Sergei Bobrovsky had to leave the Blue Jackets game on Tuesday with an apparent left leg injury.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky had to leave their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night with an apparent leg injury early in the third period.

After making a save on Lightning forward T.J. Brown, Bobrovsky had to be tended to by trainers on the ice and did not appear to put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off. The injury appeared to happen when he slid into the goal post while making the save.

He was replaced by backup Curtis McElhinney.

Bobrovsky had stopped all 18 shots he faced before exiting the game.

His numbers have regressed quite a bit this season as his save percentage was just .906 entering play on Tuesday, down from the unexpected .932 mark he posted a year ago when he single handedly helped keep the Blue Jackets in the Western Conference playoff race into the final week of the season.

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The Blue Jackets got a beauty goal from Nick Foligno to help them win 1-0 over the Tampa Bay Lightning, but that victory came at a significant cost.

Once upon a time, the Tampa Bay Lightning were a bit of a punching bag. Languishing in the bottom of the Southeast Division, it allowed them to stockpile some solid talent, but also left them an easy two points for nearly every club they faced.

Those days are over.

Even without Steven Stamkos, who is still recovering from the broken leg he suffered early in the season, the Lightning have kept pace in the Atlantic division, just two points behind the Canadiens for second place. For a Jackets team that is still struggling with consistency, this was a significant test.

Things started off with the Lightning pushing hard against the Jackets' defense and Sergei Bobrovsky, who was forced to stop shot after shot in the first five minutes of play. Things did not improve when recently acquired Corey Tropp was called for a high stick on Sami Salo, but the Jackets PK locked in hard on the Tampa offense, and pushed them out of the defensive zone with authority.

The successful kill sparked a brief flurry of offense, but by the time the horn sounded, the Jackets had just four shots on Bishop in the period, while Bob had stopped ten from the Lightning.

The scoreless tie would be broken early in the second, and to the relief of a number of fans (and likely the Jackets' bench), it would go in favor of the home team. Ryan Johansen would chase down the puck in the Tampa zone, then set a beauty pass over to Nick Foligno, who instantly jumped to the top of this year's highlight reel by taking control of the puck, sliding it back between his own legs, then backhanding the puck past Bishop on the stick side.

I'm honestly not sure what's more amazing - the goal itself, or the fact that he didn't give himself a vasectomy with his own stick making it happen.

The Jackets turned up the heat after the goal, both in terms of getting the puck to the net, and a marked increase in physical play lead by Blake Comeau and the returned Brandon Dubinsky, but couldn't find another goal before the end of the period.

Protecting their lead, the Jackets started out cautious, but a miscue between Ryan Murray and James Wisniewski would change the entire game.

Wiz would lay a big hit at the blue line, not realizing that Nikita Kucherov was leading a breakout through the middle of the ice. Murray got back to defend as best as he could, but Kucherov was able to send a crisp pass through him to J.T. Brown, who charged down one on one against Bob.

In perfect Vezina form, Bob made an amazing glove save on Brown's shot, but collapsed to the ice a moment later, clearly in pain.

Trainers would escort Bobrovsky to the dressing room, and a suddenly silent crowd watched as Curtis McElhinney took to the ice.

In the first few minutes after the goalie swap, the Jackets did their best to take some pressure off by pushing into the offensive zone and forcing Bishop to make several stops, but the Lightning would get their opportunities, where C-Mac showed he was up to the challenge, withstanding both long distance attempts from the blue line and several up close and personal attacks from around the crease.

The game plan through the remainder of the game was brutally simple: Take the body, punish the puck carriers, and deny Tampa space to work. Comeau, Dubinsky, and Matt Calvert led the way with furious aplomb, and Comeau's relentless performance actually set a Blue Jackets team record with 11 hits in a single game.

There would be a few more nerve wracking moments, particularly a point blank try for Martin St. Louis in the final minutes, but the Foligno goal would hold up as a game winner, moving the Jackets to within two points of New Jersey, and just three points behind the Rangers for 3rd place in the Metro.

Final Score: Jackets 1 - Lightning 0

Standard Bearers:

• Curtis McElhinney - The only thing worse than coming into a game cold is coming in and being asked to protect a 1-0 lead, but C-Mac was up to the challenge tonight. That's a huge confidence booster for this club until we find out what's going on with Bob.
• Nick Foligno - Seriously, just watch this. I can't wait to see it show up in a Skraut video.
• Blake Comeau - Comeau was pretty much everywhere on the ice, and really lead the physical attack tonight. It takes a team effort to shut down an offense like Tampa Bay's, and he lead the way.
• Sergei Bobrovsky - Until cruel fate had other plans, Bob was dialed in and appeared well on his way to another shutout. Выздоравливайскорее, СергейАндреевич!

Bottom Of The Barrel:

• Insurance - Winning 1-0 was still winning, and certainly reminded me of more than a few heart-stopper games from last season, but god another goal would have been a nice cushion.
• Faceoffs - On paper, the Jackets look great - Dubi, Johan, Anisimov, and Letestu were all hanging around or above 50% on draws. In practice, we lost a LOT of defensive zone draws, and that easily could have cost us. I realize I'm nitpicking a bit, but when you're doing a lot of other things right, the small stuff becomes more noticable.
• Injuries - Some day, we may actually see the theoretical "NHL" roster of this club on the ice, from Nathan Horton all the way down to Bob. Some day.

The good news is that the players appear to be in a pretty relaxed mood tonight, which likely wouldn't be the case if Bob was significantly injured. In the post game press conference, coach Richards said that Bob's going to have an MRI tomorrow, and wouldn't discuss the injury beyond that.

Oddly enough, I think that's actually a positive sign - if they were afraid of something major, Bob would be heading to Riverside or Grant for evaluation tonight. Hopefully this is a relatively minor injury, and since the club doesn't play again until Friday at home against the Wild, there's plenty of time to see the MRI results and decide if Mike McKenna will need called up from Springfield.

