More about Bobrovsky's injury:  It looked like some kind of groin pull during yesterday's replays.  It was diagnosed today as a groin strain and not a more serious groin tear.  Although any kind of groin injury is serious for today's butterfly-style goalies.  And Bobrovsky is expected to miss 4 to 5 weeks because of this:

 

More about the injury plus video of the play at http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/24337670/sergei-bobrovsky-to-miss-45-weeks-after-suffering-groin-strain

 

Missing 4 to 5 weeks translates to missing about 12 to 15 games.  Former backup Curtis McElhinney will take over the starting role and Mike McKenna, the Jackets starting AHL goalie in Springfield, will be the new backup.  Both McElhinney and McKenna have been top-notch AHL goalies last year and this year.  So they are capable fill-ins short-term.  But the AHL is not the NHL - and neither Mc's are Vezina award winners.  So this next month could be a bumpy ride.

 

More about McElhinney, McKenna and Bob's injury from the Jackets Cannon at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/4/5174310/jackets-recall-goaltender-mike-mckenna and at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/4/5175904/sergei-bobrovsky-to-miss-4-5-weeks-with-groin-strain

The "Bob-less" Jackets face Minnesota with appropriately wintery weather tonight.  McElhinney will start in net.  Despite this, the Jackets should have the advantage tonight.  The Wild had a tough victory over Chicago last night and they flew into Columbus early this morning for this back-to-back.  The Jackets have been off since Tuesday and waiting for them.  But these advantages haven't seemed to make much difference this season so far.  But a win would be great.  So c'mon CBJ - win one for Bob, C-Mac and Stinger!

 

Jeff Little, a blogger whose writing I've followed previously, has joined my current go-to website, Jackets Cannon.  He wrote an excellent thoughtful piece about what the Jackets need to do while Bob is out for the next month:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/5/5177904/bobrovsky-out-time-to-unleash-the-dogs

 

He also coined a new term for CBJ's two current goalies, Curtis McElhinney and Mike McKenna - "Mc1" and "Mc2".  I like it.

Very nice 4-0 win for CBJ last night.  Like I said previously, this was game the Jackets should've won with the Wild on the road back-to-back.  But with a new goalie and the Jackets recent history, there was doubt.

 

But Mc1 (McElhinney) was outstanding in the net.  And once the Jackets got going in the second period, they skated and played like a home team on two days rest playing a tired Wild team.  The Jackets outshot the Wild 41 to 20.  Foligno and Johansen continued their stellar play with 1 goal/1 assist for Nick and 2 assists for RyJo.  Youngsters Atkinson and Jenner each got a goal.  And oldster Umberger pitched in with a goal and assist.  I'm not gonna go overboard with the praise - because they did basically did what they should be done.  But that was a very fine performance.  And they got two straight wins now - both shutouts.  Which I've been informed by fans of other NHL teams is what's known as a ... winning streak.

 

The Jackets sure needed those last two home wins.  They need to get closer to the playoff line in the east and closer to .500 in record book.  Plus, things get tougher next week: Monday against the top-of-the-division Penguins in Pittsburgh; Tuesday back at NWA against New Jersey; Thursday at MSG against the NYRangers; Saturday back home against St. Louis.

 

P.S. - The Monday game at Pittsburgh is on national TV (NBCSN) - so it'd be a bonus if the Jackets could not stink it up against Pittsburgh like they did back in November. :wink:

P.S. - The Monday game at Pittsburgh is on national TV (NBCSN) - so it'd be a bonus if the Jackets could not stink it up against Pittsburgh like they did back in November. :wink:

 

Mission accomplished (sort of).  The Jackets played a very good road game against the top team in the Metro Division.  But unfortunately leave Pittsburgh with nothing to show for it in the standings.

 

The Jackets matched the Penguins game-wise and outplayed them for some stretches.  But the Penguins had something the Jackets couldn't match last night - two superstars named Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.  Mc1 (McElhinney) was sharp in goal once again.  But the two goals scored by Malkin first and then by Crosby were unstoppable.  Otherwise, Mc1 and the Jackets defense shut down the Pens.  But Pens goalie Fleury was "on" last night and stopped 32 of the 33 shots sent his way by the Jackets to hand Columbus a 2-1 loss.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/9/5194544/game-30-recap-heads-held-high

Now, that was a fun game last night at NWA, eventually.  Columbus won 5-4 over New Jersey.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/10/5198516/game-31-recap-an-unexpected-shootout

 

The Jackets looked like a team on the second night of a back-to-back playing a rested NJ Devils team.  The Devils got their first goal only 32 seconds into the game.  The Jackets then tied it up, only to fall behind 3-1 early in the second period. -- This was a time with past Jackets' teams to basically go through the motions en route to a loss.  But not now. -- The Jackets scored two goals within 49 seconds in the second to tie it back up at 3-3.  And added a goal 18 seconds into the third to take their first lead of the night at 4-3. 

 

All four of these goals were scored by the Dubinsky-Atkinson-Calvert line.  Veteran center Dubinsky (acquired in the Nash trade) scored 1 goal and had 3 assists.  While young speedy winger #1 - Atkinson - had 2 goals and 2 assists; and young speedy winger #2 - Calvert - had 1 goal.  Just a dynamite performance by all three fowards.

 

But even with that performance and a lead, the win wasn't in.  The Devils tied in 4-4 with 6:01 left in the third.  The Jackets tank was cleary running on empty.  In previous years, this would have led to barely holding on for a regulation tie or losing it late.  But not now. -- The Jackets got their game-winning goal with 1:31 left in a play almost identical to the way Pittsburgh won it last night against the Jackets. -- As Foligno was jousting with a NJ defender in front of their goal, Ryan Johansen shot the puck hard into the scrum.  RyJo's shot caromed off Foligno's skate into the goal for the game-winner.

