By Brad Lee
PREGAME
Hannu "Ears" Toivonen gets the start tonight after All-Star Emmanuel Legace played 24 hours ago last night against Dallas.
As FSN just said, welcome to the second half of the season. This is game 42 for the Blues. And now everyone is talking about the Blues' playoff chances since the team is in the eighth and final spot right now. But the standings are packed, from the top to the bottom. No one is going to feel safe in this race for weeks.
We'll be back with the drop of the puck shortly.
18:49 Backman is a healthy scratch and Mr. Press Box Buffet, Matt Walker is a scratched. Me thinks Murray believes this could be a physical game.
17:27 Ears about crapped his pants as the BJs got a breakaway. Great save by Toivonen. Anybody see who's fault that was?
15:54 Ken Hitchcock looks pissed. Like "I'm on a goddamn diet and there are people right behind me eating nachos without peppers. The nerve."
pdub Says:
January 11th, 2008 at 6:14 pm e
Love Jammer, but if I had a nickel for every time he shoots a puck 5 feet wide/high of the net…
We've said this before: Mayers has a better chance of hitting the net from the end line or along the boards than alone in the slot. He might not be the sharpest tool in the tool shed. Just sayin. We've only had like a decade of seeing him mentally miss open shots.
15:25 It's nice that the Blues defense is letting the BJs practice their breakaways. This time nASH tried to go left then right and Toivonen had the big glove save....with a flourish even. The Canadian broadcasters hate when he does that.
13:08 "And Toivonen is knocked down," John Kelly said. No, I think the correct reference would have been, "And Toivonen does his best Eric Brewer impersonation by falling down for no reason."
12:06 BLUES GOAL! (we think). It's going to be reviewed. Johnson, Ryan skated down left, centered and Backes was cutting to the net, the puck hit his skate and it possibly went off his stick and maybe not. It did not look like on the first replays that it was a kicking motion, more of a skate turn to stop. AND IT'S A GOAL! 1-0.
10:19 They just got to the keys of the game on the broadcast. I was waiting for them to say, "Score first." One SHOULD have been, score a motherfuckin goal on Leclaire in the state of Ohio.
8:13 "The Blue Jackets have been fighting a virus. Eight players have been effected, including both goaltenders,' Kelly said. He followed it up with, "Sorry, but I'm not going to feel sorry for a team fighting the flu. That's just the way it goes."
7:49Â nASH flung it from the dot and it went in. Bastard. And the cannon goes off, Federov gets an assist. "I think that's one Hannu would like back," Federko said. Well no shit. What goal wouldn't he want back?
Oh, and nASH has scored in SIX straight games against the Blues not five, you Hall of Famer.
5:27 The BJs are flying and feisty. They've had a half dozen legit scoring chances already. And after the whistle, they were trying to spoon Ears, so Jackman had to get a little pushy.
And I guess Federko is technically correct saying nASH has scored in five games this year, but the streak goes back a game last year.
And it's unfair that nASH is 23. Rat bastard.
4:24Â Tkachuk is going to the box for hooking. That's my wife's favorite penalty. "Did Walt just get called for hooking? That dirty slut."
And now the Blues are going to be down two men for 1:43. Thanks, Mr. Brewer.
3:36 Why is David Vyborny on the No. 1 power play for Columbus? Man, their power play could potentially suck more than St. Louis'.
2:56 McKee dove and stopped a centering pass after Ryan Johnson pulled a Brewer along the boards.
2:39 And Columbus scores. Fucking cannon. Hainsey. Shot from the point. There were three players (two Blues) in Ears' line of sight. "I don't think he ever saw it," Federko said. Why, because he didn't know it was in the net until nASH celebrated?
1:57 I hate the monkeys who bang on the glass like they're in a zoo exhibit. It makes an annoying sound on the TV.
Kelly thought Brewer might have gotten a misconduct. Anybody know for sure?
GT Prospect Department Says:
January 11th, 2008 at 6:46 pm e
So Brewer cost them another goal against, eh?
(insert shaking head and rolling eyes icons here)Â
As pdub said, hee cross checked a guy on the penalty kill.
END OF FIRST PERIOD
Blues will get a power play on fresh ice to begin the second. Shots were 13-4 Columbus. Seemed worse than that.
We'll have another thread up for the second so you don't have to scroll through everything for the new stuff. Great comments so far, no calendar featuring Phyllis.