The Jackets and Predators duked it out in a classic battle, with Columbus departing Nashville victorious.

If you've been a fan of the Jackets for any length of time, you know that Nashville's rink has been a house of horrors for the Jackets over the years. The Predators have long been the nemesis of the Jackets, and though they are now in different conferences, the thought of a game in Tennessee still brings some nervousness.

The Jackets entered the game with open mental wounds from their ugly defeat at the hands of the Blackhawks on Thursday. There was a major shakeup of the lines, with the most notable change being the healthy scratch of Cam Atkinson. Also prior to the game was the announcement that stud rookie defender Ryan Murray will miss the rest of the regular season due to having surgery on his knee. These factors combined to give a lack of hope going into the game tonight.

The negatives seemed to dog the Jackets in the opening period, as the Preds dominated in the shot department. The Jackets managed to match the Preds in the physicality department, with Nathan Horton dishing out some big hits early.

Midway through the period, Jack Johnson was whisted for boarding and the Preds were given a plum opportunity to take the lead. A Roman Jose shot found iron, among a barrage of point shots while on the man advantage. At one point, Sergei Bobrovsky was beaten, with the puck lying in the crease. It would have made for an easy tap-in, if not for the goal-saving sweep of the puck by James Wisniewski.

The Jackets' best chance came on a two-on-one break for Ryan Johansen and Boone Jenner. Johansen kept, shot, but was denied by Pekka Rinne. On the same shift, solid effort from Johansen drew a penalty, but the Jackets were unsuccessful on the ensuing powerplay.

If not for the solid play of Bobrovksy, the score after one period could have been very lopsided. Instead, it was tied at gooseeggs.

With the first 20 minutes being all Nashville, it was the Jackets turn to dominate play as the second period started. Artem Anisimov got things started with an incredible effort, shredding the Nashville defense, almost getting a shot off before forcing Nashville rookie Seth Jones to hook him in front of Rinne.

The powerplay that ensued was ugly, the Jackets failed to keep it simple, forcing the issue and failing to generate anything constructive. The 26th-ranked Nashville penalty kill was made to seem elite by the Jackets' ineffectiveness.

With both teams looking for a spark, Corey Tropp and Eric Nystrom dropped the mitts in an attempt to offer their respective teams a boost. Neither player is a heavyweight, but the scrap was inspired and we'll call it a draw.

Moments later, R.J. Umberger's beak (always getting in the way of sticks) took a whack from Viktor Stalberg on the faceoff. He was leaking, so the Jackets were given a four-minute powerplay. Terrific opportunity right? You'd think so, but Nashville's terrible kill again looked like world-beaters. Near the end of the advantage the Jackets did have some solid chances, so there's that.

The Johansen was easily the more dangerous unit in the second period, with Boone Jenner snakebit on a couple of opportunities. It's easy to forget that Boone is a rookie at times, his game is so mature and his contributions and spot in the top-six can't be overlooked.

With the Jackets outshooting the Preds 15-4 in the middle frame, the game seemed to even out going into the final period. Columbus was the team that came out flying however, with Dalton Prout clanking one of the post early in the period. Prout has been very good since his recent stint in Springfield, and subsequent callup.

As the period wore on, the game remained a grinding, intense affair, though the Jackets again had the better offensive chances. A powerplay thanks to Nick Foligno getting dumped behind the Nashville net again bore no fruit, though Columbus did look more organized.

If not for the heroics of Pekka Rinne, Columbus could have been up by three or four goals. I don't think it's a stretch to say that if Rinne hadn't missed most of the season with an injury and unfortunate infection of his surgery site, the Predators would be in the playoffs again. They likely wouldn't have sold David Legwand at the deadline, and instead would have likely been buyers, an offensive forward being their target. I've always had a ton of admiration for the way that Nashville operates, and now that they are in the other conference, I can openly root for them to do well. Five quick reasons to pull for them- 1) You have to respect Barry Trotz. His tenure is unheard of. 2) The Preds have a clear identity- tough, hard to play against, intense, great work ethic. 3) They have an enviable blueline corps, even if they end up moving Shea Weber. 4) Agree of disagree, but their current sweaters are unique and awesome. 5) They have one of the best broadcasting tandems in sports.

Anyway, enough about them.

At the 13:35 mark of the third period, the deadlock was broken.

Anisimov made a good play in the defensive zone to gain control of the puck. He raced up-ice, dropping the puck back to Wisniewski at the Nashville blueline. Wisniewski immediatly fed the puck back to Anisimov deeper in the zone, and Arty cut to the net, stickhandling in front before sliding a backhand into the net.

1-0 Columbus - Anisimov - Wisniewski, Tropp

The goal was Arty's 19th of the season, a career high. Since he has returned from the Olympics, Anisimov's been brilliant. From a personal point of view, he's quickly becoming a favorite.

Rinne was pulled with around 90 seconds left. Nashville poured on the pressure, hitting a post, and coming agonizingly close to tieing it up, but Bobrovksy slammed the door shut.

FINAL SCORE: 1-0 Jackets

Standard Bearers:

• Sergei Bobrovksy / Pekka Rinne - The goaltenders were terrific, and deserve major accolades.
  
• Arty. The Party continues!
• It was a total team effort by the Jackets tonight. They went into a tough rink, and played a perfect road game, showing discipline and a strong work ethic,
  

Bottom of the Barrel:

• Just one thing- our buddy Rimer calling referring to David Savard as Letestu constantly. Also, when discussing Rusty Klesla's NHL retirement he says "continue in his native Czechoslovakia". C'mon Rims. Otherwise, this category is not to be filled out after such a hard-earned victory.

Here are the advanced stats for tonight's game, courtesy of Extra Skater.

The Jackets are back in action on Monday when they take on the Stars.

WIth just 18 games left in the regular season, the Blue Jackets are in the thick of a playoff race that is excruciatingly tight. Enjoy the ride.

The numbers are mind-boggling, seemingly changing by the hour.  Five teams (Blue Jackets, Rangers, Flyers, Devils, Capitals) are separated by a total of five points, in search of two automatic playoff bids from the Metropolitan Division.  Those same five, plus Tampa Bay, Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit and Toronto, are in the running for the two wild card slots in the East.   None of these clubs holds more than one or two games in hand on any of the others.   So, at the end of the day, there are ten clubs realistically vying for six playoff slots.