 

Mc1 (McElhinney) was also starting back-to-back in the net, and looked it.  Struggling at times, but hanging in there to save 30 of 34 shots.  Mc1 came up strong when the rest of the team was tiring, saving 17 of 18 shots in the third period. -- Bottom line:  This was the type of difficult but winnable game that "good teams" win.  It wasn't pretty, but it was 2 points in the standings. -- The Jackets had it done to them Monday by Pittsburgh; they did it to New Jersey on Tuesday.  Quality professional win.

^ This win sets up Thursday's game at MSG against the New York Rangers.  The Jackets are not far behind in the Metro Division standings.  Below are positions 3 thru 7:

 

3. Carolina – 32 GP, 13-13-6, 32 points

4. New York Rangers – 32 GP, 15-16-1, 31 points

5. New Jersey – 32 GP, 12-14-6, 30 points

6. Philadelphia – 30 GP, 13-14-3, 29 points

7. Columbus – 31 GP, 13-15-3, 29 points

 

If Columbus can win at MSG Thursday, they will tie the Rangers in points and be ahead of them due to having one less game played.  Not bad for the Jackets team missing Horton, Gaborik and Bobrovsky.  The Jackets are also missing d-man Wisniewski, who hasn't played Monday or Tuesday because of an upper body injury.  He's likely to be unavailable for the Thursday game at New York.

 

The Rangers lost a key player when their captain Callahan sprained his knee during their game last night.  He'll be out 4-6 weeks.  The Rangers do have Rick Nash back in their lineup after missing time with a concussion.  This will be the first game that former CBJ captain Nash will play against his old team.

Now that game last night at MSG, was really enjoyable!  Big 4-2 win by the Jackets over the Rangers in NYC!

 

Columbus started the game on fire with Calvert scoring 38 seconds into the first period.  Former ranger Anisimov got a goal almost 9 minutes in and d-man Savard got one 11 minutes in.  This third goal caused the Rangers to pull superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist for his backup. 

 

Despite the 3-0 lead, the Rangers stayed in the game with a goal later in the first to close to 3-1.  Then things got a little weird.  The Jackets starting goaltender McElhinney (Mc1) was not in the net to start the second.  His backup, Mike McKenna (Mc2) started the second for the Jackets.  It was announced during last night's broadcast that Mc1 had a lower-body injury.  It was reported in today's Dispatch that Mc1 "tweaked himself" during the morning skate-around, but said he was fine to play, then re-injured himself in the first period, during which he saved 15 of 16 shots!  So OK?

 

With McKenna (Mc2) in the net, the Jackets held off the surging Rangers, who outshot the Jackets 18 to 11 in the second and third periods.  Former ranger Dubinsky didn't help matters when he committed two back-to-back minor penalties late in the period.  But the Jackets killed the power plays and shutout the Rangers until NYR scored their second goal with 8:53 left in the third period to close to 3-2. 

 

Now it was "game on" for the Rangers and the MSG crowd.  But the Jackets played smart by not committing any penalties and held off the Rangers.  Until under 2 minutes left in the third, just before the Rangers were set to pull their goalie for an extra attacker.  Ryan Johansen stole a bobbled pass in the defensive zone and counterattacked into the Rangers zone.  His shot practically bored a hole thru the Rangers goalie to put the Jackets up 4-2 with 1:32 left.  And that was that.

 

Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/12/5205442/game-32-recap-total-team-effort - and because this game deserves it - video highlights at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/13/5206736/blue-jackets-4-rangers-2-game-highlights/in/4967953 (go to the 3:50 mark for Johansen's goal).

^ That Thursday night win against the Rangers shot the Jackets from 7th to 4th in the tight Metro Division standings.  Below are positions 3 thru 7 after last night's games:

 

3. Carolina – 33 GP, 13-13-7, 33 points

4. Columbus – 32 GP, 14-15-3, 31 points

5. Philadelphia – 32 GP, 14-15-3, 31 points

6. New York Rangers – 33 GP, 15-17-1, 31 points

7. New Jersey – 32 GP, 12-14-6, 30 points

 

With 50 games remaining, it's obviously too early to "playoff-line watch".  But what these standings show, is that despite all the early-season injuries and despite being one game below .500, the Jackets are in the thick of the Eastern Conf./Metro Division playoff race.  If they can hold on until players like Horton, Gaborik and Bobrovsky return, they've got a good shot at this year's post-season.

 

However, with that said, Saturday's game at NWA against St. Louis will be tough.  The Blues just roasted the Maple Leafs last night and have a 21-6-3 record.  Hitch has them playing strong.  Plus the Jackets goaltender situation is unsettled.  McElhinney looks questionable to start.  So Mike McKenna might need to make the start.  And although he looked very good for 2/3 of the Rangers game, starting against St. Louis will prove a tougher task.

Well, that St. Louis game was a tough one - but the Jackets almost pulled out a win.  Instead, they got a regulation tie (one point in the standings) and a 4-3 loss in OT.

 

The Jackets started the first period with great energy, but found themselves down a goal after the Blues got one with just over 4 minutes in.  But the Jackets kept up their energy and poured in three goals later in the first - from Anisimov 8 minutes in; from Tyutin 11 minutes in; and from Johansen 13 minutes in on a power play.  The Jackets led 3-1 at the end of the first.

 

But the Blues aren't at the top of the West for nothing.  They tightened it up with a goal in the second and tied it up 3-3 on a goal in the third with just over 6 minutes remaining in regulation.  The Jackets held on and actually had the best scoring chances to win in regulation.  A couple of breakaways were stopped by Blues goalie Halak in the third (who rebounded from a difficult first period) and the Blues killed off 4 CBJ power plays in the second (the Jackets ended 1 of 7 on power plays for the game). 

 

Starting Jackets goaltender Mike McKenna (our third-string goalie) was good enough against a strong STL squad, stopping 27 of 31 shots.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/15/5212792/game-33-recap-through-the-fingers

^ It would have been great to get that extra point against STL.  But with the Jackets injury situation and starting a third-string goalie against one of the best in the West, one point isn't bad.  The Jackets once again showed grit after giving up an early goal.  If they could have converted on just one power play in the second or a breakaway scoring chance in the third, they would've gotten that second point.

