There's a lot to talk about in the playoffs. What better place to do it than the 1st Ohio Battery roundtable?
To get you ready for tonight's Game 2, we look back on Game 1 and where the series is headed. Staff members Rob Mixer, Sam Blazer and Jeff Svoboda give their takes on the pressing questions facing the Blue Jackets.
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What was the most encouraging thing you took from Game 1?
Rob: For me, it was the first period. That’s the Blue Jackets team we saw for long stretches this season; one that plays with speed, has strong puck support, and uses all four lines effectively with a good forecheck. That’s their #brand, you know? They lost it in the second period. You never want to lose your brand.
Sam: When looking back on Game 1, the part that encouraged me the most was despite the goals, they bounced back. Many pundits are expecting the Blue Jackets to roll over and let the Penguins win. They are the Stanley Cup champions after all. Why shouldn't they repeat? The Jackets dominated the first period and the Penguins took advantage of their opportunities in the second. Scoring a goal in the third is great for their psyche. This Penguins team is beatable, finding the weakness in their armor was step one.
Jeff: I'd have to say the defensive play. That might sound a bit odd given how Columbus gave up at least three goals for the 11th time in 11 franchise playoff games, but the reality is the Blue Jackets did a good job of limiting Pittsburgh's offensive chances. The Penguins have talent and can score out of very little, but Columbus kept limited the team in the first and third periods. Continuing to do so will give them a chance to win.
On the other hand, what was the most discouraging thing you took from Game 1?
Rob: I’m still a little uneasy about the lineup decision on the back end. Look, I know the organization loves Gabriel Carlsson (and John Tortorella has joined management feeling this way), but it’s odd to make his third career NHL game a Stanley Cup playoff game. Don’t get me wrong, he’s going to be a terrific player here very soon, but at the expense of Markus Nutivaara didn’t sit well with me.
Sam: The most discouraging part of it all is the fact that the team defense wasn't necessarily up to snuff. The Jackets aren't going to win many playoff games by scoring only one goal but they definitely aren't going to win it if they are leaving players open in the slot. It wasn't an all-night occurrence but it happened enough that it should give the team pause. The top four is the same as it has been all season, there should be enough of a rapport that shots from the high danger areas shouldn't come so easy.
Jeff: I think the team's offensive woes have become an easy punching bag – it seemed to be all anyone wanted to talk about after Game 1 – but it was concerning just how hard it was for Columbus to get grade-A chances. Pittsburgh's defense was in the bottom half of the NHL this year when it came to goals per game. You can take that with a grain of salt, as regular-season stats are now somewhat meaningless, and Pittsburgh's dedication to collapsing defense and clearing rebounds from in front of Marc-Andre Fleury was clear. But the reality is one goal against a team missing its top defenseman and goalie isn't going to get the job done.
Did Game 1 do anything to change your outlook on the series?
Rob: No, not really. From the start, I felt the Blue Jackets were in tough in this series. Their offense hasn’t been producing for about a month, which spells trouble right off the bat against arguably the league’s most skilled team. I would be (pleasantly) surprised if they win the series, but I’ll feel more confident if they come back to Columbus in a 1-1 tie.
Sam: Nope. This was always going to be a rough and tumble series. There is going to be a lot of give and take. The Penguins are injured and have weaknesses. The Jackets are going to be able to take advantage of them. That is why this series is played to seven games. It'll be super compelling how the give-and-take changes in the days ahead. Will any seismic news end up changing either line up again?
Jeff: I'm gonna be the slight contrarian here and say yes. I went into this playoff series feeling pretty confident that it was the time this Jackets team would step forward and show up on the big stage. Instead, I left Game 1 worried both about the team's ability to score this series as well as the defensive depth. One game does not a series make, of course, but as far as first impressions go, it wasn't quite what I expected.
Which player do you want to see more from in Game 2?
Rob: Alexander Wennberg. The Penguins did a nice job defending his line in Game 1, so I’m eager to see if he can adjust and be a difference-maker tonight.
Sam: I'd really like to see the 38-17-13 line put one in the back of the net. Jenner and Dubinsky throw the body around and Atkinson is one of the top scorers in the league. Atkinson was invisible in the first game and needs to score for the Jackets to win. Where they go and how they do in this series could end up tilting the series in the Jackets favor.
Jeff: I'm gonna go with an easy choice: Brandon Saad. He was brought in for games like this. He has two Cup rings and is from Pittsburgh. The storylines are there, and I thought he was really good early in Game 1, playing with energy and nearly setting up a goal when he made a powerful move to the net and centered a pass Nick Foligno could have scored on. But by the third period, he was on the bench, with Torts saying he simply saw more out of other players, chiefly Oliver Bjorkstrand. This happened a week ago with Cam Atkinson and he responded with good effort. Saad doing the same would go a long way for this Columbus team.
