A sort of notes from the Rangers's loss to the Sharks.

These notes aren't going to be so much a notes from the New York Rangers' loss to the San Jose Sharks but more of a collection of thoughts I have about the team overall. Some thoughts from the game will be sprinkled in, but we all know the bulk of what happened Sunday afternoon.

- I refuse to accept the Rangers have an offense problem. They have no issues creating chances, getting good opportunities and making sure they have more of those moments than their opponents. The Rangers' problem comes in the final stage of those opportunities: Finishing them. The Rangers have a finishing problem, and yes this is an offensive problem when you boil it down, but this team doesn't have the same problems last year's team did. The Rangers didn't get chances last year, they're getting chances this year, they're just not finishing them.

- One of the biggest factors for the above? The Rangers don't know how to utilize quick shots, apparently. Against the Sharks the Rangers had four opportunities where taking a quick shot would have resulted in a probable goal. Instead, the Ranger on the scoring side of things stick handled the puck just long enough to give the goaltender or the defense enough time to make a play. Look no further than Ryan McDonagh taking an extra two seconds to handle Dan Carcillo's cross-crease pass. It's the difference between a 1-0 scoreline and a 1-1 scoreline.

- Some of the above has to do with puck luck too. Derick Brassard gets stoned on a play where Antti Niemi didn't even realize he made the save. Toronto once again put on an amazing disaster by making the decision that Carl Hagelin's goal wouldn't count because they couldn't prove the puck was over the line. I understand the decision, actually, but that call easily could have gone either way. And with the way decisions have been going for the Rangers this year, you had to know it was going to go against them.

- And those two points might be the difference between making the playoffs and not making the playoffs. The Rangers can't seem to find a win, the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets can't seem to find a regulation loss. That adds up to anxiety for Rangers fans.

- It's not just about making the playoffs either. It's about avoiding Pittsburgh or Boston in the first round, which means avoiding the wildcard spots.

- The defense, I think, hasn't been bad. And the goaltending certianly hasn't been bad. The Rangers are just giving up goals at the wrong time, and then their offense can't bail them out.

Not much more to say really. Thoughts on all this guys?

Don't tell Ilya Bryzgalov, but a Bruin is a bear!

Tonight the Minnesota Wild will faceoff against the Boston Bruins in a St. Patrick's Day event at the TD Garden in Boston. The Wild are getting a red-hot Bruins team who has won their last 8 consecutive games. It's about time somebody knocked them down a peg, wouldn't you agree?

It won't be easy, but for Charlie Coyle it will basically be a home game as he will have an entire section reserved for friends and family. Hopefully he shows a big game for those that are making the trip to see him battle against his favorite team.

Not much new surrounding the team that doesn't involve the Coyle homecoming extravaganza. We do have the Big 10 Tournament seeding being announced as well as a man eating his hat. Enjoy the walk!

Wild News

Wild's Charlie Coyle to make Boston homecoming before family and friends - TwinCities.com
Coyle will be back in his old stomping grounds tonight hoping to walk out of the Garden with a win against his favorite team.

Laxidasicle Meanderings

Colin Doyle the hero as Rock defeat Minnesota Swarm in overtime | Toronto Star
The Swarm's season-long woes continued over the weekend.

Off the Trail

Inaugural Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Bracket Announced - BIG TEN CONFERENCE Official Athletic Site
The Big Ten Tournament bracket has been announced. Things kick off this Thursday, March 20, at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn.

Watch Stan Fischler eat his own hat because Ryan Callahan was traded (Video) | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports
I wish Don Cherry would make a bet that he would eat one of his suits.

Postponed Dallas Stars-Columbus Blue Jackets game rescheduled for April 9 - NHL.com - News
Last Monday's postponed game between the Stars and Blue Jackets has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 9 in Dallas.

Who'll make the playoffs in the NHL West?
The Western Conference is essentially the 100-point club. Six or seven of the eight playoff teams will top that mark this season. The No. 8 team could end up with 95 to 97 points.

Bear Hunting

Stanley Cup of Chowder, a Boston Bruins community
Your best source for quality Boston Bruins news, rumors, analysis, stats and scores from the fan perspective.

The Official Website - Boston Bruins
Make sure to stop by the Bruins website for all the latest official team news.

NHL Recap - Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins - Mar 15, 2014 - CBSSports.com
Jarome Iginla scored a pair of goals, backup goaltender Chad Johnson made 29 saves and the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins won their eighth straight, 5-1 over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon.

Trollin' the Avalanche, Blue Jackets and Leaves.

Tuesday, March 18th, 2014

Opposing team: Colorado Avalanche

Record as of start of week: 44-19-5 for 93 points (not too bad considering Andre Benoit is their number 1 d-man).

Best Player: Matt Duchene whose career goal total is actually 1 higher than it should be due to this actually being called onside by an amazingly competent ref.

Starting Goalie: Semyon Varlamov.

Wildcard: Newly acquired Reto Berra whom the Avalanche hilariously purchased from the Flames for a 2^nd round pick and then hysterically re-signed to a 3 year $4,350,000 contract. 29 NHL games.

Fun fact about the team: They play with a combination of skill, speed and a blinding fear that they might get murdered in their sleep should they lose.

Fun fact about the city: Denver is the home of the Superbowl XLVIII losing Denver Broncos. And by losing I meant "HOLY CRAP DID THEY EVEN PLAY THE GAME?"

Habs will win if: They can utilize their speed and skill to avoid the pane of glass that Patrick Roy will try to push over onto the Habs bench.

Habs will lose if: They relapse from their moment of clarity and dress Douglas Murray.

Highlight of the night: Patrick Roy jumps onto the ice and tries to fight Brandon Prust after Prust takes a shot on his net (He is irrational and insane).

Predicted tweets of the night:

@everyhockeyperson Patrick Roy used to play for the Habs and now he's coaching the Avalanche and they could have hired him as their coach but they didn't and look at him now he's good at it and not just batshit nutso.

@canadiensofficialaccount Check out the 10 best Patrick Roy moments!

@AvsFans Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon Nathan MacKinnon

Thursday, March 20th, 2014

Opposing team: Columbus Blue Jackets

Record as of start of week: 35-26-6 for 76 points.

