Capital punishment on home ice
Washington shuts down Blue Jackets 5-3

By Giles Kennedy, Contributing Columnist

The Blue Jackets have not lost their last four games at home. Unfortunately, Peter Bondura, Jaromir Jagr and the Washington Capitals ended the winning ways of our hometown heroes 5-3. One has to ask this question. Why, our heroes, why did they lose against the worst team in the Eastern Conference?

Jackets commander-in-chief Doug MacLean summed it up efficiently.  “Their 30 million dollar guys came through for them. I think we played a solid game,” he said. “We probably deserved a better fate and it didn’t happen.”

Although Jacket stars Rick Nash (2 goals, 15 for the season) and Tyler Wright (first goal of the year) accounted for our tallies, the bullish boys of the Beltway came to win and avenge their loss a night earlier to the Montreal Canadians.

The Jackets scrapped, clawed and worked hard for their three goals, while Washington with Peter Bondra scoring a hat trick and Jaromir Jagr accounting for two assists and lighting the lamp with his 9th goal of the season, made things look easy, scoring four goals on five shots early in the second period, sending the 17,158 Jacket faithful feeling deflated.

“We did some good things,” Tyler Wright, Jackets right winger affirmed, “When you get good players like Jagr and others a chance to score, they are going to do it.”

Overall the first period fell into the same routine for the Jackets. No score for the Capitals due to the home team defense. No score for the Jackets due to equal defense from their East Coast visitors.

But that would change, as the Jackets would lose defenseman Rusty Klesla to a serious knee injury. An aggressive Washington forward trying to beat him to the puck and negate an icing call tripped him up and he limped off the ice leaning heavily on his stick for support. The ever-depleting defensive corp was already without the services of Luke Richardson, Duvie Westcott and Jaroslav Spacek, who was out with a groin injury suffered against Nashville.

The second period gave the most action offensive action. In the first fifty-eight seconds, Trevor Letowski cleared a pass from Todd Marchant. That pass landed into the lumber of Rick Nash. Slam bam and thank you, ma’am. 1-0 Jackets control the pond.

But, as the Jackets goal was being announced to the 17,XXX in attendance, Jaromir Jagr came out of nowhere and smacked an unassisted goal at 1:15. Jagr, who has been slowed by a groin injury felt he was playing slow. Could of fooled us, could it he?

“Sometimes when you’re slowing, you’re playing kind of smarter; sometimes it works to your advantage.” Jaromir said candidly.

1-1 Washington ties it with that goal.

A few minutes down the road, the Jackets did not lose their spirit. Andres Eriksson and Geoff Sanderson assisted their follow iceman, Tyler Wright, for a goal chiming in at 5:13. Jackets regain the lead, 2-1.

Wright is still nursing injuries, but was a battler. “Getting back out there going 100%, I would like be in a mid-season form,” he said. “But I would have traded it in for a win tonight.”

Alas, questionable goals in the second and third periods by Brian Sutherby, Peter Bondra and Jaromir Jagr sealed the fate. The Capitals even had Bondra commit the greatest crime of all against the Jackets on home ice, a hat trick.

Peter humbly said, “You stay in the game, you score goals. You come through.”

A change in goalies came forth about eleven minutes into the second period. Fred Brathwaite came in for Mark Denis. Even Freddy’s golden blocks could not stop the Caps as Bondra completed his hat trick.

Lest not be said the Jackets did not try. David Vyborny did a double take pass to Darryl Sydor, delivering the puck once again to Rick Nash. Within the first thirty eight seconds of the third period, a goal between the pipes. Washington brings a federal case to win the battle of the two Capitol cities, 5-3.


GK’s Prime Time Players

For Columbus

Rick Nash- Hey, we lost. But, two goals scored. Who da man? 19 goals this season.

Tyler Wright- Just simply put, work ethic equals excellence under fire. Score a goal even after a couple Capitals knock your helmet off.

For Washington

Peter Bondura- 18 career hat tricks and one on our ice. Respectable, even though it came at the Jackets losing.

Jaromir Jagr- A living legend. Humble to think he didn’t play good tonight. I may not like the results, but Jagr played well.