You can drive yourself crazy trying to figure out who has an edge or a handicap during the sprint to the finish.  Some clubs have schedules theoretically more challenging than others, but that can be illusory.  Clubs with functional locks on top playoff spots (i.e. Pittsburgh and Boston) can rest regulars, and may not share the motivation of those clubs in the heat of the battle.  Conversely, the "easier"  clubs -- those out of the playoff race -- have nothing to lose and lots of young players trying to impress.  So, predicting results is, at best, a precarious business.

As this goes to press, the Blue Jackets hold the second wild card slot in the East, due to Detroit's loss to the Rangers on Sunday.  While tied in points (71) and games played, Columbus holds a big lead in the ROW tiebreaker -- 29 to 25.  Enjoy it, but don't relax -- it will change momentarily.  No doubt, however, that being above the line is better than being below the line at this point in the season.

With all of the focus on the destination -- a playoff berth -- it's easy to lose sight of the journey, but I think it's important the Blue Jackets' fans resist that temptation.   When the final horn blows in Miami on April 12, we don't know where the club will stand.  In a race this tight, control over one's own fate is tenuous, at best.  The club is unlikely to win -- or lose -- all 18 of its remaining contests, and no other club is likely to accomplish other of those feats.  So, the next month promises to be an ongoing ritual of agonizingly tight games, accompanied by intense scoreboard watching.   If you squeezed the stuffing out of the arms of your sofa during Saturday's  1 - 0 win in Nashville, as I did, then you're likely to have some really strong hands by the end of the season, as the games promise to be similarly tight down the stretch.

In the midst of all of this turmoil, let's appreciate the fact that the Blue Jackets are playing meaningful hockey -- probably all the way to the finish line.  It's a validation of the late run made last year -- in the labor strife shortened season.  There have been plenty of skeptics, discounting last year's effort to the vagaries of the schedule and a Vezina performance by Sergei Bobrovsky.   This year is a different story -- Bob is playing well, but is not other-worldly.  It's a full, 82 game grind, and Columbus has shown the ability to play with anybody.  Sure, there have been some stinkers, but there have been some routs in the other direction, and that delicious winning streak that launched the club into the heart of the race.

If the Blue Jackets were just playing meaningful hockey, it would be good, and validation of John Davidson's "brick by brick" approach.  But Columbus is doing more -- playing some good, entertaining hockey.  The club ranks ninth in the NHL -- and third in the East -- in goals per game at 2.84.   That has never happened before, even with that guy named Nash prowling the ice at Nationwide.  It's entertaining hockey, and a brand of the game that ensures that the Blue  Jackets are seldom out of any game.  The seats are filling at Nationwide, the rest of the league is taking notice, and we no longer see the backup goaltenders with the frequency of the past.  That's called respect -- for the guys on the ice and the folks in suits.

So, sure -- focus on the playoff run, exult over every win, anguish over each loss  That's what being a fan is all about.  But along the way, be sure to appreciate what you're experiencing, and remember the quality of the product we were watching just a couple of years ago.  Sure, there are holes to fill and problems to solve, but the quality of the clubs problems has vastly improved.  Enjoy it.

Do you agree?

DUCKS NEWS

• Igor Bobkov has been named the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month. [ECHL]
• Ducks TV Play-by-Play man John Ahlers discusses the origins of his catchphrases. [Anaheim Ducks]
• A profile of the Emerson Etem-Devante Smith-Pelly bromance. [HamptonRoads.com]
• The Hockey Writers argue that the Ducks did well at the trade deadline. [The Hockey Writers]
• Bob Murray thinks that the Ducks can win the Stanley Cup as is. [Sports Illustrated]
• Frederik Andersen - Denmark's first NHL goaltender - is defying the odds with the Ducks. [OC Register via Rotoworld]
• Jonas Hiller laments the Ducks' recent power-play slump. [Los Angeles Times via Rotoworld]
• The New York Times profiles the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League. [New York Times]

AROUND THE NHL

• Team Canada has defeated Team Sweden in the sledge hockey opener at the Sochi Paralympics. [CBC]
• Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray will be out for 4-6 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. [CBS Sports]
• Evgeny Kuznetsov finally signs an entry-level deal with the Washington Capitals (from former Anaheim Caling Managing Editor, Jen Neale). [Puck Daddy]
• Montreal Canadiens prospect Tim Bozon is reportedly in an induced coma. [CBS Sports]
• After 10 years, have perceptions of Todd Bertuzzi's attack on Steve Moore changed? [Puck Daddy]
• Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds versus the Harlem Globetrotters. [Puck Daddy]
• The 2013 NCAA champion Yale men's and Minnesota women's hockey teams will be honored in a ceremony at the White House on Monday. [USCHO.com]
• Roberto Luongo blanked the Buffalo Sabres in his return to Florida on Friday. [Litter Box Cats]

Columbus earned a bit win, and by virtue of the Rangers and Detroit playing each other, they picked up ground on *someone* at least.

Metropolitan Division Standings - Monday, March 10

Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings - Monday, March 10

Division Playoff Odds

(I don't believe these are current, as the table reflects nothing newer than Friday's games.)
Courtesy of Sports Club Stats:

Pittsburgh - 100.0% (even)
NY Rangers - 79.4% (up)
Philadelphia - 72.3% (up)
Columbus - 60.4% (down)
New Jersey - 38.2% (down)
Washington - 14.2% (down)
Carolina - 3.7% (down)
NY Islanders - 0.0% (even)

If The Season Ended Today...

Round 1 Matchups

Who Helps Us Tonight

Dallas vs. Columbus
Washington vs. Pittsburgh
Ottawa vs. Nashville
Tampa Bay vs. Phoenix
Anaheim vs. Toronto

One of the best forwards on the team since the Olympic break, Artem Anisimov was named the second star of the week by the NHL, and is on pace for a career season.

After four goals (three of them game winners) in the last four games, it's not a surprise that the NHL decided to honor Artem Anisimov with one of their "Star of the Week" awards. (In fact, AA has been on a point per game pace since the Olympic break - the only game he failed to score in was the Chicago implosion.)

What is a little surprising is that the NHL didn't notice the season that Arty's been having before now.

As of this morning, Anisimov has 19 goals and 14 assists in 64 games - already passing his career best in goals and looks likely to break his career best total scoring (44 points) set with the Rangers in the 2010-2011 season. If he hadn't suffered a cold streak going into the Olympic break (no goals from 1/23-2/7, and only two assists over the same stretch), it's entirely possible that he'd have already crossed that line.

What a long way he's come from getting kicked out of a game for celebrating.

