Their were a few highlights of the game for the Blue Jackets one of which was  Kristian Huselius who ended the night with 1 goal and 2 assists. He scored the Blue Jackets first goal at the 11:44 mark in the first perido and also assisted on their game tying and go ahead goals scored by Kris Russell and Rick Nash respectively.

Nash also had a good night scoring goals 20 and 21 on the season. His second goal of the evening scored at 7:12 of the second period, the goal that made the score 4-3 was a nice shot taken right at the end of a pentaly for the Hawks, where Nash walked in all alone down the right wing and snuck a fast shot past Chicago’s Huet. Frustration got the best of Huet, who turned around and two handed his post after the goal, clearly frustrated and disappointed in his play.

Star Patrick Kane was being fancy and trying to get deep in the corner when Hedja stepped up and laid him out pretty good below the goal line, check it out here at Jackets TV ( http://bluejackets.nhl.tv/ team/console.jsp?hlg=20092010, 2,707&event=CBJ333).

Steve Mason had an iffy night, allowing 6 goals on 31 shots. Although two of them were on powerplay, he really needs to be there for his team on the backend, when Mason struggles it is pretty apparent the Blue Jackets struggle too. To give Mason some credit however, he did have a beautful save during the second on on Byfuglien which can been seen here on Jackets TV ( http://bluejackets.nhl.tv/ team/console.jsp? hlg=20092010, 2,707&event=CBJ240).

Mason’s counterpart Saturday night, Huet didn’t fare much better in the statstics category, allowing five goals on 26 shots. It just was not a night for goalies in Columbus on Saturday.

In the new year so far the Blue Jackets have played 8 games and are 3-5. Going into a tough week with four games, three of which are away, they better be ready to play when they suit up against the Blues. The last time they faced them was January 12, in a 4-1 loss.

With the 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames, the Blue Jackets won back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 19, and won back-to-back road games for the first time since Nov. 5.

Columbus was led by Antoine Vermette, who totaled three points in the victory. His goal with 14:38 remaining in the third proved to be the game winner.

The Blue Jackets received a solid effort in goal from Mathieu Garon, who started his second straight game. Garon made 20 saves in the win.

Columbus started the scoring just over a minute into play with a goal from Raffi Torres.

Calgary’s Mark Giordano tied the score-sheet at one with his first period goal.

The Blue Jackets regained the lead with a second period goal from Jan Hejda before a third period goal by Rene Bourque knotted the score at two.

After assisting on Raffi Torres’ goal, Torres retuned the favor by feeding the puck to Vermette who stuffed it into the wide-open net.

The Blue Jackets held the Flames to only five shots in the third period, and played stellar defense down the stretch to keep Calgary from tying the game at three.

Columbus returns home to face the Dallas Stars Sunday at 7 p.m.

UPDATE (3:53PM)

According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the Jackets have acquired Milan Jurcina and right wing Chris Clark from the Washington Capitals. The CBJ  have sent left winger Jason Chimera the other way. Still awaiting  conformation from the team.

———–

It’s no secret Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson is looking to make some changes in the locker room. He wants to add a defenseman with Rostislav Klesla sidelined until after the Olympic break. But now things are starting to materialize and it is quite likely the the CBJ could make a move within the next 24 hours.

The team the Jackets have been linked with the most is Washington. The names being tossed around are a trio of Caps blueliners: Shaone Morrisonn, Milan Jurcina and Karl Alzner. Morrisonn and Jurcina both have good size and are relatively sound in the defensive end. Jurcina owns a big right-handed shot, but is a less than average skater and is prone to mistakes. He’s not going to solve many problems for the Union Blueline. Morrisonn offers similar size and has spent time paired with Mike Green, no small task because Green’s defensive lapses are well documented. Morrisonn has good mobility for his 6’4″ 215lb frame. He’s never finished a season in the NHL with a minus rating but right now in 0-3-3 in 28 games with a plus/minus of -1.