Best Player: Nathan Horton who seems a lot less like a massive shit head and a lot more like a solid power forward who would be an asset to any team like he was in Florida.

Starting Goalie: BOBROVSKY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wildcard: James Wisniewski, though I may be blowing his involvement in this game out of proportion.

Fun fact about the team: They employ a blue collar work ethic approach which is slang for "they suck and their goaltending is their entire team".

Fun fact about the city: Columbus is the third most "we had no clue this city was in Ohio" in Ohio.

Habs will win if: They're able to overpower the supreme defensive mastery of Jack Johahahahahaha.

Habs will lose if: Their token French Canadian does what all token French Canadians do against the Habs.

Highlight of the night:Nick Foligno jumps into space (we get it your dad did the jump thing).

Predicted tweets of the night:

@bluejacketsfans We're relevant now! Look at us! We're almost in the playoffs! Hey! HEY! Look at us! Relevant! RELEVANT!

@HabsFans We will take any one on your team for Rene Bourque yes even Blake Comeau.

@JayandDan BOBROVSKY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Opposing team: Toronto Maple Leaves

Record as of start of week: 36-25-8 80 points (one behind the Habs haha the Leaves are absolutely terrible).

Best Player: Phil Kessel who is somehow an elite NHL scorer despite being an overweight disheveled homeless person who can't afford a haircut or a razor apparently.

Starting Goalie: Jonathan Bernier, the king of the gaffe.

Wildcard: Dion Phaneuf. You never know when this mensa member will get confused and hit his own teammate.

Fun fact about the team: They hold the all-time NHL franchise record for Most Seasons Started with Unabashed Irrational Hope Only To Crap Out In March And Leave The Fanbase Crushed And Destroyed And Dead Inside.

Fun fact about the city: Toronto is home to an overhyped, overpaid, baboon-like, useless public figure who is an un-convicted drug user and who is constantly leaving Torontonians hoping for better news but are always left disappointed, confused and angry whenever David Clarkson takes the ice.

Habs will win if: They can shut down Phil Kessel because come on let's be honest they're a one man team.

Habs will lose if: Randy Carlyle properly nourishes his team byt figuring out how to turn on the toaster.

Highlight of the night: Habs win and send the Leafs spiraling downward out of the playoffs.

Predicted tweets of the night:

@SmartPeople Reimer would have had that

@SmartPeople Bernier would have had that

@smartpeople Go Habs Go

Today's New York Rangers notes.

If the season ended today, the Rangers would make the playoffs. But that statement is becoming less and less comfortable by the day, as a Rangers slide combined with stellar stretches from the Blue Jackets and Flyers is altering the standings. Let's just say, there's no better time for a win and to change some momentum than Tuesday night in Ottawa. Oh, and Henrik Lundqvist will again be going for win number 302, which would set a franchise record. Here are your morning notes.

With only 13 games remaining in the regular season, time is running out on the Rangers. [Blueshirt Banter]

With the Rangers jockeying for postseason position, and struggling to score, Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis have been non-factors. [NY Post] [Rangers Rants]

And despite going his first seven games as a Ranger without finding the back of the net, St. Louis has remained stoic. [Daily News] [ESPN NY] [NY Post] [Newsday]

Fresh from the collegiate ranks, Ryan Haggerty is just trying to learn and grow. [NY Post] [ESPN NY] [Blueshirts Blog]

The Rangers have come to terms with their third round pick from the 2013 NHL Draft, defenseman Ryan Graves. [Blueshirt Banter]

Minnesota wrapped up the B1G Ten regular season title last weekend. They've added a few individual awards as well, and now we're approaching tournament time. Who doesn't love March?

So it’s finally over.The Golden Gophers won the regular season B1G Ten championship outright with an overtime win at Michigan on Friday night.I certainly breathed a sigh of relief, as the championship has felt like an inevitable conclusion for weeks, but I never feel secure about a trophy until it’s on the shelf.Two of four trophy stands have been filled, but much work remains.

Minnesota entered the weekend needing a win or my favorite tie-shootsie-win.For a team vying for a league title, that shouldn’t be too tall an order on any given weekend, even when that weekend occurs in Ann Arbor.We would have to wait a little more than sixty minutes for the victory, but at least we didn’t have to wait until the last day of the season.

What wins championships?Goaltending and timely scoring.As usual, Minnesota got an excellent performance out of Adam Wilcox (Tampa Bay Lightning), who earned B1G Ten Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year honors from the conference coaches and media after the weekend.The awards are well deserved: a team might score two goals against Wilcox in a game, but they’ll rarely score three.Michigan would only get two first period goals in this one before Wilcox shut the door.

As for timely scoring, who do you look to in crunch time?Why, you look to your first line and your junior Captain and second-team All Big Ten center Kyle Rau (Florida Panthers).Rau has the valuable ability to pop up in the slot with no defenders nearby.On this night, that ability would pot his team a championship.

Perhaps the most valuable of Rau’s traits isn’t his knack for timely scoring (GopherSports.com notes that 40% of his 44 career goals have been game-winners), but his attitude.I think that attitude is embodied in this quote:

"When you come here, you don't come to win conference championships. You come for something else."

I don’t need to break that quote down for you.

For Saturday’s game, The Don decided to rest Wilcox, and the team did not look particularly sharp in front of senior Mike Shibrowski.It was pretty obvious that Minnesota had secured its championship and was playing the last game as a formality.Don’t question The Don’s decision to rest Wilcox and not press too hard during the game.If you do, he’ll just point to his brand new B1G Ten Coach of the Year award and you’ll feel ashamed.Apologize to the Don.

Everyone knows the master plan for the weekend was two-fold: win the championship and get Brady Skjei (New York Rangers) three goals.Done.In reality, I’m going to call those three goals an aberration, but if he wants to keep scoring goals, we’ll take it.

Sophomore defenseman Mike Reilly (Columbus Blue Jackets) also picked up a conference honor as he was named B1G Ten Defensive Player of the Year.Ironically, he won the defensive honor because he’s one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the conference.He’s also one of the most talented puck carriers on college hockey.

It should be noted that both Wilcox and Reilly were named to the All B1G Ten first team, in addition to their personal awards.