At this point, Anisimov is clocking an average of just under 17 minutes a game, is one of the team's best PK options, and gets reasonable amounts of PP time.

It's odd to call this a breakout season, considering his 2010-2011 production, but there's a sense that he's really taking off. Instead of a player who was seen as a reliable third line "plus" player, he's recognized as a true scoring threat (currently sitting second on the team in goals behind Ryan Johansen) and game changer. He's developed a solid fan following, and he's getting more and more recognition for his skills.

That talent for being a game changer is really clear when you look at a breakdown of his goals. Twelve of his goals so far this season have come when the team was trailing or tied, and another five came when the team was nursing a one goal lead. (Interestingly, he's yet to score an empty netter this season - every single one on his sheet has been earned the hard way.) It isn't just a case of home cooking, either - he's almost perfectly split with 10G / 7A at home and 9G / 8A away. It appears that a significant part of the team's ability to rally from deficits or lost leads comes from Anisimov, and he's one of the most likely to find an 'insurance' goal when the team needs to protect a lead. That's an incredibly valuable talent to have.

Oddly enough he also appears to be hell on Western Conference teams - he's scored 11 vs. our old friends, six of them against the Pacific Division (including his pair the last time we met up with tonight's opponent.) With a third of the remaining schedule against Western teams, we may see him put up some good numbers at the most important time.

The Jackets and Stars rematch after last Tuesday's game in Columbus.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Dallas Stars

March 10, 2014 - 8:30 pm EDT
American Airlines Center - Dallas, Texas
Radio - WBNS 97.1 FM -- TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Defending Big D
SBN's Stars vs Blue Jackets coverage

Tonight kicks off what will be a busy--and huge--week for the Jackets. They play tonight in Dallas, at home tomorrow and Thursday against Detroit and San Jose respectively, and finish on Saturday in Minnesota for their last game outside of the Eastern Time Zone (hooray!). All tough games, for sure. The bonus? With three of the games being against Western Conference foes, the Jackets can afford to simply focus on getting points. Yes, ROW are nice, but damn it, man, JUST. GET. POINTS.

This is the second meeting between these two clubs in seven days, and the first game last week was really two games in one: there was the first period in which the Jackets simply dominated, burning a rusty Dan Ellis early (the same Dan Ellis shipped out the next day, heh) en route to a quick 3-0 lead. The rest of the game, however, was an exercise is "holy shit we shouldn't have taken our foot off the gas," as the Stars charged back in the second and third to get to 3-2. Until Artem Anisimov's clinching goal late in the third, it really felt like a game the Jackets were going to find a way to lose.

And, that sets the stage for tonight's game. Both teams have been playing well of late (both 4-2 since the break, the Stars are 10-2-3 over their last 15 games, the Blue Jackets are 16-7-1 since January 1), and are matching strengths: the Stars are 8-2-1 in their last 11 games at home, and the Jackets are 6-4-1 in their last 11 games on the road; The Stars have scored on the power play in the last four games and are 6-19 (31.6 percent) during that stretch, and conversely the Jackets are 36-40 (90.0 percent) on the penalty kill over their last 11 games. Even further, looking at the stats below, these two teams couldn't be much more evenly matched. Hell, even though Anisimov was named the NHL's 2nd Star of the Week, the Stars' Tyler Seguin won the 1st Star honor.

That said, both teams have a couple of injury issues. For Columbus, it's been talked to death: they're missing at least two (and possibly three if something changes with Nikitin) starting defensemen, and for Dallas, Kari Lehtonen is out after being run Saturday night and sustaining a head injury. Enter Tim Thomas, who yet again finds himself in the thick of a playoff race playing important minutes. (And, how glad are the Stars that they don't have to rely on Dan Ellis? Yikes!)

The Jackets will go with Curtis McElhinney in net tonight, and it makes sense. They're playing a back-to-back with travel, and tomorrow night's game looms a bit larger in the playoff race. Save your best goalie for that one. In front of CMac, the same forward lines will be out there from Saturday, and with Nikita Nikitin coming back the Jackets get slightly better on defense. They have four healthy scratches tonight, and that will help them tomorrow night; look for some of the Cam Atkinson/Matt Frattin/Cody Goloubef triumvirate to make an appearance tomorrow.

And hey, the Jackets dodged a bullet, as the Stars retired Mike Modano's number on Saturday and NOT tonight. Way to avoid THAT mojo.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(33-26-5, 71 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)

Dallas Stars
(31-23-10, 72 Points; 5th division, 8th conference)

Season Series

03/04/14 - Dallas 2 at Columbus 4
03/10/14 - Columbus at Dallas

Head to Head Stats

Dallas		Columbus
2.84 (8)	GPG	2.84 (9)
2.73 (16)	GAPG	2.77 (17)
15.8% (23)	PP%	18.8% (15)
81.2% (18)	PK%	81.8% (16)
Tyler Seguin, 29	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 25
Tyler Seguin, 37	A leader	James Wisniewski, 33
Tyler Seguin, 66	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 49
Antoine Roussel, 164	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 90
18-10-6	Home/Road	15-15-3
3/8 vs. Minnesota, W 4-3	Last Game	3/8 @ Nashville, W 1-0
7-2-1	Last 10	6-3-1

The Jackets and Stars rematch after last Tuesday's game in Columbus.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Dallas Stars

March 10, 2014 - 8:00 pm EDT
American Airlines Center - Dallas, Texas
Radio - WBNS 97.1 FM -- TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Defending Big D
SBN's Stars vs Blue Jackets coverage

Tonight kicks off what will be a busy--and huge--week for the Jackets. They play tonight in Dallas, at home tomorrow and Thursday against Detroit and San Jose respectively, and finish on Saturday in Minnesota for their last game outside of the Eastern Time Zone (hooray!). All tough games, for sure. The bonus? With three of the games being against Western Conference foes, the Jackets can afford to simply focus on getting points. Yes, ROW are nice, but damn it, man, JUST. GET. POINTS.

This is the second meeting between these two clubs in seven days, and the first game last week was really two games in one: there was the first period in which the Jackets simply dominated, burning a rusty Dan Ellis early (the same Dan Ellis shipped out the next day, heh) en route to a quick 3-0 lead. The rest of the game, however, was an exercise is "holy shit we shouldn't have taken our foot off the gas," as the Stars charged back in the second and third to get to 3-2. Until Artem Anisimov's clinching goal late in the third, it really felt like a game the Jackets were going to find a way to lose.

