columbus blue jackets

So Much For The Blue Jackets

This is one of those weird situations where it’s hard to avoid talking about a single call like it swung things, even though the entire series—a five-game Penguins win—was pretty one-sided. But the Blue Jackets are out, after the best regular season in franchise history, and there’s plenty of time to dwell on…

Zach Werenski's Face Is Really Fucked Up

In the second period of Sunday’s Game 3 between the Penguins and Blue Jackets, Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski took a Phil Kessel shot right under the eye. Since Pittsburgh kept possession of the puck, officials didn’t stop play, which led to Bryan Rust tying the game at three as Werenski spilled red on the ice on…

Jake Guentzel Is The Ideal Finisher For Sidney Crosby

The Penguins must have a goddamned farm somewhere, where they just grow top-six forwards. Last year’s Cup run wouldn’t have happened without Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust, and now that those two have solidified their spots as unquestioned essentials to Pittsburgh’s offensive machine, here comes another kid, 22-year-old…

Zach Werenski Bleeds All Over The Place While Penguins Celebrate Tying Game Up

Zach Werenski sacrificed his face to stop a Phil Kessel shot, only to see the Penguins score anyway moments later as Bryan Rust got the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky while blood poured from the Blue Jackets defenseman’s visage. It’s bad times in Columbus, as Pittsburgh has tied it up 3-3.

Matt Calvert Suspended One Game For Cross-Check On Tom Kuhnhackl

Blue Jackets winger Matt Calvert will miss the next game of Columbus’s inevitable sweep at the hands of Pittsburgh after levying a stick-breaking cross-check on the Penguins’ Tom Kuhnhackl as last night’s 4-1 bruising came to a merciful end.

Columbus Dispatch Scraps Plan To Distribute Crying Sidney Crosby Masks

The Columbus Dispatch has announced that they’ll no longer be distributing crying Sidney Crosby masks in this Sunday’s edition of the paper.

John Tortorella Says He's Skipping All-Star Game To Take Care Of Sick Pit Bull

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella missed the team’s game yesterday against the Nashville Predators, and will skip the NHL All-Star Game this weekend, due to a family emergency. Today, Tortorella clarified that everyone was okay, and gave his reason: his son’s dog is sick.

Hot Mic Catches NHL Ref Swearing At Player

Things get messy down on the ice, especially when players are trying to argue their cases to officials who aren’t trying to hear it. Following an interference penalty on Columbus’s Ryan Murray, 10th-year ref Frederick L’Ecuyer went to announce the call—but not before dropping a pair of F-bombs on an unknown player.

The Columbus Blue Jackets Finally Lose

“Shit, huh?” is how Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella opened tonight’s press conference after his team was blown out 5-0 by the Washington Capitals.

The Blue Jackets Are On Fire

The Columbus Blue Jackets came out of the gate hot this season, but it didn’t feel totally real. The team’s possession stats were weak, and their PDO—a combination of shooting percentage and save percentage that tends to flatten out over time, and can indicate a team that’s just plain lucky—pointed toward them cooling off. All of this, plus the franchise’s unspectacular history, and a roster that’s just not laden with elite scorers, had observers unconvinced. And just about the only thing Columbus could do to convince people would be to keep winning. They haven’t lost since Thanksgiving weekend.