After almost three seasons in Philadelphia, the 24-year-old Czech has finally started to emerge as one of the NHL's elite right wingers, and fans should be pretty damn proud of his overall development.

Jakub Voracek

Tonight begins the stretch run for the New Jersey Devils and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who face each other in an important inter-division game. This preview goes into what the Devils need to do, what to look for from Columbus, and so much more.

Welcome back the season. Is this an important game? Yes. They're all important from here on out.

The Time: 7:00 PM EDT

The Broadcast: TV - MSG+2; Radio - 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (24-22-13) vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets (29-24-5; SBN Blog: The Cannon)

The Last Devils Game: You know what's been the main problem for the Devils prior to the Olympic break and perhaps all season long? Scoring goals. They scored none against the Washington Capitals on February 8. They missed more nets, put more attempts off target than on target, and so were in the familiar territory of being vulnerable to one shot/bounce/event getting through Cory Schneider. Julien Brouillette firing a wrister through a screen was enough. The Caps tacked on two empty net goals to make it a really disappointing 0-3 loss. My recap is here.

The Last Blue Jackets Game: The Blue Jackets wrapped up a trip through California with a game against San Jose on February 7. San Jose got off to a strong start with two first period goals. The first was provided by John McCarthy off a deflection, the second was a slap shot from Patrick Marleau, and both came within the first ten minutes. Columbus would strike back and pull within one in the second period. Ryan Johansen scored 18 seconds into the second. The visitors got into penalty trouble in the middle period but escaped without a goal against. Tommy Wingels scored early in the third to give San Jose a 3-1 lead. Boone Jenner cut it short to 3-2 with a little more than nine minutes left to play. But another penalty plus a tired Columbus squad didn't deter San Jose from dominating the shot count and run of play. The Jackets lost 3-2, ending their trip at 1-1-1. Jeff Little had this recap at The Cannon.

The Last Devils-Blue Jackets Game: On December 27, the Devils hosted the Blue Jackets. This wasn't a pretty game whatsoever, as the Columbus forecheck gave the Devils problems early and the Devils' decisions with the puck on offense just went awry. As a result, Curtis McElhinney was not challenged as much as he could have been. Believe it or not, but Martin Brodeur had a very fine game. He was only beaten once in regulation: a backhander by Artem Anisimov after a crazy save off Brandon Dubinsky. The Devils would find an equalizer in the third period when Adam Henrique banged in a rebound. But the game could have easily been more in Columbus' favor. The game dragged into the shootout where the Devils failed to score in it, much less win it. The Blue Jackets won 2-1. In my recap, I said it was a point the Devils didn't deserve. For the other side, Jeff Little has his own take at The Cannon.

The Goal: Push the tempo and fire away. The Columbus Blue Jackets aren't a bad possession team at all. It's a reason why they are going to be a proverbial thorn in the proverbial side of the Devils' playoff chances. However, they do get out-shot fairly regularly. This is true at 5-on-5 hockey per Extra Skater. This is true based on the per game averages at NHL.com. This is even true in shorthanded situations. OK, that's to be expected, but they have a fairly high shots against rate when down a man. On top of all of this, they will be without Fedor Tyutin, who has suffered an ankle injury in his Sochi experience. He hasn't been amazing this season. But his absence means someone has to step up to take his minutes alongside Jack Johnson. According to Aaron Portzline at the Columbus Dispatch, that someone is Dalton Prout. Their defense is weaker for it. This means they are potentially ripe for being swarmed, something the Devils can do very well. If they can get it going and actually keep the puck on their stick on offense, then they only increase their chances for success tonight. And they need to succeed tonight.

The Motivation is Mutual: It is true that the Devils really do need this win. They need to catch Columbus to fight them for a playoff spot. They have a fully healthy roster and they know that the results are necessary. However, the opposite applies to the opposition. They're battling for a rare playoff spot. They know they can beat the Devils as they've done it twice already. While they are without Tyutin, they do have Marian Gaborik coming back. He can do some damage all on his own. They have pretty much the same motivation as the Devils do. It's not going to come down to who wants it more. It's going to come down to who has the better game plan and who executes it better. I'm confident in the Devils having the right approach - they wouldn't be a top-ten possession team without one - but execution has been the sticking point all season.

Heat Check: Cory Schneider has been simply amazing in 2014. Since January began, he has a 94.2% save percentage in all situations. He has started every single game for New Jersey since the Bronx blowout. Tom Gulitti reported at Fire & Ice on Tuesday that he will start tonight. I am concerned for Schneider, though. First, he hasn't played for over two weeks. He'll be rested and I know he's talented; I just hope he isn't terribly rusty in net. While it's not impossible, I wouldn't expect him to be as hot as he was prior to the break. That leads to my second point: goal support. He was doing everything he could to give the Devils a chance to win but because the team could not get that additional goal, the results haven't matched up with his performances. If the Devils needed Schneider to be amazing just to get points in games and still couldn't win, then what will happen if he's not as amazing right away as this important stretch of the season comes? It's something to consider even though it isn't new. What's new is what Schneider will do after a long layoff.

Deeper, Stronger - The Columbus Forwards: Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch has the expected roster for the Blue Jackets in this Wednesday post. Marian Gaborik will start on a fourth line but don't be surprised if he gets moved up later on. As Portzline pointed out, Gaborik was put together with Nathan Horton and Ryan Johansen on a power play unit. That could conceivably be a line at evens and a very powerful one. While beset by injuries, Horton and Gaborik are very skilled scorers. Horton does it with power, Gaborik does it with finesse. Johansen is Columbus' leader in goals (24), points (46), and shots (161) this season. Putting anyone with him still makes his unit a threat because he's been so good. Putting him with Horton is dangerous enough. If Gaborik gets the rust off quickly enough, then it could be worse for the Devils to try and match-up against.

That possibility is exacerbated by the other two lines in their top nine. Per Portzline, R.J. Umberger, Artem Anisimov, and Nick Foligno are together. They have 15, 13, and 15 goals respectively and around the same number of points. Then there's Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson, and Matt Calvert. That trio has wrecked the Devils earlier this season and could do it again. Atkinson's shot is hard, Dubinsky is just difficult to deal with, and Calvert's capable of making things happen even if the first two are stopped. The Blue Jackets had a formidable top six in the last two Devils games. With Horton and Gaborik involved, they pretty much have a formidable top nine. According to Extra Skater, Johansen and Dubinsky have been very good at driving play along with producing points. Only Umberger and Foligno hasn't done real well in possession this season. So it may be best for Peter DeBoer to try and get a good match up against that Anisimov line. It won't be easy at all, though.

Long Distance Weapon: There is one rather good defenseman on the Blue Jackets: James Wisniewski. He's very good in terms of possession. He leads their blueline in scoring by a healthy margin with five goals and 30 assists. He's been productive on the power play as he leads Columbus with 19 power play points. He averages just over 22 minutes per game. The Devils' forwards will have to be particularly aware when he's on the point. The team will have enough trouble with Columbus' forwards. They cannot fully ignore what Wisniewski.

The Man Who Must Be Beat Has Been Good At Not Being Beaten: Tonight's man will be Sergei Bobrovsky. He's been rather good this season. Bobrovsky has a 92.6% even strength save percentage and 90% in penalty killing situations. Those are more than solid numbers. He strangely has been vulnerable on shorthanded and overtime situations; but that's not where the Devils are going to really get a lot of chances anyway. At least, I hope there won't be any overtime chances. Anyway, Portzline did confirm Bobrovsky will start. Here's hoping his Olympic layoff gives him some issues in net.

Your Defenders Are...: The Devils called up Eric Gelinas on Monday, as confirmed by Gulitti at Fire & Ice. Gelinas has been practicing with Jon Merrill. At first glance of Gulitti's report from Wednesday's practice, Gelinas-Merrill appeared to be behind Anton Volchenkov and Peter Harrold. However, Gelinas and Merrill got time in practice on the power play. I highly doubt the Devils would call someone up, have him practice with a regular, get time on special teams, and then not use him. It could be that Gelinas or even Merrill could be a seventh defenseman. It could be that those two are the third pairing while Volchenkov-Harrold will be the odd pairing out. Until there's confirmation today, I would expect Gelinas to play. I would also not be surprised if there's a move coming soon since I don't see the need to have eight defenders up with New Jersey at the moment.

Congratulations: Patrik Elias now has two children. His wife gave birth on Wednesday to a daughter, the family's second. Congratulations to the Elias family. The player shall be available for tonight's game.

Based on Tuesday's practice report, he will likely start on a unit with Adam Henrique and Damien Brunner. Andrei Loktionov will be in between Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder. Anything from those six would be highly appreciated.