And, that sets the stage for tonight's game. Both teams have been playing well of late (both 4-2 since the break, the Stars are 10-2-3 over their last 15 games, the Blue Jackets are 16-7-1 since January 1), and are matching strengths: the Stars are 8-2-1 in their last 11 games at home, and the Jackets are 6-4-1 in their last 11 games on the road; The Stars have scored on the power play in the last four games and are 6-19 (31.6 percent) during that stretch, and conversely the Jackets are 36-40 (90.0 percent) on the penalty kill over their last 11 games. Even further, looking at the stats below, these two teams couldn't be much more evenly matched. Hell, even though Anisimov was named the NHL's 2nd Star of the Week, the Stars' Tyler Seguin won the 1st Star honor.

That said, both teams have a couple of injury issues. For Columbus, it's been talked to death: they're missing at least two (and possibly three if something changes with Nikitin) starting defensemen, and for Dallas, Kari Lehtonen is out after being run Saturday night and sustaining a head injury. Enter Tim Thomas, who yet again finds himself in the thick of a playoff race playing important minutes. (And, how glad are the Stars that they don't have to rely on Dan Ellis? Yikes!)

The Jackets will go with Curtis McElhinney in net tonight, and it makes sense. They're playing a back-to-back with travel, and tomorrow night's game looms a bit larger in the playoff race. Save your best goalie for that one. In front of CMac, the same forward lines will be out there from Saturday, and with Nikita Nikitin coming back the Jackets get slightly better on defense. They have four healthy scratches tonight, and that will help them tomorrow night; look for some of the Cam Atkinson/Matt Frattin/Cody Goloubef triumvirate to make an appearance tomorrow.

And hey, the Jackets dodged a bullet, as the Stars retired Mike Modano's number on Saturday and NOT tonight. Way to avoid THAT mojo.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(33-26-5, 71 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)

Dallas Stars
(31-23-10, 72 Points; 5th division, 8th conference)

Season Series

03/04/14 - Dallas 2 at Columbus 4
03/10/14 - Columbus at Dallas

Head to Head Stats

Dallas		Columbus
2.84 (8)	GPG	2.84 (9)
2.73 (16)	GAPG	2.77 (17)
15.8% (23)	PP%	18.8% (15)
81.2% (18)	PK%	81.8% (16)
Tyler Seguin, 29	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 25
Tyler Seguin, 37	A leader	James Wisniewski, 33
Tyler Seguin, 66	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 49
Antoine Roussel, 164	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 90
18-10-6	Home/Road	15-15-3
3/8 vs. Minnesota, W 4-3	Last Game	3/8 @ Nashville, W 1-0
7-2-1	Last 10	6-3-1

The Stars, at the very least, will avoid Sergei Bobrovsky tonight in a quick rematch with the BJs.

All eyes will be on Tim Thomas as he makes his first Dallas Stars start this evening against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Do you know where they won't be? On Sergei Bobrovsky. Former Flame, Duck, Coyote and Senator Curtis McElhinney will make his first start since January.

"It gives Bob a couple of days here to get some work in practice and get ready for Tuesday against Detroit," head coach Todd Richards told the Columbus Dispatch. "We have to be smart. Six games in nine days and all the travel - even after a shutout, these guys need breaks. It's the perfect time."

Bobrovsky frustrated Dallas last Tuesday night, shutting them out through two periods and stopping 31 of 33 overall en route to a win the Stars deserved, if not for his efforts.

So it's backup versus backup, so to speak, with each team on the front end of a back-to-back.

Questions of emotional hangover from the ceremony transitioning to the game were asked of the Stars Saturday, and the first period was a bit of a mess for Dallas. The Blue Jackets' media is asking if there will be further effects lingering into the proceedings here tonight.

Might they be emotionally hung over on Monday?

"You never know," Richards said. "Are they catching us at the right time? We've been all over the place in the last four or five days. We could be missing three defensemen out of our lineup. Is it the right time to play us? It's a big game for both teams. I think they're going to be on top of their game and we're going to be on top of ours." [Columbus Dispatch]

The Stars have the NHL's #1 Star playing this evening. Columbus counters with the week's second star:

#CBJ C Artem Anisimov -- four goals, three game-winners last week -- has been named the #NHL's second star of the week.

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) March 10, 2014

On defense they've been less fortunate, of late.

Fedor Tyutin has been out, Nikita Nikitin misses a game with a head injury, though he'll be back tonight, and they lost rookie d-man Ryan Murray to a knee injury last week. That leaves them with something like this for tonight's contest:

Foligno-Johansen-Jenner
Calvert-Dubinsky-Horton
Umberger-Anisimov-Tropp
MacKenzie-Letestu-Comeau

Nikitin-Wisniewski
Johnson-Savard
Schultz-Prout

Puck drop is at 7:30pm CST on Fox Sports Southwest. And like the priest at my church who likes tell people on Easter and Christmas that we're here every week- To so many folks part of that 19,109 on Saturday... We're here 41 times a year. Don't be a stranger.

More from Defending Big D

Follow @DefendingBigDFollow @SBNationNHL

• Dallas Stars' Tyler Seguin Named NHL's First Star of the Week; Kari Lehtonen has Concussion
• Dallas Stars Daily Links: Modano Headlines, Plus Preparing For The Stretch Run
• Can Dallas Stars Maintain Tenuous Playoff Position Without Kari Lehtonen?
• Ruff: Kari Lehtonen Not Doing Well Sunday After Erik Haula Collision
• Video: Re-Watch Mike Modano Jersey Retirement Ceremony in its Entirety

The Stars winger collapsed early in the first period.

The Dallas Stars game against the Columbus Blue Jackets was postponed after Rich Peverley collapsed on the Stars bench.

Peverley, who has missed a pair of games this season while dealing with atrial fibrillation, was carried down the tunnel between the two benches by the Stars training staff about six and a half minutes into the first period. The players alerted the referees on the ice to the problems. and play was stopped.

The Stars and Blue Jackets both left the ice through the visitor's entrance while Peverley was being attended to.

After about 15 minutes of agonizing waiting, the Stars had an official update.

UPDATE: Rich Peverley has been taken to the hospital an is conscious. The game is still delayed at the moment. That's all we know for now.

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) March 11, 2014

Prayer or good thoughts are appropriate. All of ours are with Peverley and his family right now. Conscious is good. Okay is good. But this whole situation is still just horrific.

The game is still in a state of delay. We will let you know as soon as any word comes down.

ETA: The game has officially been postponed. That's the right decision for everyone right now. It will resume at a later date.