Karl Alzner is a wildcard. The 5th overall pick in 2007, Alzner is not the sort of player general managers like to move. He’s got good size at 6′ 2″ and is a very good skater. In 10 NHL games this season Alzner is 0-4-4 with a +2 rating. In 40 career NHL games the former Bill Hunter winner (WHL’s top defenseman) is 1-8-9 with a +1. He’s got a lot of potential and would require a good package going the other way. To make things even more interesting, Alzner has been scratched from the Caps lineup for tonight’s game.

The players the Blue Jackets are rumored to be sending the other way include Jason Chimera, Raffi Torres and Nikita Filatov. Obviously Alzner would not be coming for the likes of Chimera or Torres, so in likelihood, if a deal is done it will be Morrisonn or Jurcina coming the other way. Washington is in need of checking line wingers and that’s one thing the Blue Jackets have an abundance of. While the CBJ management would prefer to move Chimera, who’s do $1.87 million a year for the next three seasons, Torres is more attractive as a player and his contract is up at the end of the year.

Washington is rumored to be interested in Filatov. The skilled Russian would likely thrive in the nation’s Capital with the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Niklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin. , Washington GM George McPhee may be even more interesting in adding Filatov after  Semin declined a long-term extension in favor of a one-year deal. Most people’s money is on Semin hitting the market come the Summer of 2011. That being said, with all of Filatov’s baggage, he probably would need to be paired with another player to bring the likes of Alzner to Ohio’s Capital.

Also, Toronto is rumored to possibly joining the deal making it a 3-way. This could be very interesting. The name thrown most around in Toronto is Tomas Kaberle. However, the skilled defenseman has a no-trade clause he must waive in order for Brian Burke to move him. He’s also at an all-time high in value and would likely not accept a trade to Columbus and I can’t see the Jackets sending to king’s ransom to Toronto for Washington to pick up Kaberle, even if Alzner and Morrisonn/Jurcina came back this way. Regardless, it looks like a deal could get done soon.

UPDATE (3:08PM)

The Leafs are rumored to be out of the deal, if they were ever really in it. The Ottawa Senators are rumored to have joined negotiations but it’s not clear if they would be part of a 3-team deal or a separate deal with the Jackets. The Senators GM Bryan Murray is rumored to be a big fan of Filatov. It’s no secret that Scott Howson covets defensive prospect Brian Lee. We’ll keep you posted.

-Bart Logan

bartftc@gmail.com

Twitter: BartFTC

Monday’s practice marked the return of Dorsett and another not-so-familiar face, Fredrick Modin, who has missed the entire season thus far recovering from a knee injury. The two 50-minute practice sessions were spent almost exclusively in the defensive zone with focus on in-zone coverage and the penalty kill. No surprises there. The Jackets are leading the Western Conference with 105 goals allowed on the season.

Tuesday’s practice was a bit more open and included a lot of 5-on-5 play. There were opportunities a plenty to work on the breakout, which had been abysmal during the nine-game stretch. No complaints from the players though. Ken Hitchcock wants them to play his style, the style this team is designed to play. It’s built on from the net out and requires tight play in the back two zones. Hitch also did a little shuffling with the lines in anticipation of another tough stretch for the CBJ with nine games over 14 days. RJ Umberger was moved back to center on the second line. Brassard fell to the third line between Raffi Torres and Dorsett. Sammy Pahlsson’s line was bumped down to fourth but in name only. Hitch was prepared to roll four lines, not something the Jackets have done often this season.

The Jackets took on the Florida Panthers last night in Nationwide Arena in front of a relatively sparse crowd. Again, no surprises there, considering the play this team has put up this season along with a low-key opponent and a weeknight game. A familiar foe was in net for the Panthers in Thomas Vokoun, a player who seems to always put on his best performances against the Union Blue. What did the Jackets do? How about put on their most solid overall performance at home this season with a 3-0 shutout win.  Mason recorded his first goose egg of the season. Jason Chimera extended his goal-scoring streak to three games. Derek Brassard registered his first goal since November 5^th at Atlanta, snapping a 14-game drought. The most telling stat of them all though may have time on ice. Fedor Tyutin led the Jackets with 22:55. Raffi Torres was the only Jacket not to break the 10-minute mark with 9:30. Hitch rolled four line and the Jackets played the game like they’re supposed to.

