2/23/08 Recap: CBJ 3 - MTL 0

The Jackets stepped onto the ice at the Bell Centre tonight needing two big points to keep them close to the Western Conference playoff picture. 60 minutes later, they skated away with a victory and, one would hope, continued to build confidence in themselves having beaten one of the top teams in the East.

Pascal Leclaire posted his league leading ninth shutout of the season and the Jackets won 3-0 on the strength of goals by Rick Nash, Andrew Murray, and Manny Malhotra.

According to espn.com, in the last 30 years, only one other goalie has posted at least nine shutouts before March 1st - Martin Brodeur. If you ask me, that's pretty damn good company. And with every doughnut that "Pazzy" throws up on the score sheet, Columbus fans can't help but remind the rest of the NHL that the league didn't think him worthy of an invitation to the All Star game, despite also being at or within a couple of spots of the top of the list in GAA and Save %.

Nash scored his 33rd goal of the campaign less than 30 seconds after a fight between Jared Boll and Tom Kostopoulos that saw Kostopoulos literally flipped on his head, feet in the air. The goal was assisted by Michael Peca and Fredrik Modin, who has stepped right back in after missing much of the season with back problems.

Less than four minutes later, rookie Andrew Murray took a slick pass from Malhotra and scored his fourth of the year. This was the kind of play that makes my heart sing to watch develop - David Vyborny gained possession at the Jackets' blueline and chipped a pass to Malhotra who was off, Murray on his wing.

The second period saw no scoring, but there were plenty of penalties. The Jackets PK made a return to the form that has been a hallmark for the team all season, but has slumped of late.

The third period saw the Jackets spending a good deal of time hemmed in their own zone and many fans twisting the hems of Union blue jerseys in their fingers hoping for that extra insurance goal. The Canadiens scored five goals on the Rangers in a period and a half earlier in the week, so there was no doubting the potential explosiveness of the team. The Jackets got that insurance with less than three and a half minutes left in the game when Malhotra scored from the doorstep of the crease, having never given up on the play. The goal was unassisted.

The Jackets will touch down at Port Columbus having gone 3-2 on this five-game road trip and having beaten three of the best teams in the League - Detroit (5-1), Ottawa (3-2 SO), and Montreal. The last time Columbus won in Montreal, Habs fans dubbed it the "darkest day in the history of the Montreal Canadiens." What will they say this time around?

**Of note: Sergei Fedorov didn't return for the third period because of what the TV crew were calling a leg injury, leading local conspiracy theorists to crow that he'd been traded. According to tsn.ca, it turned out to be a charley horse in his right leg, as opposed to pressing travel plans that kept him off the ice. I, for one, can't wait until the trade deadline has come and gone.

-Kris