Again, please keep Peverley and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

It was billed as a spirited inter-conference rematch between two clubs fighting for playoff berths. It ended as a fight for much more.

As the hockey season reaches March, the intensity builds, the opinions of fans and observers become more strident and rigid, and anxiety levels reach new heights. At those times, it seems that the NHL is the most important thing in the world. But it isn't. Not even close. Lest we forget that fact, fate has a funny way of reminding us.

Such was the case tonight in Dallas, when Stars forward Rich Peverley, 31, collapsed on the bench at the 6:34 mark of the first period. Players and coaches frantically tried to gain the attention of on-ice officials to stop the game, while medical personnel came out of the stands to tend to the stricken player. Blue Jacket' broadcaster Jody Shelley was stationed in between the benches, and was obviously shaken by the unfolding events. Peverley, apparently unconscious, was whisked down the tunnel, the curtain was shut, and the vigil commenced. Toronto took control of the proceedings, and after a long delay, players and officials were ushered off the ice. Soon . . . but not soon enough . . . word came that Peverley was conscious, responsive and was being transported to the hospital. The relief on the faces in the crowd was palpable.

Shortly thereafter, Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson announced that the NHL had elected to postpone the game to a future date to be determined. Understandably, players from both sides were seriously shaken, and the decision was the rational one, even considering the potential schedule and playoff complications. Both clubs have Tuesday games -- Columbus at home vs. Detroit, and Dallas in St. Louis -- meaning that both faced significant flights. The emotional considerations aside, given warmup time and the like, the game would have lasted into the east of midnight realm. Good decision.

Peverley was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation during training camp this season, and missed three weeks in September and early October, after undergoing a procedure to restore normal cardiac rhythm. It was unknown whether his collapse was related to that condition, but those reporting the incident seemed to assume that it was. A later statement from the Dallas organization noted only that Peverly "was successfully treated for a cardiac event." Atrial fibrillation is a very common cardiac arrhythmia, but is capable of having serious complications.

Watching the scene unfold, with the eerie silence and stone-faced observers, I was immediately reminded of a Saturday night in October 2010, when Blue Jackets' defenseman Will Weber, then playing for the Miami University Redhawks, was slashed across the throat by an errant skate in a game against Northern Michigan. The transformation of a raucous crowd to total silence was instantaneous and chilling. The looks on the faces of the students that night had that same disbelieving quality I saw on the TV screen tonight. Weber ended up having 100 stitches and 15 staples, but obviously recovered fully, and we all hope the same for Peverly.

On the hockey side of things, the Blue Jackets held a 1 - 0 lead at the time play was called, with Nathan Horton notching a power play goal, ending a scoreless streak that had started to wear on him. Matt Calvert and James WIsniewski had the assists. Columbus echoed last week's effort at home against the Stars, skating hard, carrying the play, and out shooting the home club 9 - 4.

For now, it's not known when, where or how the game will be re-set. We don't know if it will pick up where it left off, or will start over. The schedule makers will have fits finding a date, since the closest Columbus gets to Texas is the season-ending pair in Florida. Dallas comes to Pennsylvania later in the month, but is already scheduled to play every other night, as are virtually all of the clubs in the wake of the Olympic break. It might well be one of those "play it if necessary" games at the end of the season.

That will all be sorted out in time, but those details pale in comparison to the ordeal of Rich Peverley and his family. All of our thoughts and prayers are with them. Hopefully, he'll recover fully and this will amount to nothing more than a tap on the shoulder from Fate, reminding us to keep things in perspective. Lesson learned.

Game 65

7:00p ET, Nationwide Arena

Columbus, OH

TV: FSD+

Radio: 97.1 The Ticket

Blue Jackets Blog: The Cannon

Oh hey look, another game the Wings really need to win, against an opponent who currently occupies the final wild card spot right ahead of the Wings. The Jackets are tied in points with the Wings, but hold the regulation and overtime wins tie breaker. This is a game that very well could have drastic playoff implications, and instead of getting healthy after the Olympic break, the players are still dropping like a lead anvil off a 10 story building. Joakim Andersson is the latest casualty as re was rewarded for his PK work with a broken foot; Cory Emmerton will take his place in the lineup.

The Jackets had a game scheduled last night against the Stars, but when Rich Peverely collapsed on the bench shortly into the first period, he was treated for a "cardiac event" and the game was postponed. That's some scary stuff and I hope Peverely is ok. This means the Jackest have essentially been off since Saturday night when they shut out the Nashville Predators.

I hope the whole team shows up tonight, because Jimmy Howard can't do it on his own, and Franzen can't do it on his own, this has to be a team effort and more than a couple people have to play their balls off. The only expected lineup change is Emmerton in for the injured Andersson, maybe we should call Emmerton a winger, just in case. We're quickly running out of centers to get injured.

The Expected Lineup

Forwards

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Scratches: Brian Lashoff

Injuries:Daniel Cleary (knee), Darren Helm (concussion), Pavel Datsyuk (knee), Henrik Zetterberg (back), Mikael Samuelsson (something), Jonas Gustavsson (groin) &Stephen Weiss (groin), Joakim Andersson (broken foot)

Opponent Outlook

Player to Fear: Ryan Johansen

X-Factor: Sergei Bobrovsky

Familiar Faces: Nope.

Thumbs up (One Thing to Like About Columbus): Their name is a tribute to the civil war, and I dig their 3rd jersey logo.

Thumbs down (One Thing to Dislike About Columbus): It's still in Ohio

Bullets of Knowledge

• The Red Wings are 51-16-1-7 (W-L-T-OTL) all-time against the Blue Jackets.

• Last 10 games: Columbus 6-3-1. Detroit 5-3-2.

• Howard is 10-3-2 with a 2.00 GAA, .926 SV% in 17 career games against Columbus..

Prediction: Diamonds.

After getting crushed by the red-hot Boston Bruins on Sunday, the Florida Panthers will look to recover against a seldom-seen opponent in the Phoenix Coyotes.

Remember that whole "play for 60 minutes" mantra that I've been harping on for pretty much the entire season? Yea... I guess no one from the team has been reading it, because the Panthers managed to utterly wilt in the third period against the Boston Bruins on Sunday. After two respectable periods in which the Cats kept it close against a vastly superior team, they just fell apart in the final 20 minutes, allowing four goals and leaving the newly-acquired Roberto Luongo out to dry. Welcome back, Lou. It's going to be a rough end to the season for you.