(There are also a lot worse positions to be in than handing the crease over to a proven NHL veteran coming off a record setting season and the AHL's top goaltender.)

The Jackets bent, but didn't break tonight, and just about everyone had a moment of being clutch when it mattered. Steps in the right direction. Just keep putting one game in front of the other.

The Phoenix Coyotes beat the Oilers 6-2

There is a saying "payback is a bitch". Well that happened today. On Friday night I had a prior engagement and couldn't write the post game wrap-up after the Oilers got their asses handed to them by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Alan Hull stepped up and wrote it for me but was pissed off at me almost right from the start of the game. I teased him about it on Twitter a little bit. Well that teasing came back to bite me in the ass and I'll tell you it is a bitch.

Craplights

Oops sorry this is what I meant to post.

Breakdown of the Play

I will not be breaking down any individual play because the "craplights" will show you everything you need to see. This was once again another bad game by the team and breaking down these plays just depresses me.

Tweets of the Night

At least these Tweets will give us something to enjoy. Devid Perron.

Every game, it seems Perron becomes more and more of a jerk to play against. The best part is, he can back it up. On pace for 36 goals.

— Ryan Dittrick (@ryandittrick) December 4, 2013

How exactly did David Perron become the "Christ, get that guy some help already" person on the Oilers so fast?

— Colby Cosh (@colbycosh) December 4, 2013

Take Aways

The Management Team

Its time for MacTavish and Lowe and all the rest of the lackeys to either make this team competitive or time for Daryl Katz to fire all of them and bring in a management team that can make this team competitive.

Three Stars

1. David Perron

With the injury to Sergei Bobrovsky last night, the Jackets have added the netminder on emergency recall.

With the lower body to Sergei Bobrovsky still in limbo until further medical tests today, the Jackets are covering their bases by adding goalie Mike McKenna on emergency recall. They sent Michael Chaput back to Springfield to make room:

McKenna, 30, has appeared in 17 career NHL games with Tampa Bay and New Jersey, amassing a record of 4-9-1 to go along with a 3.49 goals-against-average and .887 save-percentage. This season, he is 6-2-0 with a 1.45 GAA, .943 SV% and two shutouts in eight games with Springfield and was named the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for November (4-1-0, 1.16 GAA, .950 SV%, 2 SO).

If Bobrovsky is out for an extended period of time, look for McKenna to get a spot-start here and there, as the Jackets have a stretch of five games in eight days coming up beginning December 9.

Leading the team in points, Ryan Johansen is having by far the best season of his young career. How much better can he get?

I wrote not too long about about the rhetorical question of whether or not Ryan Johansen was making "The Leap" this season, as it were. While we're still a long way from the end of the season, by all accounts Johansen is certainly playing more and more like the "#1 center" many fans idealize each and every game.

First, some quick reflection on Johansen's season to this point. His assist on last night's lone goal gives him 10 for the season, to go along with his 10 goals. He leads the club in goals and points. 19 of his 20 points have come in the last 23 games, including all of his goals. That span is a point pace of 68 points over an 82 game season.

Overall, Johansen is on pace for a what amounts to a 30/30 season (the math puts the splits at 29+ goals and assists, though neither *technically* gets to 30; we're rounding up). We showed last month that his defensive numbers have been as good--or better--than last season, and this year on offense he's not only upping his point numbers, but he's creating more offense for himself and his linemates. Johansen has 77 shots on goal in 28 games; consider that he only had 84 shots on goal last season in 40 games. And, beyond that, he's converting at 13.0% this season on those shots, compared to just 6.0% last season.

And, the goofy thing is, as well as Johansen has played of late, Todd Richards wants more.

In my piece from earlier in November, we took a look at some of the advanced stats for Johansen's game thus far. I'm not going to do that again, since I don't think it's a valuable exercise so soon after doing it last month. We're seeing the offensive numbers continue, and that was the thesis of that original post. Today, we're talking more in the theoretical. So, with that in mind, where is Johansen's "ceiling" really?

Let's start with the guy after whom he has said he patterns his game: Joe Thornton. In an interesting comparison, in Thornton's first year he didn't do much offensively, with just 3/4/7 in 55 games (granted, he was a year younger than Johansen, as Boston played him in the NHL right after he was drafted and Johansen went back to juniors for another year). While Thornton's second year was better offensively than Johansen's, it's interesting to note that in Thornton's third year he finished with... wait for it... 60 points in 81 games. That was the year he really made his "leap" as well.

From there, Thornton became a guy who was an over-a-point-per-game player for the next four seasons leading up to the '04'-05 lockout: he played 292 games, scored 118 goals, and had 195 assists (313 points). This doesn't even account for Thornton's defense, which is something Johansen has already shown. We don't have advanced stats for Thornton from back then (or, at least, I couldn't find them), but he was a cumulative +33 over those four years as well. Before you say that good offensive numbers equate a positive +/-, remember that Rick Nash once scored 41 goals for us while going -35 for the season.

It's certainly unfair to expect that Johansen's going to pile up 370 points over this and the following three seasons, simply because he reminds us a bit of Thornton both in size and in offensive game. That said, we've seen what some confidence and a little maturity--both physical and mental--can do for this kid. As he's continued to get stronger, he's continued to be a frustrating guy for opponents to go up against.

It's seemed like a light switch flipped for Johansen around the second or third week of the season. He finished October and started November by going 4/3/7 in the last six games of October and the game on November 1. Numbers-wise, he's been streaky, to be fair. In that 23-game span in which he's put up 19 points, it's important to note that he has 12 games with no points. So, that means he's put up those 19 points in just 11 games, including six multi-point games.

So, where Johansen's going to continue to improve is in that area of overall consistency. I'm not saying he's had a bunch of bad games with some good ones sprinkled in; far from it. I think what the "next" step for him will be is to bring that offensive impact on a more consistent basis. That's how he can get to Thornton's level. Part of that will also hinge on who he's playing with. I love that Johansen's goal scoring has improved, but when he gets guys that can consistently finish on his wings (like Nick Foligno has been doing of late), that's when the crazy assist totals that Thornton puts up will start to come for Johansen as well.