 

As it stands, the Jackets are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and 4-1-1 in their last 6 games.  They missed a chance Saturday to return to .500 and are 14-15-4 after 33 games. --- This week, the Jackets host Winnipeg (a team with an almost identical record) tonight at NWA.  Then have a pair with the Flyers at Philadelphia on Thursday and at Columbus on Saturday.  Good results against the Flyers would help the CBJ in the Metro standings.

 

It's being reported that Gaborik (out for a month) and Wiz (out for a week) should return to the lineup this week.  But probably not for Monday's game - Thursday's game at Philly seems more likely for their return.

Monday's game against Winnipeg at NWA was a close 3-2 loss.  A loss made more bitter by a rash of injuries and a questionable officiating call.  The full recap is available at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/16/5218512/game-34-recap-trapped-and-broken - but here's my take:

 

The first period was a killer for the Jackets.  Everything seemed to be going against them.  D-man Prout got injured during his first shift and was out for the rest of the game.  Then, 4th-line center MacKenzie reaggravated his back later in the first and was out for the game.  But the worst was a Jackets goal in the final minute of first which was disallowed.  Atkinson and Calvert crashed the net on a loose puck in the crease.  Calvert tapped the puck under the goalie and across the goal line while he brushed past him.  The on-line call was a disallowed goal due to goalie interference.

 

Then, the call looked like it was going to video review.  During the video review, it appeared that Calvert did not interfere with the goalie's ability to stop the puck.  He certainly didn't crash into the goalie, he made an attempt to avoid contact with the goalie, and at most he brushed past the Winnipeg goalie after the puck was sliding under him.  This was especially clear on the above-the goal view.  But the head ref came back to announce that the call was not eligible for video review, since the on-ice interference call was a "judgement call".  So the Jackets don't go up 1-0 going into the second period.

 

Early in the second, Tyutin got a stick to his face during a shot by a Winnipeg player.  Tyutin missed the rest of the period getting his face stitched in the locker room.  He returned to start the third (because hockey players are tough).  But that meant the Jackets were down 2 d-men (1 entire d-pair) for most of the second.  Winnipeg eventually cashed in with a goal later in the period.  The Jets added a second goal 2:28 into the third during a double minor high-sticking called on the Jackets 39 seconds into the final period.

 

But the Jackets showed some grit and got within one goal on an Umberger goal with under 12 minutes remaining in the third.  Followed by Winnipeg going back up two with under 10 minutes left.  Followed by the Jackets again getting within one goal with under 9 minutes left on a Tyutin goal (because Toots is tough).  After that Winnipeg retreated into a defensive shell and, despite some good efforts, the Jackets couldn't get a tying goal.  Our third-string goalie McKenna played pretty well in his second straight start, stopping 29 of 32 shots.

^ Once again, some points slipped away from the Jackets.  Although, with the injuries and disallowed goal in the Winnipeg game, it is understandable.  Otherwise, the effort was there - just not the points.  Two big games coming up with the Flyers on Thursday and Saturday.  The first game at Philly might see the return to the lineup of Gaborik and Wisniewski.  Previous starting goalie McElhinney will also be back on the bench and will likely start either the Thursday game at Philly or the Saturday game at Columbus.

 

One last injury note:  4th-line forward/enforcer Jared Boll had surgery to repair a torn tendon on his left ankle.  He will be out for 3-4 months and will likely miss the rest of the regular season.

Last night's game at Philadelphia was the first time the Jackets had played at Philly since a 9-2 throttling the Flyers put on the Jackets in November 2011.  This was one of the low points of "the Arniel era" - otherwise known as the 2011-12 season where the Jackets finished dead last in the NHL. --- Since then, much has changed.  The Flyers went from being a top playoff seed team to missing the playoffs last season.  While the Jackets went from last in the league to almost reaching the playoffs last season (falling short because of a tiebreak).  The teams traded former starting goaltenders with Steve Mason going to Philadelphia and Sergei Bobrovsky going to Columbus.  Plus, the Jackets moved from the western conference into the eastern conference and now both teams are in the same division.

 

All of that, plus with Mason in the net last night, built up an importance to this game.  And the night started out great for Jackets fans.  Atkinson got the game's first goal on a great steal during a Flyer power-play late in the first period.  Jack Skille lived up to his name with skillful shot during a 2-on-1 rush early in the second.  Then Foligno scored a goal with only 7.5 seconds remaining in the second.  And the Jackets were up 3-0 after two periods!

 

Not only that, but Mason looked shaky for Philly, giving up some "soft" goals.  Jackets goalie McElhinney - returning after missing the last two games due to injury - stopped all 23 shots he faced and looked sharp.  Sure, the Flyers would try to make a run at the Jackets in the third period.  But up 3-0 and with the Jackets playing well, they had no chance, right? --- How could we know it was going to go so wrong?

 

The Flyers scored their first goal 4:20 into the third.  Then scored a second goal only 1:02 later on a fluky knuckle-puck shot to pull within one goal. ---  But then Comeau got a goal set up by a nice play from Anisimov at the 8:35 mark.  Jackets up 4-2, crisis averted?  It seemed so, as the Jackets held the two goal lead with only 5 minutes left in regulation. --- Then the outslaught came.  A Flyers goal with 4:39 left to make it 4-3.  A Flyers goal with 3:46 left to tie it 4-4.  And then a Flyers game-winning goal with 1:46 left to win 5-4!  #painful

 

Former Jackets goalie Steve Mason owes Flyers all-star Claude Giroux this win over his former team.  Giroux scored the final two goals.  The last one on an improbable twisting, turning, back-to-the-net, falling, well-defended, seeing-eye shot to win last night's game.  I normally link to the full game recap on the Jackets Cannon website.  But their site is down today.  Perhaps last night's game broke it?!?  So here is an ESPN recap with some video of last night heartbreaking loss: http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400484768

I normally link to the full game recap on the Jackets Cannon website.  But their site is down today.  Perhaps last night's game broke it?!?  So here is an ESPN recap with some video of last night heartbreaking loss: http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400484768

 