The Jackets were able to hold onto a one-goal lead, provided by Chimera, going into the third period. Chimera’s goal was a thing of beauty, at least in the eyes of Hitchcock. He cut across the ice, threw the puck at Vokoun and drove hard to the net to burry his own rebound to give the Jackets the late lead in the first.The second period was scoreless and was marked by the Jackets ability to stay out of the box and keep play at 5-on-5, an area they’ve been relatively successful throughout the season.

The Jackets took their first penalty midway part when Kristian Huselius was called for a questionable delay of game. With Juice in the box already, Andrew Murray playing in only his second game since returning from injury, took a hooking penalty to put the Jackets down 5-on-3. If there was ever a time for the Jackets to blow the lead, it was now but, Steve Mason stood tall and the PK sent the puck out of the zone every opportunity they had. It was a sound, fundamental PK and the entire atmosphere shifted in their favor after the kill. Derek Brassard used that momentum and, with Dorsett driving hard to the net and drawing the defender, roofed the puck near-side on Vokoun to make it 2-0. A few minutes later, with the net empty and a face-off at center ice, Pahlsson won the battle off the draw and pushed the puck, willed it really, down the ice, off the post and in the net to solidify the lead at 3-0. It was a defensively sound, fundamental game that the Jackets desperately needed.

Unfortunately for the Boys in Blue, there is little time to gloat on what was really a massive win for this team. The Jackets head down to Nashville to face-off against Darth Vader and the Evil Empire, Barry Trotz and co. It is no stretch to call this game the biggest of the young season. The CBJ are winless in their last 12 games in Nashville. To make matter worse, the Preds are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now and have won 15 of their last 20. They have certainly benefited from the Jackets slide and have rocketed up the standings and currently sit at second in the Central Division. Mathieu Garon will get the start in net for the Jackets, a questionable move given Mason’s performance last night, but one that was predetermined earlier this week. If the Jackets can play the same hard-working, defensively-sound game that they played last night, the same sort of play the netted the franchise it’s first playoff appearance last season, they might be able to finally kick this funk and use the momentum to turn their season around. A win tonight could kill two birds with one stone.

- Bart Logan

bartftc@gmail.com

Twitter: BartFTC

Los Angeles:

After signing defenseman Kris Russel to a three-year contract extension through the 2012-2013 season, the defenseman returned the favor to the club by assisting on a Raffi Torres power play goal, which turned out to be the game winner.

For the second straight game, Columbus gave up the first goal of the game, but fought back after being down.

LA scored their lone goal of the game 10:08 into the first period on a wrist shot from Dustin Brown.

But with less than a minute remaining in the period, Jason Chimera intercepted a pass in his own zone, drove down the ice, and fired a bullet from the top of the face-off circle to the right of Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick to tie the score at one.

Torres’ second period power play goal proved to be the difference in the game, coming with only 2:58 remaining in the period, assisted by Brassard and Russel.

The Blue Jackets tacked on two insurance goals in the third, a shorthanded goal from the captain Rick Nash, and an empty net power play goal from Jakub Voracek with just over a minute remaining.

The goal by Nash extended his point streak to five games.

At Calgary

The Jackets headed back west for a Tuesday night affair with the Calgary Flames. After quickly falling behind by two goals, the Blue Jackets were able to get on the board courtesy of another Rick Nash shorthanded goal to cut the deficit to 2-1.

According to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the goal was Nash’s 11th shorthanded goal since the start of the 2007-2008 season, which is second in the league behind Philadelphia’s Mike Richards with 12.

The Jackets again fell down by two goals when Jay Bouwmeester added his first goal of the season, but retaliated with two straight power play goals from Derick Brassard and Jakub Voracek to tie the game at three.

In a game where Columbus goaltender Steve Mason struggled, making only 16 of 22 saves, Calgary added three more goals to bring the final to 6-3.