So, what do we think? How much better can Johansen get? Would we be content with 60-70 point seasons, or, like Todd Richards, do we want more? Let us know in the comments.

The Bruins' "new guys" are poised for their baptism by fire into the Bruins vs. Habs rivalry.

Tomorrow night at 7:30 the Bruins face the Montreal Canadiens at the Centre Bell in their first meeting of the regular season.

• The Bruins' depth at the blueline is being tested early this season, and the Montreal Canadiens have a winning trend going. [BostonHerald]
• Adam McQuaid apparently aggravated the injury from which he has been suffering, and Torey Krug is day-to-day. Kevan Miller was glad to have gotten in three games with the Providence Bruins. [TheBostonGlobe]
• Dougie Hamilton continues to grow and improve the consistency of his play. [BostonHerald]
• Krug is on the watchlist of five NHL rookies worth your attention. [FTW.USAToday]
• On the offensive side, Shawn Thornton doesn't mind sharing playing time with Jordan Caron, as it is for the good of the team. [PatriotLedger]
• Here's why Tuukka Rask is not allowed near the dressing room radio. [Esquire]
• Did you catch Episode 5 of "Behind the B" or enjoy our Public Skate viewing party last evening? Here's your chance to revisit the episode. (Video, 21:27) [Bruins.NHL]
• Enjoy these multiple outtakes from Behind the B episodes! [BackRowSports]
• And watch Brad Marchand on his Tour de Offensive Zone against the Blue Jackets. (Video, 0:25) [YouTube]
• Time has published their Top 10 Sports Moments. Check out number 9! [KeepingScore]

Close to home:

• Stanley Cup of Chowder's own Sarah Connors and Erin Cozens are joined by Friends of the Blog Langluy and Laura Saba along with other blog editors to discuss sexism in blogging. [PuckDaddy]

Elsewhere around the rink:

• Katie Baker delved deep into the world of USHL billet parents. This is your feelgood story of the day. [Grantland]
• Violent Gentleman George Parros led all NHL players (and his Montreal Canadiens led all teams) in Movember fundraising. Félicitations, et à bientôt. [MontrealGazette]
• Here's a quick briefing on the Team USA WJC preliminary roster. [UnitedStatesOfHockey]
• Henrik Lundqvist has just signed the biggest deal ever for an NHL goalie. [PuckDaddy]
• Life imitates art... Warren Rychel of the Spitfires has traded his son Kerby away to the Guelph Storm. [WindsorStar]
• 'Tis the season! Ottawa Senators are featured as dancing elves in this holiday animation. (Video, 1:17) [YouTube]

Dan Rubenstein runs down the best animated GIF moments of the NHL week.

The Dispatch's Aaron Portzline has broken the news that Bob has a groin strain, and is expected to be out for the rest of December. Now take a deep breath, and let's look at what that actually means.

According to Aaron Portzline, Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky suffered a groin strain in last night's game, and is expected to miss around 4-5 weeks. Not surprisingly, the team placed him on injured reserve, effective immediately.

Please pause for a moment, and let yourself freak out as much as you feel is warranted.

Better? Good.

First off, in terms of numbers, Bob will miss between 12-15 games, depending on the time he needs to recover. Unfortunately, that's going to include quite a few divisional games, including the upcoming trips to Pittsburgh, New York, and Philadelphia.

It's possible that he could be ready for the road trip starting just before the new year, particularly if the team is targeting the first week of January, but at worst let's say he's back in battery for the game on January 17th vs. the Capitals.

Now, the good news is that this kind of injury normally will heal on its own, and not require surgery, especially if Bob is being given a regimen of stretching and strengthening exercises to help his muscles heal. In the past, Bob has shown the ability to rebound from injuries fairly quickly, so it's even possible that he could be ready a little ahead of schedule, but I suspect the team's medical staff is going to be conservative with him.

The other good news is that while Bob heals, the team in front of him should be getting healthier, too. Nathan Horton has been skating with the team, even if wearing a non-contact sweater, and Derek MacKenzie joined back in today. With Marian Gaborik also working to recover from his own injury, the team will have some significant offensive help coming back into the lineup in the near future, which should ease the workload on Curtis McElhinney and Mike McKenna for the next month.

Assuming all goes well, the team will have the chance to play at full strength for almost 20 games before the Olympic break, and then will be ready to hit the back third of the regular season. If they can keep pace with teams in the Metro that are not named Pittsburgh through December, they'll be in good position to push ahead.

This team isn't done yet by a long shot.

With their Vezina Trophy goaltender on the sidelines for a month or more, the Blue Jackets stand at a a fork in the road. The path to success lies in the offensive zone.

As Matt Wagner discussed here, the news broke yesterday that Sergei Bobrovsky will miss 4-5 weeks with a groin strain.  While not as dire as a significant knee injury, it still puts the Vezina Trophy holder on the sidelines for a chunk of games, in a season where injuries have already been the Blue Jackets biggest nemesis.  The focus now turns to how the Blue Jackets will weather the storm until his return.

A credible argument can be made that there is, in fact, no storm to begin with.  After all, Curtis McElhinney has bested Bob statistically thus far this year -- a 2.34 GAA vs. 2.72 for Bobrovsky, and a .925 save percentage vs. .909 for Bob.  While Mike McKenna may be viewed as a 30-year old AHL journeyman, he has been lighting up the AHL this season -- posting a 1.45 GAA and .943 save percentage -- earning Goaltender of the Month honors for the AHL in November.  So,  one can certainly argue that the blue ice is in good hands, and nothing else has to change.  Of course, the counter-argument is that McElhinney has had only limited exposure to the "Mr. Hyde" side of the Blue Jackets' play, and that this tends to catch up over time.