The Panthers get a chance at redemption, as they always do, when the Phoenix Coyotes come into town this evening. Florida hasn't seen Phoenix since December of 2011, when the Yotes topped the Cats 2-1. Phoenix is currently sitting right on the cusp of a playoff spot in the West and they will be coming into Sunrise motivated for a win to keep that dream alive. The Panthers will again need a complete effort, something that's seemingly impossible for whatever reason, and they'll need to find a way to score some early goals so they're not trying to play from behind again. Or maybe not. This team sure seems to like playing from behind.

Be sure to join the LBC GameThread tonight, and check out the soon-to-be Arizona Coyotes sister site, Five For Howling, for the seldom-heard Phoenix perspective. Peace!

Players to Watch

• Dmitry Kulikov - Kuli has turned his game up a notch since before the Olympic break. He's scored only once in his last ten games, so the offense hasn't really been there, but miraculously he's only a minus-four despite the Panthers losing seven of those last ten. He's cut down on the mental errors in his game and although he still makes some questionable decisions, he's been much more steady. The Panthers will need much more of that from him if Erik Gudbranson's knee injury is worse than initially thought.
• Antoine Vermette - Vermette is on pace to have his best season statistically since the 2009-2010 season when he scored 65 points as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Vermette is a big center with great vision on the ice and he's been scoring at a pretty decent clip this year for the Coyotes. The Panthers will have to take away his time and space around the net and make sure he doesn't slip unnoticed into the slot, something the Cats really struggled with last game.
• Keith Yandle - How Yandle didn't make the cut on the US Olympic squad, I'll never understand. Yandle leads the Yotes in scoring and has eaten up a ton of big minutes for the club this season, including special teams. Yes, he's a -19 on the year, but he's often matched up against the opposition's top lines and Phoenix doesn't have a lot of scoring support to help reduce that plus/minus figure. Along with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Phoenix has a very active and talented defense, something Florida will have to account for in their game plan tonight.
• Brad Boyes - March has not been as kind to Boyes as February was. Boyes has just one point in his last five games, and missing Aleksander Barkov certainly has something to do with it. Nick Bjugstad has plugged in very admirably for Barkov but the injured center was playing at a very high level and with some solid chemistry with Boyes and fellow winger Sean Bergenheim. It's no coincidence their production has dropped since Barkov left the Panther lineup, but Boyes has to fight through it and produce some goals.

The Jackets are back home tonight, and try to shake off the shocking circumstances of last night in Dallas.

Detroit Red Wings at Columbus Blue Jackets

March 11, 2014 - 7:00 pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 FM -- TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Winging It In Motown
SBN's Red Wings vs Blue Jackets coverage

I've been trying to write this preview for quite awhile now. Honestly, this is a really big game in terms of the standings. But damn it if I can get myself up to care. With the events of last night, even though I wasn't watching it live (rec league game), I just haven't been able to bring myself to turn off those emotions and focus on hockey.

One wonders how the Blue Jackets players are feeling.

In many ways, I'm like Abed from Community; sometimes I communicate best through strained movie allegories. I keep thinking of the scene at the end of A League of Their Own where the one player finds out her husband is dead in World War 2, and the locker room is torn up. Tom Hanks comes up and says, "We've still got a game to play." I always had a problem with that. There's no way you can play a game after something like that.

So, yeah. Ugh. I know this isn't quite the same, but in many ways it's worse. It happened right in front of the Jackets' bench. They all knew that something terrible had happened, and I'm sure those tense moments where everyone was waiting for some kind of news, praying for good... I just don't know how you come back from that less than 24 hours later.

But, athletes have focus. They're humans like the rest of us, but they also have to have a tremendous ability to shut things out and just play. I hope playing hockey tonight gives the Blue Jackets players a time of peace and respite from what must still be freshly weighing on their minds.

The Red Wings come in with their own injury issues (take a look at that lineup below), and they are having trouble scoring consistently (not surprising, given who they're missing). That said, they're still the Red Wings until proven otherwise.

No changes in the skating lineup for the Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky returns to the nets tonight.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(33-26-5, 71 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)

Detroit Red Wings
(29-22-13, 71 Points; 5th Division, 9th Conference)

Season Series

10/15/13 - Columbus 1 at Detroit 2
03/11/14 - Detroit at Columbus
03/25/14 - Detroit at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

Detroit		Columbus
2.61 (18)	GPG	2.84 (9)
2.67 (15)	GAPG	2.77 (17)
17.9% (17)	PP%	18.8% (14)
84.0% (7)	PK%	81.8% (16)
Gustav Nyquist / Henrik Zetterberg, 16	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 25
Niklas Kronwall, 33	A leader	James Wisniewski, 33
Henrik Zetterberg, 48	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 49
Kyle Quincey, 72	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 90
17-11-4	Road/Home	18-11-2
3/9 @ NY Rangers, L 3-0	Last Game	3/10 @ Dallas, PPD
5-3-2	Last 10	6-3-1

The Jackets are back home tonight, and try to shake off the shocking circumstances of last night in Dallas.

Detroit Red Wings at Columbus Blue Jackets

March 11, 2014 - 7:00 pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 FM -- TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Winging It In Motown
SBN's Red Wings vs Blue Jackets coverage

I've been trying to write this preview for quite awhile now. Honestly, this is a really big game in terms of the standings. But damn it if I can get myself up to care. With the events of last night, even though I wasn't watching it live (rec league game), I just haven't been able to bring myself to turn off those emotions and focus on hockey.

One wonders how the Blue Jackets players are feeling.

In many ways, I'm like Abed from Community; sometimes I communicate best through strained movie allegories. I keep thinking of the scene at the end of A League of Their Own where the one player finds out her husband is dead in World War 2, and the locker room is torn up. Tom Hanks comes up and says, "We've still got a game to play." I always had a problem with that. There's no way you can play a game after something like that.

So, yeah. Ugh. I know this isn't quite the same, but in many ways it's worse. It happened right in front of the Jackets' bench. They all knew that something terrible had happened, and I'm sure those tense moments where everyone was waiting for some kind of news, praying for good... I just don't know how you come back from that less than 24 hours later.

But, athletes have focus. They're humans like the rest of us, but they also have to have a tremendous ability to shut things out and just play. I hope playing hockey tonight gives the Blue Jackets players a time of peace and respite from what must still be freshly weighing on their minds.

The Red Wings come in with their own injury issues (take a look at that lineup below), and they are having trouble scoring consistently (not surprising, given who they're missing). That said, they're still the Red Wings until proven otherwise.

