If you are of a certain generation, you got a lot of cultural programming about how to be a "real man" from your father, and your father got it from movies and TV.

In my case, that means Dad is a big James Bond and John Wayne fan. To say this occasionally causes....confusion...is a given.

Tonight, the Blue Jackets returned home and showed they were most certainly having John Wayne kind of night, and the spirit of The Duke seemed to inspire the entire bench.

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The Jackets were 0-2 on the current California road trip, but they had Jeff Carter and Marc Methot back in the lineup. Methot had a solid game, but Carter was also effective- providing a timely goal and solid play in the offensive zone.

This night was dominated by another Columbus center however, as Derick Brassard took it upon himself to almost single-handedly defeat the Ducks.

Please read on after the break for the complete run-down.

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After all the pain of the season to date, it's somehow fitting that a clock "issue" factors into the Jackets officially being knocked out of the playoff chase.

After getting contributions from the third and fourth lines to bring the team back into a 2-2 tie with the Los Angeles Kings, the team was killing a late penalty on Samuel Pahlsson when Drew Doughty scored with less than a second left to win it in regulation.

Except....well, let me show you:

The clock "pauses" for over a second despite play continuing, as if there had been a whistle, then suddenly jumps back to life when the game clock operator realized what was going on.

So what we're saying is...that goal shouldn't have counted. It should have been disallowed due to time, and the game at least continued on to OT. In fact, the ref ruled no-goal on the ice before it was overturned by the war room.

Puck Daddy has it. The guys at PPP have a great breakdown. The consensus is pretty much "Wow, the Jackets got screwed."

C'est la saison.

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In the first game after the all star break, the Jackets came out flat, looking almost disinterested at times. Steve Mason was kicking rebounds all over the rink, and the game ended like a scene from Slap Shot.

It was a terrible game, and for the Jackets the life they showed in the third was far too little, too late.

If you feel so inclined, I've recapped the fun after the jump.

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BWas it just two days ago that this team seemed to have some fire against the Red Wings? That we all seemed to think that perhaps the New Coach Bump might last, or at least keep them entertaining?

After two four goal losses in back to back games, this team hardly seems to be the same one we saw on the ice just a few short nights ago.

With both teams looking like a walking MASH unit (or perhaps something of a matchup between the Norfolk Admirals and Springfield Falcons + a few surprise players), the Jackets found themselves facing former backup netminder Mathieu Garon, while his "replacement", Curtis Sanford, would face off from him across the ice.

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The Jackets tried hard, they really did. The effort was there, from start to finish. They were the better team for most of the final two periods, but at the end of the game defensive miscues and poor defensive-zone play in general led to the team falling to the Predators for the fifth time in six contests this season.

If you want to read how it all went down, feel free to check it out after the jump:

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With the Jackets looking to shake off the frustration of their first shutout loss of the year against the Predators, they started their longest road trip of the year in Joe Louis Arena for another Central Division matchup.

With the Red Wings currently dominating at home, a win was a tall order, but the depleted Blue Jackets squad gave it their best shot.

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On a night when the Jackets were far and away the better team, they faced one of the best goaltenders in the league who brought his "A" game. The Jackets pressed hard, and showed a ton of effort, but were unable to come away with the victory.

Read on after the jump for the tale of the tape:

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