As the clocks fall back today and the darkness seems to drop in on us earlier each night, you wonder if the Blue Jackets will also fall back into the trait of loosing leads and thus let darkness drop into this early season.

The captain knows it and said it, "We're not closing games," Rick Nash said. "We are a team that needs to learn how to play with the lead."

No kidding! This team should easily be 8-4-0 with collapses against Edmonton and Pittsburgh that should happen about once a year and it has already happened twice.

"We can't play afraid and don't want to think about making a mistake. I think it could be the case sometimes." Antoine Vermette stated after the Penguin collapse.

The player that is the most afraid right now is Steve Mason. Really don't know if he is in the proverbial "Sophomore Slump" or if due to his success last year that he just thought this was going to be easy or maybe he plays better when he has mono. Whatever it is, he hasn't been the same Mason that carried this team last year to the playoffs. So far this season Mason as put up a 3.48 goals-against average in 10 starts. He's 1-3-1 with a 4.53 GAA in his last five starts.

What is also bothersome about Mason is that one of his strongest traits seems to be leaving him. His mental toughness from last year was viewed as a strength that was far past what a rookie goalie should have. Now, it looks to have left him. He takes losses harder, he gets rattled by goals that he gives up and he does things in the net that makes you wonder if having goaltending coach Dave Rook around is really helping.

There is no doubt that Mason doesn't have the same confidence in the defense that is in front of him. Jan Hejda is out at least until Wednesday. Mathieu Roy, who might have been the most consistent defensive defenseman outside of Hejda, was sent to Syracuse to avoid having to send him through waivers if he stayed longer. Mike Commodore is still getting back to speed with his groin. Rusty Klesla, since signing his extension, has looked like garbage and the hope of playoff Rusty this season is very much false hope.

Expect tonight that the Capitals and especially Alex Ovechkin will be shooting the puck from every direction. Ovechkin might have new partners in crime tonight as head coach Bruce Boudreau hinted at breaking up the team's top line that has Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin.

Boudreau let the press know that, "I thought they were way too fancy and way too cute. They could have had four or five goals if they were really sharp. That's why sometimes you want to break that line up because they look for each other instead of shooting the puck."

Really think the Blue Jackets will have to pull one out of the hat tonight to win. Their confidence is shot from the head coach to the goaltender to the skaters to the equipment manager. Just don't know if they have the mental fortitude to handle the like of the Capitals, who very much like the Penguins, will smell blood in the water and go on full on attack mode which this team doesn't handle well.

Fire The Cannon!

Eric Smith
Eric.Smith@HockeyBuzz.com

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