Leclaire, Jackets hold off Canucks
by Dave Seaman, Columbus Wired, Photos by Dave Weissman

If there are any questions about the goaltending of the Columbus Blue Jackets, they were answered Tuesday night. Pascal Leclaire, after missing a game with a bruised thumb, returned to lead the Jackets past the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 in front of 12,057 in Nationwide Arena.

The team played well for the first 45 minutes of the game and then had to outlast a barrage of shots from Vancouver, including a penalty kill in the waning minutes.

“Pazzy was unbelievable,” Jackets captain Rick Nash, who had an empty net goal, said. “He saved us tonight. He had a couple nice saves on that power play. That’s what we need from him to win games.”

Leclaire, who had 23 saves, said he was lucky that the swelling in his thumb went down within a day and he said it was not an issue Tuesday night. He said he felt pressure from the Canuck’s top line, featuring Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

“They were passing the puck pretty well, Leclaire said. “They were able to create a little bit, but it’s normal. We just found a way to win and that’s the important thing.”

Jason Chimera, Kristian Huselius and Derek Dorsett also scored for the Blue Jackets, while Jake Voracek had two assists. Huselius has a four-game point streak and leads the team with seven points (two goals, four assists).

For Dorsett, it was his first career NHL goal. He knows that he has to impress coach Ken Hitchcock and general manager Scott Howson if he wants to stay in Columbus when injured players like Raffi Torres, Jared Boll return as well as Michael Peca.

“I just try to do the things that will help the team win,” he said. “I just keep it simple and play into the system. It’s been paying off for me and I just got to keep doing those things to earn the coach’s trust.”

Chimera put the Jackets up two minutes, 32 seconds into the game with a slap shot from the top of the left circle that went under the glove of Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Nash fed Huselius in the slot and he put the puck under the stick of Luongo at 6:22 to give Columbus a 2-0 lead on the power play.

The Canucks got a goal back on the ensuing power play when former Ohio State player Ryan Kessler fed Kyle Wellwood, who had an open net as Leclaire was screened
on the play. Wellwood was recalled prior to the game from Manitoba.

Dorsett scored off a Mike Commodore shot from the right boards. The rebound came right to Dorsett, who went top shelf at 14:23 of the second. While the goal was great, his defense against the Sedin twins (no points) is what impressed Hitchcock.

“Dorsett is a big addition to our hockey club right now,” Hitchcock said. “He played against the Sedin line all night and that’s a big responsibility for a 21-year-old.”

Kevin Bieksa beat Leclaire off a pass from behind the net from Wellwood at 5:01 of the third to pull the Canucks to within a goal.

That’s when the barrage of shots came from Vancouver. The Canucks dominated puck control for most of the last 12 to 15 minutes, but the Jackets defense, anchored by Leclaire, stood tall.

“The last 10 minutes, we got bogged down. It's so early in the season, teams are desperate for points,” Hitchcock said. “These are playoff games. These points are as valuable as anything that’s going to happen in February and March.”

Nash’s hustle led to the empty net goal. He took the puck on a turnover and went in towards the goal, but was interfered with. The officials awarded him the goal giving him five on the season. It’s the third straight game Nash has scored.

The Jackets (3-3) outshot the Canucks 32-25 and went one-for-four on the power play. Luongo had 30 saves for Vancouver.

Columbus hosts the New York Rangers and former Jackets Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche Friday at 7 p.m. Zherdev’s former teammates are looking forward to his
return and the infamous toe drag he brings to the ice.

“Ya gotta play the body, Leclaire said. “(Zherdev) is a great player and we know him pretty well, but they have a pretty good team right now and we’re going to have to worry more than just the toe drag.”