One: Starting from the finish ad working forward, center Ryan Johansen said it best after the game, "We didn't deserve to win." If not for the supreme effort of Sergei Bobrovsky, this game would have been much uglier than it was. With the Panthers throwing everything but the kitchen sink at net, Bob was the reason they had a chance to win.
Two: After putting together two gritty performances last Saturday and then on Monday, the Blue Jackets played basically 20 minutes of a 60 minute game. They came out for the first period and controlled the pace and the play. They had their forecheck working and were opportunistic, as evidenced by the Cam Atkinson breakaway goal in the opening stanza. After that, not so much...
Three: It was almost as if they were standing in molasses in the second period. After Florida tied the game, they were making passes to no one in particular, which often resulted in a turnover. Through the middle twenty minutes, with Columbus managing a paltry 3 shots on goal, Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo knitted a Christmas sweater in between shots. His mother, Pasqualina, will be proud.