One Last Note: It's great to be back and focused on the NHL.

Your Take: This game is massive in terms of importance. How are you feeling about the Devils' chances tonight? Can they keep the Columbus' forwards at bay? Can they push the tempo and force Columbus to defend? Can they score more than two goals tonight? Will you be there to see it live? (I will in Section 1, Row 16, Seat 5, as usual.) Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight's game in the comments. Thank you for reading.

The New Jersey Devils resume their regular season with an important divisional game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. This stream will consist of all posts relevant to tonight's game.

Welcome back the season. Is this an important game? Yes. They're all important from here on out.

The Time: 7:00 PM EDT

The Broadcast: TV - MSG+2; Radio - 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (24-22-13) vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets (29-24-5; SBN Blog: The Cannon)

The Last Devils Game: You know what's been the main problem for the Devils prior to the Olympic break and perhaps all season long? Scoring goals. They scored none against the Washington Capitals on February 8. They missed more nets, put more attempts off target than on target, and so were in the familiar territory of being vulnerable to one shot/bounce/event getting through Cory Schneider. Julien Brouillette firing a wrister through a screen was enough. The Caps tacked on two empty net goals to make it a really disappointing 0-3 loss. My recap is here.

The Last Blue Jackets Game: The Blue Jackets wrapped up a trip through California with a game against San Jose on February 7. San Jose got off to a strong start with two first period goals. The first was provided by John McCarthy off a deflection, the second was a slap shot from Patrick Marleau, and both came within the first ten minutes. Columbus would strike back and pull within one in the second period. Ryan Johansen scored 18 seconds into the second. The visitors got into penalty trouble in the middle period but escaped without a goal against. Tommy Wingels scored early in the third to give San Jose a 3-1 lead. Boone Jenner cut it short to 3-2 with a little more than nine minutes left to play. But another penalty plus a tired Columbus squad didn't deter San Jose from dominating the shot count and run of play. The Jackets lost 3-2, ending their trip at 1-1-1. Jeff Little had this recap at The Cannon.

The Last Devils-Blue Jackets Game: On December 27, the Devils hosted the Blue Jackets. This wasn't a pretty game whatsoever, as the Columbus forecheck gave the Devils problems early and the Devils' decisions with the puck on offense just went awry. As a result, Curtis McElhinney was not challenged as much as he could have been. Believe it or not, but Martin Brodeur had a very fine game. He was only beaten once in regulation: a backhander by Artem Anisimov after a crazy save off Brandon Dubinsky. The Devils would find an equalizer in the third period when Adam Henrique banged in a rebound. But the game could have easily been more in Columbus' favor. The game dragged into the shootout where the Devils failed to score in it, much less win it. The Blue Jackets won 2-1. In my recap, I said it was a point the Devils didn't deserve. For the other side, Jeff Little has his own take at The Cannon.

The Goal: Push the tempo and fire away. The Columbus Blue Jackets aren't a bad possession team at all. It's a reason why they are going to be a proverbial thorn in the proverbial side of the Devils' playoff chances. However, they do get out-shot fairly regularly. This is true at 5-on-5 hockey per Extra Skater. This is true based on the per game averages at NHL.com. This is even true in shorthanded situations. OK, that's to be expected, but they have a fairly high shots against rate when down a man. On top of all of this, they will be without Fedor Tyutin, who has suffered an ankle injury in his Sochi experience. He hasn't been amazing this season. But his absence means someone has to step up to take his minutes alongside Jack Johnson. According to Aaron Portzline at the Columbus Dispatch, that someone is Dalton Prout. Their defense is weaker for it. This means they are potentially ripe for being swarmed, something the Devils can do very well. If they can get it going and actually keep the puck on their stick on offense, then they only increase their chances for success tonight. And they need to succeed tonight.

The Motivation is Mutual: It is true that the Devils really do need this win. They need to catch Columbus to fight them for a playoff spot. They have a fully healthy roster and they know that the results are necessary. However, the opposite applies to the opposition. They're battling for a rare playoff spot. They know they can beat the Devils as they've done it twice already. While they are without Tyutin, they do have Marian Gaborik coming back. He can do some damage all on his own. They have pretty much the same motivation as the Devils do. It's not going to come down to who wants it more. It's going to come down to who has the better game plan and who executes it better. I'm confident in the Devils having the right approach - they wouldn't be a top-ten possession team without one - but execution has been the sticking point all season.

Heat Check: Cory Schneider has been simply amazing in 2014. Since January began, he has a 94.2% save percentage in all situations. He has started every single game for New Jersey since the Bronx blowout. Tom Gulitti reported at Fire & Ice on Tuesday that he will start tonight. I am concerned for Schneider, though. First, he hasn't played for over two weeks. He'll be rested and I know he's talented; I just hope he isn't terribly rusty in net. While it's not impossible, I wouldn't expect him to be as hot as he was prior to the break. That leads to my second point: goal support. He was doing everything he could to give the Devils a chance to win but because the team could not get that additional goal, the results haven't matched up with his performances. If the Devils needed Schneider to be amazing just to get points in games and still couldn't win, then what will happen if he's not as amazing right away as this important stretch of the season comes? It's something to consider even though it isn't new. What's new is what Schneider will do after a long layoff.

Deeper, Stronger - The Columbus Forwards: Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch has the expected roster for the Blue Jackets in this Wednesday post. Marian Gaborik will start on a fourth line but don't be surprised if he gets moved up later on. As Portzline pointed out, Gaborik was put together with Nathan Horton and Ryan Johansen on a power play unit. That could conceivably be a line at evens and a very powerful one. While beset by injuries, Horton and Gaborik are very skilled scorers. Horton does it with power, Gaborik does it with finesse. Johansen is Columbus' leader in goals (24), points (46), and shots (161) this season. Putting anyone with him still makes his unit a threat because he's been so good. Putting him with Horton is dangerous enough. If Gaborik gets the rust off quickly enough, then it could be worse for the Devils to try and match-up against.

That possibility is exacerbated by the other two lines in their top nine. Per Portzline, R.J. Umberger, Artem Anisimov, and Nick Foligno are together. They have 15, 13, and 15 goals respectively and around the same number of points. Then there's Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson, and Matt Calvert. That trio has wrecked the Devils earlier this season and could do it again. Atkinson's shot is hard, Dubinsky is just difficult to deal with, and Calvert's capable of making things happen even if the first two are stopped. The Blue Jackets had a formidable top six in the last two Devils games. With Horton and Gaborik involved, they pretty much have a formidable top nine. According to Extra Skater, Johansen and Dubinsky have been very good at driving play along with producing points. Only Umberger and Foligno hasn't done real well in possession this season. So it may be best for Peter DeBoer to try and get a good match up against that Anisimov line. It won't be easy at all, though.

Long Distance Weapon: There is one rather good defenseman on the Blue Jackets: James Wisniewski. He's very good in terms of possession. He leads their blueline in scoring by a healthy margin with five goals and 30 assists. He's been productive on the power play as he leads Columbus with 19 power play points. He averages just over 22 minutes per game. The Devils' forwards will have to be particularly aware when he's on the point. The team will have enough trouble with Columbus' forwards. They cannot fully ignore what Wisniewski.

The Man Who Must Be Beat Has Been Good At Not Being Beaten: Tonight's man will be Sergei Bobrovsky. He's been rather good this season. Bobrovsky has a 92.6% even strength save percentage and 90% in penalty killing situations. Those are more than solid numbers. He strangely has been vulnerable on shorthanded and overtime situations; but that's not where the Devils are going to really get a lot of chances anyway. At least, I hope there won't be any overtime chances. Anyway, Portzline did confirm Bobrovsky will start. Here's hoping his Olympic layoff gives him some issues in net.

Your Defenders Are...: The Devils called up Eric Gelinas on Monday, as confirmed by Gulitti at Fire & Ice. Gelinas has been practicing with Jon Merrill. At first glance of Gulitti's report from Wednesday's practice, Gelinas-Merrill appeared to be behind Anton Volchenkov and Peter Harrold. However, Gelinas and Merrill got time in practice on the power play. I highly doubt the Devils would call someone up, have him practice with a regular, get time on special teams, and then not use him. It could be that Gelinas or even Merrill could be a seventh defenseman. It could be that those two are the third pairing while Volchenkov-Harrold will be the odd pairing out. Until there's confirmation today, I would expect Gelinas to play. I would also not be surprised if there's a move coming soon since I don't see the need to have eight defenders up with New Jersey at the moment.

Congratulations: Patrik Elias now has two children. His wife gave birth on Wednesday to a daughter, the family's second. Congratulations to the Elias family. The player shall be available for tonight's game.