So now we’re close to the end our annual hockey journey; it’s tournament time.Keep an on the Daily Gopher as the week progresses for the best Gopher-focused coverage of the B1G Ten tournament.

The last time these teams met in Raleigh, the Hurricanes snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Blue Jackets. But the Canes haven't won in Columbus in ten years. Can they end that streak tonight?

Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets
March 18, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: The Cannon

Hurricanes Record: 29-30-9 | 67 pts | 7th Metro | 13th EC
Blue Jackets Record: 35-26-6 | 76 pts | 3rd Metro | 7th EC

Post-Season Picture:
Games Remaining: 14
Minimum Points Needed: 91
Points Back: 24 (1.71 points/game)
Playoff Chances (Sports Club Stats): 0.8%
Tragic Number: 20

Team line combinations: [Blue Jackets] [Hurricanes]

The Hurricanes and Blue Jackets meet tonight for the fourth of five scheduled appearances this season. Columbus won the first two games and Carolina won the third, a 3-2 win at PNC Arena on January 27th. But the Hurricanes have to go all the way back to March 8, 2004 in order to find their last win on the road in Columbus.

Tonight begins a three-game road trip that will see the Canes also face the Blackhawks and Jets before returning to Raleigh. The Hurricanes arrive in Columbus hoping to snap a two-game losing streak, their latest a 2-1 loss to the Oilers at home on Sunday afternoon.

The Blue Jackets are 6-3-1 in their last ten games and are coming off a 2-1 shootout win against the Wild on Saturday night. They currently hold a playoff spot with third place in the Metro division, one point behind the Flyers and tied in points with the Rangers but with fewer games played. They are on pace for 93 points which would be a franchise record (current record is 92 from 2008-09), and are playing sound hockey with exceptional goaltending, stable defense, and a good foundation of forwards that are able to provide solid scoring. Check out the Melrose Minute on how Columbus has built their team the "right way" [nhl.com].

Blake Comeau is expected to be back tonight after serving a two-game suspension, but it's undecided who he will replace in the lineup. No other lineup changes are expected. Sergei Bobrovsky is confirmed in net, coming off his announcement as the NHL's first star for this past week. Bob was 2-0-1 with a 1.58 GAA and .950 save percentage in three games last week. Artem Anisimov has been on a tear since returning from the Olympics, earning NHL second star honors for the prior week. Anisimov has four game-winning goals in March and seven points in his last eight games.

Remaining out of the line-up with injuries for the Blue Jackets are right wing Jared Boll (ankle surgery) and defenseman Ryan Murray (knee surgery).

Head coach Todd Richards spoke with the media after the team practice on Monday [CBJ.com video].

The Canes practiced at RCI yesterday before flying out to Columbus. Jiri Tlusty (lower body) missed the Oilers game Sunday, didn't practice, and won't be in the line-up tonight, although Kirk Muller didn't rule out the possibility of a return later this week. Radek Dvorak left Sunday's game early but was at practice. John-Michael Liles (concussion) skated with the team in a no-contact jersey and remains out of the lineup.

Alexander Semin didn't practice yesterday but it was explained as a maintenance day and he's expected be in the lineup tonight, and if so it will mark his 100th game played as a Hurricane. Sasha had a seven-game point streak broken Sunday but is leading the NHL in goals scored since January 18th with 13 goals.

Jordan Staal did keep his point streak going, scoring the lone goal in Sunday's loss. Staal the younger now has nine points (3g, 6a) in his last six games.

Muller apparently had strong words for his team at the end of yesterday's practice where he challenged the players' commitment to a culture change, per reports from Chip Alexander [N&O]. He was more subdued in his post-practice comments to the media [audio].

After practice the Hurricanes announced that forward Chris Terry will be called up from Charlotte to accompany the team on their road trip [ch.com]. Terry played in seven games earlier in the season, and tallied a beauty of a shootout winner against the Anaheim Ducks on November 15th. Terry has been a point-per-game player this season (56 points in 56 games, tied with Zach Boychuk for the team lead), and his call-up will leave a void for the Checkers, who are in the midst of a playoff race [gocheckers.com].

Finally, it's certainly a good idea for the Hurricanes to continue to reach out to cultivate new fans, especially in light of the recent on-ice struggles. They might actually be on to something here.

This sounds like a plan to me. I wouldn't wanna stray too far from home. #goCanes#jumpedonthewagon@NHLCanes@ReganSmith

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 17, 2014

We'll have the game thread ready to roll by 6:30 pm. See you there.

The Jackets welcome the free-falling Hurricanes to Nationwide before embarking on a ridiculous closing schedule to try to secure a playoff berth.

Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets

March 18, 2014 - 7:00 pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Canes Country
SBN's Blue Jackets vs Hurricanes coverage

The Jackets' schedule was pretty tough over the past couple of weeks. Before the Olympic break ended, I highlighted this past stretch as one of the most important:

The Jackets' toughest stretch, in my opinion, happens very quickly: between March 6 and March 15, they play six games, four of which are on the road. They go to Chicago, Nashville (their own house of horrors), and Dallas, are home for a big game against Detroit, face San Jose at home, and then go to Minnesota.

How'd they do? Well, they went 3-1-1 over that stretch, with one incomplete against Dallas (though they'll start with the lead when they make the game up in April). All in all, very good.

So, now we get into the schedule of quantity, if not quality. The Jackets have 15 games remaining, and included in those 15 games are FIVE (5!!) sets of back-to-back games, including a brutal stretch of five games in seven days to close out the season thanks to the reschedule of the Dallas game. (Still think they made the right call in canceling the rest of that game, but really, NHL? Really?)

But, while the Jackets have a ton of games in a very small amount of time, they get a break in terms of their strength of schedule. The Jackets' remaining opponents collectively have a sub-.500 winning percentage (note: this does not factor in OT points), including two games against Carolina, the Isles, and a game against Florida. They also get cracks at the Rags and Flyers to help make their case for a Metro playoff spot.

It won't be easy. That said, tonight's opponent has been trending in the wrong direction since the calendar moved to February. The Canes have a 4-10-0 record since the beginning of February, and are basically playing out the string at this point mathematically.

