Jackets beat down 4-1 by Minnesota

By Dave Weissman, Columbus Wired
Photos by Tom Theodore

The Blue Jackets returned home after being pounded 4-2 the other day in Nashville looking to redeem themselves against a Minnesota Wild team that is 2-9-1 overall in Columbus. But, history did not keep pace as Marian Gaborik scored two goals and Brian Rolston scored in his fifth straight game to lead the Minnesota Wild over the Jackets 4-1.

The lackluster play of the Jackets and the high spirit and defensive trapping from the Wild was too much to overcome and left the sellout crowd booing in the third period and as the game wound down.

Fredrik Norrena (6-12-3) made the start for the Jackets stopping only 16 of 20 shots. His last win was January 3rd when he allowed three goals on 33 shots in Minnesota. After that win, he had loses in St. Louis and Dallas. He has allowed four goals in each of his last three starts and his save percentage is hovering in the low .800.

Both teams came in the NHL in the fall of 2000, yet while Columbus is looking to get in the playoffs for the first time in team history, Minnesota solidified their position for the final 30 games of the season by winning their third game in a row and keeping them one point ahead of Calgary.

"The three games we've lost, we deserved to lose," Jackets forward Dan Fritsche said. "The competitive attitude hasn't been there."

Columbus (25-23-6) was trying to avoid a three game losing streak. Minnesota (30-19-3) was looking for its third win in a row and has won 4 of the last 6.

Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom has been a backstop for the Wild with a record of 19-9-2 (2.48 GAA). He stopped 33 of 34 shots on goal.

Minnesota got on the board first at 9:40 in the 1st period. Mikko Koivo won the faceoff in the Jackets zone and drew the puck back to Kurtis Foster who blew his 60 ft. shot past Norrena, who reacted late to the shot.

Derick Brassard scored his first NHL goal but that was the only Jacket highlight of the night. Rick Nash was not credited with a shot and the entire team looked as if they were at an All-Star game as spectators.

Minnesota caught fire after that goal and scored three goals in a six minute span. Rolston scored his 19th goal of the season at 5:52, followed by a tip-in by Gaborik at 10:26 and his second goal at 11:44.

"I think we really played well for two periods,” said Minnesota Wild Head Coach Jacques Lemaire. After that when it was 4-1 we sat a little bit in the third. They got good chances, our goalie was on top of his game at that point, and that's why it stayed 4-1."

That was all that the Wild needed as they have won the last 42 games when leading after two periods. They turned on their defensive trap and only took one shot in the 3rd period.

"We were playing the way we wanted and we gave their best player two chances and he put them both in," Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We did a lot of things well and then we cracked again. We have been the team to make the big mistakes when the game is on the line."

Columbus returns to the ice on Tuesday to face the Washington Capitals and their scoring machine Alexander Ovechkin.