Based on Tuesday's practice report, he will likely start on a unit with Adam Henrique and Damien Brunner. Andrei Loktionov will be in between Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder. Anything from those six would be highly appreciated.

One Last Note: It's great to be back and focused on the NHL.

Your Take: This game is massive in terms of importance. How are you feeling about the Devils' chances tonight? Can they keep the Columbus' forwards at bay? Can they push the tempo and force Columbus to defend? Can they score more than two goals tonight? Will you be there to see it live? (I will in Section 1, Row 16, Seat 5, as usual.) Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight's game in the comments. Thank you for reading.

Another night of only one game affecting the Jackets, though no real help this time.

Metropolitan Division Standings - Thursday, February 27

Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings - Thursday, February 27

Division Playoff Odds

Courtesy of Sports Club Stats:

Pittsburgh - 100.0% (even)
NY Rangers - 81.5% (down)
Columbus - 57.7% (down)
Philadelphia - 56.3% (down)
New Jersey - 33.2% (down)
Washington - 18.1% (down)
Carolina - 17.4% (down)
NY Islanders - 0.0% (even)

If The Season Ended Today...

Round 1 Matchups

Who Helps Us Tonight

New Jersey vs Columbus (+9.0)
Philadelphia vs San Jose (+1.3)
NY Islanders vs Toronto (+1.0)
Dallas vs Carolina (+0.7)
Florida vs Washington (+0.9)
NY Rangers vs Chicago (+0.8)
Ottawa vs Detroit (+0.5)
Pittsburgh vs Montreal (+0.3)
Nashville vs Tampa Bay (+0.1)

The Jackets are back! With 24 games to make up 3 points in either the division or the Wild Card standings, it's an all-out dash to the finish line. Along the way, they look to complete the season-sweep of the Devils tonight.

Columbus Blue Jackets at New Jersey Devils

February 27, 2014 - 7:00 pm EST
Prudential Center - Newark, NJ
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: In Lou We Trust
Blue Jackets vs Devils coverage

Here's how tight this race is: these two teams are two points apart in the same number of games played, and yet find themselves with three teams between them in the race. Yikes.

But, yeah, this game is important. Hell, from here on out, they ALL are important. A win tonight would give the Jackets the season sweep over the Devils, and with the slate of games tonight, there is room to move in the division. The entire division is in action tonight, and other than this game no two divisional teams are playing each other; Pittsburgh is also playing Montreal which has Wild Card implication for Columbus. So, there's actually a chance that the Jackets could win and get a ton of help. (I know, I know, that never seems to happen, but it bears mentioning...)

The Jackets almost got to the elusive promised land of being "100% healthy," but the Olympics took a toll on their blue-line with Fedor Tyutin going down to an ankle injury. He'll be out at least two weeks (possibly longer), and Dalton Prout and Cody Goloubef have been called up. Prout gets first-crack at filling in, and slots in on the [gulp] top pairing with Jack Johnson.

However, the flip side of that coin is that both Marian Gaborik and Blake Comeau are healthy, with the former getting back into the lineup tonight. Considering he's not played an entire game since November, the Jackets will bring him along slowly. He'll start on the fourth line, though he'll get some top-PP-unit work as well. If he is able to produce, he may get moved up in the lineup. We all know how Todd Richards likes to tinker...

The Devils, frankly, have surprised me. I expected a complete implosion this season, but their defense and special teams have kept them afloat. Jaromir Jagr continues to defy all traditional measures of age and decline, and the Devils' top-five defense, league-leading PK, and sold PP unit have made up for a lack of overall scoring.

And that's the key: the Jackets are probably going to struggle on the Power Play given that they haven't had any game action for three weeks and the Devils' PK is very good. The Devils' PP is solid, and the Jackets PK is a bit of an enigma, and will be without Fedor Tyutin. But, the biggest divide between these two clubs is at 5-on-5 even strength: The Jackets have scored 114 goals in 58 games (1.97 per game), and the Devils sit at just 89 goals in 59 games (1.51 per game).

So, there it is. Stats, schmats. It's game time, finally! Let's go, boys! 24 to go, let's bring it home!

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(29-24-5, 63 Points; 4th division, 9th conference)

New Jersey Devils
(24-22-13, 61 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)

Season Series

10/22/13 - New Jersey 1 at Columbus 4
12/10/13 - New Jersey 4 at Columbus 5
12/27/13 - Columbus 2 at New Jersey 1 (SO)
02/27/14 - Columbus at New Jersey

Head to Head Stats

The Jackets are back! With 24 games to make up 3 points in either the division or the Wild Card standings, it's an all-out dash to the finish line. Along the way, they look to complete the season-sweep of the Devils tonight.

Columbus Blue Jackets at New Jersey Devils

February 27, 2014 - 7:00 pm EST
Prudential Center - Newark, NJ
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: In Lou We Trust
Blue Jackets vs Devils coverage

Here's how tight this race is: these two teams are two points apart in the same number of games played, and yet find themselves with three teams between them in the race. Yikes.

But, yeah, this game is important. Hell, from here on out, they ALL are important. A win tonight would give the Jackets the season sweep over the Devils, and with the slate of games tonight, there is room to move in the division. The entire division is in action tonight, and other than this game no two divisional teams are playing each other; Pittsburgh is also playing Montreal which has Wild Card implication for Columbus. So, there's actually a chance that the Jackets could win and get a ton of help. (I know, I know, that never seems to happen, but it bears mentioning...)

The Jackets almost got to the elusive promised land of being "100% healthy," but the Olympics took a toll on their blue-line with Fedor Tyutin going down to an ankle injury. He'll be out at least two weeks (possibly longer), and Dalton Prout and Cody Goloubef have been called up. Prout gets first-crack at filling in, and slots in on the [gulp] top pairing with Jack Johnson.

However, the flip side of that coin is that both Marian Gaborik and Blake Comeau are healthy, with the former getting back into the lineup tonight. Considering he's not played an entire game since November, the Jackets will bring him along slowly. He'll start on the fourth line, though he'll get some top-PP-unit work as well. If he is able to produce, he may get moved up in the lineup. We all know how Todd Richards likes to tinker...

The Devils, frankly, have surprised me. I expected a complete implosion this season, but their defense and special teams have kept them afloat. Jaromir Jagr continues to defy all traditional measures of age and decline, and the Devils' top-five defense, league-leading PK, and sold PP unit have made up for a lack of overall scoring.

And that's the key: the Jackets are probably going to struggle on the Power Play given that they haven't had any game action for three weeks and the Devils' PK is very good. The Devils' PP is solid, and the Jackets PK is a bit of an enigma, and will be without Fedor Tyutin. But, the biggest divide between these two clubs is at 5-on-5 even strength: The Jackets have scored 114 goals in 58 games (1.97 per game), and the Devils sit at just 89 goals in 59 games (1.51 per game).

So, there it is. Stats, schmats. It's game time, finally! Let's go, boys! 24 to go, let's bring it home!

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(29-24-5, 63 Points; 4th division, 9th conference)

New Jersey Devils
(24-22-13, 61 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)

Season Series

10/22/13 - New Jersey 1 at Columbus 4
12/10/13 - New Jersey 4 at Columbus 5
12/27/13 - Columbus 2 at New Jersey 1 (SO)
02/27/14 - Columbus at New Jersey

Head to Head Stats

After the lengthy Olympic break, the Blue Jackets started their stretch drive on the road in New Jersey, looking to shake off the rust and continue the momentum that they built since the beginning of the year. Instead, they turned in an error-filled, uninspired effort in a 5-2 beat down in Newark.

It almost seemed strange to see the puck drop after an Olympic break that lasted just about three weeks -- though it seemed much longer.   Having lost Fedor Tyutin to Olympic injury, but regaining Marian Gaborik in the lineup, could Columbus skate their way through the rust and extend their record vs. the Devils this season to 4-0?

Portrait of Horrors

If you used the first period as a gauge, you might have guessed that the Olympic break had lasted three years, rather than three months.   The Blue Jackets came out with intensity, but that energy could not compensate for an inability to put or keep the puck on their sticks, complete passes or make even the most rudimentary plays in the defensive zone.  Once the Devils found their legs, they were able to dominate the time of possession in their offensive end.  For their part, the Blue Jackets looked as if they had just landed on an alien planet -- and their own teammates were the aliens.  There were white clad bodies standing in the defensive zone, with no apparent connection to a matching New Jersey player, astutely defending empty ice.