I know you probably get tired of it, but I like to cite random quotes from my brother, who I talk to almost daily about hockey and who happens to live in Raleigh and follow the Canes. He attended Sunday's game against Edmonton, and this was his report:

They have pretty much folded in the tent. Shying away from physical play, over-passing instead of crashing the net... just sad to see. I thought they had a legitimate chance going into the Olympic break. I think they will roll over for any team that shows up and plays with a little edge at this point.

Cue the Jackets!

Given some big games in the standings on Thursday and Friday against Montreal and New York, this is a game the Jackets simply HAVE to win. They've shown that their style--when they play it--is tough for the Canes to match up against, and given the way Carolina has gone off the rails over the past six weeks, it should be ripe for the picking for the Jackets. Columbus has had two days off to rest after their recent stretch of games, and so there's no excuse for not coming out and dominating the Canes from the drop of the puck.

Columbus is 10-2-1 in their last 13 at home; the Canes are falling apart like the Bluesmobile, and are 1-7-0 in their last eight on the road (and the one win was in OT, though against San Jose, amazingly).

In short, the Jackets simply HAVE to win this game. No excuses.

Please note: it's early and I have a full day, so these are VERY projected lineups.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(35-26-6, 76 Points; 3rd division, 7th conference)

Carolina Hurricanes
(29-30-9, 67 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)

Season Series

12/23/13 - Columbus 4 at Carolina 3
01/10/14 - Carolina 0 at Columbus 3
01/27/14 - Columbus 2 at Carolina 3
03/18/14 - Carolina at Columbus
03/29/14 - Columbus at Carolina

Head to Head Stats

Carolina		Columbus
2.47 (20)	GPG	2.84 (8)
2.81 (20)	GAPG	2.72 (16)
12.6% (29)	PP%	18.3% (14)
81.3% (18)	PK%	82.0% (16)
Jeff Skinner, 26	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 26
Eric Staal, 36	A leader	James Wisniewski, 33
Eric Staal, 52	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 50
Eric Staal, 66	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 92
12-16-4	Road/Home	19-11-3
3/16 vs. Edmonton, L 2-1	Last Game	3/15 @ Minnesota, W 2-1 (SO)
3-7-0	Last 10	6-3-1

The Jackets welcome the free-falling Hurricanes to Nationwide before embarking on a ridiculous closing schedule to try to secure a playoff berth.

Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets

March 18, 2014 - 7:00 pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Canes Country
SBN's Blue Jackets vs Hurricanes coverage

The Jackets' schedule was pretty tough over the past couple of weeks. Before the Olympic break ended, I highlighted this past stretch as one of the most important:

The Jackets' toughest stretch, in my opinion, happens very quickly: between March 6 and March 15, they play six games, four of which are on the road. They go to Chicago, Nashville (their own house of horrors), and Dallas, are home for a big game against Detroit, face San Jose at home, and then go to Minnesota.

How'd they do? Well, they went 3-1-1 over that stretch, with one incomplete against Dallas (though they'll start with the lead when they make the game up in April). All in all, very good.

So, now we get into the schedule of quantity, if not quality. The Jackets have 15 games remaining, and included in those 15 games are FIVE (5!!) sets of back-to-back games, including a brutal stretch of five games in seven days to close out the season thanks to the reschedule of the Dallas game. (Still think they made the right call in canceling the rest of that game, but really, NHL? Really?)

But, while the Jackets have a ton of games in a very small amount of time, they get a break in terms of their strength of schedule. The Jackets' remaining opponents collectively have a sub-.500 winning percentage (note: this does not factor in OT points), including two games against Carolina, the Isles, and a game against Florida. They also get cracks at the Rags and Flyers to help make their case for a Metro playoff spot.

It won't be easy. That said, tonight's opponent has been trending in the wrong direction since the calendar moved to February. The Canes have a 4-10-0 record since the beginning of February, and are basically playing out the string at this point mathematically.

I know you probably get tired of it, but I like to cite random quotes from my brother, who I talk to almost daily about hockey and who happens to live in Raleigh and follow the Canes. He attended Sunday's game against Edmonton, and this was his report:

They have pretty much folded in the tent. Shying away from physical play, over-passing instead of crashing the net... just sad to see. I thought they had a legitimate chance going into the Olympic break. I think they will roll over for any team that shows up and plays with a little edge at this point.

Cue the Jackets!

Given some big games in the standings on Thursday and Friday against Montreal and New York, this is a game the Jackets simply HAVE to win. They've shown that their style--when they play it--is tough for the Canes to match up against, and given the way Carolina has gone off the rails over the past six weeks, it should be ripe for the picking for the Jackets. Columbus has had two days off to rest after their recent stretch of games, and so there's no excuse for not coming out and dominating the Canes from the drop of the puck.

Columbus is 10-2-1 in their last 13 at home; the Canes are falling apart like the Bluesmobile, and are 1-7-0 in their last eight on the road (and the one win was in OT, though against San Jose, amazingly).

In short, the Jackets simply HAVE to win this game. No excuses.

Please note: it's early and I have a full day, so these are VERY projected lineups.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(35-26-6, 76 Points; 3rd division, 7th conference)

Carolina Hurricanes
(29-30-9, 67 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)

Season Series

12/23/13 - Columbus 4 at Carolina 3
01/10/14 - Carolina 0 at Columbus 3
01/27/14 - Columbus 2 at Carolina 3
03/18/14 - Carolina at Columbus
03/29/14 - Columbus at Carolina

Head to Head Stats

Carolina		Columbus
2.47 (20)	GPG	2.84 (8)
2.81 (20)	GAPG	2.72 (16)
12.6% (29)	PP%	18.3% (14)
81.3% (18)	PK%	82.0% (16)
Jeff Skinner, 26	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 26
Eric Staal, 36	A leader	James Wisniewski, 33
Eric Staal, 52	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 50
Eric Staal, 66	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 92
12-16-4	Road/Home	19-11-3
3/16 vs. Edmonton, L 2-1	Last Game	3/15 @ Minnesota, W 2-1 (SO)
3-7-0	Last 10	6-3-1

Anton Khudobin makes 46 saves and steals one for Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes were outshot and out-chanced against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but came up with a huge 46 save performance by Anton Khudobin as they defeated the Jackets, 3-1 on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena.