No changes in the skating lineup for the Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky returns to the nets tonight.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(33-26-5, 71 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)

Detroit Red Wings
(29-22-13, 71 Points; 5th Division, 9th Conference)

Season Series

10/15/13 - Columbus 1 at Detroit 2
03/11/14 - Detroit at Columbus
03/25/14 - Detroit at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

Detroit		Columbus
2.61 (18)	GPG	2.84 (9)
2.67 (15)	GAPG	2.77 (17)
17.9% (17)	PP%	18.8% (14)
84.0% (7)	PK%	81.8% (16)
Gustav Nyquist / Henrik Zetterberg, 16	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 25
Niklas Kronwall, 33	A leader	James Wisniewski, 33
Henrik Zetterberg, 48	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 49
Kyle Quincey, 72	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 90
17-11-4	Road/Home	18-11-2
3/9 @ NY Rangers, L 3-0	Last Game	3/10 @ Dallas, PPD
5-3-2	Last 10	6-3-1

On your stomach with a defenseman falling down on top of you? Not a problem for Nick Foligno.

Nick Foligno was not going to give up on this play.

Not as Jonathan Ericsson was falling down on top of him, not as he was flat on his stomach in front of the net, and not even as he was facing away from the net. The goal was not only his 17th of the season for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but it also added to an impressive collection of highlight reel goals this season.

(Thanks to @MikeDarnay from Pensburgh for the GIF)

Fuck

CSSI Methodology Explanation here

Box score here

Goaltending

In nine appearances (388.5 min), Petr Mrazek has allowed 13 goals (2.00 GA/60). In those same minutes, the Red Wings have scored 7 (1.08/60)

— The Production Line (@TPLhockey) March 12, 2014

The Goals

1st Period 10:24 - Detroit Goal: Danny DeKeyser (slap shot): from David Legwand
DeKeyser blasts a point shot through traffic off a faceoff to score first. Other than a cool jump by Franzen to dazzle the goalie, this play is more about Jack Johnson failing to clear it and then screening his own goalie. No adjustment.

1st Period 15:11 - Columbus Goal:Nick Foligno (backhand) from Nick Schultz and Nathan Horton
Columbus ties it on a net-front scramble as Foligno backhands the puck into the net while laying on the ice. Sheahan loses a faceoff and despite DeKeyser interfering with a guy, the Jackets get it around low to the opposite side point where a shot bounces off Mrazek and lays out front where Foligno out-battles Ericsson. Sheahan gets a turnover minus, Ericsson and DeKeyser get coverage minuses.

3rd Period 10:08 - Columbus Goal:Boone Jenner (wrist shot) unassisted
Columbus takes the lead when a strong forecheck allows Jenner to escape to the front and fire a wrister through traffic into the net. The Jackets make a very simple dump-in play to get it deep where Foligno ties up Emmerton behind the net. Emmerton gets the puck, but is immediately angled off by Jenner as he tries to escape Foligno. Instead of staying on his man, Emmerton heads to the near post, giving Jenner room to step to the dot with the puck. Foligno and Emmerton both screen Mrazek as Jenner shoots it over the glove side shoulder. Miller and Glendening are cleared. Emmerton gets a turnover minus and a coverage minus for giving the puck away and then not watching his man.

3rd Period 10:48 - Columbus Goal:Brandon Dubinsky (wrist shot) from Matt Calvert and Nathan Horton
Fuck this game. Calvert outmuscles Ericsson to get it into the zone and gets pulled down. The puck slides to the front where Dubinsky beats Tatar to it with enough space to go backhand-forehand over Mrazek. Franzen and Kronwall cleared. Ericsson and Tatar extra minuses. Neutral zone coverage here by those two was unacceptable.

3rd Period 15:48 - Columbus Goal:Derek MacKenzie (wrist shot) from Mark Letestu and Blake Comeau
Comeau wins the dump-in race, gets it to Letestu, who has all day to find MacKenzie going to the front. Alfredsson cleared. Ericsson and Lashoff extra minus. Both d-men chase behind the net and fail to get the puck. Legwand and Nyquist are forced to scramble for this mistake and can't get there quick enough.

Penalty Adjustments

1st Period 01:17 - Jack Johnson (tripping): The Kid line forechecks after a faceoff as Jurco tries to escape his man behind the net. Johnson jams Jurco's skate out from under him and heads to the box. Jurco will get a plus for doing well protecting the puck along the boards without getting pinched off the puck.
1st Period 03:46 - James Wisniewski (delay of game): Detroit gets a chance as Ericsson rushes up ice and throws a backhander on net. The rebound sits dangerously in front for Drew Miller, but the play dies when Wisniewski knocks the net off its pegs in a panic. This is a good smart play by Ericsson to create a bit of havoc and good net-front presence by Miller. Both Miller and Ericsson will get a half-plus.
1st Period 12:47 - Brendan Smith (cross-checking) and Blake Comeau (boarding, diving): Comeau drives Smith face-first into the boards on a forecheck. Smith responds by cross-checking Comeau, who sells it and gets the extra minor. No adjustment. Smith is lucky here.
1st Period 16:02 - Kyle Quincey (cross checking): After getting hurt on a play, Quincey gives Tropp a pop with his stick and goes to the box for it. Minus for Quincey.

2nd Period 06:12 - Johan Franzen (slashing): Coming in on the forecheck, Franzen chops at Jack Johnson's stick to create problems. Minus for Franzen. He slashes pretty hard here; this is a good call.

3rd Period 04:52 - Tomas Tatar (holding): Tatar gets caught up on by Anisimov skating back into his own zone and responds by taking his man down. Minus for Tatar. Easy call to make.
2nd Period 07:41 - Corey Tropp (hooking): The Wings get a power play as Tropp hauls Quincey down at the top of the Columbus zone. Q makes a good positional step-up here to draw this. Quincey gets a plus.

Bonus Ratings

-1 to Niklas Kronwall and Kyle Quincey: Bottom line is that I don't think their adjusted plus/minus ratings adequately described the game each had. Quincey wasn't a plus player and Kronwall was worse than a -1.
-1 to Johan Franzen, David Legwand, and Gustav Nyquist: If the Wings are going to be a one-line team, their one line has to be better than they were.

Honorable Mentions:

What an awful game for Ericsson.

Current Game Chart

Season Totals Chart

Screener's Assist Totals

What a night for the Jackets, as they jump back up to third in the Metro. 20 points in 17 games gets Columbus to 93, which would be a franchise record as well as a pretty solid chance at the playoffs, according to Sports Club Stats.