When the carnage came, it was quick and definitive.  At the 6:09 mark, the Devils capitalized on what seemed like an eternity of possession, when Ryan Clowe cashed in on a deflection to make it 1 - 0 for the home team.  Just 45 seconds later, James Wisniewski took a bad interference penalty, and 34 seconds after that Jaromir Jagr used his albatross wingspan to carom the puck off Sergei Bobrovsky's skate and into the net.  Just 37 seconds elapsed before Ryan Johansen committed an awful hooking penalty in the offensive zone, and another 46 seconds before Adam Henrique converted another nasty deflection for a 3 - 0 New Jersey lead.  A bemused Todd Richards called a needed time out at this point, though his expression suggested he didn't quite know what to say.   Don't worry Todd, the fans felt precisely the same way . . .

Whatever was said seemed to stabilize the squad, as passes started finding tape and some time of possession started to accumulate.  In a delicious bit of irony, Artem Anisimov got Columbus on the board with a Hail Mary backhander from the side boards that found a tiny hole in Cory Schneider's pads.  The overhead camera was little use, but the side camera appeared to show the puck  across the line.  The call on the ice was a goal, which made Toronto's job a bit easier on the review.  Not sure a call the other way would have been overturned, either.

The rest of the period assumed a more sane pace, and something resembling professional hockey emerged.  Still, the Blue Jackets were out-manned in shots (13-8) and embarrassed in the face-off circle.  Columbus had more giveaways and fewer takeaways, which always spells trouble, particularly on the road.

Despite allowing three goals, Bobrovsky was not the culprit here.  While he seemed to be having difficulty seeing the puck through the traffic on the smaller ice, he moved well.  He simply had no help in front of him.  Only Jenner and Anisimov had credible periods, and that's not the way to start a playoff run.

Better Effort . . .More Mistakes

The second period has not been the Blue Jackets' friend this season, but Columbus actually played one of the better middle stanzas of the season.  They started with a two minute penalty kill, thanks to a double minor for roughing taken by Derek MacKenzie at the 20:00 mark of the 1st.  Unlike the previous two extra man situations, Columbus killed that one off and started to exert some pressure.  They began winning face-offs, being smart with the puck, and acted like they had played together at least once or twice before.   While the defense was far from stifling, the own zone play was more credible, though turnovers remained a problem.

Despite the pressure advantage, the Blue Jackets placed few shots on net.  Boone Jenner came agonizingly close to converting a chance right in front, and a few other scoring chances went awry.  Still, it was improvement, and effort was rewarded at the 11:42 mark, when Columbus brought the puck into the offensive zone with speed, and held a team meeting at the crease.  Nick Foligno put the puck at the net, followed by a dangerous chance from Anisimov.  Gaborik was camped by the right post, knocked the puck out of the air and off a defender with his stick, then parked the resulting carom into the back of the net out of thin air.   A one goal game, and anything could happen.

The final third of the second was more of the same, with Columbus exerting pressure, but not generating shots on goal.  (They would be 13-8 in favor of the Devils again in the 2nd).  Still, the Devils were on their heels, and Travis Zajac was forced into a hooking penalty with just 34 seconds left in the period.  Looking for a combination of late period and tying goals, the Blue Jackets instead reverted to the mistake plagued squad of the 1st.  Jack Johnson tried to skate the puck along the blue line, but whiffed badly on a pass/shot attempt.  While he was wondering where the puck was, Elias grabbed the puck and lofted it to a streaking Adam Henrique, who went in unabated on Bobrovsky, notching a five-hole goal that restored the two goal advantage and deflated the momentum Columbus had worked so hard to achieve.

Nothing to See Here

One would have hoped that the third period would have been a time of sustained pressure and urgency by the Columbus squad.  One would have been wrong.  While the third period was not awful, it was not the type of effort one would expect with a two goal deficit against a division rival.  Yes, Cory Schneider made a couple of signature saves, but the Blue Jackets managed only three shots on goal for the entire period.  Yes, three.  Sounds bad, doesn't it?  It sounds even worse when  you realize that they played almost the entire final three minutes of the game with an empty net -- during which time they recorded zero shots.  The Devils managed just 9, including the empty-netter from Patrick Elias that accounted for the final 5-2 margin of victory for the home team.

Passengers Step to the Rear

This was one of those game where all of the Blue Jackets' failings bit them in the rear.  The key difference between Columbus and New Jersey on this night was that the Devils skated all the way to the puck, while the Blue Jackets drifted in the vicinity of the puck.   There was little structure, and even less execution.  On the positive side, guys like Foligno, Anisimov, Horton and Jenner hustled and made some plays, but had little help.  On the negative side, everybody had some awful moments in the defensive zone, which is where much of the game was lost.  Overall, there were far too many passengers, which is inexplicable with only 24 games left.

I have to lay a bit of blame on the coaching staff for this one as well.  While Tyutin's absence was unfortunate, I would not have broken up the Wisniewski- Ryan Murray combination, and would have had Cody Goloubef in the lineup over Dalton Prout.  Goloubef has the speed and puck handling to beat the Devils' forecheck.  Prout just doesn't.  Jack Johnson and Wisniewski were brutal, in a word, and it showed what happens when Wiz lacks the responsible, reliable mate that enables Wiz to take some chances.

Gaborik looked very good, at least in the offensive end.  More importantly, he looked like he cared. Jeff Rimer suggested that Gaborik wants to stay in Columbus, so this may or may not be a four-game exhibition season for him prior to the trade deadline.

The numbers verify the quality of the effort.  Outshot 35 - 16.  They had eight giveaways and surrendered nine takeaways (and really more than that).  While they came back to lead the face-off numbers, 26-22, they managed only 4 blocked shots, to 14 for New Jersey.  Viewed another way, the Devils almost blocked more shots than the Jackets put on goal.

No time to stew on this one, as Florida comes back to Nationwide on Saturday afternoon.  Columbus beat the Panthers 4-1 in the last home game prior to the break, and hopes to repeat that effort to create some momentum.  There have been worse losses this season, and this is a resilient squad.  Still, the legs need to move all the way to the puck, and the puck has to get on net more than 16 times in 60 minutes of hockey.  Sure, the Rangers won, but the Flyers lost.  The club cannot put its fortunes in the hands of other teams -- they have to execute their game and start piling up the wins again. It all starts again on Saturday.

The New Jersey Devils scored first, converted two out of three power plays, got a shorthanded beauty of a goal from Adam Henrique to deny a Columbus Blue Jackets comeback, and got an empty netter on their 35th shot in a solid 5-2 win. This is the recap of that game.

For the first time since February 8, the New Jersey Devils took to the ice to play a regular season game in the National Hockey League. They hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets, a divisional opponent ahead of them in the standings.  For the first time since the blowout in the Bronx, the Devils managed to score three or more goals in regulation.  Only they did it within the first ten minutes of the game.  For the first time since January 24, the game before said blowout, the Devils won a game in regulation.  They did it by the comfortable looking score of 5-2.

Overall, I don't think there are many fans complaining about what happened.  There were way too many positives for there to be much griping.  The Devils scored first, converted their first two power plays, got a shorthanded goal to stem a Columbus comeback, and owned the third period from start to the end.  The Devils are a strong possession team and they exercised that tonight.  They out-attempted them throughout the game.  The Devils do not shoot the puck a lot; but they managed to out-shoot the Blue Jackets every period. The final total was 35-19; the last one being an empty net goal.  The Devils need wins, they need them in regulation, and they must get them against teams ahead of them in the standings. Check, check, and check.

This isn't to say the Devils played a perfect game.  They didn't.  They took some calls that could have been avoided.  Cory Schneider probably wants the goal he conceded to Artem Anisimov back, as a sharp-angled backhander went off his stick and in.   The team did get exposed quite a few times in the second period.  Marian Gaborik was a stand out from my view point.  Some times, he got stopped before he did any real damage. Such as when Bryce Salvador actually managed to get a clean stop on Marian Gaborik from behind after he got some open space.  Yet, amid traffic, Ryane Clowe didn't know where Gaborik was as he batted down a puck from Ryan Johansen and popped in an easy shot to make it 3-2.  When Zajac got tagged for hooking late in the period, there was real reason to be concerned that Columbus was going to go all Toronto and tie up the game despite being out-shot.

Thankfully, Jack Johnson made an error, Patrik Elias lofted the puck into space where only Adam Henrique could get it, and Henrique allowed the Devils faithful at the Rock and all around the world to breathe easier heading into the second intermission. This continued throughout a third period where Schneider only had to make three stops.  Three crucial stops, mind you, but only three. When a team is down two goals, they needed more than that and the Devils skaters did a great job to deny them.

