Ducks 5, Blue Jackets 3: 'Worm' feeds Ducks
Perry has second hat trick of season against Columbus
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NEAL C. LAURON | DISPATCH PHOTOS
Blue Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin (51) manages to poke in a power-play goal in the first period before Ducks center Saku Koivu falls on top of him during a scramble in front of Anaheim’s net. The goal cut Columbus’ deficit to 2-1.
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Puck Rakers
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One Signed, Two Set Free
The Blue Jackets have agreed to terms with defenseman Austin Madaisky on a three-year, entry-level contract, and the official deal should be announced shortly. Madaisky was a fifth-round pick (No. 124 overall) in the 2010 NHL entry draft.
Two other picks - right winger Petr Straka (2nd round, No. 55) and defenseman Brandon Archibald (4th round, No. 94) - have been informed by the Blue Jackets that they won't be signed, sending them back in the pool of draftable players for next month's draft in Pittsburgh.
Of those two, Straka is the mild surprise.
He had 28-36-64 in 62 games with Rimouski (QMJHL) during his draft year, but tailed off badly the last two seasons. In 2010-11, he had 10-15-25 in 41 games. This season, he had 18-19-37 in 54 games. That's fewer points the last two seasons -- 62 in 95 games -- than he scored as a 17-year-old.
However, Straka made a pretty good last-best argument for a deal with his performance in the QMJHL playoffs. He had 10-12-22 in 21 games, becoming a point-a-game player once again. The bet here is that he gets drafted his June, but certainly on Saturday (2nd through 7th rounds) and probably later in the day.
The Blue Jackets acquired the pick used on Straka with the 2010 trade deadline deal that sent winger Raffi Torres to Buffalo.
Madaisky, meanwhile, blossomed this season in his fourth year of juniors, the last three spent with Kamloops (WHL). He had 13 goals, 37 assists, 50 points and a plus-20 rating, all career highs. He also had 87 penalty minutes. He could play a fifth year of junior next season, or begin his pro career, likely with AHL Springfield.
Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson and the hockey operations department face one last difficult decision as it pertains to the 2010 draft class. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil remains unsigned, and the Jackets still aren't sure if they want to keep him in the fold.
"We'll evaluate him in the Memorial Cup and make a decision," Howson said. "Not sure right now."
Corbeil is 50-11-2 in the last two seasons with Saint John of the QMJHL, which won the Memorial Cup last season and is a favorite to repeat. Corbeil, named the QMJHL's goalie of the year, is 16-0-1 in this year's playoffs, with a 2.18 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.
Those numbers will cause many readers to scratch their temples and wonder: "How could they possibly not want this guy?" What the Blue Jackets are trying to determine is if Corbeil is a product of a powerhouse hockey club or a goaltender with legitimiate NHL potential. These are the questions that keep scouts up late at night.
Two weeks ago, the Blue Jackets seemed to be leaning away from signing Corbeil. These days it seems to be leaning back the other direction, though no decision has been made.
-- Aaron Portzline
twitter: @aportzline
In the Anaheim Ducks dressing room, winger Corey Perry — the NHL’s reigning MVP — is known as The Worm. It’s a nickname that requires an explanation, unless you were at Nationwide Arena last night.
Perry had his second hat trick against the Blue Jackets this season, leading the inspired and desperate Ducks to a 5-3 victory over the Jackets before a quieted crowd of 14,043.
“He just slithers around, finds his way into small spaces, works his way to the front of the net,” said Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski, who spent parts of two seasons as Perry’s teammate and has played against him on numerous occasions.
“And his hands … I’m going to put them in the top five in the league.”
Fedor Tyutin, Aaron Johnson and Antoine Vermette scored for the Blue Jackets, and goaltender Steve Mason had 30 saves.
The Blue Jackets didn’t have much gas, though. After winning in Minnesota on Saturday night and then flying home, they expected to face a buzz saw last night. Despite being red-hot for the past six weeks, Anaheim is fighting to stay in the picture for a playoff spot, and that desperation was evident.
The Ducks, who scored three power play goals, led 5-1 midway through the second period, then played the clock the rest of the way.
“We were given a bit of a clinic by the 15-10-9 line tonight, especially on the power play,” Blue Jackets interim coach Todd Richards said. “I think if we had given them 10 power-play opportunities tonight, they might have scored 10 power-play goals.”
The “15-10-9” line Richards referenced was Anaheim’s top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Perry and Bobby Ryan, which combined for four goals, four assists and a plus-6 rating. Getzlaf had three assists and Ryan added a goal and assist.
But Perry was the best player on the ice. He had 11 shots on goal, one short of the franchise record and two short of the most allowed by the Blue Jackets.
And he started early.
Only 46 seconds into the game, Ducks defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky took a shot that planted itself in the ribs of Tyutin before dropping into the slot for Perry.
Mason lost track of the puck, looking behind him as Perry gathered it on the left side of the slot and buried it into the far corner of the net.
“Their first goal hits our defenseman in the ribs and drops right on the ice, where Perry can score,” Wisniewski said. “I was like, ‘This is how we’re going to start this game off? Really?’
“I’m not making excuses: I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life, how bounces go against us.”
Perry made it 2-0 at 16:15 of the first, but the Jackets cut the lead to 2-1 before the first intermission.
Tyutin, sneaking through the back door, dived into a nifty Jeff Carter pass across the slot and poked it behind Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller.
It was Tyutin’s first goal since Dec. 29.
The first 10 minutes of the second period swung the game in Anaheim’s favor.
The Ducks scored twice in the first 2:58 to push the lead to 4-1.
Columbus had a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:04 late in the second period but didn’t register a shot on goal.
When Perry pounced on a flubbed puck by Mason to score his third goal at 12:38, the lead was 5-1 and the clock was the only challenge left for Anaheim.
“The chances we gave up, they capitalized on them,” Blue Jackets winger R.J. Umberger said. “We made mistakes. You just can’t give Perry and Ryan those kind of opportunities.”
aportzline@dispatch.com
