Watch Columbus Blue Jackets vs Edmonton Oilers Live Online
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Watch Columbus Blue Jackets vs Edmonton Oilers Live Online
9:30 pm EDT Thu Oct 22, 2009
9:30 pm EDT Thu Oct 22, 2009
After falling in a city where they haven’t had much success, the Columbus Blue Jackets will try to bounce back in a place where they have a similar track record. The Blue Jackets continue their four-game road trip Thursday night when they try to end the Edmonton Oilers’ three-game home winning streak. Columbus (5-2-0) had its three-game win streak snapped Tuesday with a 6-3 loss at Calgary as Steve Mason had a difficult night, making 16 saves on 22 shots.
“He struggled, he really struggled,” coach Ken Hitchcock said. “The difference in the hockey game was when it was 3-3, (Flames goaltender Miikka) Kiprusoff had to make six or seven great saves and then when it was 4-3, he had to make three or four unbelievable saves and he did it, and that’s what got them the two points.” The Blue Jackets fell to 5-11-1 all-time at Calgary, and that’s slightly better than their 4-10-2 record at Rexall Place. These clubs split four meetings last season, with right wing Ales Hemsky producing three goals and five assists in the first three for Edmonton. Mason had 19 saves in a 1-0 victory Feb. 26 in the last matchup.
Hitchcock, though, is expected to give backup Mathieu Garon his second start of the season. Garon played for Edmonton from 2007-09 before he was dealt Jan. 17 to Pittsburgh. Like Columbus, Edmonton (5-2-1) is off to a hot start as it completes a season-opening stretch with seven of its first nine games at home. Coach Pat Quinn, though, is quick to downplay expectations for a club that has missed the playoffs the last three seasons. “I don’t want to say (we’re) fragile but we are a team that has that low threshold still,” Quinn said. “We need to get by it.