Basically, it's a job well done up and down the lineup and coaching staff tonight.  They scored a bunch of goals, they got them in different situations, they made Sergei Bobrovsky work hard to make sure it wouldn't be even worse, and they got an important result.  Will this be the start of something new?  Hopefully.  But there's no guarantee.   Still, this is the sort of game that I think we - the collective Devils fanbase - all needed.   Real life proof that this team can play well, get the breaks that lead to goals, defend it fairly well, and get the two points.   I wasn't just pleased when I left the Rock.  I felt refereshed.  This team has plenty of fight left in them.  Now they just have to keep finding ways to make it happen in March.

The Game Stats: The NHL.com Game Stats | The NHL.com Event Summary | The NHL.com Play by Play Log | The NHL.com Shot Summary | The NHL.com Devils Time on Ice Report | The Extra Skater Game Stats

The Opposition Opinion: Jeff Little wrote that the Jackets disappeared in his recap over at The Cannon.

The Game Highlights: From NHL.com, here's tonight's video.

Actually, that shorthanded goal by Henrique deserves a separate video.  If only for Elias' brilliant pass to spring him for a breakaway.

Special Teams Strong: The Devils went 2-for-3 on the power play, killed all their penalties, and got a shorthanded goal on the final PK.   Jaromir Jagr curled in a loose puck just inside the post for his 699th goal.  Thanks to Ryan Johansen hooking Henrique in New Jersey's end, the Devils got another PP and another conversion.  Henrique tipped an Andy Greene shot.  The two conversions were quick and just put Columbus in a deep hole they ultimately never rose from.   The third power play they got to start the second was wasted but even that got one shot.

The penalty kill was quite good.  The Blue Jackets got a total of two shots on net while the Devils got a total of two from their penalty killers.  Henrique's shorthanded goal was definitely a turning point in the game.  The Blue Jackets clawed their way back into the game, they get a late power play, and it blew up in their face.    It gave the Devils more than just an extra goal to work with; it seemingly crushed the Blue Jackets. They still had about 90 seconds of a man advantage to start the third - a good time as any to still make it a game.  They got no shots on net.

No Hats for Adam: Poor Henrique!  Patrik Elias saw Henrique open in the middle of the ice for an empty netter.  The fans chanted his last name in the hopes of wanting to throw a hat on the ice.  Yet, James Wisniewski got in the way and re-directed it in.   I'm sure he smashed his stick on the goal frame in frustration of denying Henrique a hat trick.

But it's all good.  I'm not ever going to complain about who scored an ENG provided there was an ENG.   Henrique had a fantastic game otherwise.  The play largely went forward when he was out on the ice.  He looked very good with Patrik Elias. He was very good on defense, particularly on the PK.   He got five shots on net and scored on two of them.  He was great, well deserving of first-star of the night honors.

ENG Hero: OK, there's no such thing as an empty net hero.  But good on Elias to get it, even if he got some help from the opposition and didn't intend to score it.  The goal made it a three-point night for the legendary Devils forward.  Elias made the most of his ice time with plenty of offense, three shots out of five attempts, and making things happen with Henrique.  That pass to him for the shorty was wonderful, but just a moment.  His performance was very good.  The team will need more of that going forward.

#699: I honestly thought #700 was going to come when Dainius Zubrus set him for a one-timer in the second period.  Bobrovsky's right arm ensured that he would not become infamous in the history of Jagr.   As usual, Jagr was very good.  Four shots, a goal, positive possession, and a whole lot of schooling for Jack Johnson among others.

Shorthanded: Damien Brunner only played two shifts tonight and Bryce Salvador did not return after taking a shot to the chest in the third period.  According to this post-game post by Tom Gulitti at Fire & Ice, Brunner suffered a charley horse and Salvador's status is unknown.   In some way, this makes tonight's result even more impressive since the Devils did it with eleven forwards and went to five defenders for the end.   It helps explain why we saw some differing line combinations with various forms of success.  As well as Andy Greene getting over 28 minutes of ice time.  That certainly wasn't a problem because Greene was his usual bossy self tonight.

(P.S. We don't cheer for injuries here.  I don't care how bad Salvador/Brunner is, it won't be tolerated.)

Young Guys Doing Things: Jon Merrill had a very good game on defense this evening.  It wasn't an accident that he saw plenty of time after Salvador went down.  It certainly wasn't a mistake when #34 was on the ice when the Blue Jackets pulled their goalie in the hopes of making up two goals quickly.   He was very solid tonight.

Eric Gelinas also returned to action playing for New Jersey tonight.  He unleashed The Truth, which led to the rebound that Jagr ultimately put home for the team's first power play goal and second of the night.  Unfortunately, that was the only time he attempted a shot on net.  He wasn't particularly bad on defense in my opinion.  Though, he saw more action come against him than providing much offense.  Still, he got a point.  He was OK.

I liked what I saw from Andrei Loktionov in between Michael Ryder and Clowe.   Loktionov was very active when he was out there.  He did a lot of hard work to help Clowe get the game's first goal from a keep-in to getting in traffic to moving pucks about.   He was definitely making a point of it to shoot, though only one of his five attempts ended up on net.  He did get pinned back for some long shifts, notably on his few shifts in the third period.   Of course, trying to pick up after Ryder's approach to defense is a challenge.  (I wasn't a fan of Ryder tonight.) Still, I think if Loktionov plays like this more often and Henrique-Elias remains together, then we'll see him in this spot more often.

You Figure It Out: Stephen Gionta also had, well, a good game for him.  He managed to get out-attempted pretty poorly at 5-8, but the fact that he was only present for 13 events at evens falls in line with the notion that his best asset/worst flaw is not much happens when he's out there.  Mitigating that low Corsi% is the fact that he wasn't out-shot; they were 5-5 when out there.   And he took four of those five shots.  Take it plus good PK work and go with it, man.

Muted Threats: The Devils not only got good bounces in their favor, but some of Columbus' top players just had some awful games.  Johansen was terrible.  Nathan Horton was a non-factor.  Boone Jenner was invisible.  No one on their blueline got specifically wrecked over and over; they all shared the damage.  Bobrovsky was good but he can do only so much.  He probably wished he had the Jagr goal (he got sprawled out) and Henrique's second back, though.    Up front, Columbus fans can say that Marian Gaborik played well in his first game back from injury, and they got good play from Brandon Dubinsky, Matt Calvert, and Cam Atkinson. That trio combined for nine of Columbus' 19 shots.  In a way, that says it all about Columbus' performance.  When only a handful of players are really trying make something happen and it doesn't, then the result isn't going to be pretty.   Especially when the rest aren't able to slow down the Devils in the neutral zone or just concede pucks to the other team to give them more opportunities to shoot.

What Is Clamping Down?: Tonight's third period.  Three shots on net, only a handful of long shifts in their end of the rink, and plenty of swarming to create more chances to score.  It's so beautiful to watch when the Devils are that in control.

One Last Quibble: Zubrus, when you get an open look at an empty net from the blue line, then just take the shot. Ensure the win whenever possible.

Your Take: I think it went very well for the Devils tonight.   Can they continue it? We shall see on Saturday afternoon.  In the meantime, tell me what you thought about this game. Who do you think was the best Devil?  Who do you think had a good game that may have gone unnoticed?  Who could have done better tonight?  How did you react when Henrique made that shorthanded breakaway count in the second period?  Do you feel better about the team's chances after tonight?  Was this game just what you needed as a fan?  Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight's win in the comments.

Thanks to everyone who commented in the Gamethread and followed the sparse tweets of @InLouWeTrust. Thank you for reading.

The Jackets didn't do themselves any favors, and they didn't get much help around the Metro, either.

Metropolitan Division Standings - Friday, February 28

Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings - Friday, February 28

Division Playoff Odds

Courtesy of Sports Club Stats:

Pittsburgh - 100.0% (even)
NY Rangers - 88.3% (up)
Columbus - 45.8% (down)
New Jersey - 44.2% (up)
Philadelphia - 43.9% (down)
Washington - 24.3% (up)
Carolina - 11.3% (down)
NY Islanders - 0.1% (up)

If The Season Ended Today...

Round 1 Matchups

Who Helps Us Tonight

No games have impact

This is a look at the zone exit and passing statistics for the New Jersey Devils' 60th game of the season against the Columbus Blue Jackets from February 27th, 2014. Read on for the details.

Passing Stats

Forwards: Not the best night in the offensive zone in terms of completion percentage (65.2%) for the forwards, though they made the most of their chances. The forwards finished with twelve shots generated on twenty-two shot attempts generated, finishing with a S/SAG% of 54.5%. Now that I’ve started tracking opponents of the Devils when I can get to them, if this stat is over 50%, that’s usually a good sign of efficiency.