Newcomer Andrei Loktionov had a goal and an assist to lead the scoring for the Canes.  The goal was his first as a Hurricane.

The Hurricanes were outshot 47-20 for the game, and were drubbed by a 19-0 margin in the third period, but their goalie made save after save and got within 50 seconds of a shutout as the home team could not light the lamp until late, on a tipped shot.

The Canes not only played without Jiri Tlusty and John-Michael Liles who were both out with injuries, but Elias Lindholm and Justin Faulk also both missed the game because of illness.

Ryan Murphy was on the receiving side of a high hit by Blake Comeau, who was just returning from a suspension, and left the game early with an upper body concern.

After his team killed a penalty early, Nathan Gerbe brought the puck down and faked a pass then beat starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Canes a 1-0 lead just 3:42 into the game.  The Jackets put heavy pressure on Khudobin after that, but the goalie was on his "A" game this night.

Early in the second period, the Canes got a rare powerplay goal from Loktionov, after he tucked a rebound in the net off of a Jay Harrison shot from the point.

Later in the period, Patrick Dwyer blasted a puck past Bobrovsky making it 3-0 and the former Vezina winner would not return for the third period.  As it turned out, the Jackets did not need a goalie in the third as the Canes sat back and protected their lead while failing to generate a single shot on goal for the period.

The Hurricanes can feel good about the win and should feel good, but this may have been more about good luck than out-playing their opponent.  The top line of Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, and Alexander Semin did not really generate a whole lot of offense and went pointless.

Next up for Carolina is Chicago on Friday night.

Game Notes:

• The Canes were outshot 47-20 and were led by Loktionov and Sekera with three each.
• Sekera had a game high 27:21 of ice time.  Semin led all Carolina forwards for the third game in a row, this time with 24:38 of time on the ice.
• The Hurricanes had a total of 17 blocked shots this game and were led by Hainsey with four and Sekera with three.
• The boys might be a bit sore after this one as they were out-hit for the game 46-19.  Corey Tropp had nine by himself for the home team.
• This was the first win for Carolina in Nationwide Arena since 2004.
• Post game interviews are at Canes PR.com.

The Jackets have had a day to get over their tough loss on Tuesday. They now kick off a crazy run to finish the season, including FIVE back-to-backs. It's about to get crazy.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens

March 20, 2014 - 7:30pm EDT
Bell Centre - Montreal, Quebec
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponents Blog: Eyes On The Prize
SBN's Canadiens vs Blue Jackets Coverage

First and foremost, my apologies for no Metro Update this morning. There was only one game the affected the Jackets' playoff position, and it wasn't a direct impact, so I elected to skip it having a busy morning today.

At any rate, none of that much matters. The Jackets are hanging on to that last Wild Card playoff spot, and their schedule is about to get straight up crazy. Including the Dallas make up game, they will play 13 games in 24 days, and of those 13 games, 10 of them will be part of back-to-backs.

Yeah.

It starts tonight, as Columbus travels to Montreal to face a Habs team that looks like it's righting the ship after missing Carey Price for a stretch after the Olympics and also losing four of five before coming back to win three in a row, including a big win Tuesday night against a very good Colorado team. Columbus will have their hands full, and if it was rough to see them get shut down by Anton Khudobin the other night, Carey Price can bring that same kind of funk to the game tonight as well. It should be noted, however, that Price won his last two starts despite saving just 88.7% of his shots.

The Jackets offense, however, has gone cold of late, with just 11 non-shootout goals in their last six games. This is a concern, since the Jackets have been getting it done by scoring a lot of timely goals of late. They can ill afford to see the offense leave them again tonight, as frankly, the Candiens' offense is very hot: they've scored 13 goals during their three game winning streak.

For the Jackets, the defense looks the same as on Tuesday night, but the forward lines get tweaked just a bit, with the return of Cam Atkinson to the lineup and the healthy scratch of R.J. Umberger. Not sure why Umby gets the scratch, but it should help the offense to have Cam back against a Montreal team that's more speed and wide-open play as opposed to the physical grinding style that doesn't favor Atkinson.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(35-27-6, 76 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)

Montreal Canadiens
(38-25-7, 83 Points; 3rd Division, 4th Conference)

Season Series

10/17/13 - Columbus 3 at Montreal 5
11/15/13 - Montreal 3 at Columbus 2 (SO)
03/20/14 - Columbus at Montreal

Head to Head Stats

Montreal		Columbus
2.50 (20)	GPG	2.81 (10)
2.49 (9)	GAPG	2.72 (16)
18.8% (13)	PP%	18.1% (16)
85.3% (4)	PK%	81.9% (16)
Max Pacioretty, 30	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 26
P.K. Subban, 38	A leader	James Wisniewski, 33
P.K. Subban, 48	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 51
Brandon Prust,121	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 94
20-11-5	Home/Road	16-15-3
3/18 vs. Colorado, W 6-3	Last Game	3/18 vs. Carolina, L 3-1
6-4-0	Last 10	6-3-1

Game Notes

Rather than a bulleted list, I'll just say this: this Jackets team isn't playing "badly" per se. They need to finish their chances. It won't be easy against a tough goalie who's playing well. They also need to continue to improve the sloppiness in their own zone. Montreal can punish them if they're bad in their own zone again. I feel like the Jackets *can* win this game, but they're going to have to play like they did in the first period against Detroit, and yet bury those chances. An 18-shot period with no goals just isn't going to cut it.

The Habs are hoping for a season sweep of the Jackets tonight at the Bell Centre.

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Montreal Canadiens

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In spite of some inspired play in the last half of the season, Columbus is still on the brink of missing the playoffs, sitting in the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, tied with Washington at 76 points. Columbus does have two games in hand on the Caps, but they also have Detroit right behind them at 75 points, and no games in hand on them. The Jackets are in a do or die situation until the end of the season, so expect them to come out on fire tonight.

The Habs meanwhile, are jockeying for home ice in what looks like a more and more likely first round matchup against Tampa Bay. Every point matters for them as well, and the opportunity to regain home ice while playing spoiler is something they should relish.

Puck drop is at 7:30 PM EST.

Scratches: Douglas Murray, Rene Bourque, George Parros

Injuries: Michael Bournival (concussion, day-to-day), Josh Gorges (fractured hand, 1 week), Brandon Prust (upper body, undisclosed)

As for Columbus:

Check out the opposing side at The Cannon.

