Jackets out at home

Penguins fill up Nationwide Arena with goals, fans


By Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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Sunday, December 5, 2010

Pittsburgh Penguins' Tyler Kennedy scores a goal against Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Mathieu Garon in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010. (AP)

As if having Nationwide Arena taken over by Pittsburgh Penguins fans wasn't bad enough, the Blue Jackets only furthered the indignity brought upon their fans by turning in an abysmal performance last night. It sent Jackets fans heading to the exits early under derisive taunts and kept Penguins fans around to keep the party going.

The Blue Jackets gave up three power-play goals in the first period, fell behind 5-0 early in the second and lost 7-2, their fifth consecutive loss and second straight by blowout.

"It's embarrassing, for me and my teammates," Blue Jackets right winger R.J. Umberger said. "Playing against a good team, a team that gets a lot of national exposure

"For the first couple of shifts we were in it. After that, we weren't."

Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason was pulled at 15:49 of the first after allowing four goals on 13 shots. Three of them went between his legs: one a bad-luck bounce off a teammate's skate, and the other two soft goals from a distance.

The Penguins had more goals (four) than the Blue Jackets had shots on goal (two) in the first period. Even Penguins fourth-line center Mike Rupp had more shots (three) than the Jackets.

"We didn't fall apart after that (first) goal," Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel said. "We fell apart after all three of the ugly goals. The first goal was a bad bounce-in. The next two were awful goals, and it took all the wind out of our sails."

Penguins fans accounted for at least half of the standing-room only crowd of 19,143. They taunted Mason with derisive chants before he was pulled. They chanted "We want 10!" - meaning goals - in the second period. They sent a wave around the bowl in the third.

"I'd say having a goalie chant for the (home) team is odd," Rupp joked.

Pittsburgh Penguins' Michael Rupp, right, and Columbus Blue Jackets' Jared Boll fight in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010. (AP)

Sidney Crosby and Paul Martin each scored two goals for the Penguins, and grinders such as Rupp, Tyler Kennedy and Deryk Engelland scored, too.

Sammy Pahlsson and Chris Clark scored for the Blue Jackets, but there was little celebration.

When the Penguins went up 5-0 early in the second, it marked the 11th straight goal allowed by the Blue Jackets, dating to a loss Wednesday to the Nashville Predators and including a 5-0 loss Friday to the Buffalo Sabres.

The Blue Jackets are running out of excuses for embarrassing stretches of play like this.

The payroll ($54 million) is middle of the pack in the NHL. The young players have too much NHL service time to use inexperience as an excuse. Former coach Ken Hitchcock - remember the old codger who was too hard on the kids? - has been shown the door.

When asked about the club's fragile psyche, Arniel said: "You can really see it. It's happened before, and I'm sure the first thoughts are that it's going to happen again. The coaching staff we're trying everything to not let it happen."

Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash tried to set the tone by leveling Mark Letestu and Brooks Orpik on the first shift of the game.

But the verve was gone quickly. It was 1-0 at 6:43, 2-0 at 8:59, 3-0 at 12:55 and 4-0 at 15:49. The rout was on.

Penguins fans taunted Blue Jackets fans as they left in droves after the second period. With the score 7-1, they were getting mocked in their own building and couldn't take it anymore.


aportzline@dispatch.com