I think we should start a fund, petition, chain letter, or something to get Steve Bernier better line mates. Bernier finished 9/10 in his passing, but was able to generate six shot attempts and two shots. He led the team in SAG and tied with Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique in SG. Compare that to the production of his line mates: Stephen Gionta and Ryan Carter both finished 3/3 with nothing generated. Yes, Deboer was mixing and matching lines after Brunner went out, but sitting Andrei Loktionov in the third to play Gionta?

Loki finished 8/11, generating two shot attempts and one shot. His biggest play of the night, however, was the interception of the clearing attempt and pass to Ryane Clowe that eventually turned into the first goal. Clowe had a decent game, only missing a single pass of his twelve attempts, but didn’t generate any shooting opportunities for teammates.

Jaromir Jagr controlled play in the neutral zone last night, completing all eight of his passes there. He finished 20/25 overall and generated four shot attempts and three shots. Zajac was a bit off as he finished 10/16, though he did generate two shot attempts that resulted in two shots, so at least he was efficient on the SAG he was able to put up. Dainius Zubrus finished 11/17 with three SAG and one SG.

Defensemen: It was open season in the Columbus offensive zone as nearly a quarter of the passes by Devils defensemen were attempted in the offensive zone, mostly due to Andy Greene and his eight completions on nine attempts; he finished 18/21 in all three zones. Greene generated two shot attempts (SAG) and one shot (SG) as well. Marek Zidlicky (12/15, 2 SAG, 2 SG) and Mark Fayne (7/7, 1 SAG, 1 SG) were the only other blue liners that were able to generate shots.

Eric Gelinas was the busiest in the defensive zone and completed 13/15 passes. He didn’t generate any offense at even strength, but all saw his power play contribution. Jon Merrill (9/10, 1 SAG) had a steady game, though Bryce Salvador completed just over half his passes (5/9).

Passing Data Explained:

Pass: A reasonable and deliberate attempt to get the puck to a teammate which results in 1 of 3 outcomes: 1) Maintaining possession; 2) Allows for the recipient of the pass to make a “hockey move” (dump in, deflection, another pass etc.); 3) A shot attempt. When in doubt, common sense will prevail.

What you see above is a chart illustrating pass completions, pass attempts, and pass percentages for each player in all three zones. A pass that goes across a zone or two will be marked as occurring in the zone it originates from.

Each completed pass that results in a shot taken by a teammate counts as one “shot attempt generated” or “SAG” in the chart below. This is tracked to attempt to determine which teammates are better at generating opportunities to shoot. You’ll also see a “shot generated” or “SG” column to track the highest quality of shot attempts. The last column totals the percentage of shot attempts that result in shots on net.

Zone Exit Stats

Forwards: An even 50 PE% for the forwards. Jagr (8 Attempts, 75% with possession) and Loktionov (6 Attempts, 66.7% with possession) led the team in PE% among players with at least five exit attempts. Zubrus, Gionta, Henrique, and Carter were all under 50%, but everything else was either at 50% or above. A decent night, but you would have liked to see more efficiency from Zubrus and Henrique as they normally are better. Gionta and Carter combined for three turnovers, while Zubrus and Jagr each had one as well.

Defensemen: Zidlicky (44.4 PE%) and Merrill (20 PE%) accounted for nineteen of the defense group’s thirty-four zone exit attempts. Zidlicky was good, not great, as he had one turnover; Merrill had several chips out of the zone to alleviate immediate pressure by Columbus, but without possession.

Greene and Fayne each only attempted three exits, Salvador attempted four, and Gelinas attempted five. Perhaps Deboer has given instruction to both Zidlicky and Merrill to be handling the puck while attempting to exit the zone now.

Zone Exits Explained: Any attempt made by a player to advance the puck from their defensive zone. These actions fall into the below categories (as illustrated on the below chart).

Possession Exits:

P) Pass: When a player passes the puck out of the zone and it successfully finds a teammate.

(C) Carry: When a player skates with the puck out of the zone, maintaining possession.

Successful Zone Exits without Possession:

(FP) Failed Pass: When a player passes the puck out of the zone, but it fails to find its target.

(FC) Failed Carry: When a player skates with the puck out of the zone, but loses possession shortly thereafter.

(CH) Chip: When the player lifts the puck out of the zone or throws it off the boards and out.

(X) Other: Any action that results in a successful zone exit not already covered.

Unsuccessful Zone Exit:

(PT) Pass Turnover: When a player fails to clear the zone with a pass and it results in a turnover to the opposition.

(CT) Carry Turnover: When a player fails to skate out of the zone with the puck and loses possession.

(I) Icing: An attempt to clear results in icing the puck.

(T) Turnover: Any action that results in a turnover not already covered.

What reaction do you have to these stats? How do they compare with your viewing of the game?

Five Maine seniors will be playing their final regular season home games at the Alfond Arena this weekend.

Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine hockey team hosts Providence College starting Friday night at Alfond Arena with a chance to obtain a bye in the first round and home ice in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East Tournament.

The Black Bears took just one of four points on the road at Northeastern last weekend, a disappointing result considering the continued trend of being unable to hold on to games late in regulation.

Maine could finish as high as second and as low as seventh while Providence could move up to second, but also could fall as far as eighth.

The weekend marks the second time South Portland, Maine native Jon Gillies returns to his home state as a collegiate. The Calgary Flames prospect stopped 28 of 30 shots in a 2-2 tie in the only matchup between the schools in Orono last season.

Providence had been skidding, at 0-4-1 over its past five games, entering last weekend, but the Friars got back on track with a weekend sweep of Massachusetts. Nate Leaman's program has made it to the TD Garden for the Hockey East semifinals in each of his first two seasons at the helm.

The weekend series also marks the final regular season home games for five Maine seniors. Mark Anthoine is the highest scoring of the Black Bears seniors and had a sensational season as a sophomore, registering 12 goals, including 11 on the power play, as Maine made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2007.

Senior goaltender Martin Ouellette is deservedly the most heralded of the five. The Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender came to Maine as a young freshman out of Kimball Union Academy and will leave as a polished, athletic goaltender with the capability to move on to the professional ranks.

Blue liner Brice O'Connor, penalty kill guru Jon Swavely and backup goaltender Dan Sullivan are the other three Maine seniors.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday with no television coverage. Visit www.goblackbears.com for audio and streaming coverage or www.friars.com for the Providence audio.

Jeff Cox covers college, junior and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSBNation.

Some want Kevin Cheveldayoff to be a buyer. Others want him to sell. What's a boy to do?

During the Olympic break many local beat writers, pundits and fans have put their heads together on the Twitter machine hoping to solve the most important question heading into the NHL's final stretch:

Will the Winnipeg Jets' be buyers or sellers?

There is a faction of observers who have pointed to Winnipeg's 29-26-6 record -- one which has them on the cusp of the Western Conference playoffs -- and consternate that the Jets' need to buy a ticket to the post-season.

Opponents to this notion have mentioned that this roster as constructed won't be able to support its own weight in the playoffs -- deadline additions or not. This clique believes in a slow and steady approach where patience is a virtue.

But which tactic will General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff take come Wednesday? Here in lies your answer.

Cheveldayoff, by all accounts, is a shrewd and savvy GM. Trading a second round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft for the services of Devin Setoguchi are about as bold as he gets.

Here are a list of transactions that he has made at each of past two years:

Trade Deadline 2012 (Record: 30-26-8, 8th in Eastern Conference)

• placed Antti Miettinen (F) on waivers
• claimed Grant Clitsome (D) off waivers from Columbus Blue Jackets
• traded Johnny Oduya (D) to Chicago Blackhawks for 2013 2nd and 3rd round picks

After looking sloppy in their first post-Olympic game on Thursday evening, the Jackets look to get back on track against the Panthers.

Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets

March 1, 2014 - 2:00 pm EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Litter Box Cats
SBN's Panthers vs Blue Jackets Coverage

The Jackets are back in the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena this afternoon, in a rare matinee tilt against the Florida Panthers.

Both teams were in action Thursday evening, with the Jackets looking disjointed in a loss to the Devils, while the Panthers lost an exciting one on a late Alex Ovechkin goal. The Panthers are in the midst of another difficult season, but the Jackets are very much in the playoff hunt. At this point in the season, it's crucial for the Jackets to earn victories over teams that are so far below them in the standings. Must win? Yeah, that'll be the theme until the end of the regular season for the Jackets.

The Jackets will again be without Fedor Tyutin and Jared Boll, while the Panthers will be without the services of rookie Aleksander Barkov and Tomas Kopecky.