After a great start, continual lack of attention to details on faceoffs burned the Canadiens.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD

14:53 MTL PPG - Brendan Gallagher (18) Tip-in - ASST: Alex Galchenyuk (16), Tomas Plekanec (21) 1 - 0 MTL

15:53 CBJ SHG - Derek MacKenzie (8) Wrist shot - ASST: Mark Letestu (20) 1 - 1 Tie

PENALTY SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD

10:06 MTL Max Pacioretty Holding - 2 min against Fedor Tyutin

13:37 CBJ Ryan Johansen Boarding - 2 min against Alexei Emelin

15:34 CBJ Ryan Johansen Cross checking - 2 min against Brendan Gallagher

18:02 MTL Max Pacioretty Fighting (maj) - 5 min against Ryan Johansen

18:02 CBJ Ryan Johansen Fighting (maj) - 5 min against Max Pacioretty

In a game that has a playoff vibe, the Canadiens' attention to detail in their own zone and off of faceoffs has been extremely lacking. They got off to a good start, but the Blue Jackets have been afforded far too many easy scoring chances through bad reads and flat out bad plays.

The worst of which have come from David Desharnais, who seemed to only bother showing up for one shift, near the end of the period. Desharnais not paying attention on the powerplay caused an icing, and his soft play on the ensuing faceoff led to the Jackets getting a shorthanded goal to tie the game.

Carey Price has been astounding, otherwise this game would be ugly.

This game looks like one team is ready for the playoffs and the other thinks they're facing the 2000-2001 Blue Jackets.

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SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD

14:53 MTL PPG - Brendan Gallagher (18) Tip-in - ASST: Alex Galchenyuk (16), Tomas Plekanec (21) 1 - 0 MTL

15:53 CBJ SHG - Derek MacKenzie (8) Wrist shot - ASST: Mark Letestu (20) 1 - 1 Tie

2ND PERIOD

06:53 CBJ Brandon Dubinsky (14) Backhand shot - ASST: Blake Comeau (10), Jack Johnson (23) 2 - 1 CBJ

PENALTY SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD

10:06 MTL Max Pacioretty Holding - 2 min against Fedor Tyutin

13:37 CBJ Ryan Johansen Boarding - 2 min against Alexei Emelin

15:34 CBJ Ryan Johansen Cross checking - 2 min against Brendan Gallagher

18:02 MTL Max Pacioretty Fighting (maj) - 5 min against Ryan Johansen

18:02 CBJ Ryan Johansen Fighting (maj) - 5 min against Max Pacioretty

2ND PERIOD

08:34 MTL Mike Weaver Holding - 2 min against Nick Foligno

11:41 MTL Thomas Vanek Tripping - 2 min against Artem Anisimov

12:58 MTL Ryan White Hooking - 2 min against Ryan Johansen

16:20 CBJ Blake Comeau Delaying Game-Puck over glass - 2 min

The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Fun for Columbus, not so much for Montreal.

• You'd think after all the dumb fights Brandon Prust has been getting into lately it would be a fight that would re-injure him, but no, it was a hit.
• Here is a feature on Boone Jenner. I'm a fan but man am I sick of hearing "the next Milan Lucic" about anybody. STOP LOOKING FOR THE NEXT MILAN LUCIC AND JUST LOOK FOR THE BEST PLAYER.
• Look, that first period could be summed up as follows: letting Columbus get all those quality shots on Carey Price.
• I'm not the only one who was incredibly relieved R.J. Umberger was scratched, right?
• Penalties, penalties, penalties, penalties. The Habs are annoying sometimes.
• Ryan Johansen needs to be heavily sedated.
• Max Pacioretty fighting him. Why the hell was Max Pacioretty fighting him? Nice takedown, though.
• What an abysmal second period. That was not an appropriate response to a goal against, Habs.
• Markov. On. That. 5. On. 3.
• When things go bad, they go very bad and one of the Habs' best penalty killers takes a four minute penalty.
• Lars Eller drawing that penalty shot was awesome. Him scoring would have made up for all the bad up until that point in the game.
• Thomas Vanek is ridiculous. Damn do I want to keep him.
• When Too Many Men penalties get called on your opponent, it's funny. When it's on the Bruins, it's hilarious. When it's on the Habs, it's infuriating.
• That was totally a penalty on Brendan Gallagher after he was sprung from the box.
• There was all too much BlueJacket in Carey Price's kitchen all night.
• We praised Jarred Tinordi and Mike Weaver for two games and jinxed them. I bet you Michel Therrien sits one of them for Douglas Murray next game. They were playing well, though. Just that bad turnover.
• So in summary, Montreal threw two points away by playing terribly and we really hope they beat Toronto on Saturday.
• Your EOTP Third Star of the night (I'm separating these for formatting purposes this evening): courtnall, who answered the question, "what does SMH stand for" with "Stupid Montreal Hockey."
• Your EOTP Second Star of the night: JonPublic with the sad-in-retrospect: "We we so excited
  We scratchin Murray, we scratchin Parros, we playing to wiiiiin."
• Your EOTP First Star of the night: Habnonymous with
  "1st Period Penalty Summary:
  10:06 MTL Max Pacioretty Holding - 2 min against Fedor Tyutin
  13:37 CBJ Ryan Johansen Boarding - 2 min against Alexei Emelin
  15:34 CBJ Ryan Johansen Cross checking - 2 min against Brendan Gallagher
  18:02 MTL Max Pacioretty Fighting (maj) - 5 min against Ryan Johansen
  18:02 CBJ Ryan Johansen Fighting (maj) - 5 min against Max Pacioretty
  NHL has got to get the goons out of the game."
• Here's that weird Gallagher goal:

After a frustrating 48 shot home loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Blue Jackets began an intense 27 hour period of hockey that could say a lot about their playoff chances. In a continuation of the quality of play of late, the two teams played with speed and passion, with the Blue Jackets pulling out a thrilling 3 - 2 victory. The key? One word: Johansen.

