New Look Jackets Snap 8-Game Losing Streak
By Dave Weissman, Columbus Wired

The new look Jackets took to the ice with Ken Hitchcock making his home coaching debut against the Minnesota Wild. Columbus (6-14-2) fought back twice and eventually won the game in fantastic fashion 5-3. Sergei Fedorov had two goals and two assists. Anson Carter had a goal and two assists. Nikolai Zherdev and Fredrik Modin also had goals as Columbus snapped an eight game losing streak in front of 15,493 fans in Nationwide Arena.

Hitchcock’s first game behind the bench was Thursday in Philadelphia. Columbus lost 3-2, but played with a spirit not seen in a long time.

“The line (Fedorov-Zherdev-Carter) was very good yesterday, grew as it went on and they were excellent every shift,” Hitchcock said. “They make plays.”

In a battle of backup goaltenders, Fredrik Norrena (1-4-0) made the start for Columbus and earned his first NHL victory. Niklas Backstrom started for Minnesota, but was pulled after giving up two goals in the 1st period and was replaced by Manny Fernandez.

Columbus got on the scoreboard first at 3:24 of the 1st period when Anson Carter took a fantastic feed from Sergei Fedorov in the slot. Carter made the most of the one-on-one with Backstrom and put away a backhand right between his legs. This was the first time in ten games that the Jackets have scored first.

"I am pleasantly surprised how quickly the players bought in (to the system)," said Hitchcock. But his record as a coach (408-249-100) is a winner and that is exactly what the Jackets desperately needed.

Just twenty-four seconds later, Minnesota (13-8-1) evened the score when Pascal Dupuis took a pass from Todd White. Dupuis’s slapshot in the slot found its way past Norrena.

Under normal circumstances, the Jackets would hang their heads and roll their shoulders. But this is a new beginning with Hitchcock behind the bench. Columbus continued to play good hockey especially in the neutral zone.

“We had a game plan going in and that was to not get frustrated,” said Columbus winger Jody Shelley. “They are a team that starts out quick and we know that.”

Columbus scored again at 14:15 of the 1st. Fredrik Modin threw the puck towards the net and as luck would have it, it went in. “It was a blind shot,” he said. “I was just trying to get it on net.”

Minnesota pulled back into a tie when Pierre-Marc Buchard was the recipient of a bad Columbus turnover in the defensive zone right in front of Norrena just 1:08 into the third period. Fedorov’s pass went off David Vyborny’s skate. Vyborny couldn’t get the puck gathered and it sprung to Buchard right in the slot. Power play goal with the Jackets on the penalty kill.

Again the Jackets kept swarming the net. Zherdev went around the net with the puck and found an open Fedorov in the slot. His slapshot would prove to be the game winner as Columbus took a 3-2 lead.
`We played patient hockey,'' Fedorov said. ``We shot the puck at the net and tried to get to the net, but mostly we skated harder.''
Columbus took the lead, 4-2 for good at 14:16 in the 3rd period. Zherdev put one on goal. Carter came around the boards and found Zherdev in the slot.

Fedorov finished the Jackets scoring with his second goal at 5:14 in the third period. During a delayed penalty, Rick Nash found Fedorov curling around the net. Fedorov slammed it home to make sure the Jackets gave Hitch his first victory at home.

“There are excellent pieces here to build a good hockey club,” Hitchcock said. “We have a good team.”

Minnesota did not give up and made it a 5-3 finish with 2:44 remaining. Stephane Veilleux walked in front of the net and laid it under Norrena’s stacked pads.

The fans that have been desperate for a winning night stood and cheered for the final minute, saluting Hitchcock and the team for a hard fought victory.

“That was great to see. I’m glad they stick with us,” Fedorov said. “We’re happy we can provide some decent hockey for them so they can cheer for us.”

Norrena savored his first NHL victory. “I’m going to save it. I have a couple at home that is important to me. This is definitely one of those,” he said when asked what he was going to do with the puck.

"We are a big hockey club that can skate and can bang some players," Hitchcock said. "If we play that way, we'll wear teams out. When we play that way, we can win a lot of hockey games." If the work is in there and they see the result with it then there is an enthusiasm

Columbus now heads out for a 10-game, four city west coast road trip. The will play in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and St. Louis before returning home on December 10th against Ottawa.