Jackets Cannon is back up.  You can read their recap at their site.  But here is their preview of tonight rematch game with the Flyers at NWA. (They also explained that the entire SBNation network was affected.  Somewhat comforting to know that UrbanOhio is not alone in the occassional crash) - http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/21/5233014/game-preview-36-columbus-blue-jackets-philadelphia-flyers-december-21

 

Some injury news heading into tonight's rematch with the Flyers at NWA:  Gaborik and Wisniewski have been taken off the IR and will be in the lineup tonight.  Starting goalie Bobrovsky is still at least two weeks from returning from the groin strain he suffered on Dec. 3.  Prout and MacKenzie have been added to the IR.  D-man Prout expected to miss 2-3 weeks with an upper body injury.  MacKenzie out at least one week with back issues.  Also, Jack Skille - the Springfield-to-Columbus extra player who finally got a chance to play in Thursday's game at Philly - scored a goal in the second period.  Then got injured later in that period when he blocked a shot with his hand.  He tried to return in the third but just couldn't grip the stick.  No official word on Skille's injury status, but it's likely a broken finger that could keep him out for a while.

 

Some Nathan Horton injury news:  Horton is now fully participating in team practices wearing a non-contact jersey.  The team is now saying that they expect him to make his season debut sometime after the Christmas break.

Saturday's rematch Saturday night against the Flyers was something else.  On the heels of the Thursday collapse, the Jackets got off to another early lead against Philly.  However, the first goal came with a heavy cost to the Jackets.

 

With just under 10 minutes left in the first period, Marian Gaborik (returning in his first game after missing 17 games due to a knee sprain) skated near the goal crease and took a shot.  That shot got deflected behind the net to Foligno, who skated around the net and passed to Johansen, who shot it for the goal. --- While the team celebrated, Gaborik was still on the ice.  Gaborik then got up slowly and with assistance skated to the bench.  Replays showed that Gaborik got sandwiched between two Flyers after his shot.  Gaborik suffered a broken collarbone on the play.  Out for the rest of the game ... and more! (more about that later)

 

Early in the second period, Matt Calvert was also knocked out the game with an upper body injury.  So the Jackets were down two forwards for the rest of the game, just like in Monday's Winnipeg game.  Despite this, the Jackets got another goal later in the second to lead 2-0.  Then - in shades of Thursday's collapse - the lead evaporated late in the second when the Flyers scored two goals in 20 seconds.  2-2 going into the third period.

 

But then, instead of blowing the rest of the game, the Jackets decided to "just winning the whole f-ing thing" with three straight goals in the third.  The first from Savard 3:36 in, the second from Jenner 5:39 in, and the third from Johansen with 7:38 left in the period to take a 5-2 lead.  The Flyers pulled their goalie and scored with 1:51 remaining.  But the Jackets finished with an empty-netter with 1:17 left to finish the scoring for a wild 6-3 win.

 

Probably not an overstatement to call that a "must-win" game.  A home game at 36 games into the season - combined with a divisional opponent and the previous game's collapse - gave it that feeling.

Okay, so about that Gaborik injury.  ProHockeyTalk has a video of it at http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/21/marian-gaborik-suffers-broken-collarbone-in-return-to-action/

 

The play looked normal enough.  But the hit from his left sandwiched him into a player on his right.  Kind of a freak-type injury.  But it can happen in these collision sports (ask Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay)  The 31-year-old Gaborik is listed as "out indefinitely".  However, it's being reported that a broken collarbone could leave him out for 7 to 12 weeks, depending on the type of break.  The 12-week time frame would have him returning in March, with one month remaining in the season. --- As bad a break (pardon the pun) as this is for the Jackets, it's probably a bigger loss to his home country of Slovakia in the Olympics.  He was one of their biggest stars and played in the 2006 and 2010 Olympics, and will almost certainly miss the upcoming 2014 Olympics.

Light schedule this week with the NHL's Christmas break coming up.  Only two games - but they are both divisional games.  Tonight at Carolina, then Friday at New Jersey. 

 

Busier and tougher schedule next week: Home game against Pittsburgh on Sunday the 29th, at Colorado for New Year's Eve, at Phoenix on Jan. 2 and at St. Louis on Jan 4.

 

Injury news heading into tonight's game at Carolina:  Gaborik (see previous post). -- Calvert is out for this game.  He had his arm in a sling after Saturday's game, but there's no injury update other than it was an "upper body injury". -- Good news for MacKenzie and Skille.  Both are in the lineup for tonight's game.  MacKenzie's back has improved and Skille's injury turned out to be a bruised hand.  They probably aren't 100%, but with all the other injuries, they're toughing it out for the team tonight.

 

Nathan Horton news:  Horton has now been cleared for contact in team practices.  The team is still saying that they expect him to make his season debut sometime after the Christmas break, but no definite date yet.  More about this at http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/21/horton-cleared-for-contact-rebuilding-strength/

Very nice 4-3 win at Carolina on Monday.  Mike McKenna (Mc2) got an unexcepted start in goal for the Jackets after Curtis McElhinney (Mc1) tweaked his back shortly before warmups. -- The Jackets got a 1-0 lead midway in first when Anisimov scored off a beautiful hustling feed from Atkinson.  Carolina tied it up on power play goal late in the first. -- Columbus took a 2-1 lead in the second when Corey Tropp scored his first goal as a Blue Jacket.  Carolina tied it up again on another power play goal by the same player, Jeff Skinner, on virtually the same shot as his first goal. -- Carolina took a 3-2 lead midway in the third and started dominating puck possession.  A Jack Skille penalty gave Carolina an opportunity to close out the game.  Instead, the Jackets killed off the penalty and only seconds afterward, Foligno found Johansen open in front of the net for a tying goal.

 

Then, with only 2:34 remaining, Jack Skille had a chance to make up for his penalty earlier in the period.  Wiz passed to Anisimov, who made a behind-the-back pass to an open Skille on the wing.  Skille sniped a high corner shot that got past the Carolina goalie for the game-winning goal!  Sweet!  CBJ goalie McKenna had a strong game - saving 30 of 33 shots for his first win as a Blue Jacket.