The game should be simple for the Jackets- beat the Panthers with special teams. The Panthers have the 30th-ranked powerplay and penalty kill- they are simply atrocious. With the return of Marian Gaborik on Thursday, the Jackets have a game-breaking weapon that should give their powerplay the juice it needs.

At this point it's looking like Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Tim Thomas in net, though that hasn't been confirmed at the time of this writing. I don't know about you guys, but I hope we see Timmeh, just for moments like this:

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(29-25-5, 63 Points; 5th division, 10th conference)

Florida Panthers
(22-30-7, 51 Points; 7th Division, 15th Conference)

Season Series

02/01/14 - Florida 1 at Columbus 4
03/01/14 - Florida at Columbus
04/12/14 - Columbus at Florida

Head to Head Stats

After looking sloppy in their first post-Olympic game on Thursday evening, the Jackets look to get back on track against the Panthers.

Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets

March 1, 2014 - 2:00 pm EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Litter Box Cats
SBN's Panthers vs Blue Jackets Coverage

The Jackets are back in the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena this afternoon, in a rare matinee tilt against the Florida Panthers.

Both teams were in action Thursday evening, with the Jackets looking disjointed in a loss to the Devils, while the Panthers lost an exciting one on a late Alex Ovechkin goal. The Panthers are in the midst of another difficult season, but the Jackets are very much in the playoff hunt. At this point in the season, it's crucial for the Jackets to earn victories over teams that are so far below them in the standings. Must win? Yeah, that'll be the theme until the end of the regular season for the Jackets.

The Jackets will again be without Fedor Tyutin and Jared Boll, while the Panthers will be without the services of rookie Aleksander Barkov and Tomas Kopecky.

The game should be simple for the Jackets- beat the Panthers with special teams. The Panthers have the 30th-ranked powerplay and penalty kill- they are simply atrocious. With the return of Marian Gaborik on Thursday, the Jackets have a game-breaking weapon that should give their powerplay the juice it needs.

At this point it's looking like Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Tim Thomas in net, though that hasn't been confirmed at the time of this writing. I don't know about you guys, but I hope we see Timmeh, just for moments like this:

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(29-25-5, 63 Points; 5th division, 10th conference)

Florida Panthers
(22-30-7, 51 Points; 7th Division, 15th Conference)

Season Series

02/01/14 - Florida 1 at Columbus 4
03/01/14 - Florida at Columbus
04/12/14 - Columbus at Florida

Head to Head Stats

The Blue Jackets had some mistakes against the Florida Panthers, but some exceptional special teams work and a pair of empty net goals allowed them to double up their matinee opponent for a 6-3 win.

After a painful performance in New Jersey on Thursday night - particularly in the area of special teams - the Blue Jackets needed an opportunity to get themselves back on track, and fortunately the Florida Panthers had come to town.

While I don't want to say that Panthers should be taken lightly - and this game proved that they really shouldn't - they're certainly a team that the Blue Jackets need to beat if they want to push into the postseason. When you're 12 points up on a team in the standings, it should be expected that you take care of buisness.

In the first period, they certainly didn't disappoint.

Swarming Scott Clemmensen in the Panthers' net from the drop of the puck, the Jackets had worked themselves into a 6-1 shot advantage before Nick Foligno finally drew the first power play of the game. The team had practiced special teams fairly heavily, and it showed, keeping possession and spreading the defense out. Finally, with the second unit rotating in, James Wisniewski moved to the half wall before firing a shot on net, where R.J. Umberger was camped out and waiting to capitalize on the loose puck for the 1-0 lead.

Just a few minutes later, James Wisniewski would surprise everyone by discovering that Scott Gomez was still playing in the NHL, accidentally getting tripped up by the...um...veteran... and drawing another power play for the Jackets.

This time, Columbus' special teams would look for an opportunity to beat Clemmensen, but in the dying seconds of the power play, Brandon Dubinsky would win an offensive zone faceoff back to Jack Johnson, who sent the puck over to David Savard.

Captain Caveman lined up and fired a shot that appeared to have beaten Clemmensen cleanly, but after video review it was determined that Cam Atkinson had deflected the puck on the way in.

Regardless, the Jackets had a solid lead and were now 2-2 on the man advantage, but unfortunately they wouldn't be able to hold a clean sheet through the entire period.

James Wisniewski attempted to make a breakout pass from his blue line, but Shawn Matthias would intercept the puck and reverse back into the Columbus zone, cutting past Wiz into the crease and tucking the a shot up under the crossbar to cut the Jackets lead to a 2-1 advantage, which they'd take into the second period.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't last, and again a defensive miscue was to blame. Ryan Murray would first attempt to fire a shot in on Clemmensen, but the puck would get caught in Boone Jenner's skates. Shawn Matthias would send the puck up the ice, and though Murray attempted to get back, Nick Bjugstad would poke check it past him before driving in on Sergei Bobrovsky and tying the game.

Things were looking up, however, when Erik Gudbranson went to the box for a crosscheck on Artem Anisimov, and the power play went back to work.

Once again, David Savard was involved in making it happen, but this time he'd be the recipent of a setup rather than setting the table for someone else. Working his way down after taking the puck from Nathan Horton at the point, Savard would thread past three of the Panthers' penalty killers before popping a nice backhander into the net.

The power play was now 3 for 3, but unfortunately the afternoon wasn't quite in hand yet.

Even as Greg Murray was announcing the power play goal, the Panthers struck back, breaking into the zone and setting themselves up for a quick shot on net. Tom Gilbert sent the puck into the crease, and Sean Bergenheim was ready to tap it home, tying the game up once again to the grumbling of more than a few home fans - particularly considering that the Jackets held a 22-12 lead on the shot clock.

After a fairly blunt altercation between Derek MacKenzie and Dimitri Kulikov that sent Florida to the power play late in the period, but as it turns out that's exactly what the Blue Jackets needed.

After Brandon Dubinsky had a near-miss on a shorthanded opportunity, he'd continue to harry the Panthers, finally getting the puck away and hammering it in on net.

Clemmensen played the puck back to Marcel Goc behind the net, but Artem Anisimov was streaking into the zone and anticipated a pass coming over to Jonathan Huberdeau. Beating the former 2011 first round pick off the puck, Artie was all alone on the ice, with nothing to do but score. The shorthanded goal would be his 15th of the year, and the second he's scored shorthanded this season.

That 4-3 lead held through the third period, despite attempts from both sides to change the tune, but it would come down to the final minutes before things changed.

With Clemmensen sent to the bench for an extra attacker, the Florida net was wide open, and Nick Foligno happily air-mailed a nice shot home to give the Jackets a 5-3 lead.

Surprisingly, the Panthers decided to keep Clemmensen on the bench, perhaps hoping to get another quick counter-attack on Bob, but the Jackets wouldn't allow the Panthers to pull the same trick twice. Isolating the puck and countering, Mark Letestu kicked the puck out to Matt Calvert, and after getting some space into the offensive zone, it was a nice easy shot to put away the second empty net goal of the night.

Final Score: Jackets 6 - Panthers 3

Standard Bearers:

• Special Teams - Even though the Jackets had more than a few miscues today, their power play and penalty kill were exceptional. The three power play goals would be a pretty impressive night, but that shorty was like buttah. Speaking of?
• Artem Anisimov - Arty needed a game like this after a fairly lackluster Olympics and a rough performance against Jersey. He still took a somewhat iffy penalty, but found what he needed to change the momentum of this game.
• Nikita Nikitin - Nikki didn't figure on the scoresheet, but every time he needed to make a play on defense, it happened. One of his best defensive performances of the season.
• David Savard - Captain Caveman was in a much higher gear today, and it paid off.

Bottom of the Barrel:

• Sergei Bobrovsky - Love Bob, but this wasn't a good night for him. He had some good saves when we needed him - particuarly late in the second after Arty's goal - but he had some miscues, particularly on the Bergeheim goal.
• Derek MacKenzie - I understand the attempt to shift the momentum by challenging Kulikov, but it easily could have backfired.
• A Milk Carton With a Picture of Marian Gaborik - Have you seen this former All-Star?

It wasn't pretty, particularly in the second period, but they don't ask if the win was pretty when they give you two points.

The Jackets keep pace in the race to the playoffs, and will get the opportunity to duck out of Columbus before snowpocalpyse kicks off to go take on the Leafs on Monday.

2 down. 22 to go.

Special teams fail big time in 6-3 loss to Columbus.

Artem Anisimov scored a back-breaking short-handed goal with ten seconds left in the second period to snap a 3-3 tie, sending the Florida Panthers to their fourth straight defeat. The Blue Jackets scored two more times late in the third period to finish off the Cats by a 6-3 count.

