Fourth line excels
As the top forwards for the Columbus Blue Jackets struggle, one bright spot has been the play of fourth-liners Jared Boll, Derek Mackenzie, and Mike Blunden. All three players played roughly eight minutes Saturday in a 4-3 shootout loss to Calgary, however, they played with a lot of energy throughout the contest.
When the Blue Jackets were trailing 1-0 early in the second period and being outshot 17-7, the trio made their way to the ice in several shifts to change the momentum in the game for the rest of the period. Columbus would go on and get 11 shots in a row in the middle of the second during a span where they scored two goals.
“Great energy, they really brought us back into the game,” Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said. “Our second period was really a direct reflection of them energizing us. They had great energy.”
Boll scored his third of the season at the end of the second when he wristed his shot past Calgary goalie Curtis McElhinney just moments after getting sent to the penalty box for goaltender interference. Boll was going to deliver a crunching hit to Flames' defenseman Dion Phaneuf and instead got McElhinney.
“That was a tough play,” Boll said. “I was going full speed and I was going at the defenseman and the goalie was out there. When you are going that fast, it is kind of hard to stop.”
Mackenzie nearly got a goal of his own in the second on a breakaway that was stopped by the left pad of McElhhiney.
Mason continues to struggle in shootouts
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason remains winless in four shootouts after allowing three goals on four shots against Saturday. For the season, Mason is only three-for-10 stopping shootout opportunities.
“We got to talk to (Mason) about (allowing three shootout goals),” Hitchcock said. “He is moving too fast; too many openings there. We'll talk to him and get it fixed.”
The lackluster performance in shootouts has exacerbated Mason's issues between the pipes this season. Last year's Calder Memorial Trophy winner has a 3.46 goals against average, more than one goal per game higher than last season. He ranks in the bottom three in goals-against this season after being one of the top performers a year ago.
“(Shootouts) are a great way to win a hockey game but rough when you lose them,” Mason said. “The shooters did their job to put the puck in the net. Those first two shootout shots I should have had and I guess that is the difference.”
Mathieu Garon is 2-0 in shootouts this season.
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