 

Full "Krampus Nacht" recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/24/5240782/game-37-recap-krampusnacht/in/5003179

 

Game highlights at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/23/5240772/blue-jackets-4-hurricanes-3-game-highlights/in/5003179

It's the NHL's Christmas Break and the unofficial halfway point of the season.  Not quite the official 41 game halfway point, but 37 games is close enough for a CBJ half-season revue:

 

The primary theme for the first half of the 2013-14 season is ... injuries:  Almost every key player has had some kind of injury.  Gaborik went down with a knee sprain in November, returned in late December, and immediately broke his collarbone.  Dubinsky was down for mulitple games.  So was Wiz.  And Foligno missed multiple games due to personal family issues.  But the biggest injury was to starting goaltender Bobrovsky, who went down with a groin strain on Dec. 3. --- Gaborik might return in March.  Bob might return in January. --- Off-season free-agent pickup Nathan Horton had yet to make his CBJ debut due to off-season shoulder surgery.  But he's getting very close to joining the lineup.  Possibly by the New Years Eve road game at Colorado, which would be game #40 of the season.

 

The secondary theme for the first half of the 2013-14 season is ... youth:  21-year-old Ryan Johansen has broken out in a big way with 15 goals & 15 assists for 30 points while playing in all 37 games.  Atkinson has 10 goals & 9 assists for 19 points while playing in all 37 games.  Calvert only played in 17 games due to being out with ab surgery, but has 4 goals & 4 assists.  Foligno's a bit older at 26, but he's also having a career season with 10 goals & 11 assists in 31 games. --- And the youngest key player is 20-year-old rookie d-man Ryan Murray.  A season-ending shoulder injury prevented the Jackets #2 overall, 1st round pick from joining the Jackets last year.  This year, Murray has started all 37 games - and has been one of the team's best all-around defensemen this year - solid defensively and promoted to the top power-play d-pair.

 

You can see the CBJ's schedule-to-date at http://espn.go.com/nhl/team/schedule/_/name/cbj/columbus-blue-jackets - but its been a real up-and-down season so far, affected by the themes of injury and youth.  The Jackets got up to 5-5-0 on Oct. 25, only to go on a five-game losing streak.  Since then, it's been an up-and-down struggle to return to .500.  The team's been offensively challenged up until Bob got injured in December.  After that, the offense started to come around.  Since Bob's injury, the team has gone 6-3-1.  And those 3 losses when all by 1 goal. --- So despite this key injury, the team's been on the upswing.

 

And because Columbus is located in the new Metro Division of the Eastern Conference, it's playoff hopes are still strong.  Below are current Metro Divsion standings via http://espn.go.com/nhl/standings

 

1. Pittsburgh - 39 GP - 27-11-1, 55 points

2. Washington - 37 GP, 19-14-4, 42 points

3. Philadelphia – 37 GP, 17-16-4, 38 points

4. New York Rangers – 38 GP, 18-18-2, 38 points

5. New Jersey – 38 GP, 15-16-7, 37 points

6. Columbus – 37 GP, 16-17-4, 36 points

7. Carolina – 37 GP, 14-15-8, 36 points

8. NY Islanders - 38 GP, 11-20-7, 29 points

 

With the exception of Pittsburgh at the top and the Islanders at the bottom, the Metro is a big log jam.  Two points separate third-place Philadelphia and seventh-place Carolina.  In this season's realigned NHL, the top three teams in each division automatically make the playoffs plus two additional teams with the most points.  Because of the way the Atlantic and Metro Divisions look at mid-season, it is likely that the two wild-card teams will come from the Atlantic.  This means that a third-place finish in the Metro is the Jackets most likely route to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  And the Jackets are only two points behind.

Another quality win for the Jackets last night.  After a two month struggle, they're back to .500 at 17-17-4; plus temporarily in 4th place and tied in points with 3rd place Philadelphia.

 

The Jackets seem to have the number of division rival New Jersey - this is their third win this season against the Devils.  But the Jackets did not have the number of future hall-of-fame goaltender Martin Brodeur.  The legendary goalie stopped 29 of 30 shots the Jackets sent his way - only scoring on a jam play in the first period that resulted in Anisimov roofing a rebound for a 1-0 lead. -- Jackets goalie Curtis McElhinney wasn't tested as much - saving 16 of 17 shots the Devils sent his way - but he did hold the one-goal lead until the Devils scored in the third period.

 

The game was tied 1-1 at the end of 60 minutes.  A scoreless OT lead to a shootout for the second point in the standings.  After McElhinney stopped all three NJ shots and Brodeur stopped the first two CBJ shots, Cam Atkinson pulled off a fine move and wristshot goal to win the shootout.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2013/12/28/5250674/blue-jackets-edge-devils-climb-in-metro-standings

I talked about the Jackets having the number on New Jersey in the last post.  Well, the Jackets definately do not have the number on the Eastern Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Penguins beat Columbus 5-3 last night to break the Jackets' 3-game winning streak.  Pittsburgh is now 4-0-0 in the five-game season series - with one more to be played in late March.

 

The Jackets played well enough at even strength to deserve a better fate last night.  But committing six penalties and having the Penguins convert on three of those power plays is too much to overcome.  It also doesn't help when James Neal has a career night with 3 goals and 2 assists - or when Sidney Crosby chips in with 1 goal and 2 assists.  Here's a recap with video at http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400484830

 

The Jackets take to the road this week with a New Year's Eve game at Colorado, a January 2nd game on Thursday at Phoenix and a Saturday game at St. Louis.

Pre-Christmas, they were rolling.  Post-Christmas, not so much.  On Tuesday at Colorado, the Jackets suffered their second straight 5-3 loss in which they gave up three power play goals.

 

Some good news on two big players returning from injuries.  Nathan Horton is expected to make his season debut tonight at Phoenix.  Bobrovsky is expected to start Saturday at St. Louis.

