Jackets show character overcoming early deficit
By Greg Dew,  Columbus Wired (11/02/02)

If first impressions were the only way to gauge people, or hockey teams for that matter, the 3-2 victory for the Columbus Blue Jackets last night over the Buffalo Sabres could come as quite a shock to Jackets fans.

“We had a poor start in the first period and just looked like we were in slow motion,” said head coach Dave King.

It was a poor start indeed. Goaltender Marc Denis was tested early and often in the first period. Thankfully for the Jackets, he was up to the task. He faced a flurry of shots not one minute into the game and was continuously peppered throughout. He gloved, kicked and dove his way to keep the Jackets unscathed until 17:39 when Stu Barnes was finally able to sneak one by to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead.

Not a minute later Buffalo would add to that lead when Jochen Hecht scored off a scrum in front of the net to bring the score to 2-0. In all Denis faced 16 shots in the first, most of them high quality as the rest of the Jackets came out lethargic on defense and offense. The offense was only able to garner 4 shots on goal and the face off men only able to win about a third of the time.

“He (Denis) had a good game the whole game,” said King. “No goal is his fault. We didn’t help him out much in the first.”

Awe, but if you are willing to give second chances (and not of the rebound sort), you were richly rewarded starting with the drop of the puck to start the second. Columbus started the period a man down but did not play like it. Geoff Sanderson let the fans and the Sabres know things were about to change. Sanderson harassed the Buffalo defense after the Jackets had cleared the puck, flustered the Sabre attack and allowed the Jackets to easily kill the penalty.

Columbus quickly mounted a counter attack. Sabres right-winger Ales Kotalik was called for interference as his goaltender, Marin Biron, was under assault from Blue Jacket shots. The ensuing power play saw the Jackets continue the pressure. Although the Sabres were able to kill off the penalty, Kotalik was unable to completely re-join the action before Tyler Wright re-directed a Rostislav Klesla shot to cut the lead in half.

For the period, Columbus owned a 12-6 shots on goal advantage and was able to even out the face off percentage. As the third period dawned the Blue Jackets seemed intent on continuing their dominating play.

“We took the third period and said throw everything at them,” said eventual hero Derrick Walser. “It was the last game of their road trip and they were tired.”

If the Sabres were tired, it didn’t help that the Blue Jackets were gaining more and more strength as the game progressed.

In all aspects of the game the Jackets showed they wanted the game more. Kevin Dineen continually pummeled and disoriented the Sabres with punishing checks, Grant Marshall dove to the ice to make a stick save on an attempted shot and Andrew Cassels took several whacks at the puck in the crease, while on the power play, to even the score at 2-2 early in the third.

Midway through the third the Blue Jackets were able to complete their long journey back to the victory when they set up a beautiful power play goal. Rick Nash took a pass from Klesla, circled around the net and fed Walser who wound up and slapped the puck past Biron for the Jackets first lead of the game.

“Nash made the play. He threw it out in front and I just happened to be sitting there,” Walser said as he humbly assessed his goal. Basically I just shot it as hard as I can.”

As dramatic as the moment seemed, the biggest moments of the game were still pending. At 15:34 Jaroslav Spacek and Sanderson were called for kneeing and unsportsmanlike conduct respectively. The Sabres would have a 5 on 3 opportunity to even the score. Here the Jackets showed how much they wanted this game. Espen Knutsen and Klesla repeatedly threw their bodies in front of shots to help preserve the win.

“The whole game was kind of epitomized by the Buffalo 5 on 3 power play,” said King.

As the seconds ticked off the kill, the fans grew louder and louder for each dive or clear. The game was effectively over when the power play ended. Denis raised his arms in celebration and the sell-out crowd exploded into a standing ovation for the team’s effort.

The Sabres would not challenge again as the Blue Jackets overcame their
lackadaisical start to play two periods of inspired hockey, gain the win and most significantly, climbed to .500 for the season.

“Now its significant,” said King. “We’ve played enough games to where .500 means something.”