The Youth:

In only the past two games, forwards Derick Brassard and Jakub Voracek have combined for three goals and two assists. Kris Russel also added an assist.

Nikita Filatov did not skate for the third straight game, but is expected to play Thursday night when the Jackets face the Edmonton Oilers.

Power Play Watch:

Columbus was 2-6 with the man advantage Saturday night against Los Angeles with the later of the two coming on a late-game empty net goal from Jakub Voracek.

The Blue Jackets were 2-7 against Calgary, bringing the season total to 7-28, or an even 25%.

The Kill:

Columbus continues to impress on the penalty kill, having scored more than they have given up.

The Jackets were 5-5 against the Kings and 5-5 against the Flames as well, bringing the season total to 27-28, or 96%, which is tops in the league.

With Nash’s shorthander against Calgary, the Jackets have scored three shorthanded goals while only allowing one all year.

Central Race:

With seven games played, Columbus, with ten points, currently sits a half-game behind central leading Chicago, who has played eight games and recorded 11 points.

St. Louis and Detroit follow with seven points apiece, while Nashville brings up the rear with a 2-4-1 record and five points.

Columbus leads in goals against average at 2.5, while Chicago leads in goals for with an average of 3.6 goals a game.

Injury Report:

Defenseman Mike Commodore is still recovering from a groin injury but has began practicing, and is expected back in the lineup soon, according to the Columbus Blue Jackets Official Website.

Fredrik Modin and Jan Hejda both remain on the injured reserve with knee injuries and are expected to be out until late October and mid November respectively.

With the absence of both Commodore and Hejda, defenseman Fedor Tyutin has seen his playing time rapidly increase, logging a team leading 17:06 minutes in Saturday night’s victory over Los Angeles.

Up Next:

The Blue Jackets continue their western road trip with stops in Edmonton, Anaheim, and LA.

Columbus faces-off with the Oilers Thursday night in Edmonton.

Edmonton is 5-2-1 on the season and currently sits in third place in the Northwest Division.

Former Blue Jacket Gilbert Brule has tallied four goals and three assists in only seven games played with the Edmonton.

Early season schedules can play fits with team cohesion and sharpness. Columbus had last played on Tuesday, and the rust showed early. Despite putting constant pressure on the Kings defenders, Columbus failed to cash in on any of the opportunities. Halfway through the period, Los Angeles took the lead with what proved to be their only goal of the evening, when Dustin Brown deposited a seeing-eye shot in the net on what goalie Steve Mason conceded was “a bad goal.” The Kings were otherwise shut down for most of the first, and the Blue Jackets finally converted with just 47 seconds left in the period, when winger Jason Chimera sprinted down the left wing. With Rick Nash barreling down the middle, Chimera fired a laser from the left dot that found the net up high, squaring the score at the break.

This was game five of a six game road trip for Los Angeles, and the third in four nights. The demanding schedule, combined with an aggressive forecheck from the Blue Jackets, took its toll as the second period progressed. With three minutes left in the frame, a resurgent Raffi Torres parked a rebound over a pile of amassed bodies in front of the net for a power play goal. Torres now has three goals on the young season, and is clearly happy to be healthy and playing an important role for the club. Afterwards, he acknowledged having “a newfound passion for the game”, and it showed in all three zones.

The third period belonged to Columbus thanks to goalie Steve Mason and Nash. Mason stepped up and made some key saves after some sloppy turnovers, and Nash converted another Jackets penalty kill into a shorthanded highlight-reel goal. All that was left was an empty-netter from Jakub Voracek, and the 15,251 in attendance were sent home happy. Columbus moved to 5 -1, with a perfect home record, and showed once again it can win, even without its “A” game.

The young defensemen played a big role in this victory. Mathieu Roy, assuming a starting role since the Hejda injury, was solid defensively, and confident with the puck. Kris Russell, celebrating the signing of a three year, $3.9 million contract extension, handled the puck deftly and showed some renewed confidence. Mark Methot, called upon to take over many of Hejda’s minutes, showed greatly improved anticipation and defensive presence. Recently acquired Anton Stralman continued his solid play, surprising many with his skills on both ends of the ice. Hitchcock observed that Stralman“ . . . just does not make mistakes with the puck . . . He does a lot of the little things that the guys on the bench notice.” High praise from a coach notoriously demanding of defensive effort.

