Sharks-Blue Jackets: Jackets Out-Work San Jose, Lose Anyway

Before the game, Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said no team had out-worked the Sharks yet this season. I disagree with that, but now there is no doubt it is no longer true. Even though his Blue Jackets lost, Hitch may have provided the blueprint for beating San Jose: Get the puck deep and grind, grind, grind. This was the same game plan I had wanted Ron Wilson to use against the highly-skilled, puck possession style Red Wings in the 2007 playoffs. The difference is that the Sharks were bigger than the Red Wings, so the question is whether anyone can be successful at this when the Sharks are one of the biggest teams in the league. But at the very least, it gave the Sharks problems. Columbus out-shot San Jose 14-4 in the first period and 31-22 for the game. However, their style led to four more power plays for the Sharks, and that led to two goals. The verdict: You have to play the grinding style without taking trips to the box. You also may need to catch Evgeni Nabokov on a bad day. Nabby ... (link)