To be honest, I don't think the Blue Jackets' fortunes over the next 14 games or so will rise and fall with "Mc1" or "Mc2".  I fully expect that we'll see credible performances in net.   Instead, let's look to what's happening up front, because ultimately that is where games will be won or lost.

The Blue Jackets have been fortunate that their colleagues in the Metro -- except for Pittsburgh --  have shared similar missteps coming out of the gate.  Despite all of the injuries, inconsistent play and other maladies that have afflicted the club, they are in the middle of a logjam, sitting just 3 points out of the 3rd place playoff slot, and 5 points from the second place Washington Capitals.  With nobody seemingly interested in breaking from the pack and seizing control of the playoff slots, you can't help but think that if Columbus can make it to the halfway point of the season right at the .500 mark, they would be poised to make a real run in the second half.  By that point, Nathan Horton should have joined the battle and Marion Gaborik will have returned.  That, combined with Brandon Dubinsky's return, should help Artem Anisimov, Cam Atkinson, Matt Calvert and Boone Jenner find their offensive games.

Make no mistake -- if the Blue Jackets are to be contenders at the halfway mark, the answer needs to come from the offense.  I'm not suggesting that defense can be ignored, but defense alone can only take you so far.  As they say in the stock market -- a stock can go up forever, but it can only go down to zero.  Defensively, the best you can do is pitch a shutout every game.  Obviously, that's not going to happen.  The best defensive team in the league -- Boston -- allows almost exactly two goals per game.  The Blue Jackets are 22nd, at 2.82.   So while there is certainly room for improvement on the defensive side, the incremental benefit is limited.  The fact remains, whether you surrender 2.00 goals per game, or 2.82, to assure success, you need to score three goals or more goals per game on a regular basis.  Columbus presently averages 2.39 goals per game, also 22nd in the league.

So, considering that our scoring and defensive rankings are the same, why am I singling out the offense as the culprit?  Two reasons.  First, the numbers are a bit misleading.  Consider that the Blue Jackets are 9th in the NHL on the power play, converting just over 20.2% of the time.  At the same time, the penalty kill is 21st in the league, at 79.6%.   So, while the defensive effort has been relatively consistent between even strength and extra man situations, the even strength offensive production -- on a relative basis -- is significantly worse than the overall offensive rank would suggest.  While a strong power play is indeed an asset, it cannot replace 5-on-5 productivity, as it effectively places a club's offensive fortunes in the hands of the guys in the striped shirts.  That falls in the "hope is not a strategy" category, and is no recipe for success.

The second reason that the solution must be found with the offense lies in more psychological factors, and the just-concluded Tampa Bay game provides a perfect illustration of what I'm talking about.  The first period of that game saw the Blue Jackets playing a static, scared brand of hockey.  They played from the standpoint of fear -- worrying more about not making a mistake than focusing on making a play.  There was virtually no possession in the offensive zone, and only four shots on goal (and no scoring chances) resulted.    Fast forward to the second period, and it was as if an entirely different team was on the ice.  They skated, exerted pressure, played with confidence . . .and put 13 shots on goal.  It was no coincidence that the only goal -- Foligno's highlight reel number -- came during that stanza.  In the final frame, they went into shutdown mode, again generating only four shots, and creating more anxiety than opportunity.  Fear Factor returned.

The point is that most clubs cannot be expected to play consistently well when the focus is on being sure that the opposition does not score.  In a game where the bad bounce is a fact of life, that is a strategy that puts enormous pressure on the club in every game, and ramps up to critical levels when the pressure of a playoff race heats up.  While a roster of veteran players can sometimes handle it, a young club will frequently wilt under the strain -- as we have seen happen already this season.

This phenomenon was largely responsible for the demise of Ken Hitchcock in Columbus.  For the dean of the neutral zone trap, a two goal game was an offensive explosion.  It's no coincidence that Hitch had a fondness for veterans, and a healthy disdain of youth.  (After spending considerable time with the junior programs in Canada, he has since loosened his approach, with good results).  Over the long haul, there was a disconnect between Hitchcock's approach and the players Howson provided, and when it reached the point of near mutiny, Hitch was gone.

It's a mistake to rely on a system that places maximum pressure on your defense and goaltending at a time when  you are turning to your backup goaltender to carry the mail.  That psychological fear component causes paralysis -- as we have seen -- and almost invariably stymies success.

I will go to my grave with the belief that there is nothing bad about putting a shot on goal.  You can't score without it, and the worst that happens is that the goaltender makes the save.  Yet, the Blue Jackets seem averse to shooting.  It has been ten games since the club put 30 shots on goal, and Columbus ranks 27th in the NHL in shots, ahead of only Toronto, New Jersey and Buffalo.  While there is nothing magic about the 30 shot plateau, if you figure that you need to put at least 10 shots on goal for every goal scored in the NHL -- over the long haul -- then to reach that desired three-goals-per-game level, that's pretty much what you need -- at least as a target.

Skeptics will point to the fact that the Blue Jackets have lost many of the games where they had more than 30 shots.  While that's true, it does not follow that the number of shots had a causal connection to the losses.  When the Blue Jackets have lost, it has been more from a lack of structure and individual failings.  In the second period against Tampa, the Blue Jackets played with that structure, and they dominated.  The same can be said of the victories over Toronto and Edmonton.  The Blue Jackets created chances through speed, offensive pressure and the absence of fear.

In the final analysis, Columbus needs to play fast, hard and free.  That doesn't mean irresponsible, it simply means that they have to play sixty minutes with the zeal and skill that they have shown they can muster.  If they do that, there is no time for fear.  Without the fear, opportunities arise in greater numbers, and more goals should result.  If they can put three or four in the net most nights, the pressure in the crease and the defensive zone lifts.  It is a symbiotic relationship that we've glimpsed, but now need to see on a regular basis.  While it's an adage that offense may start in the defensive end, it's undisputed that it has to finish in the opponent's net.  Time to unleash the dogs and make it happen.