In what could be the biggest back-to-back regular season encounter in Blue Jackets' relatively young history, the club sojourned to Quebec for a meeting with the Montreal Canadiens -- they of the case of Stanley Cups and a solid 83 points in 70 games this season.  Holding the 2nd Wild Card position by a thread, but also hold a couple of games in hand on other contenders, Columbus was looking to take advantage of its speed, skill and physical play to bring 2 points home in time for Friday night's battle against the New York Rangers.

Montreal may have all of the history and tradition in the world, but they do not have Ryan Johansen.  The Columbus youngster made a difference in every conceivable way on this evening, and fittingly was the centerpiece in an intense 3 - 2 victory.

Setting the Stage

The first period was predictable in some ways, but wildly out of character in others.  The Blue Jackets came out with speed and skill right from the opening face-off.  After the face-off win, the puck found its way to the stick of a streaking Cam Atkinson -- he of the frequent Press Box visit -- who made a nice move, but was frustrated by a sharp Carey Price. This was a good omen, despite the save, as those who have been choosing up sides in the Great Camsanity Debate each had something to point to.  Cam had another prime scoring chance a few minutes later, and for the first time in a long time, was visible all over the ice.  For the pro-Richards set, this was a vindication of the veritable foot planted in Cam's rear-end to play a 200 foot game.  For the Camfanatics, they could point to the fact that Cam could be effective in all three zones with his speed and his stick.  It's a draw, folks.  The important thing is that he was out there, playing hard, and contributing in all ways.

Equally effective was Boone Jenner, who scored the only goal against Carolina, and had two exquisite scoring chances himself.  First, a wraparound attempt just crept across the crease, and on the other Price made a really nice save. Jenner is showing the ability to maintain his intensity away from the puck, while his native scoring touch is becoming more and more prominent.  The forecheck consistently disrupted Montreal's breakout efforts, and defensive support was, for the most part, sound.

The Canadiens, for their part, did not play a dissimilar game from Columbus. They have watched the tapes, and know that some of our defensemen are less than secure with the puck when pressured.  Their pressure caused problems for the Blue Jackets as well, and there were the predictable . . . and frightening . . . defensive zone turnovers.  However, some errant shooting by the Habs and some nice saves by Sergei Bobrovsky prevented those errors from being fatal.

With 28 shots in the first (a 16-12 edge for Columbus), this was not the "grinding" style of game that Todd Richards would perhaps prefer, and there was some palpable frustration on the Columbus side, as prime chances continued to go unrewarded.  Still, they held it together and did their jobs . . . for the most part.

The guy who lost his composure was a surprising choice --- Ryan Johansen.  The rosy-cheeked superstar in training brought gasps from the Montreal crowd with his moves and his speed, but his inability to convert those moves to goals started gnawing at him.  Max Pacioretty, a cagey veteran, knew how to poke and prod the youngster to get him to boil over.  First was a marginal boarding call that put Johansen in the box for two minutes.  Next came a retaliatory cross-checking call.   Then came the big surprise -- when Johansen dropped the gloves with Pacioretty for his first NHL fight.  There were 16 penalty minutes in the first, with 7 belonging to Pacioretty and 9 to Johansen.

Johansen's two minors accounted for both goals in the frame.  During the boarding penalty, Montreal managed to get a flurry going in front of Bobrovsky, who made a terrific point blank save. The puck, however, caromed far up in the air.  When it came back to earth, it appeared to strike Dalton Prout and skitter backwards across the line.  Brendan Gallgher was credited with the goal, and it appeared that injustice on the ice was continuing.  However, the table was about to turn.

After Johansen went off the ice for his cross-check, the Blue Jackets got the clear and forced a face-off in the Montreal zone, to Price's left.  Mark Letestu won the draw and immediately put the puck on net, with Derek MacKenzie screaming toward the crease.  A surprised price made the initial stop on Letestu's effort, but could not prevent MacKenzie from putting the puck in the back of the net, evening the score via the shorthanded route.

The balance of the period was relatively uneventful, but the pace and quality of play had the spectators appreciating the break almost as much as the players.  It was clear that the stage had been set, and plenty of fireworks remained.

Pressure & Pace

With the intensity of the first period, you almost had to expect a lull in the second.  You could expect it . . . but you would have been wrong.  Once again, Columbus came out firing on all cylinders, skating hard in all three zones, supporting each other on defense and putting the Habs on their heels.    The effort was rewarded just 6:53 into the period.  Jack Johnson took the puck on the left wing and skated it deep into the zone, looking like he might take it to the crease.  Instead, however, he veered behind the net, emerged on the other side and centered the puck up high.  Blake Comeau stepped in front of Dalton Prout and put the shot on Price, while Nick Foligno and Brandon Dubinsky provided the obligatory traffic in front.  The puck caromed out to Dubinsky, who slid the rebound through Price's legs for the 2 - 1 lead.  With Price stopping everything in sight, it was a welcome tally to provide a crucial lead on the road.

With the Blue Jackets skating . . . and skating . . . and skating, Montreal was forced into some penalties.  Columbus benefited from three minor penalties, including 43 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage, but could not solve either Price or the Montreal penalty-killing unit -- which was ranked fourth in the league coming in.  The Blue Jackets got shots off, but simply lacked that confident, crisp power play game that was clicking so well, but has disappeared of late.  The nagging sense that these squandered chances would come back to haunt the club grew a bit stronger with each successful Montreal kill.

Despite the extra man woes, Columbus dominated the period in shots (13-7) and in meaningful possession.  A huge third period awaited.  Would the recent proclivity toward surrendering leads late rear its ugly head.

Despair . . .then Redemption

The first 3:30 of the final stanza took the Blue Jackets fans through the entire spectrum of emotions -- leading to the inescapable conclusion that the final 13 games are going to serve as valid tests of cardiac health.  Let's review.

Just 39 seconds in, Matt Calvert drew a high-sticking call against P.K. Subban.  Johansen won the ensuing face-off, then fired a shot that was blocked. Subsequent shots by Letestu and Johansen were turned aside.  Then, with just seven seconds left in the power play, Tomas Plekanec was whistled for a high sticking double minor against Brandon Dubinsky. Seven seconds of 5-on-3, then a full four minutes of 5-on-4.  That had to mean good things, right?   Well . . . no.

