Seth Jones do this funky genuflect, pretending he was blocking a shot, and the guy walked around him and scored Winnipeg's second (?) goal.  I promise that Seth Jones gets that puck in the playoffs, or the guy never gets that shot off.  That's how meaningless these games are.

So there it is.  Four goals tonight is something.  The CBJ know how to play defense.  They need to get their offense going.  Look for these next two meaningless games to be pretty wide open, fast skating affairs.  And look for the defensive pressure from both sides to ramp up in the playoffs.  That much, at least, I know.

GO JACKETS!!
GO MONSTERS!!