BRULE SCORES IN O.T. TO GIVE JACKETS 3-2 WIN OVER DETROIT
By Giles Kennedy, Contributing Columnist

Pre-season hockey marched on as Blue Jacket goalie Pascal LeClaire stopped 37 of 39 shots on goal and Columbus earned a 3-2 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Nationwide Arena. Solid defense and a thrilling overtime goal by Jackets 2005 first round draft pick Gilbert Brule provided the spark and gave Columbus (2-1) its second victory of the preseason.

LeClaire, working hard to prove his worth to the Jackets, played the entire game after seeing a period and a half Tuesday night against Pittsburgh, making 14 saves. Columbus won that battle 3-2 in its first shootout contended victory.

“I have a lot to prove, I didn't play at all last year and I have to come here and work really hard, and show the bosses and everybody that I'm back at one hundred percent,” LeClaire said.

At 17:21 in the first period, Brule, vying for a spot on the big club, sent the puck into the offensive zone and behind the net towards winger David Vyborny. Vyborny made a few moves behind the net and around the defenseman, using a nifty backhand after spotting left winger Joe Motzko open 10 feet from the net. Motzko’s slap shot whizzed past Red Wings goalie James Howard.

46 seconds into the second period, the Jackets lit up Howard again. Left winger Joakim Lindstrom took a Nikolai Zherdev pass, snapping the puck underneath Howard’s legs to give what the 13,040 fans thought would be a safe lead for Columbus.

But, this is a Central Division foe that doesn’t give up as Detroit answered for being scoreless a few moments later.

On a power play opportunity, Red Wing defensemen Niklas Kronwall slipped the puck to fellow defenseman Andy Demore. Demore saw Robert Lang. Lang slapped the puck from 50 feet at 1:54 to give Detroit a bit of life.

Jackets forward Brandon Sudgen and Detroit’s Dan LaCouture thought it might be time for them to dust off a little off-season rust. They tussled at 13:19 in the 2nd period with Sudgen getting the best of the fight. It should be noted that Sudgen’s father was a professional boxer in Toronto. It showed.

Just as the fans thought the Jackets had wrapped up their second victory of the pre-season, it became a grim reminder of what Columbus fans have endured throughout the team’s history…a late game meltdown.

Detroit took 15 shots in the second period and 11 in the third to keep the pressure on LeClaire and the Jackets defense.

“They had a lot of pressure on us. We were standing around a little bit; we were to spread out watching them buzz. But (LeClaire) kept us in the game,” said Jackets defenseman Adam Foote.

With just 46 seconds remaining in regulation, Mark Mowers deflected a shot by Jiri Hudler to give Detroit a tie and force overtime. This is a place that fans have been before and it usually wasn’t pretty for the home team.

But, this is the new NHL and a new and revamped Blue Jacket team. With just 27 seconds remaining in overtime, Francois Beachemin’s slap shot was stopped by Howard, but Brule was there to get the rebound and lift the puck over Howard’s glove to give Columbus a well deserved and earned overtime victory.

"It was a scramble play, we got the puck to the net,” said Brule. “I just got the rebound and there was an empty net, and I just put it in."

In three pre-season games, the Jackets have a loss, shootout win and overtime win. Welcome to the new NHL.