Hey, it's the Wild. I still think we'd have given Chicago a tougher series. Oh, wait, that was last season.

Minnesota Wild at Columbus Blue Jackets

December 6, 2013 - 7:00pm EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponents Blog: Hockey Wilderness
SBN's Wild vs. Blue Jackets coverage
Tickets

First and foremost, if the weather gets as bad as they say it's going to, everyone be careful out there tonight on your way to and from the game (or wherever you might be headed...).

Well, Game 1 of "No Bob" begins tonight, as the Wild come to visit. It's the first time these teams will play in the post "hey we lost a tie-breaker to you jabronis because, in part, we let you tie us late in the third and take us to a shootout in that game in mid-April" world. I know that has literally no bearing on this game on paper, but I have to wonder if it factors into the mindset of the Jackets at all.

At any rate, the Wild are off to a very good start despite playing in a very tough division, and their top line has been flat-out devastating. When you look at their team scoring/game stats, they're pretty low in the league--lower than Columbus, even. But, consider this: the Wild have scored 71 goals on the season, and the combination of Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, and Jason Pominville have scored 32 of them (45%). Parise has 14, Pominville 12, and Koivu six. Two other guys also have six, but those three are the de facto top three scorers for the Wild. By way of comparison, the Jackets have scored 67 total goals, and their top three scorers have just 24 of them (35.8%).

It's not as easy as saying "shut down their top line and you should win," because the Wild are playing solid defense as well. That said, keeping those three contained will be a big portion of the formula for winning for Columbus. The other portion of that offensive oddity for Minnesota is that the Wild's PP unit is (not surprisingly, given the above) very strong; 21 of their 71 goals have come on the Power Play (29.6%, slightly above Columbus's 28.4%). That said, both teams have good Power Play percentages, and both are struggling on the PK overall. So, Columbus will need to capitalize on their PP chances, and also be disciplined and stay out of the box as much as possible.

Finally, Minnesota played last night in a different time zone. Since Josh Harding played last night, it's likely that Niklas Backstrom--he of the career 2.11 gaa and .925 save% in 19 games against Columbus--will get the start. As Jeff noted yesterday, the Jackets need to capitalize on speed and possession, and they should have more legs early than the Wild. Columbus also welcomes Derek MacKenzie back to the lineup, and Jack Skille will sit. I would have sat Corey Tropp, but that's just me: Skille has shown speed and some ability to finish in limited duty.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(11-14-3, 25 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)

Minnesota Wild
(17-8-5, 39 Points; 3rd Division, 6th Conference)

Season Series

12/06/13 - Minnesota at Columbus
03/15/14 - Columbus at Minnesota

Head to Head Stats

Hey, it's the Wild. I still think we'd have given Chicago a tougher series. Oh, wait, that was last season.

Minnesota Wild at Columbus Blue Jackets

December 6, 2013 - 7:00pm EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponents Blog: Hockey Wilderness
SBN's Wild vs. Blue Jackets coverage
Tickets

First and foremost, if the weather gets as bad as they say it's going to, everyone be careful out there tonight on your way to and from the game (or wherever you might be headed...).

Well, Game 1 of "No Bob" begins tonight, as the Wild come to visit. It's the first time these teams will play in the post "hey we lost a tie-breaker to you jabronis because, in part, we let you tie us late in the third and take us to a shootout in that game in mid-April" world. I know that has literally no bearing on this game on paper, but I have to wonder if it factors into the mindset of the Jackets at all.

At any rate, the Wild are off to a very good start despite playing in a very tough division, and their top line has been flat-out devastating. When you look at their team scoring/game stats, they're pretty low in the league--lower than Columbus, even. But, consider this: the Wild have scored 71 goals on the season, and the combination of Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, and Jason Pominville have scored 32 of them (45%). Parise has 14, Pominville 12, and Koivu six. Two other guys also have six, but those three are the de facto top three scorers for the Wild. By way of comparison, the Jackets have scored 67 total goals, and their top three scorers have just 24 of them (35.8%).

It's not as easy as saying "shut down their top line and you should win," because the Wild are playing solid defense as well. That said, keeping those three contained will be a big portion of the formula for winning for Columbus. The other portion of that offensive oddity for Minnesota is that the Wild's PP unit is (not surprisingly, given the above) very strong; 21 of their 71 goals have come on the Power Play (29.6%, slightly above Columbus's 28.4%). That said, both teams have good Power Play percentages, and both are struggling on the PK overall. So, Columbus will need to capitalize on their PP chances, and also be disciplined and stay out of the box as much as possible.

Finally, Minnesota played last night in a different time zone. Since Josh Harding played last night, it's likely that Niklas Backstrom--he of the career 2.11 gaa and .925 save% in 19 games against Columbus--will get the start. As Jeff noted yesterday, the Jackets need to capitalize on speed and possession, and they should have more legs early than the Wild. Columbus also welcomes Derek MacKenzie back to the lineup, and Jack Skille will sit. I would have sat Corey Tropp, but that's just me: Skille has shown speed and some ability to finish in limited duty.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(11-14-3, 25 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)

Minnesota Wild
(17-8-5, 39 Points; 3rd Division, 6th Conference)

Season Series

12/06/13 - Minnesota at Columbus
03/15/14 - Columbus at Minnesota

Head to Head Stats

Good Afternoon Wilderness… On this cold winter night, the Minnesota Wild (17-8-5) will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (11-14-3) at Nation Wide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

This will be the first of two-game series between the two teams. The two teams play again on March, 15, 2014. Last season, the Minnesota Wild went 2-1 against the Blue Jackets.

Last night, the Minnesota Wild beat the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks 4-3. Matt Cooke (5), Zach Parise (12), Jonas Brodin (5) and Marco Scandella (1) scored goals for the Wild.

