FanHouse Steve Mason

Newsmakers in the NHL: During the regular season it's our Weekday look at the previous night's action and some of the storylines taking place around the league. Have a tip or something you want linked? Send it in to nhlfanhouse@gmail.com.

Blue Jackets 5, Canucks 3: It's a long season, and when all is said and done I have no doubt that Roberto Luongo will once again be at the top of the pile when it comes to NHL goaltenders. His first three starts of the season, however, have been quite forgettable, and Monday's game against Columbus was certainly the worst. Luongo was lifted after giving up four goals on just 12 shots, including three in a row to start the second period. Through three starts he's stopped just 50 of 61 shots.

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Steve Mason was a key part of the Columbus Blue Jackets' first trip to the playoffs this year, as the 20-year-old Oakville, Ontario native took home the Calder Trophy (pictured) as the NHL's rookie of the year. He was also nominated as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, thanks in large part to his league-leading 10 shutouts.

We had a chance to catch up with him this week and discuss his rookie season, being a "system goalie," and which players in the NHL he doesn't want to face on a breakaway (along with the ones he wouldn't mind facing).

Making the playoffs for the first time was a big step for the Columbus Blue Jackets, a kick in the pants for the fans and the franchise.

Now, however, Columbus will have to repeat the feat -- and make it past the first round -- to meet the increased expectations that that first blush of success has created. And it's Scott Howson's job this summer to put the Blue Jackets in a position to be a postseason regular.

It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Central Division.

The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to build off a magical season. Columbus got its first taste of playoff hockey, while St. Louis returned to the playoffs after a far-too-long absence. Meanwhile, Nashville is trying to rebound after just missing the cut for the Western Conference playoffs.

Is it possible for a playoff series to become overheated? We may very well have reached that point in the second round clash between the Capitals and the Penguins, now that a local television station in Pittsburgh is reporting that police there are investigating a death threat against Washington winger Alex Ovechkin.

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Aside from helping lead his team to the postseason for the first time in franchise history, Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason has an opportunity to take home some serious hardware at the NHL's award ceremony in June. After being named as one of the finalists for the Calder Trophy as the top rookie, the 20-year-old Mason is also a nominee for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender. Joining Mason as finalists are Boston's Tim Thomas and Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom.

According to John McGourty of NHL.com, the only players to win both the Calder and Vezina in the same season are Tom Barrasso, Ed Belfour, Tony Esposito and Frankie Brimsek.

The St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets are the first two teams eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs. The first team knocked out in the East - Montreal - could take a few lessons from how the former two played in their elimination games.

The Blue Jackets went all-in against Detroit Thursday night. They may have dropped a heart-wrenching 6-5 decision, but the way they played won them a lot of respect all around the league, including the opposing dressing room.

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The nominees for this year's NHL awards are starting to be announced, and on Wednesday we learned that Columbus' Steve Mason, Anaheim's Bobby Ryan and Chicago's Kris Versteeg were the top vote-getters for the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year.

There's no surprises here, as it's been assumed for much of the season that Mason, Columbus' 20-year-old goalie, is a slam dunk winner. Despite his struggles in the playoffs (awards are voted on before the postseason begins, by the way) no goalie recorded more shutouts during the season (10) while he also finished second in the league with a 2.29 goals average and 12th with a .916 save percentage. He is, perhaps, the biggest reason Columbus made its first trip to the postseason in franchise history.

When they're on, there's no doubt the Detroit Red Wings are among the best teams in the NHL. More often than usual this season, the Wings were a tad less than adequate defensively, leaving their goaltenders in impossible positions and generally giving up too many goals.

The playoffs are different, however, and the experienced Wings showed that on Thursday. They easily dispatched Columbus, 4-1, in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

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