Around the Boards 2/24/10

Today’s Question:

Canada vs. Russia – who is going to get it done?

I have no doubt Mr. Ovechkin would like to bury a current Penguin, not just a former Penguin...

With today’s HUGE matchup between the Canucks and the Ruskies, we asked the Jackets Required crew who they thought was going to be able to put aside the mammoth pressure and move on to the Olympic semi-final round? Let us know who you think is going to win in the comments section!

Pepper Brooks:

Looking at Russia’s lineup is friggin’ scary. Top to bottom, they are sweet. Their forwards come in waves as Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalchuk, Datsuk, Morozov, Semin, will be constantly attacking. That could be good, but also a little dangerous because if you look at the Russian defensive core, it gets a little thin after Markov and Gonchar. If the Canadians are able to counter attack, they could get some odd-man rushes, something an inferior Germany wouldn’t allow.

Both teams are going to put goals on the board as neither Nabokov nor Luongo have been a shutdown guy on the big stage. It will be interesting to see who can hold the water in the dam the best. I think Canada will ride the wave of a wild home crowd, a coming out party from the younger Canadian defensemen Doughty, Weber, and Keith, and Jarome Iginla will prove to be the difference with timely, gritty goals. Canadians win a classic 6-4.

Swaindog:

Russia.

If the Canadians were overwhelmed by U.S. speed, they are in for a treat tonight. And, considering the aging and relatively ineffective blueline play of Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer and Dan Boyle, they seem ill-suited to handle the speedy and talented Russian forwards such as Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin. It's going to take a lot of Sidney Crosby and the talented Shark line (where was Joe Thornton against the U.S.?) to make up for the speed and overall talent advantage the Russians possess. Will Rick Nash ever score a meaningful goal?

I'll say Russia 5-3.

Top Shelf:

Dude, with the $70 mil tax free you're getting in the KHL, you can't spring for some red gloves?!

I've been thinking about this for hours and can't decide who I think will win. Canada looked like they finally figured out who to play with whom in their line combinations and spanked Germany. That may not be saying much, but all you can ask a team to do is take care of it's business which is what they did last night. On the other hand, Russia has loads of scoring power, speed and a solid team game... not to mention a full day's rest versus Canada's 24 hour tun-around time between games. I'm pulling for Rick Nash and Team Canada, but something tells me Fedor Tyutin and Team Russia advance.

Stick on the Ice:

I think Russia will beat Canada. They have a lot more team speed, and clearly that is a weakpoint for the Canadians -- especially behind the blue line. Pronger and Neidermeyer have looked a step slow. I just don't see them being able to contain Ovechkin, Malkin and Kovalchuk. Conversely, I'm not terribly impressed with the Russian defensemen either -- we all know that Tyutin is likely to make a few turnovers and Nash will know that better than anyone. But Ovechkin is so emotionally focused right now that I think he's elevating the play of the whole team. They had their wake up call and I thought they played a much better game against the Czech Republic -- due mostly to the sustained pace and tempo. I think the game will be close, but I just don't see Canada being able to win a trackmeet against Russia.

In the end, we all agreed that this would not occur:

Around the Boards 2/21/10

Today's Question:

Who do you want to win the Olympic Ice Hockey tournament?

With today's unbelievable slate of Olympic hockey, the Jackets Required staff kicks around the simple question, who do you want to win gold? We want to hear from you in the comments section!

Top Shelf:

Are you kidding me? I've been rocking the USA jersey as my desktop wallpaper at the office for two weeks already! Despite Bob Hunters commentary, I don't have a problem rooting for Brian Rafalski, Ryan Suter, or Ryan Kessler as long as they have USA stamped across their chest. Having said that, I don't think they will be competing for Gold. Assuming Canada makes it to the Championship Game, I'll be pulling for our neighbors to the North to win the Gold.

Stick on the Ice:

I want the U.S. to win. During the first round of games, I found myself wanting Canada to win in the first game because of Nash -- and I certainly want to see him do well. But as the second round has unfolded, I've quickly forgotten about my NHL allegiances. I want my country to win. I find it hard to believe that Canadian fans will be cheering for players of other nationalities that play for their favorite NHL teams -- and I don't fault them for that. I will be just as big of a Jackets fan when the NHL resumes, but right now I want that gritty group of American guys to shock the hockey world. True, they have a roster full of NHL talent, but they don't have the marquee players that are on ALL FOUR LINES of the Canadian team - and to a slightly lesser extent - the Swedish and Russian teams. They can win a medal, but it will require plenty of toughness and belief. Who do you play for?!

Pepper Brooks:

First off, I consider myself a patriot who is eternally grateful to have been born and raised in the U.S. of A. I will be rooting for the Yanks in every event that I don’t really know the competitors or only hear their names every four years. Hockey is different. I see these guys constantly and I don’t care what sweater their wearing, David Backes and Ryan Kessler are card-carrying members of the National Douchebag Society. Canadians have been frothing at the mouth for a gold medal on their home turf and I won’t mind if Nasher, Iggy, and Sid the Kid get it for them. The passion Canadians have for their hockey borders on scary, but nonetheless it’s viewed as their game and they want to be the best at it. Knowing how much Canada would enjoy the victory as opposed to the masses in the States, I’m kinda pulling for our neighbors to the north.

Around the Boards 2/17/10

Today's Question:

With the injury to Cam Ward, Steve Mason was put on notice that if an injury occurred to any of Canada’s 3 goalies (Luongo, Brodeur, or Fleury), he would be on a flight to Vancouver. So, do you hope he gets the call?

Do you want to see this guy in Vancouver in the next two weeks?

Here's what the Jackets Required staff had to say....

Pepper Brooks:

To be honest, no. The kid has had a tough season filled with a lot of disappointments, although he has been playing stronger hockey lately. I think he needs the next two weeks to take care of himself both mentally and physically and finish this season strong so he has momentum and confidence going into next year. Mase will have plenty of opportunities in the future to rock the maple leaf on his sweater, but for now I want him as far away from the that pressure cooker as possible.

Stick on the Ice:

I have mixed emotions about this. Let me start by saying that I believe - and have continued to believe for the whole season - that Mason has tremendous potential. I fully believe that he has the raw skill requisite for the Olympics, but as we all know his issues this year have been mental. He's lacked confidence, focus and the necessary ability to bounce back from adversity.

Will the Olympics - or even the possibility of representing the team - provide him with a greater sense of confidence? Absolutely. Will the Olympics distract him from his focus on the Blue Jackets? Absolutely. So the question is will the pros outweigh the cons for Jackets fans? Hard to say...Personally, I think the Olympic camp he attended did nothing but shake his confidence and distract him from the start of the regular season with the Jackets. I do think that Olympic experience and the mentoring he'll undergo as part of that will ultimately make him a much better goaltender. However, this is a precarious time for the Jackets and frankly, my focus goes there first. He will have another shot in four years. Ideally, I'd like the Canadian team to keep Mason on speed dial, but I'd rather have him work with Rook and Noel for the next two weeks and leverage the emotions of not being on the Olympic team to motivate him for a really strong finish. Certainly, we saw something like that happen last year when he was slighted from the All-Star game and he finished in a dynamic way.

Top Shelf:

Sure, why not. Could the experience, even if he never even dressed for a game, be a bad thing?