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Montreal Was The Hab Not's In The Shootout For The CBJ Win

December 7, 2011, 8:10 AM ET [ Comments]
Eric Smith
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The Blue Jackets again tried to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory but some how came out with a 3-2 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre sending home 21,273 Habs fans unhappy. Rick Nash was the only player to ring the bell in the shootout and goalie Curtis Sanford denied all three Canadiens' attempts plus 18 of 20 shots in regulation and over-time to earn the victory.

“We got off to a great start and a great first period with a big mistake at the end (of the 1st period),” Columbus head coach Scott Arniel stated. “You know what, we really bounce back and made some real good plays. I thought we did a really great job of allowing Sandie (Curtis Sanford) to see a lot of those shots.”

The big mistake was on the stick of James Wisniewski who finished the game with a minus 2 and earned it. The Blue Jackets gained the lead with the opening score at the 2:03 mark as Vinnie Prospal popped in a rebound after Aaron Johnson threw the puck from a sharp angle on Carey Price. Prospal was crashing the net and was more than happy to twist the twine.

In what is becoming a ridiculous trend for Columbus is the amount of goals given up late in periods and they don't get much later than this as Wisniewski for some unknown reason tried a cross-ice two line pass with seconds fleeting in the open stanza. Michael Cammalleri excepted the gift by Wisniewski and pass it to Andrei Kostitsyn who motored through the slot area and was all alone on Sanford to tie the game with less than 2 seconds left in the period.

R.J. Umberger may have had his best game of the year and regained the lead for the Jackets in the second period as he beat Price short side as he looked like a run away locomotive going to the net.

“I was able to get a little speed on the defender and I just kind of used my size and my shoulder to keep the body position and drive to the net,” Umberger explained after the game. “Got a quick shot off and I think it went five hole or something. You know I don't ask how it went in.”

Wisniewski again found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when Tomas Plekanec flipped a pass to the front of the net, it hits Wisniewski skate and bounces the puck right to the tape of Brian Gionta that scores with only 1:21 left in regulation.

"We have to find a way to be more consistent no matter who we're facing, a top-ranked team or a low-ranked team," defenseman Josh Gorges said. "We have to come out with the same mentality. Until we learn to do that, we're going to put ourselves in a little bit of trouble."

Columbus hopes to have teams take them too lightly and help them string a few wins together but one thing has to stop for the Jackets not find defeat at their doorstep. Late period goals have haunted this club from the beginning of the year and this game they were able to find a way to get the win. Most times that won't happen with late goals and usually ends badly for the team that gives them up.
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