‘One shot beats us:’ Jackets’ offense stuck
Jack Roslovic skated from the penalty box toward the Blue Jackets bench as the Chicago Blackhawks high-fived each other after an empty-net goal sealed a 2-0 win over the Jackets on Thursday.
Roslovic raised his stick and swung it down on the baseboard, right above the Jet's Pizza logo. Thwack.
The sound rung throughout Nationwide Arena in the final game before the team allows fans next Tuesday, signaling the end of another frustrating night in which the Jackets looked like the better team for most of the night.
“In a game like today where it's just a grind, you got to find a way to dig a little deeper to get that next one,” forward Nick Foligno said. “We just didn't come up with it.”
Here are some takeaways:
Still lighting the lamp
On a long pass from defenseman Calvin de Haan in the third period, Blackhawks star Patrick Kane was gifted a puck that sat in the neutral zone after bouncing off two players. Kane picked it up with speed, and there was nothing defenseman Michael Del Zotto or goaltender Joonas Korpisalo could do.
Snap, inside far post, score. Gamewinner.
“We don't find a way to score and they do,” coach John Tortorella said. “One shot beats us.”
After a four-point night on Tuesday, Kane's goal gave him 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in six games against the Jackets this season.
Jackets had their chances
Kane's goal was a classic example of a world-class player changing a game on one play. Well before that goal, however, the Blue Jackets had opportunities to put a puck past Blackhawks goalie Malcolm Subban and establish a lead.
The Jackets played a solid first period behind sturdy forechecking and connective passing out of the defensive zone. Patrik Laine hit a post 1:36 into the game. Sustained offensive zone time led to a great pass from Zach Werenski to Seth Jones, who was stopped cold by Subban on the right post.
“I thought we played with much better structure in the first period,” Tortorella
said. “Our positioning was better and it helped our transition. That's what we have to try to build on.”
Second-period lapse
Continuing a season-long trend, the second period was a trouble spot for the Blue Jackets. They didn't give up a goal — they have a minus-14 scoring margin in the second this season — but it was nonetheless a letdown that they didn't play confidently after three solid offensive periods dating to Tuesday night's game
The Blackhawks outshot the Jackets 12-3 in the period and had 25 shot attempts to 12 for Columbus.
“Second period was a struggle where I thought we just gave it back to them (at the) top of the circles,” Tortorella said. “We just kind of played a 140-foot game with them there, where we just kept turning pucks over and didn't get a chance to forecheck.”
And yet, the Jackets prevented oddman rushes and creates a few chances, the best coming with 4:44 left in the period when Kevin Stenlund's shot from the right faceoff circle bounced off Subban's pad directly to Eric Robinson, who hit the post with Subban leaving the net vacant.
Werenski returns
In his first game since Feb. 13, Werenski played on the top pair with Jones. Aside from the second period, both were effective puck-movers and had some good shifts on two power-play chances.
Werenski had missed six of the past seven games with a lower-body injury. In 25:02 of ice time, there were no indications that he felt bothered any longer with his injury.
“I felt a lot better,” Werenski said. “Just my skating felt better, and for me to have success in this league, I have to be a skater . ... I felt like I was moving pretty well tonight. Still have to be better, still have some plays that I need to make, but definitely felt better.” jmyers@dispatch.com @_jcmyers
Just for the record, Jason Licht confirmed exactly where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand on the matter of extending Tom Brady’s contract. Brace yourself.
“We would love to have Tom play here — and I can speak for Bruce (Arians), I think — as long as he continues to want to play,” the Bucs GM said during a media video conference this week, when asked about a new deal for TB12. “If that comes to fruition at some point, then we’d be elated.”
Yeah, probably even more elated than they were last March when Brady, 43, chose the Bucs and took a two-year, $50 million deal.
We see how that turned out. Now Licht — who even before the playoffs began got at least one vote for NFL executive of the year (mine) because of the series of moves that complemented the big score of landing Brady — is charged to lead the Bucs down the path of an NFL version of throwing more good money at good money.
Talk about good fortune. The added value that Brady brings — on top of precision quarterbacking, change-the-culture leadership and Bucs-on-the-map relevance that increases the franchise’s bottom-line worth immensely — is his willingness to sign under-market deals that helps in keeping talent around him.
In other words, Brady’s next deal will not come with headlines screaming about record-breaking numbers.
Look at his history. With the salary cap cloud above, Brady has never been the one to try to break the bank. In his last MVP year, 2017, the dude had a base salary of $1 million. In 2008 and 2009, following the first of three MVP awards, the cap figures were in the $8 million range. Sure, there have been hefty signing bonuses along the way — but not as hefty as he could have commanded. But more significant was his repeated contract restructuring that gave the Patriots cap-operating room.
No doubt, the same is about to happen here as Brady and his agent, Don Yee, work through some new financial details.
The Bucs, with the fresh Super Bowl trophy earned during the franchise’s first playoff berth in 13 years, can certainly use more wiggle room in keeping significant talent in the house.
Check out the Bucs slated to potentially hit the free agent market: Chris Godwin. Shaquil Barrett. Lavonte David. Gronk. Antonio Brown. Ndamukong Suh (again). Leonard Fournette … or as it’s purely cool to call him, “Playoff Lenny.”
Godwin, the star receiver, is an especially intriguing case. At 24, he is likely just approaching his prime and would command a whale of a deal on the open market. He’s also primed to draw the franchise tag, which means an extended dance could loom if the Bucs lock him up for the long term.
Given the often-fleeting nature of financial
leverage (and careers) for NFL players, Godwin knows all about the strike-when-you’re-hot realities of the football business. During an appearance on "The Pat Mcafee Show," Godwin expressed the need to consider what’s best for himself and his family. Generational wealth is nothing to sneeze at.
“The goal obviously is to get paid, right?” Godwin told Mcafee. “But at the same time, I’m not stupid. I’m not going to put myself in a situation where I’m going to be miserable … for just a couple extra dollars.”
According to Spotrac.com, the Bucs are a bit more than $24 million under the projected NFL salary cap of $185 million — and that’s even with Brady currently counting for about 15% of the cap with a cap hit of $28.375 million. Brady had a $15 million base salary with a $10 million roster bonus for 2020, then hit on several team-centric postseason incentives that included winning the Super
Bowl, on top of hitting individual incentives for passing yards and touchdowns.
Now what? Brady, who has often maintained that he wants to play until he’s 45 or beyond, is poised to help the Bucs keep winning with salary cap moves.
On a landscape where the top nine average NFL salaries belong to quarterbacks, averaging at least $30 million a year (led by Patrick Mahomes’ $45 million figure and the $39 million average for Deshaun Watson), Brady is tied with Drew Brees for the 13th-highest average ($25 million). An extension might not change Brady’s status on the average salary pecking order much, but that’s not the point.
Brady has made his money and won all those Super Bowl rings (seven), stuff that would help any of us love such a career.
This is about keeping the winning flowing to the last drop.