Some critics accuse Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock of not trusting young, skilled players.

Whatever merit the argument holds, it doesn't apply to his faith in goaltender Steve Mason.

As the losses and tough outings mounted, Hitchcock refused to bench the 21-year-old. Hitchcock thought Mason needed to feel good about his game if the Blue Jackets were going to emerge from their funk.

His belief in last season's rookie of the year was rewarded last night in a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers in Nationwide Arena.

Mason made 32 saves, including 16 in the second period, for his first shutout of the season.

"I've had a couple meetings with Hitch and he's stuck behind me 100 percent," Mason said. "I'm a young guy and things aren't going my way, but Hitch has always been in my corner and that has been huge. I can't thank him enough."

A season after recording 10 shutouts, Mason has struggled to regain his form. He entered the game with a 3.44 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage.

Hitchcock has been critical of Mason, citing soft goals and the need for the big saves that seemed routine last season. But he also kept playing Mason.

Mason made his seventh straight start and Hitchcock said he might play again tonight in Nashville even after he declared Mathieu Garon his starter yesterday morning.

"He looked like the same Mase as last year," Hitchcock said. "He was really solid, really good. In the second period, we really needed him to be good. He gave us a chance."

Mason said the inability to earn a shutout had been weighing on his mind. But in the context of the season, that wasn't as important as just playing well.

"This season, there has been some stuff that has been thrown my way that I haven't been prepared for," Mason said. "In the long run, I think it will make me a better player and a better person.

"There are times you question yourself a little, but the guys have stuck behind me and the coaches and the fans have been behind me."

Using his assets

Winger Jason Chimera was mired in a 13-game goalless slump when he had a chat with assistant coach Gary Agnew last week.

Agnew reminded Chimera of his strongest asset, his speed, and how he had not been using it effectively.

"I needed to get back to skating hard," Chimera said. "I wasn't using my speed on the forecheck or to carry the puck wide. I was thinking too much and not playing aggressively."

Chimera scored his third goal in as many games against the Panthers. Using his speed to carry the puck through the neutral zone, Chimera took a shot on Panthers goaltender Tomas Vokoun and converted the rebound at 18:19 of the first period for the unassisted goal.

Crunch talks

Blue Jackets management and Syracuse Crunch owner Howard Dolgon met for two hours but did not reach an agreement on an extension to their affiliation deal.

The Jackets and Crunch are in the last season of their contract.

treed@dispatch.com