Last Meeting: April 13, 2013, 3-2 (SO) Blue Jackets Win

TV: Fox Sports North 6:00 PM CT

Last 10 games: Minnesota 5-4-1; Columbus 5-4-1

Minnesota Wild who’s hot:Jason Pominville (1g-2a—3tps) last three games, Dany Heatley (2g-1a—3pts) and a (+/-0) last five games. Jared Spurgeon (0g-3a—3pts) and a (+3) last five games.

Minnesota Wild who’s not: Zach Parise (1g-1a—2pts) and a (-3) last five games, Miko Koivu (1g-1a—2pts) and a (-3) last five games, Ryan Suter, (0g-0a—0pts) and a (-1). Josh Harding 15-4-3, 1.52 GAA, .935 save percentage.

Minnesota Wild Injuries:Mikael Granlund (concussion) (IR).

Chad Graff, Pioneer Press– When he was asked if Granlund suffered concussion-related symptoms following the skate, Yeo said, "I can't tell you that he did or he didn't. I just know that we're not making progress. And so what we're doing right now is we have to take a different approach."

Columbus Blue Jacket Injuries:Goalie:Sergei Bobrovsky (Leg), Forwards:Nathan Horton (shoulder), Cody Bass (thumb), Marian Gaborik (knee), Jared Boll (foot). All are on the injured reserve.

Update on Nathan Horton: After signing a free agent contract in the offseason with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nathan Horton has yet to play for the Blue Jackets. Horton is back on the ice and skating and wearing a non-contact jersey.

Interesting Stats

This season, the Minnesota Wild are 13-0-3 when leading after two periods.

After going six games without scoring a power play goal (0-for-11): The Wild went 2-for-3 on the power play. Zach Parise and Jonas Brodin scored on the power play for the Minnesota Wild.

Wild goalie Josh Harding is having an All-Star season. He’s first in GAA, third in save percentage and tied for first in shutouts with Marc-Andre Fluery. The Wild goalie is also 12-1-0 at the Xcel Energy Center this season.

Minnesota is 10-1-5 in one-goal games, with seven of last eight wins decided by one goal.

The Minnesota Wild take their talents on the road to faceoff against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, puck drops at 6 pm CST.

2013 - 2014

Game 25

Minnesota Wild

at

Columbus Blue Jackets

Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH - 6 pm

TV: FS-N

Radio: 100.3 FM KFAN; Listen on Wild.com

Five Questions

1. Will last nights late game heroics against the Blackhawks turn into a terrible hangover tonight against the Blue Jackets?
2. Erik Haula looked good last night and had a couple opportunities to score. Can he rip one past McElhinney tonight?
3. Both Jonas Brodin and Marco Scandella scored for the Wild last night. The Wild have been struggling to get scoring out of their blue line. Wild blue line goals: Trend or Mirage?
4. Charlie Coyle won just 4 of 12 faceoffs last night against the Blackhawks. Can he improve on those numbers and give the second line some life?
5. What will be tonight's final score?

The Columbus Blue Jackets shutout the Minnesota Wild to the tune of 4 - 0 in Ohio.

What can be said about tonight's game? In a search for positives to come out of Columbus I'm afraid I can't tell you much. The second night of a back-to-back is always going to be tough. It certainly didn't help they had to skate with the Chicago Blackhawks last night.

The Wild came out strong in the first with high hopes and some quality opportunities but where not able get one past Blue Jackets netminder Curtis McElhinney.  It was some good back and forth action, shots were pretty even and everything looked like your typical Wild game.

The second period was vastly different for the Wild. Their legs were gone, it was sloppy (both ways), and the Wild were not able to convert on the golden opportunity handed to them with over a minute of 5 on 3 hockey against the Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets were able to capitalize early in the second, with 2 goals within the first 6 minutes of the middle period. Things got pretty chippy when R.J. Umberger hit Jonas Brodin from behind sending him dangerously into the boards. Ryan Suter, ever the fighter, was given a pretty weak even up penalty in the ensuing scrum. It was probably the least rough roughing penalty I've seen in a very long time.

The third period brought more of the same. The BJ's put up a couple of goals, the Wild skated around the ice looking a lost puppy. By mid-way through the final period you could tell the Wild were just playing to get out of Nationwide Arena without hurting anything more than their pride. In the end, the Wild lose 4 - 0 and gave up 41 shots on goal to the Blue Jackets. It was just not a pretty night for the Wild in Columbus.

It's hard to fault the guys for coming out flat on the second night of a back-to-back, with travel and after such an up and down, highly emotional night against the Blackhawks. This is a game the Wild should have won, but their legs just were not in it. The Wild bring things back home Sunday night for a game against Brent Burns and the always dangerous San Jose Sharks.

While a snow storm curbed the numbers -- but not the enthusiasm -- of the Columbus fans, the on-again, off-again Blue Jackets ignored their Mr. Hyde personality and put together a dominating victory over the Minnesota Wild.

As this game was preparing to unwind, fans from Minnesota (and other more northern climes) had to be chuckling at the images and descriptions on their televisions.  A snowstorm that deposited several inches of snow in central Ohio hindered the attendance at Nationwide Arena.  Schools were closed, traffic was at a crawl, the usual drill.  Meanwhile, back in St. Paul, it was minus-4, with considerably more snow, schools were in session and life proceeded as normal.  At the 30 degree temperatures prevailing in Columbus at game time, Minnesotans contemplate donning shorts.

Such is the difference between regions, but this was the last opportunity Wild fans had to smile, as the Blue Jackets came out of the gate hard, and kept the pedal to the metal for sixty minutes in notching a dominating 4 - 0 victory.  For those who have been following the articles and discussions here, it was an embodiment of the fast, free and hard style of play that we have been advocating, but have seen only sporadically.  There were no passengers on this night, from the blue paint to the opposing crease.

