"There are times when a hockey puck - nothing more than a 6-ounce hunk of vulcanized rubber - seems to have a mind of its own, when it seems almost magnetically drawn to the goal or cosmically snared in bad karma.

On Tuesday, Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason was tight to the near post, in perfect position to make a save on Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier.

But the puck nicked off the stick blade of Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin, continued across the crease until it glanced off the left skate of Jackets defenseman Marc Methot, then clunked off the far post before going into the net.

Mason reached into the net with his stick and fired the puck down the ice.

"The message," Mason said, "was 'Get the hell out of here, puck, and don't ever go in that net again.'"

Two months ago, Mason might have carried that goal with him for the rest of the second period, maybe the rest of the game. If he would have allowed a soft goal, he might have completely unraveled and been replaced by backup Mathieu Garon."