The Blue Jackets needed a boost after two straight losses.  And they got it when their big free-agent addition Nathan Horton made his season debut with the team last night.  Horton scored his first goal as a Jacket and the first goal of the game 5 minutes into the second period.  It was on a CBJ power play when the stout Horton camped out in front of the Pheonix net and tapped in a rebound.  The Jackets had been scoreless in their 18 previous power plays.

 

The rest of the team responded to Horton's example.  Umberger scored a similar rebound goal in the third period on another CBJ power play.  Bobrovsky was also activited from the IR as the back-up goalie for this game.  McElhinney made 34 saves as last night's starting netminder for a 2-0 shutout over the Coyotes.  Full game recap at http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400484863

The good feelings from Horton's debut faded fast against one of best in the west on Saturday.  The Jackets got the first two goals of the game at St. Louis, then gave up the next six.  Bobrovsky was ready to play but McElhinney got the start based on his previous shutout.  Now, Bob will get moved into the starting role.

 

Columbus travels to NYC to play the Rangers tonight.  Then a mid-week break until they return home to face Carolina on Friday then travel to Winnipeg on Saturday.

Last night's game against went great ... then terrible ... then great again for a 4-3 SO win.  The Jackets built up a 3-1 lead to start the third period.  The Rangers tied it up with two goals early in the third before the Jackets righted the ship.  The Rangers almost won it in regulation when the Jackets took a penalty with 3 minutes left.  The Jackets almost won it in overtime when the Rangers took a penalty with a 1:10 left. 

 

The Jackets finally won it when Letestu and Johansen scored in the shootout while the Rangers were held scoreless.  Bobrovsky, in his first game since being injured on December 3, was sharp in the net for the Jackets with 40 saves and shutting out the Rangers in the shootout.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/1/6/5282256/blue-jackets-dig-deep-for-shootout-victory-over-rangers

Last season's Bob is back.  Bobrovsky and the Jackets held Carolina scoreless for a 3-0 win last night at NWA.  The Jackets got two goals within 1:10 late in the first to take the lead and added a third goal on a power play in the third period.  Bob had 36 saves for the shutout.  The win bumps the Jackets back up to .500 at 20-20-4.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/1/10/5297006/game-44-recap-carolina-you-got-bobd-sergei-bobrovsky

 

On the injury front, good and bad news:  Calvert returned to the lineup after missing 7 games.  But Blake Comeau was sent to the IR after suffering a knee injury in practice.  Comeau will be out 4-6 weeks.

Really nice win last night at Winnipeg by the Jackets.  After a listless first period that had them down 1-0, the Jackets scored four unanswered goals in the first 9 minutes of the second en route to a 6-3 win.  Jenner and Letestu each got two goals.  McElhinney filled in for Bob in the net.  Strong win on a back-to-back night to lift Columbus above .500 for the first time this season since game #3.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/1/12/5300150/blue-jackets-shoot-down-jets-6-3

Another nice win for the Jackets - this time 3-2 against Tampa Bay in NWA last night.  Columbus got the first goal in the second, but gave up the next two goals to enter the third down 2-1.  Then Nathan Horton scored career goal #200 early in the third on a sizzling wrister shot during a power play.  Then the game-winner came during another power play late in the period when a Johnson shot was deflected into the net.  Bobrovsky was sharp once again for the Jackets in this come-from-behind victory.  Video review at http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10290055&categoryid=2459791

 

Last night's win is the fourth in the row for the Jackets (a season high winning streak) and moves them 2 games over .500 (also a season high).  It also moves them from 7th to 5th in the tight Metro Division and only 3 points behind third place and a playoff spot.

Wait, 3rd place would get us a playoff spot?  How does this work again?

Sure.  In the NHL's new alignment, there are two divisions in each conference.  Here are the NHL Conference/Divisions: http://espn.go.com/nhl/standings

 

The top 3 finishers in each division automatically advance to the playoffs.  Then, the top two highest point totals regardless of division also advance.  Because the Jackets' Metro division has been weaker then the other Eastern division, that's probably the most likely playoff route for the Jackets.

I was completely mind-blanking; I thought the playoff was 8 teams from the entire NHL, not 8 teams from each division.  Never mind then.  Well, that actually means we're really not out of this at all, considering that we're only 3 points behind the teams tied for second in the division.

Great 5-1 win last night against Ovechkin and the Caps. 

 

The Jackets started slow but turned in on later in the first period.  With about 8 minutes left Wiz uncorked a power play slap shot for the Jackets first goal.  Then, with under one minute left, Atkinson made a gritty hustling play on a rebound for another goal.  The Jackets kept the pressure up after the break when Umberger fed a beautiful pass to Johansen for a goal 1:44 into the second to put the Jackets up 3-0.  That was enough to chase the starting Caps goaltender from the net.  The Caps managed a goal later in the second - but the Jackets answered with two more goals early in the third to put it away.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/1/17/5320922/game-47-recap-five-alive

 

Bob was "Vezina Bob" last night, especially early in the game before the Jackets offense got going.  Cam Atkinson got two goals.  Johansen had a goal and assist.  Jack Johnson had two assists.  And Letestu got another goal, his 4th goal in the last three games - not bad for someone who only had 2 goals in his first 44 games!

Last night's win moves the Jackets to 23-20-4.  They are 9-3-0 in the past 12 games.  And the current five-game winning streak makes them the hottest team in the NHL!

 

But they've got to keep winning to move up in the Eastern/Metro standings.  They go to Buffalo tonight.  Then three home games next week against LA, Philadelphia and Buffalo again.

The Jackets won again Saturday night for six straight wins and move above the playoff line for the first time this season.  If the season ended today, the Jackets would have the last wildcard spot in the east: http://espn.go.com/nhl/standings/_/type/wildcard

 

Of course, the season doesn't end today.  But it shows how far the team has come in the past month.  Saturday's win at Buffalo wasn't pretty.  The Jackets looked sluggish on the second of back-to-back games.  But they did hold a one-goal lead going into the final minute of regulation - until they drew a penalty and Buffalo tied it up with only 25 seconds remaining.  In the shootout, Ryan Johansen beat Sabres goalie Ryan Miller for the victory.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/1/19/5323736/ugly-is-beautiful-blue-jackets-edge-sabres-climb-above-the-line

Seven in a row!!  A new franchise record winning streak!!  The Jackets are now 25-20-4 and still above the eastern conference playoff line.