For his part, Hitchcock remains unsatisfied with the production of his top two lines. Although he conceded that Nash is an exception, he obviously is looking for more finishing ability from the likes of Brassard, Umberger, Huselius, Vermette and Voracek. He expressed pleasure with the play of his blue liners, the goaltending tandem of Mason and Garon, and the penalty kill, which leads the league in effectiveness, having dispatched 23 out of 24 penalties.

As they embark on their second western road trip of the new season (another gift from the schedule makers), the Blue Jackets are quietly confident. Captain Rick Nash noted that the team has seen too much adversity in the past to be complacent now. “We need to stay level-headed and take things as they come”.

While Columbus is correctly avoiding over-confidence, there is clearly a justified measure of satisfaction with their accomplishments thus far. With significant injuries on the blue line, an offense that is yet to hit its stride and a young Nikita Filatov learning the intricacies of “Hitchcock Hockey”, there is a significant upside to the team’s performance potential, which should prove daunting to prospective opponents.

Even the normally reticent Hitchcock could not resist a measure of optimism. Calling to mind the 2 – 1 win over Calgary last Tuesday, the coach drew some thinly veiled comparisons to the clubs he coached in Dallas, including his Cup winning squad: “When I see games like Calgary . . .I’ve seen that movie before – a lot — in a former life. It’s a good feeling, because you know you can control the game forever like that. If you can get into that mindset and play that way–and we are showing flashes of being able to do that — then you can win a lot of hockey games for a long period of time.”
Now that is music to the ears of Blue Jackets fans everywhere.

Teams will pass at the motion of acquiring a 34 year old veteran in Modin; who has seen his game decline due to injuries. In the last two seasons Modin has only been able to suit up for less than half of the team’s games (73). During this time his numbers have dropped to a mere 15 goals and 37pts. Freddie is scheduled to make 3.25 million next season and will most likely find himself on the end of a buyout from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Paying that much money for a player who can no longer play in your top six does not make sense. Modin may be granted a tryout with another club if he shows up in good shape and not injured. If not he will probability return to Sweden to be closer to his family and play in the Swedish Elite League.

Raffi Torres came to Columbus in exchange for at the time highly touted prospect Gilbert Brule.  To date, that trade has been a complete wash as neither player has never really panned out they way each team envisioned. Torres is a former 27 goal scorer that plays on the edge and Brule was projected to be a top six forward that can score.  As it turns out Brule has found himself mainly in the minor’s leagues and Torres spent a good portion of last season on the disabled list due to injury.  Raffi a former 5th overall draft choice of Long Island is set to earn 2.25 million next season. His does hold some trade value, but it would be wise for Howson to hold on to Torres for the time being and hope that he has a bounce back year.

With Rick Nash’s set to expire following next season, Howson has to do everything possible to make his captain happy. Would acquiring top flight center men for the big winger help? Most likely, but at what cost? Do you sacrifice this year’s 1st round pick and a few prospects to go after a Jason Spezza or Patrick Marleau? Spezza’s monster contract is due to kick in this year, so the Sens would have to be ready to take salary back if they decide move him.  Now we all know San Jose’s story, great regular season team but this team always falls apart in the playoffs. I believe they are in need of a huge shake up and one of their core players will be moved. Seeing as they just acquired Danny Boyle and with Michalek & Thorton signed long term, the obvious option would be to deal Marleau as his contract also expires next season. Would this make sense though from Columbus’ perspective? If they were to acquire Marleau without having him sign an extension prior to the trade, which would mean that him and Nash would both be unrestricted free agents next year. 

Let’s take a look at both players.

