Columbus Blue Jackets end preseason with 3-2 win over Carolina Hurricanes -NHL Update
Columbus Blue Jackets certainly showed improvement regarding their performance and game playing tactics over the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) preseason, as they closed off the series with their second straight victory, against Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2,
at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States.
Now with the preseason ending for Columbus, it will a tough time before the 2011-2012 regular season opener, to decide which players will take the top spots, which will be sent to the minor leagues to improve and which will be given second chances.
Without a doubt, a number of players have shown their ability to be leaders for the struggling club as the next season will certainly be that which will either make it or break it for the franchise.
Steve Mason, a rookie goalie for Columbus, truly believes that his performance in the preseason is just a sign of what he is capable of doing in the upcoming regular season.
"I feel really good right now", Mason said. "They're only preseason games, but they're important games for our players to make sure we go into the season feeling good”.
Carolina Hurricanes might have won only one match out of the past five, but according to team head coach, Paul Maurice, they're prepared for the season and are not worried too much about what is going on now.
"I wouldn't take the game tonight as an assessment of where we want to get to", Carolina coach, Paul Maurice, said. "The speed we were moving at when we were trying to execute things was a little slow. We're not as sharp as we need to be in a week".
The first period remained scoreless for both teams with a fight between top NHL rookie, Jeff Skinner and Kris Russell, as both were awarded a five-minute major.
Jussi Jokinen scored the first of the match and goal of his season during a power play. Columbus levelled it a little over midway through as Alexandre Giroux scored his second of the postseason.
Patrick Dwyer was the only player to score for Carolina after which Columbus’ R.J. Umberger, Martin St. Pierre scored twice back-to-back to end the matchup, 3-2.
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