 

The 5-3 win over L.A. last night was another team effort - led by Umberger's two goals, Wiz's two assists, goals from Anisimov and Horton, plus an amazing 80 foot pass from Murray to Johansen for his goal.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/1/21/5333052/game-49-recap-lucky-number-seven

 

Columbus has another franchise milestone when they face Philadelphia tomorrow night.  It will be 1000th regular season game for the Blue Jackets.

Considering our playoff history, that basically means that it's almost the 1000th overall game for the Jackets ...

^ 4 post-season games & 80+ pre-season games if you want to count those too.

 

The Dispatch had an article this morning that looks back on the history of the Blue Jackets at http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/01/23/a-grand-old-time.html.  The article also had an interesting breakdown of the team record by 100-game increments.  It kind of breaks down with the team struggling during games 1-400 as an expansion team before the 2004-05 strike, improving during games 401-800 and making the playoffs in 2008-09, then bottoming out during games 801-900 before improving to their best point total during the last 100 games.

 

Record by 100-game increments:

    1-100: 32-49-13-6 (83 points)

101-200: 30-56-6-8 (74)

201-300: 32-51-14-3 (81)

301-400: 39-57-0-4 (82)

401-500: 43-48-9 (95)

501-600: 41-45-14 (96)

601-700: 45-39-16 (106)

701-800: 48-39-13 (109)

801-900: 30-57-13 (73)

901-999: 51-37-11 (113)

    Total: 391-478-33-97 (912 points)

Don't look now but ... 8 games, and (hoping to avoid a jinx, but) our next game is at home against Buffalo (last place in the Eastern Atlantic), so there's at least a decent opportunity to get to 9.  Then we play at Carolina (5th in our division, but the records are all tight, which is how we were able to get from 7th to 3rd so quickly) on the 27th and Ottawa in Columbus on the 28th, which means back-to-back games against two different teams with winning records in different cities (i.e., traveling in between), and neither opponent will be coming off a back-to-back.  Ottawa will actually have had two days off to our zero.

8 in a row!!!  Big 5-2 win over the Flyers last night.  The win vaulted Columbus over Philadelphia for third place in the Metro and only one point behind the second place New York Rangers (with 3 games-in-hand over them).  Current Metro Divsion standings via http://espn.go.com/nhl/standings

 

1. Pittsburgh - 51 GP - 36-13-2, 74 points

2. New York Rangers - 53 GP, 27-23-3, 57 points

3. Columbus – 50 GP, 26-20-4, 56 points

4. Philadelphia – 52 GP, 25-21-6, 56 points

5. Carolina – 50 GP, 22-19-9, 53 points

6. New Jersey – 51 GP, 21-19-11, 53 points

7. Washington – 50 GP, 22-20-8, 52 points

8. NY Islanders - 53 GP, 21-25-7, 49 points

More about the win.  Game #1000 had it all.  An early 1-0 Jackets lead.  A Flyers comeback to take a 2-1 lead.  Then the Jackets unleashed four unanswered goals.  That and the "We want Mason" chants made for a festive atmosphere!  Video recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/videos/2014/1/24/5341014/blue-jackets-5-flyers-2-game-highlights/in/5103293

 

Another great team effort with five players getting the five goals.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/1/23/5339616/game-50-recap-streaking-up-the-metro-standings

The 8 game winning streak ended last night.  It wasn't due to lack of effort on the Jackets part.  They outshot Buffalo with 38 shots-on-goal to only 22 for the Sabres.  But even more than that - as the Jackets Cannon recap points out - the Jackets had a whopping 30 shots blocked by the Sabres defense vs. only 6 for the CBJ and the Jackets fired 24 missed shots vs. only 4 missed shots for the Sabres.  That adds up to Columbus attempting 92 shots vs. only 32 shot attempts for Buffalo!

 

And with long stretches of the game played in the Buffalo defensive zone, you could tell.  But the CBJ shot dominance didn't lead to scoreboard dominance.  Bobrovsky had a bad night in goal, giving up 3 goals on 10 shots - 2 of them on shorthanded chances!  Bob got replaced by McElhinney in the 2nd period to stabilize the goaltending.  But the Jackets couldn't overhelm Sabres goalie Ryan Miller - who will be the USA's starting goaltender in the Olympics.

 

Sometimes its just not your night.  Despite the loss, the Jackets are still 3rd in the Metro and above the playoff line.  But they'll need to shake off this loss to stay there.  Columbus has three games in four nights starting Monday at Carolina, and Tuesday and Thursday back at NWA against Ottawa and Washington.

Gut-punch of a loss last night at Carolina.  The Jackets got off to a 2-0 lead when they scored two goals within 17 seconds late in the first period.  They held that two-goal lead until 9 minutes left in the third.  That's when Carolina scored three goals in the next three minutes to take the game.  Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/1/27/5352468/game-52-recap-through-the-fingers

 

Carolina moves ahead of Columbus for third-place in the Metro.  The loss also drops the Jackets to ninth overall in the East, just below the playoff line.  That's how tightly bunched the teams are.

What has happened to the CBJ team that won 8 in a row?  The Jackets lost again last night to drop 3 in a row.  Second straight 3-2 loss on back-to-back nights.  This 3-2 loss to Ottawa was a little different.  The Senators got 2 goal lead before the Jackets rallied to tie to up in the third period.  But a late power play goal in the third won it for the Senators.

 

The Jackets face another "win or drop in the standings" game Thursday against Washington.

The Jackets needed to stop their three-game skid.  And they did it with a convincing 5-2 win against Washington last night.

 

Derek MacKenzie - who hasn't been playing like a fourth-line grinder lately with 4 goals in the past 5 games - got the scoring started with a dazzling breakaway goal in the first.  Johansen, Dubinsky and Johansen again added goals to extend the lead to 4-0.  Atkinson added one more goal and an assist for the CBJ.  More stats at http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=400485054

 

The win moves Columbus above the playoff line again, to 3rd in the Metro.