Spezza

• 25 years of age
• Contract expires 2015 (will be 31 or 32 when the contract ends)
• Averages out to a cap hit of 7.0 million

By acquiring a player of Spezza’s stature you receive a consistent 85-100 point a year player that would be entering his prime at the same time as Nash. Another bonus is that he is signed long term so you do not have to worry about him leaving anytime soon. It may be easier to pull off a trade with Ottawa as they are in the other conference so these two teams will meet once a year. Howson or Ottawa GM Bryan Murray would not have to worry about former players coming back to haunt them. With that being said though Ottawa did show drastic improvements down the stretch and may decide to hold on to their star center. 

Marleau:  

• 29 years of age
• Contract expires next season
• Makes 6.3 million next season

Now let’s take a look at Marleau, he is a savvy veteran that has played his entire career in San Jose. He is a former 1st overall pick that has hit the 30 goal plateau 3 times in his career. Right now with him being in San Jose and Joe Thornton around; the team has been in limbo. Whose team is it really? Joe or Patrick’s? Let’s say Marleau finds his way to Columbus, we all know that this is Nash’s team and he is the main voice in the dressing room. Marleau would probability thrive is a situation like this, no longer would he have to be the face of a franchise and have to answer the constant questions of why the Sharks can’t win in the playoffs. 

A trade for either player would be gigantic for the Blue Jackets. The prospects of having Nash and a true number one center together would be lethal. This would not only help the team on the ice but off the ice. It would give Nash more reason to sign an extension long term to stay in Columbus if he had a true running mate. Coming up I will put together potential trade packages that could land a true number one center for the Jackets. And hey what ever happen to former Jacket Mattias Timander?

Don’t forget to check out our Columbus Blue Jackets fan forums where you can interact with other Jacket fans!

Well, not so much actually . . . Our own version of Luke Skywalker, Raffi Torres, slammed home the winning goal 4:05 into the third period, and turned the affair over to the rest of the Rebels to finish the job. Through a combination of deft puck possession in the offensive zone, a tenacious defense, a superb penalty kill and solid goaltending, the Jackets killed off the balance of the period, restoring order to The Force.

Sure, this was a depleted Nashville team, with Arnott, Erat and Legwand out. They received another blow when Dumont went hard into the boards and lay motionless for a good period of time. He eventually left the ice with moderate assistance, but I suspect that a concussion is a real possibility. But, as Nash observed in the paper this morning –everybody goes through it, and you just have to keep playing. (AP Photo/Jay LaPetre)

The Calgary win was artistic — this one was a mechanical marvel. The pieces all fit together, and even when a gear slipped a little bit, the clutch engaged and smoothed it right out. Nashville’s lone goal came on a gorgeous cross-ice feed at the left post for a tip in that Mason had no chance on. It was started by an ill-advised pinch attempt, I believe by Tyutin, and he and Boll got caught up ice. A Huselius turnover leading to a breakaway was negated by a beautiful back check by . . .Huselius. Russell thwarted a later breakaway effort. Mason made a number of terrific saves, but none nicer than a second period beauty. He slid to his left as the shooter came down the right wing, reminiscent of Martin St. Louis’ winning goal for Tampa in OT. Just as then, the shot went to the far post as Mason was sliding the other direction, but he reached back with the glove and made a terrific save. Give Rinne credit for Nashville — he singlehandedly kept them in the game.

Here are +/- for tonight:

+ Discipline — We played an extremely disciplined game, taking zero penalties in the first two frames. Our defensive corps was much better on the puck and in support, after a little bit of initial shakiness. We cycled, we put pucks on the net, and did not get out of our game plan when we could not get things to go. We kept grinding and got rewarded, at the same time wearing Nashville down.

+Possession — We dominated possession in this one, but in a totally different way than against Calgary. There, we had artisitic passes and combinations that flowed artistically, Here, we continued to cycle, get the puck deep, chase it down, center it, shoot, get the rebound, cycle it . It was amazing to watch for those of us Day 1 season ticket holders who only dreamed about days like this. We generated traffic in front, and though we did not cash in on all our opportunities, we won the majority of the battles.

