Columbus Blue Jackets: Plagued by Inconsistency

The on-again off-again Columbus Blue Jackets were off again last night.

After an emotional 5-1 win against the Red Wings in Detroit, the Jackets responded with a horrible effort against a St. Louis Blues team that was playing their third game in four nights.

This team is exhausting. No consistency at all. It's to the point where you might as well just guess how they'll perform because there is no pattern here.

Lit it up

How bout nobody.

Dim the Light

The Brule-Brassard-Fritchse line was really the only line that did anything of substance last night.

My hat goes off to Dan Fritsche for sticking up for his goalie and taking on a seasonsed fighter in Barret Jackman. Why Jackman would go with Fritsche is just stupid. That was maybe Fritsche's second fight ever. It was nice to see Jackman bloodied up there; serves him right for going after a non-fighter.

I don't want to hear the face shield argument either. Jackman picked the fight, that's what he gets.

Nash got a shorty.

Busted bulbs

Seven penalties. Many of the undisciplined kind by the team's veterans. Unacceptable, especially this time of year.

Jackets give up three powerplay goals to the league's worst powerplay. Again just completely unacceptable.

Jackets unwilling to pay the price. Outside of the fourth line, nobody on the Jackets was willing to match the Blues' intensity. They came out hitting from the first whistle and the Jackets had nothing to counter with. This game was never in doubt.

So much for getting any kind of boost from Sergei Fedorov.

The Jackets outshot, outhit, outplayed and, ultimately outscored.

Certainly not one of Leclaire's best games. Some fluke goals and tip ins but he had some nasty rebounds and this was the second time in two weeks he's let one pop in the air on him and go in behind him. He did make quite a few saves early on or this score could have been worse.

Foote / Hejda were out there for four goals against. They were a mess.

Klesla. Completely blew the coverage on the McDonald break-away. Horrible.

Michael Peca. Two dumb slashing penalties. Pathetic.

Vyborny, Chimera, Zherdev. Did they even play last night? How much does this team miss Jared Boll? Sad really how soft this team can look without him.

Three Bright Lights on the Night

1. Dan Fritsche: Sticking up for his goalie and giving Jackman a real go.

2. Brassard and Brule: This line is making some things happen out there. They'll get rewarded soon.

3. CBJ youth team: They showed more emotion in the stands than the entire team did on the ice.

This team will probably bounce back in Toronto tomorrow night and make us all think there's still a chance to back into these playoffs, but the reality is this team is just way to inconsistent.

What really amazes me is how, prior to the All-Star break, they only had two losses of four goals or more. Since the break, in just nine games they have two.

Either 1) the league has figured out how to beat the Jackets, 2) the Jackets are burning out their d-men, or 3) the Jackets as a whole are just flaming out. Regardless, the defense and checking that made them successful early on just hasn't been there since the break.

GM Scott Howson must know that, regardless if this team stays in the hunt or not, he's got to unload some of these veterans at the deadline for either picks or roster players who will be part of the long term solution here. I really think that this team would have just as good \a chance to make the playoffs without guys like Fedorov, Vyborny, or Peca than it would with them.

This team just cannot get it done in its current state and now is the time to start building this team the right way. The gutting of this roster has to start now.

-LTL