Like they did in Thursday's loss to the Washington Capitals, the Panthers battled back twice to even things up. Sean Bergenheim's second period goal, which came 40 seconds after a David Savard power-play score and tied the game at three, had given the Cats momentum back.  A hi-sticking call on Derek MacKenzie late in the frame gave Florida a chance to finally take the lead, but instead of cashing in, they let Anisimov get loose and beat Scott Clemmensen for the eventual game-winner.

The Panthers got off to another one of their famous poor starts. They surrendered power-play goals to R.J. Umberger and Cam Atkinson to dig themselves an early two-score hole.

Shawn Matthias scored an unassisted goal, his seventh, at the 13:50 mark of the opening period to stop the bleeding.

Matthias set up a Nick Bjugstad tally 6:54 into the second period to tie the game at two. The goal was the big rookie's fourteenth of the season.

Erik Gudbranson took a cross checking penalty a few minutes later, which set the stage for Savard's goal. Gudbranson was also in the box for Umberger's goal in the first period.

The Panthers responded quickly when Bergenheim deflected a Tom Gilbert point shot past Sergei Bobrovsky. Bjugstad collected his second point of the day with the secondary assist.

The Panthers hung tough in the third period, despite getting outshot 12-6, until Nick Foligno and Matt Calvert both scored empty-netters in the final 61 seconds to put the game away.

Giving up straight three power-play goals and a short-handed tally is downright atrocious, even for the Panthers. The club's failures on special teams continue to cost them games sixty games into the season. This is unacceptable. Fixing the power play and penalty kill must be a primary focus during the offseason. With the way the club has been allowing goals lately, it's looking less and less likely to me that Peter Horachek will be back next season. The Cats will be on Long Island this afternoon, looking to right the ship against fellow bottom-feeder, the New York Islanders at 3 p.m.

Odds & Ends

• After surrendering goals on five straight power-plays to the Caps and Jackets, the Panthers finally got their first post-Olympic penalty kill during the third period.
• Sergei Bobrovsky had a relatively easy outing, needing to make just 17 saves to post his 21st win of the season.
• Nick Bjugstad continues to be a shining light of hope of what could be for the Cats in the future. On the flip side, is Jonathan Huberdeau still a member of this team?
• Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson finished the game with three assists. He drew helpers on the two first period power-play goals that got the Blue Jackets offense humming.
• Scott Clemmensen looked a bit rusty yesterday. Understandable, since it was his first action since February 7th. Clemmer finished the game with 31 stops, including ten in the third period, which did give his team a fighting chance. Unfortunately, the Panthers could not rally a third time to force overtime.
• The win kept the Blue Jackets firmly ensconced in the playoff race. They trail Philadelphia by three points (with a game in hand) for the third and final automatic spot in the Metropolitan Division, and they trail the Red Wings by three points for the Eastern Conference's final wild-card berth.
• Load up The Cannon for more on yesterday's tilt and all things Blue Jackets.

The Panthers look to rebound after a tough 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets as the New York Islanders welcome the Cats into Nassau Coliseum Sunday afternoon.

Just a short preview today thanks to yet another odd start time: The Panthers move forward onto game two of their current three-game road trip, and start out down in an 0-1 hole after a tough 6-3 loss against Columbus yesterday. The Cats should have Tim Thomas back in the cage and the Islanders are without superstar John Tavares, who famously went down during the Olympic tournament with a serious knee injury. The Panthers have some players who are seemingly playing on eggshells as the trade deadline approaches, and it's not going to be surprising to see some familiar faces as healthy scratches as March 5 nears. Alternately, the Islanders are facing much of the same, failing to live up to expectations this season and likely dealing some of their current roster before the deadline, specifically Thomas Vanek, who they acquired earlier this season from Buffalo. It's gonna be a pretty interesting trade deadline this year.

Gametime is at 3PM EST, so set your DVRs if you won't be around. Otherwise, we'll welcome you with open arms at the always-on LBC GameThread, so mosey on over on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Norfolk has been in the thick of it all season, and recent wins over two of the top AHL teams are proving that the Admirals have what it takes to go the distance.

[Ed. Note:All stats and notes current as of Saturday morning. Apologies for the delay in publishing. -CK]

1 Enforcer Zack Stortini scored his fourth goal of the season against the Springfield Falcons (Columbus Blue Jackets) last Sunday. Not normally known for his scoring, Stortini currently leads the league in Penalty Minutes (245) and Major Penalties (27), and is first among active skaters in Minor Penalties (35).

2 Goaltender Viktor Fasth, assigned to Norfolk on a conditioning stint, won two consecutive games against the Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes) Wednesday and the Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles Kings) Friday, giving up just two goals in both games. Fasth is 2-1-0-0 in February with a 2.34 Goals Against Average and a .917 Save Percentage.

3 Rookie forward Max Friberg has three points in three straight games (3A) since being moved to play with Rickard Rakell and Emerson Etem. He has 11 goals and 17 assists on the season.

4 Defenseman Alex Grant is fourth among defensemen in shots with 137 and is averaging almost three shots per game this season. [Ed. Note: as opposed to his two shots, two goals in two games with the Ducks. -CK]

5 Sami Vatanen, playing in his first game since bringing home a Bronze Medal in the Olympics, scored his second goal of season Friday night against Manchester. Vatanen has two goals and five assists in seven games this season.

6 Rickard Rakell scored a goal and added two assists Friday night against the Monarchs. Rakell has an interesting streak going--three goals in three games, and all three have been the game-winners! Rickard Rakell leads the league in Game Winning Goals with six and is currently fifth among active rookies in points with 37 (14G, 23A).

7 Antoine Laganiere scored his seventh goal of season versus the Checkers on Wednesday. It was his only goal and only point since January 19 but Laganiere finished February at an even plus/minus.

8 Gritty forward Chris Wagner scored his eighth goal of season against Springfield last Sunday and has put up a goal in three consecutive weekends.

9 Emerson Etem went four games between goals before notching his 13th last night against the Monarchs. Etem had only goals the entire month of February but managed to pick up eight points in nine games.

10 The Admirals are currently ranked tenth in the AHL in Penalty Minutes, finally slipping under the 20 minute average per game they've been at almost all season. In 55 games played they have amassed 1081 penalty minutes, 278 majors, 79 minors, nine 10- minute misconducts, and four Game misconducts.

--Jessie Blacker hasn't been back in the line-up yet since taking a vicious hit back on February 14th. No timeline yet on his return, though he is still around the rink on game nights and is in good spirits.

--The Admirals currently have three goaltenders on their roster--Viktor Fasth, John Gibson, and Brad Thiessen. Fasth should be making his way back out to Anaheim very soon, which in turn would mean the demotion of Frederik Andersen, and again the Admirals would be back to three goalies. I've said it before--if the Ducks are going to make a trade to clear room between the pipes, Andersen is the guy who goes. Hiller, contract or no, will be ridden as far as he will take the Ducks in to the post season. Fasth hasn't stayed healthy enough this season for a team to take a chance. Gibson, unless there's some blockbuster talent coming back the other way, is off the table. Just one week left to decide...

--I have to say I was disappointed in the readers (jokingly) as the Admirals did not get a lot of social media "love" during last night's game against the Manchester Monarchs. For all the hatred I see from Ducks' fans towards LA Kings' fans, I thought for sure there would be at least some trash talk going on! No matter though, as the "baby" Ducks stayed true to form with their parent club and handed the AHL's number one team a loss Saturday. The Admirals also gave the AHL's number four team a loss last Sunday and between the game in Springfield, a win Wed against Charlotte, and last night against Manchester, the Admirals picked up six huge standings points, bumping them up to second in the East Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference after being out of playoff contention a little over a week ago. Six points separate Second and Ninth Place. No room for errors.

--Veteran Nolan Yonkman said last night post-game that everyone needed to "Do your job, do what you do well" when asked about the highs (and lows) that come after games against big teams. It's a pretty simple concept, but coming from a veteran like him who contributes so little in the offensive scheme but logs a lot of minutes every night, it's the kind of message that can and should be embraced by everyone on the team. It's the kind of message that doesn't need to be verbalized but is expected to be listened to every game. It becomes even more important during these last few months of the season as nine teams are battling hard for just eight playoff spots. Don't do too much, don't play it safe or be tentative. The Norfolk Admirals have shown that their game is just as good as the best teams in the league when they play it. At this point in the season, Coach Yawney's pre-game talk should simply be the words of of the great Herb Brooks. He should walk in to the locker room and simply say, "Play your game."

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