Stars-Blue Jackets: Columbus Loses in Penalty-Filled Nightmare

14 power plays for the Dallas Stars prospects?

I certainly wasn't at the game but I can see the Jackets coaching staff overheating from here. I have a real hard time believe the Jackets prospects were guilty of that many infractions.

The good news is that some of us—well those who still have power, which unfortunately I'm not one of—will get to see this game tonight on NHL Network to assess with their own eyes.

It was depressing to see that even in a prospect tourney, the Jackets PP continued to struggle, converting on just one of eight chances.

The good news though is that by all accounts Jakub Voracek continued to shine, notching two assists.  Matt Calvert, the Jackets fifth-round pick this past draft, continued his strong tournament by tallying another goal.

Super Dave over on NHL.com has a nice blog going about the tournament, so definitely check that out.

The Jackets are 1-0-1 in the tourney, and have one more game against St. Louis (who is 0-2) on Tuesday at 2:30. It looks like that loss yesterday all but eliminates them from a chance to win the tournament. With a win over St. Louis it looks like they could still qualify for the third-place game.

Current standings
TEAM W-L-OTL PTS GF GA
Dallas 2-0-0 4 9 7
Minnesota 1-0-1 3 6 6
Columbus 1-1-0 2 8 8
St. Louis 0-2-0 0 5 7

The full box score from yesterday can be found here.

Puck-rakers had an interesting bit about the Jackets medical staff.

Former Columbus defenseman Bryan Berard told the Boston Globe that he required two surgeries on his back while playing in Columbus (2005-07) because doctors “overlooked” a damaged disc during the first operation.

Berard, who’s trying out with the Flyers, played just 55 games during his two seasons with the Jackets.

"I had surgery on the one disk my first year there," Berard told the Globe. "And then when I came back, after the rehab, all the same symptoms came back. Doctors had overlooked the fact two of the disks were injured. So I needed the surgery again, and ended up missing the whole year [save for 11 games] for basically nothing.”

Last season, forward Fredrik Modin struggled with back problems for several months before Los Angeles-based specialist Dr. Robert Watkins determined Modin’s spasms were the result of two fractures.

The fractures were discovered through bone and CT scans.

I know medicine isn't an exact science, but that is certainly some concerning news. At this level, the Jackets can't afford misdiagnosis. Imagine where the Jackets might have been if Modin was healthy last season? 15 more goals in a lot of those close one-goal games could have made a big difference.

Let's hope that ship is righted.

Judging by the poll response, it looks like the NHL has some work to do in getting more subscribers. Only 33 percent (25 votes) say they get the NHL network while 66 percent (50 votes) say they do not get it.

I would assume those who don't get it either don't have it offered to them or are not willing to shell out the extra dough which is completely understandable.

The question is how does the NHL Network up its subscriber count? The obvious answer is to lower the price, or perhaps get in on basic tier. Another is to make sure all providers out there have the ability to offer it.

I can't see the NHL demanding or cable companies offering to put it on basic tiers so I think for now the NHL needs to focus on increasing their footprint and producing better content that will increase demand for the product.

I hope everyone made it through the wind storms okay. My updates on this blog will be less frequent until I get my power back, so please bear with me.