Blue Jackets-Thrashers: Columbus Gets Down and Dirty in Atlanta

The game against the Thrashers last night could have been described as "critical". The Jackets had plenty of time to dwell on their 7-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers and without a good showing last night, any confidence that the Jackets had built up in the early parts of November would have been all but gone.

Lucky for the Jackets, they played the exact type of game that Coach Hitchcock had been  preaching since he arrived in Columbus.

They jumped out to an early 1-0 lead at 8:36 in the first period. Captain Rick Nash extended his goal-scoring streak to six games when he buried a rebound off a shot from defensemen Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, who picked up the primary assist on the goal. Rookie point leader Derick Brassard also picked up an assist on the play.

After the early goal, the Jackets defense buckled down and only allowed a total of 15 shots for the game. This allowed a light night for rookie goaltender Steve Mason, who picked up his first career NHL shutout.

"It's tough holding a one-goal lead for the majority of the game," Mason said. "The defensemen did a great job of blocking shots and making sure I could see the puck. They made it easy for me." —courtesy of Bluejackets.com

The Blue Jackets put the game away with an empty net goal from R.J. Umberger. Rick Nash also picked up his second point of the night by picking up the only assist on the goal. Umberger scored his eighth goal of the season. He didn't pick up his eighth goal last season until January 20th.

Notes and Observations:

• Rookie center Derick Brassard picked up his 20th point of the season in his 19th game. Brassard sits tied at 19th in the NHL in points.
• Columbus allowed its fewest amount of shots on goal this season. They gave up only 15, which is one short of a franchise record.
• Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock announced after the game that Mason would be between the pipes Wednesday against Phoenix.
• After 20 games, the Blue Jackets sit at 9-8-3. This has them sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference.
• The Blue Jackets have picked up points in nine out of the last 11 games, including 12 points in the month of November with three games remaining.