Solid Start Unrewarded

Skeptics will note that the Wild were at a disadvantage in this one, having played a tough affair on the preceding evening against the Chicago Blackhawks, but such is life in the NHL.  In case you haven't been following the West this year, Minnesota was 17-8-5 coming into this contest, with 39 points.  That's only good for 3rd in the Central, but would be tied for 2nd in the entire Eastern Conference.  This is a solid club, playing well, and the trick is to jump on clubs when you have the chance.  The Blue Jackets did just that.

From the opening face-off, the Blue Jackets skated hard -- in all zones.  They gave the  Wild little breathing room, provided each other with ample support in the defensive end, and likewise gave Curtis McElhinney clear lanes of vision, and quickly cleared any rebounds that wandered into areas of danger.  The exit passes were crisp and quick, but the Minnesota neutral zone defense stymied early attempts to establish extended offensive zone presence.

To the Blue Jackets' credit, they were not dissuaded, but simply relied upon their structure, and continued to press.  Soon, the cracks began to open, and the continued pressure created opportunities.  Only some other-worldly saves by Niklas Backstrom kept this one scoreless, as neither team could convert on singular power play chances.  Still, Columbus held a 9-7 lead in shots after the 1st -- an unaccustomed position of late.  In fact, it was only an end-of-period flurry by the Wild that kept the tally reasonably close.  So, while no blood was drawn, the Blue Jackets had done a sound job of softening the defenses with some body blows, and the stage was set for a knockdown or two.

What 2nd Period Curse?

The second period has not been kind to Columbus this season, but on this night, the Blue Jackets were having none of that.  They again jumped on the Wild from the beginning, using a stifling forecheck and speed through the neutral zone to maximize the pressure.

Just over a minute into the period, Matt Calvert pressured Jared Spurgeon along the left wing boards, forcing him to blindly dump the puck to the neutral zone.  Brandon Dubinsky gratefully accepted the gift, and entered the zone with speed, with Cam Atkinson on his right and Calvert on the left.  He fed the puck to Atkinson, who wasted no time in firing a wrister from the right circle, beating Backstrom over the right shoulder.  This was a huge confidence builder for Atkinson, who has mirrored the club's inconsistency thus far this season.

Having the early lead did not lead the Jackets to let up on the pressure.  They continued skating and pressing, ultimately forcing Matt Cooke to take a hooking penalty against Dubinsky.  The Blue Jackets maintained possession in the ensuing power play, ultimately working the puck to Umberger, low and to Backstrom's right.  Not seeing a clear lane, Umberger did the smart thing -- he put the shot on net.  Johansen gathered the rebound and tried a backhand, which Backstrom managed to get a pad on.  However, Nick Foligno was also down low -- on the back side,  and he dutifully pushed the puck into the net for the 2 - 0 lead.

It's an old adage that a 2-goal lead is the most precarious position in hockey, and Columbus almost proved its validity. Just 48 seconds after  Artem Anisimov went off for hooking at the 6:15 mark, Dubinsky was whistled for slashing, providing the Wild with 1:12 of 5-on-3 time -- the perfect recipe to narrow the gap and rejuvenate their energy.  Not tonight.  Fedor Tyutin made several key plays, and Curtis McElhinney made some outstanding stops to stymie the Wild for the duration.  If you're looking for a true turning point of the game -- this was it.  It represented the single best chance Minnesota had to make a contest of it, and the Blue Jackets simply refused to let it happen.  Instead of the Wild receiving a boost, the Blue Jackets absorbed the energy from the enthusiastic crowd, and continued their speed skating exhibition.

R.J. Umberger -- who had one of his better games in recent memory -- spend the last five minutes of the period irritating various members of the Wild roster.  Umberger got called for boarding Jonas Brodin at the 16:53 mark, and got to share the journey to the box with Ryan Suter, who went after Umberger in defense of Brodin.  No sooner had R.J. emerged from the box, when he was confronted by Keith Ballard, who dinged him with a high stick.  Umberger responded in kind, and returned to the box, this time with Ballard in tow, for coincidental minors.

When the dust settled the Blue Jackets had amassed 18 shots in the period, allowing the Wild only 8.  Read that last sentence again.  18 shots. In a single period.  That's as many shots as the Blue Jackets had put on goal in four of the previous eight games. I guess they're getting the message that putting the puck on net is always a good thing.

Bringing It Home

The third period was a reprise of the first two.  Eschewing the "prevent defense" that has too frequently characterized this club with late leads, Columbus just kept on playing the pressure game.  Just over four minutes in, the line of Artem Anisimov, Blake Comeau and Boone Jenner collected the puck in the neutral zone and crossed the blue line three abreast, with speed.  Anisimov dished the puck to Comeau on his right, who in turn fed Jenner at the top of the left circle, who shot the puck in stride, beating Backstrom high glove.  The elation on Jenner's face was only exceeded by his obvious relief at having broken a long scoring drought.  He has deserved better, and to see him rewarded in this game is both gratifying and promising.

The culmination of the evening came at the 9:05 mark in the final stanza, and naturally featured Nick Foligno, who obviously enjoyed the limelight that resulted from his between-the-legs beauty against Tampa Bay.  Minnesota began a breakout down the right side of the neutral zone, but was thwarted by Ryan Johansen, who used his albatross wingspan to poke the puck away.  With the Wild players' momentum heading north, Foligno took the puck and headed south, with only Charlie Coyle between him and Backstrom.  Foligno drove hard to the left post, pulling Coyle with him, and deftly floated a backhand drop pass to R.J. Umberger, who had a slight lead over three Wild skaters at the top of the crease.  Umberger had no trouble making the final score 4 - 0.

At that point, the only question was whether the shutout would remain intact, and there was truly no serious threat.  The Blue Jackets outshot the Wild 14-5 in the final period, resulting in a season-high total of 41 shots for the guys in Union Blue.   The shutout extended the Columbus scoreless streak to 137:45 of ice time, the second consecutive shutout in which McElhinney participated.  At this point, McElhinney is thinking this starting goalie stuff is pretty easy.

