So that’s what it’s like to get great goaltending on a consistent basis. Sergei Bobrovsky was again excellent in goal for the Jackets, finishing with 30 saves and earning the first shutout of his career. Bobrovsky has earned the victory in each of Columbus’ last four games and has allowed just two goals on 105 shots over that span. That’s quality goaltending.
I hesitate to use the word “dominant” to describe today’s 3 – 0 shutout win over Detroit but this was without a doubt Columbus’ most dominant performance this season. The three-goal win broke the streak of one-goal decisions Columbus has participated in at nine while running their streak of games with at least one point at six.
Matt Calvert, who was a demon on the forecheck all game long, made the play to key Columbus’ first goal. Calvert, pressuring the Red Wings D along the boards, intercepted an attempted pass off the stick of Nicklas Kronwall and looped around the back of the cage. He fed a pass to Atkinson and the diminutive winger pushed the puck past Jonas Gustavsson’s left pad.
Columbus would net two goals in period two on just six shots. The first came during a PP courtesy of a rare infraction committed by four-time Lady Byng Trophy winner Pavel Datsyuk. Jack Johnson hammered a one-time shot past Gustavsson for his third marker of the season. Derick Brassard earned the primary assist after laying a soft back pass to Johnson in open ice.
The Jackets would get a goal from snake bit winger Nick Foligno just 1:23 later. In another example of a good forecheck paying off, Ryan Johansen pressured the defense and took the puck from Kyle Quincey on the RW boards. Johansen fed the puck to Foligno, parked at the near post, and he chipped the puck just inside the far post.
Jared Boll had a goal waived off in the third period during a scramble in front of the goal. Boll thought he had the marker when he lifted the loose puck up into the net but referee Ian Walsh, who must have been out of position, lost site of the puck and blew his whistle. The puck was clearly in before the whistle but Walsh determined that he intended to blow the play dead prior to the puck’s entry into the net.
Columbus did an excellent job of clogging up the neutral zone and taking away the passing lanes. Detroit is a possession team that prefers to skate the puck into the zone. Once set up they look to pass to an open teammate for a clear shot and head to the net looking for rebounds. They are not adept and dumping and chasing. If you can take the passing lanes away and clog up the neutral zone you can frustrate Detroit and that’s exactly what Columbus did this afternoon.
If Columbus keeps playing this well they could find their way into the playoff mix. But they can’t get ahead of themselves. They need to just focus on the task at hand, the next game. The next game happens to be tomorrow for the Detroit half of the home-and-home. If the Jackets repeat today’s effort they’ll have a good chance to extend their winning streak to five.
Dubinsky On the Block?
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun wrote over the weekend that the Blue Jackets have been “offering up centre Brandon Dubinsky around the league.” Here’s the exact excerpt from Garrioch:
Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen is getting the lay of land, but he's also working the phones trying to clean up the mess left behind by Scott Howson. Sources say Kekalainen has been offering up centre Brandon Dubinsky and his $4.2 million cap hit through 2014-15 around the league. Acquired in the Rick Nash deal by Howson, Dubinsky hasn't been a liability he just makes too much money and Kekalainen doesn't have any ties to the deal.
I understand Kekalainen’s position on this but boy that would seem to be a little unfair to Dubinsky. He came to Columbus looking for a fresh start following a poor season last year with the Rangers. He hasn’t put up a ton of points (eight in 15 games) and he’s been out while Columbus has gotten on their hot streak but when he was healthy his energy was noticed and valued by head coach Todd Richards. He was even sporting an “A” on his sweater for the Blue Jackets which should speak volumes to how he is viewed by his coaches and teammates.
As for being overpaid, Dubinsky signed his deal after a 24 goal, 30 assist season with the Rangers during the 2010 – 2011 season. If we believe that Dubinsky can regularly post 50 – 60 points per season when healthy he really shouldn’t be considered overpaid.
I reviewed last year’s scoring stats and pulled the salary cap data for forwards that played a minimum of 70 games, scored between 50 and 60 points and were not still on their entry level deals. Of the 30 players who fit the criteria, the average salary cap hit was $4.585MM. Dubinsky’s cap charge is $4.2MM through 2015. If we again assume Dubinsky can be a 50+ point scorer then Dubinsky isn’t overpaid.
Additionally, Dubinsky’s 54-point season can’t be called a fluke. During his age 21 – 23 seasons, Dubinsky recorded 40, 41 and 44 points respectively. That last total was tallied in just 69 games and would prorate to 52 points in an 82-game schedule. Even this season after a slow start Dubinsky was on pace for 44 points. He was just getting hot offensively when he went out with the knee injury have scored one goal and four points in his final four games before going on IR.
Now Kekalainen has had some time to review his roster. Perhaps he doesn’t think Dubinsky can be a 50-point scorer for Columbus and doesn’t value Dubinsky’s intangibles enough to justify the $4.2MM cap commitment. If the Columbus GM finds a deal for Dubinsky he likes then I have no problem if he pulls the trigger. Still, I would feel a little bit bad for Dubinksy. He’s played his ass off in his short time in Columbus and I don’t think he gets a fair shake when it comes to the criticism involving his salary.
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • 
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