Metropolitan Division Standings - Wednesday, March 12

Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings - Wednesday, March 12

Division Playoff Odds

Courtesy of Sports Club Stats:

Pittsburgh - 100.0% (even)
NY Rangers - 78.2% (down)
Columbus - 78.0% (up)
New Jersey - 58.4% (up)
Philadelphia - 58.0% (down)
Washington - 6.4% (down)
Carolina - 3.0% (up)
NY Islanders - 0.0% (even)

If The Season Ended Today...

Round 1 Matchups

Who Helps Us Tonight

Montreal vs Boston (+0.4)

The Jackets looked to put the events in Dallas behind them and make some room in the standings by taking on the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night, and got just what they needed in the third period to pull out a 4-1 victory.

After the shocking events in Dallas, you couldn't be blamed for wondering how the Blue Jackets would react to having to play the next day. Even if the game had been played as planned, having to fly back from Dallas and take on an opponent who'd been off since Sunday would have been a fairly tall order.

With that in mind, it wasn't too shocking that the Red Wings had a pretty solid command of the early first period, but it was frustrating to see Jack Johnson taking a tripping call just over a minute in, followed by James Wisniewski being sent to the box for delay of game just after the first penalty expired. (Wiz was pushed into his own net, but looking at the replays it seems like he also gave the cage a bit of a push to ensure it would come off and prevent Detroit from scoring.)

Despite that, Sergei Bobrovsky was on his game and kept the Jackets alive through their early troubles, while Petr Mrazek, who went in at the last second for an ill Jimmy Howard, stopped the few opportunities the Jackets could carve out as they fought to get their feet under them.

It looked like a game where the first little mistake would cost the team who made it, and unfortunately that's just what happened to Columbus.

After David Legwand won a draw in the Jackets' zone, the puck squirted away from the forecheck and hopped right to Danny DeKeyser, who skated into a hard slapshot that would zip past Bob.

Things looked like they might go from bad to worse after Blake Comeau blasted Brendan Smith against the boards, and managed to pick up both a boarding call and a diving penalty after he flopped to the ice following a retaliatory crosscheck.

(Comeau only received a minor for the hit, but the team was informed after the game that he will be having a phone hearing with the department of player safety on Wednesday.)

Surprisingly, the team snapped back to themselves after all that kerfuffle, managing to get out of their own zone and starting to put some pressure onto Mrazek. With about five minutes left in the period, Nathan Horton would fight his way from behind the Red Wings net and up to the half boards, where he slipped the puck to a wide open Nick Schultz. The newest Jackets' D-man sent a shot in on net, and Nick Foligno battled for the rebound, got control, got knocked to his stomach, and still managed to stuff the shot home while lying flat on the ice for the tying goal.

Despite being outshot 18-8, the Jackets clawed their way back above water by the end of the first, and finally started to really put some rubber onto Mrazek in the second, though neither team would find a way to score in the middle frame.

As the third period wound on, it seemed like this game was heading towards overtime - exactly what the Jackets didn't want - if someone didn't find a way to change things up.

Enter the Jenner.

Boone Jenner was pursuing the puck deep in the Detroit zone, battling against Cory Emmerton before skating out from the boards. Turning as he passed the right faceoff, he converted his momentum into a fast wrist shot that surprised Mrazek almost as much as it did the crowd.

The 2-1 lead might have been enough with the way Bob was playing, but for the first time in a while, the Jackets actually pushed harder after gaining the lead. Nathan Horton and Matt Calvert battled their way through the entire Detroit forecheck to break the puck out and head down the ice. Then, once Calvert gained the zone he charged down to the net with Brandon Dubinsky, feeding Dubi the puck even as he was checked to the ice. Dubi crossed the "T" in the crease with a sweet little deke before firing up and into the open corner of the net to extend the lead to 3-1.

In the space of :40, the Jackets went from a nail-biter to a commanding lead, and they weren't done.

Facing a stiff counterattack from the likes of Tomas Jurco and Daniel Alfredsson, head coach Todd Richards made the decision to give the energy line of Comeau, Letestu, and MacKenzie a shift, hoping for a chance to disrupt the Wings' comeback attempt.

What he got was a hard charge into the offensive zone by Comeau, who chased down a loose puck behind the net, then passed to Mark Letestu at the side of the net.

Letestu was quickly surrounded by red jerseys, but he found a passing lane to Derek MacKenzie (including catching the rebound from his initial blocked pass before getting it through), and D-Mac tucked it home to nail the lid shut.

The final minutes ticked away, and to their credit, the Wings did their best to cut the deficit, but Bob and the suddenly galvanized defense had everything they needed to salt this one away, pushing themselves right into the heart of the playoff picture.

Final Score: Jackets 4 - Red Wings 1

Standard Bearers:

• Sergei Bobrovsky - No Bob, no win. That simple. Stopping 39 of 40 shots, if he hadn't been sharp, this easily could have been a 3-0 or 4-1 game at the end of the first period, and who knows what would have happened? The team gave him the offensive support he deserved, but Bob was the foundation.
• Boone Jenner - Huge goal. That makes Boone's fourth GWG of the season so far, just one game winner behind some guy named Nathan MacKinnon among rookies. On top of that, his goal also puts him at 20 points for the season with room to grow. Not bad at all for a rookie year.
• Nick Foligno - Seriously, watch that goal. Filth. Pure, glorious, filth. He's now tied his career best in goals with 17, and I wouldn't be shocked if we see him break the 20 goal mark before all is said and done.
• The Metropolitan Division and their opponents - Columbus got pretty much every possible bit of help they could ask for on the out of town scoreboard. Philly, New York, Washington, and Toronto all lost, giving the Jackets third place in the division and within two points of both second place in the Metro and the top wildcard spot.

Bottom of the Barrel:

• Blake Comeau - To paraphrase Dennis Leary: "Blake, this is God, what the hell were you thinking?" I've no doubt that his long stint in the press box has made him eager to show how he can impact the game, but I don't think that's quite what the team had in mind.
• Rough Start - There's a lot of factors that went into it, some of them completely unique, but the Jackets weren't ready to go, and it easily could have burned them.

If this had been a 2-1 win, we'd probably have said the Jackets scraped by, and in fairness, the first two periods really weren't much to write home about, but they turned around and delivered a huge third period - pretty much a textbook performance for how to take control of a game in a playoff race. If you hear people wondering if this team is for real, you point them back to this game.

66 down (minus Dallas). 16 to go.