+ Penalty Kill — We didn’t need to use it much, but when we needed it, the PK came through in spades! The only two power plays of the night for the Preds came back to back, with 28 seconds of overlapping 5-on-3 time. This coming just minutes after we had taken the lead. Nothing like a 3rd period 5-on-3 against you during a heated playoff race to get the blood moving! With Mason as the foundation, the penalty killers were aggressive, challenging the puck handlers and creating havoc. Well done!

+Special Mention–– Aside from the obvious, Jake Voracek was ENORMOUS tonight, though he won’t show up on the scoresheet. He was all over the ice, making plays, keeping possession. Vermette was a monster as well. Boll had some good moments, and hopefully was not dinged too badly by his blocked shot. Backman (yes, him) was solid, if unspectacular. Russell was a key contributor in moving the puck and keeping momentum going.

– Columbus — 6 games to go in the regular season, we are in 6th place, with a 2 point lead over Nashville, and the Predators are in town. It is Spring Break for most of the kids, so no school tomorrow. No blizzard, no tornado, no NASCAR on television, no OSU rowing meet to distract. So why the hell were there only 14,495 in the house? Shame on you Columbus — you showed yourselves for the fair weather, attention-deficit fans that you really are. Disgusting . . .

A great win at a clutch time for the team. With 88 points and 5 games left, the fat lady hasn’t sung, but I hear something in the wings . . . Vancouver has now taken over the lead in the Northwest Division, so Calgary drops to 4th. Chicago is also standing still. A well-earned rest for the boys now, until Saturday in Nashville. We swept the season series here, now need to break through in their barn. A contingent of 30 or so Jacket Backers will be in the house on Saturday, so we will represent. Funny, I didn’t hear any “Let’s Go Predators” chants at Nationwide tonight. Hmmm . . . maybe too many syllables.

Luke slays Darth. Pleased we are.

Go Jackets!

The Oilers and Jackets are two clubs in similar situations. Edmonton has 49 points in 45 games, while the CBJ have 48. Both clubs are extolling the virtues of coming together as a club, and developing some chemistry. Though the Jackets have been bitten more seriously by the injury bug, Alex Hemsky returned from injury to score 2 goals for the Oilers in their 6 – 3 victory over Phoenix, a win that took advantage of the positive energy generated by the retirement of Glenn Anderson’s #9. Ethan Moreau notched a hat trick for the Oilers in that contest.

Both clubs have won 4 of their last 5. Edmonton and Columbus rank 17 and 22, respectively in Goals Scored. Columbus has a significant edge in Goals Against, ranking 8th in the NHL, compared to Edmonton’s 21st. Edmonton beats out Columbus on the power play, ranking 16th, while Columbus remains last, though improvement has been shown in recent games. The converse is true for the PK, where Columbus ranks 19th, and Edmonton trails, ranking 28th.

In net, Edmonton will go with 39 year old Duan Roloson, who sports a 2.72 GAA and .914 save percentage. Mase now sits at 1.91 GAA .932 save percentage.

The numbers say that the CBJ have a distinct advantage 5 vs 5. The +/- leader for the Oilers is at +7, while the CBJ have several players in double digits, led by Jan Hejda’s gaudy +18. Edmonton boasts 7 active players with 10+ goals, but none over 12. The Jackets need to watch Edmonton’s defensive corps jumping up on the play. Sheldon Souray is tied for the team lead with 10 goals, and is second with 31 points. Lubomir Visnovsky is not far behind with 27 points.

The CBJ might have some emotion going for themselves tonight, due to the ties that Hitch and Howson have, and Raffi Torres returning to Rexall place for the first time since his trade. They are also looking to clinch their second consecutive winning road trip and move back into 8th place in the West. The CBJ are 6 – 1 vs Canadian teams this year, but the lone loss came to Edmonton.

After a Wild,Wild West affair in Vancover, look for a return to Hitch-Hockey tonight. Strong forechecking, neutral zone pressure and keeping Edmonton to the perimeter. At the same time, we need to take advantage of Edmonton’s defense. Put lots of rubber on Roloson early, possess the puck, stay out of the box, and take advantage of the 3rd worst PK in the league.

Guaranteed to be an interesting match between 2 clubs with lots to play for. Go Jackets!