Lessons Learned

The Blue Jackets learned something about themselves in this one.  They found that they can skate and use their speed and skill for 60 minutes, without sacrificing defensive responsibility.  Sure, they were up against a tired Wild club, but there have been plenty of times when Columbus has squandered opportunities such as this.  The  fact that they put their skates on the Wild's collective throats -- and kept them there -- is a big step.

While the focus is inevitably given to the offensive contributions -- and rightly so -- the defensive corps deserves an equal shoutout tonight.  This may have been the best game the entire blue line contingent has played this season.  Tyutin was his steady, reliable self, and Jack Johnson even looked much better in his own zone.  Wisniewski has quietly improved his defensive play, forced to keep pace with young Ryan Murray, who continues to amaze with his poise and skill.  Nikitin seems to be finding his game, and Prout was much more responsible

With Jenner and Atkinson getting goals, and Anisimov playing a big role, there is the hope that this will be the spark that gets their offensive games energized.  However, perhaps the best lesson on this night was that  a structured, speed game could be utilized to defeat a defense that thrives on clogging the neutral zone and challenging the blue line.  So far this season, when confronted with that kind of defensive pressure, the Blue Jackets have reacted in the opposite fashion -- slowing down the game, being more deliberate, dumping the puck and generally playing tentative, scared hockey.  That, of course, is precisely the goal of that kind of defense.  The fact that Columbus was not discouraged by their early difficulty gaining entry into the offensive zone -- and maintained their structure throughout -- is a major step.

It's only one game, but even the most jaded, skeptical fan has to admit that this was a beauty to watch.  That's two in a row.  Dare we wish for three?

The Gopher 4th line of Christian Isackson, Gabe Guertler and Ryan Reilly were on the ice for both of Minnesota's even strength goals.

After tying 2-2 and losing a shootout to Michigan State, Saturday's 3-2 victory on the road was just what the doctor ordered for the Gophers.

Christian Isackson (Buffalo Sabres), Seth Ambroz (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Mike Reilly (Blue Jackets) scored for top-ranked Minnesota (12-2-2, 3-0-1-0 Big Ten) in a game that was not as close as the score indicated.

Villiam Haag and Michael Ferrantino tallied goals for Michigan State (5-8-1, 0-1-0-1 Big Ten) while Spartans goaltender Jake Hildebrand made 35 saves (one night after being shelled for 44).

The Gophers rebounded from Friday's game (officially a tie, but players treated the point lost from the shootout as a loss) and dominated puck possession and chances in the first period. Shots on goal were 17-3 Minnesota. Shot attempts featured an even further gap 32-7 with the goals reading 2-0 Gophers after 20 minutes.

Isackson got Minnesota on the board 11:47 into the game when Gabe Guertler found the junior forward next to Hildebrand and Isackson did the rest. The goal was Isackson's first of the season while Guertler, a freshman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida who was suspended the first month of the season, picked up his first collegiate point.

Seth Ambroz made it 2-0 nearly seven minutes later with his fifth goal in three games. This time around, the junior forward, who leads Minnesota with eight goals, scored on the power play.

Mike Reilly recorded his Big Ten leading seventh goal as a defenseman 6:05 into the second period when he finished a play that began with his brother Ryan, playing on the fourth line with Isackson and Guertler in his first game this season, put pressure on MSU and was able to get the puck in the Spartans end.

Michigan State wouldn't go down without a fight Saturday. Despite the 3-0 hole at home, the team battled until the game's final tenth of a second. Literally.

After Haag, who had two points Friday, continued to be a villain to Gopher fans with the first power play goal scored on Minnesota in three-plus games with 4:43 remaining in the second period, Ferrantino beat Adam Wilcox, who had 19 saves Saturday, with .1 of a second left on the clock in regulation.

With the win, Minnesota sits on top of the Big Ten standings with ten points in four games. That includes a four point weekend (3 points for a regulation/OT win, 2 for a shootout win, 1 for a shootout loss) on the road against the Spartans.

Michigan State returns to action next Saturday (December 14) at home against Ferris State before the outdoor Great Lakes Invitational at Comerica Park two weeks later.

Minnesota is idle until the Mariucci Classic on January 3-4, 2014.

More from SBN College Hockey

Follow @SBNCollegePuckFollow @SBNation

• St. Cloud State Routs Minnesota Duluth 5-1
• Minnesota State Sweeps Northern Michigan with 3-0 Win: Final Scoring and Notes
• College Hockey Scores: Friday Night Recaps
• Colorado College Ends Winless Streak
• Big Ten Hockey: Minnesota vs. Michigan State Saturday line combinations

--

Nathan Wells is a college hockey columnist for SB Nation and College Hockey News. You can also follow him on Twitter -- Follow @gopherstate

The Wild will look to rebound against the Sharks after a really disappointing loss in Columbus.

The San Jose Sharks are in St. Paul to take on the Minnesota Wild. Don't forget that the game starts at 5 PM. This will be the first meeting between these two teams this season. The Wild will be in San Jose on Thursday night.

Today's game will mark the return of Brent Burns, Martin Havlat (unlikely to play) and James Sheppard at the Xcel Energy Center. St. Paul native Alex Stalock and Minneapolis native Justin Braun will be in town as well.

The Wild are 17-9-5 with 39 points while the Sharks are 19-5-5 with 43 points. They're respectively 7^th and 3^rd in the western conference.

In Wild news and notes, Josh Harding gets the start. Zenon Konopka will be back for either Justin Fontaine, Erik Haula or Mike Rupp. The top three lines should stay intact, for the start of the game at least.

As for the enemy side, it appears that the Sharks might shuffle their lines after two consecutive losses in Pittsburgh and Carolina. They'll also look to rebound.

The game will be on Fox Sports North. If you can't watch it, it'll also be on KFAN 100.3 FM.

Finally, let's hope for a good clean game with no injuries. May the best team win.

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