Well and good, but Washington is currently 7th of 8 in the Metro Division.

 

Then again, we managed to lose to bottom-feeding Buffalo a few games ago, so I know I shouldn't take anything for granted.

 

Anyway, next up is the 7th-place team in the Atlantic Division, the Florida Panthers.

 

To create any separation near the playoff bubble, we've at least got to start consistently winning the games against the bottom tier teams.

Pretty nice 4-1 win against Florida last night.

 

The Jackets got off to a strong start when Jenner and Johansen combined for two goals in the first period.  For the first goal, Johansen drove to the Panthers goal, held possession behind the net, then passed to Jenner in front of the net for his 9th goal of the season.  For the second goal, Jenner feigned a drive to the net, drawing out the goalie, then did a spin-o-rama pass to a wide open Johansen for his 22nd goal of the season. -- The Panthers gave the Jackets some dicey moments when they got within one goal midway in the second.  But a Foligno goal late in the second got the lead back to two.  Letestu's goal in the final period (the 4th line strikes again) gave the Jackets some more breathing room en route to the home victory.

 

Despite the lopsided final score, the Jackets were outshot 29 to 17 in the final two periods.  Bobrovsky was definately "Vezina Bob" during this game.  Florida's goalie, veteran Tim "Tea Party" Thomas really didn't help his team.  His wandering style of goaltending got him burned on those two first period goals and on Foligno goal that gave the Jackets their breathing room.  More at http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=400485072

 

Weird stat of the night:  Nathan Horton was originally drafted by Florida before being traded to Boston and then joining the Blue Jackets.  During the broadcast, it was stated that to only NHL team Horton has not scored a goal against was the Florida Panthers.  He didn't score last night, but he did get two assists.

 

Second Weird stat of the night:  This was the last Jackets home game for February.  But it's not that the Jackets are going on some marathon road trip - its the NHL Olympic Break that's coming up.  The Jackets will be on the road next week - then the break until Feb. 27 when they play at New Jersey.  Their next home game is, ironically, against the same team they played last night - Florida on March 1.

Last night's win kept Columbus 3rd in the Metro and above the playoff line.  More at http://espn.go.com/nhl/standings

 

The Jackets have a tough road trio next week before the NHL's Olympic Break sets in.  Monday at Anaheim, Thursday at Los Angeles, Friday at San Jose. -- The dreaded west coast trip. -- Fortunately, with the Jackets in the east this year, this is the only west coast trip this season.  L.A. has a great record but been struggling lately.  However, Anaheim is the top team in the NHL and San Jose's not far behind.  Getting 3 points from these 3 games would be considered a success.

Very impressive 4-2 win at Anaheim late last night.  Anaheim has the most points in the NHL and a dominating 22-3-2 record on their home ice going into this game. --- Ryan Johansen got the Jackets scoring started with his 23rd goal of the season in the first period.  Umberger bumped the lead to 2 when he deflected a Wisniewski power play slap shot in the second. --- Anaheim tightened it up with a goal early in the third.  Then Foligno scored two goals to put the game out of reach. --- Bobrovsky had 34 saves, with multiple of the highlight variety.

 

Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/2/4/5376378/duck-hunt-columbus-stuns-anaheim-4-2

^ One of the writers for The Cannon made an interesting observation in the comments section at the recap link posted above.  He noted some similarity between the Jackets recent run of good play and last year's impressive 19-5-5 run that fell a tiebreak short of the playoffs.

 

The Jackets finished last season on a 19-5-5 run for 43 points in 29 games.  In this year's last 29 games, since the end of November, the Jackets have gone 19-9-1.  Both records are 19 wins and 10 losses.  With last year's impressive run including only 4 additional OT points.

 

Furthermore, when you look back at the Jackets record over the last 82 games (a full NHL season), Columbus is 47-28-7.  Which adds up to 101 points.  And if you look at the last full NHL season in 2011-12 - 101 points is well above the playoff line.

 

Now, of course the Jackets need to get these kind of points over the course of one 82-game regular season, instead of two halves of back-to-back seasons to earn a playoff spot.  But I think these numbers clearly show just how improved the Jackets team is.  And even though they are currently close to the playoff line, they have been playing like a legit playoff team for an extended period.  If they can just keep playing like this, they've got a great chance of being rewarded with a playoff spot.

The Jackets started their 3-game California trip with a win at Anaheim on Monday.  Then, they got two full days off and back-to-backed against L.A. and San Jose on Thursday and Friday.

 

- The L.A. game was a hard-hitting defensive struggle that ended 1-1 after 60 minutes.  The "puck luck" was not with the Jackets when a "seeing-eye" shot from the Kings won it for them in OT. -- Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/2/7/5388946/game-57-recap-yawn

 

- The second back-to-back at San Jose was wide open contest.  And since the Sharks had the previous night off at home, while the Jackets travelled overnight after a bruising game in L.A., it was the Sharks taking advantage. -- San Jose got off to a 2-0 lead in the first.  But the Jackets didn't give in.  They almost halved the lead on a Jenner goal that was disallowed late in the first.  They did halve the lead 18 seconds into the second on a Johansen goal. -- The Sharks again took a two-goal lead 5 minutes into the third.  Again the Jackets fought back with a Jenner goal that counted 5 minutes later.  But 3-2 was as close as the Jackets heavy legs would take them tonight. -- The Jackets were outshot 47 to 21.  Bob kept the Jackets in the game with 44 saves. -- Full recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/2/8/5391886/sharks-nip-tired-jackets-3-2

 

I said earlied that getting 3 points from these 3 games would be considered a success.  And they did get 3 points from the win at Anaheim and the regulation tie at L.A., going 1-1-1 in this California trip.  But you can't help feeling that a bad bounce and disallowed goal kept the Jackets from getting at least 2 additional points.  And the difference between getting those additional points and not getting them, is the difference between being above or below the playoff line in the East going into the Olympic Break.