Game Recap: Wild Blank Jackets 2-0
Posted by bcbenzel on September 18, 2009 · Leave a Comment
The reigning NHL hits king, Cal Clutterbuck, sent a message Friday night — that he isn’t going to be content just being a checker.
Cal Clutterbuck celebrates one of two goals Friday night against Columbus.
Unfortunately, the storyline of the night wasn’t Clutterbuck’s offensive performance. Instead, it was another ill advised hit — this time, Wild center Eric Belanger on Jackets forward Jason Chimera.
One night after Islanders forward Kyle Okposo was taken off on a stretcher following a Dion Phaneuf hit, Chimera had to be removed from the ice on a stretcher following a check from behind by Belanger late in the second period. Chimera, in his first shift back after being struck in the face by a puck, was driven face first into the glass by Belanger. A Blue Jackets spokesman said that Chimera was coherent as he left the ice and gave the sellout crowd a thumbs up.
The hit was atypical for Belanger, who has accrued just 251 penalty minutes in his eight season career. Belanger was assessed a 5-minute boarding penalty and a 10-minute game misconduct.
The hit put a damper on an otherwise impressive performance by the Wild. The team made the most of their opportunities and the players that were trying to impress coach Todd Richards did just that.
Colton Gillies finished the game with zero points, but put forth a strong effort that saw him tally three shots on goal in just under fifteen minutes of ice time. Danny Irmen also captured Richards’ attention with yet another hard working, solid performance. While it’s extremely unlikely that he’ll make the team, he’s definitely gotten noticed.
“Coming in, I didn’t know anything about Danny Irmen when I got here,” Richards told reporters. ”Watching him skate, he has some skill, he handles the puck well, he moves well enough out on the ice. Now it’s just getting him in game situations.”
As I’ve mentioned before, I think Irmen might actually have the inside track to landing a job on the big squad this season due to the size of his salary. Should Gillies make the squad, he would be due over $1M on a team that is pressed right up against the cap. Irmen, on the other hand, is set to make just a fraction of Gillies — something that will certainly rest on the minds of Richards and Fletcher when making the final roster decisions.
In nets, Backstrom and Harding combined for the shutout with 27 saves between them.
