Welcome back to The Fuse.
Around these parts, we’ll do our best to give you everything you need to know about the Columbus Blue Jackets. We’ll also fill you in on the stories you may not have heard about (or those you didn’t think you need to know about), the social media buzz around the league, along with a few random nuggets for good measure.
Think of it as your morning coffee with a shot of Blue Jackets talk.
KEEP MARCHING: Well, Game 1 wasn't so great, was it? Yikes. If this playoff run is anything like 2014 (and who knows, really) the Blue Jackets will dust themselves off and play a better game tonight in Game 2. The difference between a 1-1 draw and 2-0 deficit going back to Columbus is essentially the difference between having someone tow your car to safety and having to pull it yourself.
Columbus friends, you can catch Game 2 (7 p.m. ET) on the NHL Network nationally or locally on FOX Sports Ohio. Jeff Rimer and Jody Shelley have the call for FSO, which plans to carry at least the next three games while NBC has the option to scoop up the final three of the series, provided they're necessary.
OLD FACES, NEW PLACES: Remember like, a year ago when Ken Hitchcock was supposedly retiring after this season? That announcement, which was made so the Blues could officially pave the way for Mike Yeo to take over beginning with the 2017-18 season, drew some chuckles around the NHL. Those connected in the league strongly believe Hitchcock, a self-proclaimed coaching lifer, will have to be dragged from the bench kicking and screaming. The guy is made for this.
Anywho, he's back coaching mere months after being fired by St. Louis. The Dallas Stars hired him yesterday to replace Lindy Ruff, who was dismissed following the Stars' season finale. It's the second go-round in Big D for the big man, who had a successful run there in the 1990s and early 2000s and is looking to take this talented-but-underachieving Stars team over the hump. It's an interesting challenge, for sure, but Hitch knows he's dealing with #millennials.
Cheers to Gerard Gallant - better known as "Turk" around these parts - for being named the first coach in Vegas Golden Knights history yesterday. Gallant got one hell of a raw deal from the Florida Panthers, who fired him post-game earlier this season and infamously made him wait for a cab outside PNC Arena in Raleigh while pretty much the whole word knew what had happened to him. Gallant is a top-notch guy and finds himself in a great situation with the Golden Knights, who boast a strong hockey department led by veteran NHL GM George McPhee.
Of note: the NHL's expansion draft takes place June 18-20 with Vegas' selections announced June 21; all teams' "protected" lists will be made public in advance of that date.
BOBBY LOVES THE CHAINSMOKERS: If you're new to hockey - let's say you're a football fan - allow me an analogy. Bob McKenzie of TSN in Canada is hockey's equivalent of Adam Schefter; he's the primary news-breaker, insider, scoop-getter, all of the above. He's a veteran hockey journalist with a tremendous track record, but what people like about him is how relate-able and downright cool he is.
Case in point: Thursday afternoon, Bobby Margarita (my favorite nickname ever) went on this incredible Twitter burst about The Chainsmokers.
To begin, Bob seeks general feedback:
Music Q: So what's deal on The Chainsmokers? First-time listener to new release, seems pretty good. Recall seeing some -ve Twitter feedback.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) April 13, 2017
AWARDS SZN: The playoffs literally just started and there's plenty of stuff to talk about, but every NHL writer on the planet wants you to know how they voted for the league awards. So, with that being said, we're going to give the awards a little more pub because that's the right thing to do in the name of journalism.
NHL.com surveyed its panel of experts earlier this week and two Blue Jackets were consensus winners in their respective categories: John Tortorella is the NHL.com pick for the Jack Adams Award (the league's top coach as voted by the broadcasters) and Sergei Bobrovsky is tabbed to walk away with his second career Vezina Trophy. It's hard to pick at either selection, hometown bias aside; Tortorella has orchestrated one of the best single-season turnarounds in recent memory, and his No. 1 goaltender has been at the heart of it.
THE TORTS PLAYBOOK: One of the eyebrow-raising parts of Game 1 on Wednesday was the noticeable absence of Brandon Saad in the third period. Down by three goals with 20 minutes to play, one would have thought that Saad would be a top option for Tortorella...but, Torts has high standards and these are the playoffs. "Good" is hardly "good enough," especially against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Saad watched most of the third period in Game 1 and was granted only two shifts in the final frame. Pretty jarring for a guy coming off another 50-point season and who makes $6 million per season, but there's precedent here.
Tortorella likely spent a lot of time before the series talking to his team about the importance of getting to the net. When the Blue Jackets were humming along this season, it was a big part of their game. They were tenacious on pucks down low and used their wall work to open up ice and get to the slot area. In Game 1, there was not nearly enough of that and Saad was a guilty party.
"I was going with (who) I thought who was going," Tortorella said.
So, he sat. There was no doubt some conversation between coach and player. Some video, too. Tortorella went through this last weekend with Cam Atkinson. He's not afraid to let a player know when they haven't done their job or adhered to the plan. Saad will get right back in there tonight and it would be the furthest thing from a surprise if he had a big night. It's a page often thumbed back to in this coach's playbook.
ICYMI: Boss Man Jason Priestas dug deep and found five key items coming out of Game 1 ... Tortorella spoke to the media following Thursday's practice at PPG Paints Arena and said he's sticking to the same lineup for Game 2 ... Sam Blazer tells you about terrific individual performances from two promising youngsters ... Here's the full Torts presser from Thursday, including some interesting thoughts on 19-year-old rookie Zach Werenski.
We'll leave you with this beauty:
This amazing #CBJ #StanleyCup Playoffs poster by @anthonyzych is everything I ever wanted.
— Jeremy (@jeremyschwarz) April 13, 2017
Full version: https://t.co/WfHwo4r9Gq pic.twitter.com/TXETe8gHRG
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