1. Columbus deserves a ton of credit for what they did Game 6. Down 4-0 mid-way through the 3rd period against the 2nd seeded team in the Eastern Conference, it would have been easy to lower their heads, mail it in and be happy with what was the franchise's most successful season ever. They didn't do that, though. They kept battling for loose pucks, threw everything they could at Marc-Andre Fleury, and in the end fell just short. It was a tough way to go lose, but they gave the Penguins all they could handle.
2. The Blue Jackets should be very proud of their season and first round, even though they didn't get the results they wanted. The Jackets were not only embraced by the city of Columbus, but by the hockey community as a whole, and they quickly became one the most likeable teams in hockey. It was a good year for them, and the best is yet to come.
3. Columbus gave a Pittsburgh team full of all-stars and two generational talents all they could handle, and nearly forced Game 7. That put the team on the map, and with all their young talent improving, we'll be hearing from them again soon.
4. A lot of media have been crediting the Blue Jackets for their success, but comparing them to the Islanders last season. I couldn't disagree with that more. The Islanders were a talented young team, but they had no goaltender, and failed to improve their roster in the off-season. Factor that in with John Tavares missing the last couple months of the season, and of course you're going to miss the playoffs. I think Columbus has a little more depth on the blue line than the Islanders did, and the difference between Sergei Bobrovsky and Evgeni Nabokov can not be overstated. If Columbus adds a piece or two here and there, and they can stay relatively healthy, they'll be in the playoffs again next season.
5. One guy I can't wait to see more from is Ryan Johansen. He didn't have his best game last night, but he did have some chances, and was a consistent threat all throughout the series. I think he's going to get a lot better, which is a scary thought considering how good he already is. He's going to be a star.
6. Boone Jenner is another guy that I look forward to seeing next year and beyond. After a pretty good rookie campaign where he scored 16 goals, Jenner was able to make an instant impact in the playoffs, picking up points in five of the Blue Jackets' six games. I scouted him in the OHL for years, and he's a gamer. The best is yet to come.
7. Talking about last night's game a little bit, I think Dan Bylsma and the Penguins deserve a lot of credit. Columbus came out hitting everything that moved and they tried to initiate after the whistle, but Pittsburgh stayed disciplined and didn't engage. That's tough to do at times, but the Pens did a great job of it, and it really helped them out. I know at one point Nick Foligno tried to start a scrum after the whistle, the Pens ignored it and Foligno took the lone penalty. Evgeni Malkin scored a power play marker shortly after, and that was the end of that.
8. Speaking of Malkin, he was a beast in Game 6. He showed signs throughout the series a game like this was coming, and he was finally able to break through. Malkin completely took over the game with his hat trick, and proved why he's a generational talent.
9. More on Malkin: you don't trade generational talent. Period. The Penguins' biggest issues, at least in my eyes, are discipline (at times), their penalty kill, and lack of depth in the bottom-6. All of those things can easily be fixed with a couple small pieces, none of which you need to move a guy like Malkin to get.
10. Sidney Crosby finished the series with six assists, 19 shots, and he was a 61% possession player. Garbage, huh? I can't wait until he gets a break, a couple of those shots go through, and the media acts as if we're seeing a whole new player, and he completely altered his game.
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Email: NHLToddCordell@Gmail.com