Montreal won the face-off and cleared the puck.  The Blue Jackets brought it back in, but were not the epitome of deft puck handling.  Foligno lost the puck up high, and Lars Eller was off to the races against Bobrovsky.  Nikita Nikitin caught up, but only enough to swing his stick in a tripping maneuver that earned Eller a penalty shot (despite the fact that Johansen was not given the same benefit a few minutes earlier, under what appeared to be an equally clear break)  Elation quickly turned to despair.   Bobrovsky tracked Eller all the way to the crease as he came in on the penalty shot . . . much as a Patriot missile might track a Scud.  Eller ran out of room, and his five hole effort was smothered by Bobrovsky.  Despair turned into relief.

Over the next few minutes, the Blue Jackets reasserted their dominance, but their shots were either blocked in front, or turned away by Price.  Frustration turned back to despair with 12:14 left in the period.  After Montreal won a face-off in the Columbus zone, Foligno challenged Pacioretty against the boards to Bobrovsky's left.  He succeeded in disrupting the play, but the puck popped up in the air and dropped behind Foligno, who had no idea where the puck was.  Pacioretty did, and he zipped a cross-ice pass to a waiting Tomas Vanek, who buried the one-timer to even the score at two. Despair once again.

The best metaphor for the final ten minutes of the game would be a board held in a  slowly tightening vise.  With each slow turn, the pressure increases, the wood creaks, and the point of failure seems imminent.  Same thing here.  The two clubs traded punches and counterpunches.  There were takeaways and giveaways, great saves and tantalizing misses.  Throughout it all was speed and tenacity.  And then, suddenly, just as that one turn on the vise breaks the board, it happened.  Lars Eller carried the puck into the Blue Jackets' zone with speed, but was challenged by Nathan Horton in front, as well as a back-checking Johansen, who deflected the puck out of the zone to Jarred Tinordi, who began skating it back toward his own zone to regroup.

Johansen was having none of it, however, as he pursued Tinordi, used his albatross wing span to steal the puck, and used his deceptive speed to charge in on Price.  Rather than over-skating the play, however, he stopped on a dime and zapped the puck past Price for what would prove to be the game-winner.  A stunning play to effectively end a stunning game.  Johansen raised his arms in exultation, bumped the glass, then circled around the ice, providing Bobrovsky with a knowing wink.  So this kid is only 21 years old, eh?   Wow.

To be sure , there was a scare or two during the final three minutes, but Bobrovsky was up to the task, and the club refused to enter scramble mode when Price was pulled for the extra attacker.  They kept the Habs to the perimeter, challenged the puck and got it out of harm's way. Naturally, Johansen's empty net bid from center ice hit the post, but no matter. His heroics were done.  Whew.

Wrapping It Up

It's tough to find enough words to describe this one, so just a few key points.  First, this was a global effort by the club. Atkinson, Dubinsky, Horton, Letestu, MacKenzie, Comeau, Calvert . . . you name them, they contributed in big ways.  Bobrovsky was solid, and the defensemen did their jobs.  Yes, Wisniewski was a bit challenged with the puck . . . again . . but made some great plays as well.  Jack Johnson looked fast and dangerous, and Tyutin, Nikitin and Savard were quietly efficient.

Yes, the power play was a downer, but I think this was more from over-tinkering by the coaches than bad play on the ice.  You have a young team in an immensely pressure-packed situation.   This is not the time to be experimenting with new combinations or the "three power play unit" concept.  The guys were not comfortable with each other, and it showed in terms of hesitation and the lack of crispness in the passing.  This too shall pass.

For the conspiracy theorists among you, it was intriguing that R.J. Umberger was a healthy scratch tonight.  Regardless of your view on Umberger, this was potentially a wily move by Richards -- simultaneously giving R.J. the clue that he needs to regain focus on his game, while also showing Cam Atkinson that he is not being singled out -- even veterans can find their way to the Press Box.  Subtle, but effective.

You have to be impressed with consecutive games of 40 or more shots, and with the skating the club demonstrated tonight. That skating made the difference tonight, and they'll need to do the same against a rested Rangers team tomorrow night at Nationwide.  Nothing much on the line . . . just a four point game, the return of Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, John Moore, et al and a playoff position on the line.  No big deal . . . right?

Stay tuned.  It's getting really fun now.

Another update on the Rangers' playoff status.

The New York Rangers have spent the past two night in Columbus waiting for the Blue Jackets to show up for their game tonight. Columbus was busy on Thursday, playing Montreal on the road. They won that game, 3-2, in regulation. Philadelphia was also busy Thursday, beating Dallas 4-2 to give them an even bigger playoff cushion than they had before.

Let's take a look at what the standings look like (Metropolitan and Wild Card only):

1. Pittsburgh - 95 points - 69 games played - 40 ROW

2. Philadelphia - 81 points - 69 games played - 34 ROW

3. Columbus - 78 points - 69 games played - 31 ROW
_____________________________________________

1WC. Toronto - 80 points - 71 games played - 27 ROW

2WC. New York - 78 points - 70 games played - 33 ROW

OK, there are some hints of good news there. The Rangers have the second-highest ROW (regulation and overtime wins) which is the first tiebreaker in the event two sides are tied on points. The true "first tiebreaker" is winning percentage, which is why Columbus is ahead of the Rangers right now (they have a game in hand). Of course, this doesn't matter once everyone has played their entire schedule.

The bad news? Well, there's a few things. Everyone who matters has games in hand. Philadelphia has a full three point lead over the Rangers with a game in hand. And, oh yeah, neither Columbus or Philadelphia seems to be losing.

The Rangers happen to play both Philadelphia and Columbus before the year ends. That's a good thing, since if the Rangers want to make the playoffs they get to go through the two teams who are currently boxing them out of a Metropolitan spot. Tonight the Rangers are taking on Columbus is what has to be labeled as a must-win game.

I know George has (correctly) pointed out that the Rangers' schedule is not exactly a strong one to finish out the year. But the schedule does include tonight's game, against a surging Columbus Blue Jackets on the road.

If the Rangers can win, they move two point ahead of Columbus, although Columbus has a game in hand. If they lose, the Rangers fall two points back with Columbus having a game in hand. It might not seem like much, but it matters. This is a huge four-point game.

Of course, the Rangers can lose this game and go on a tear the rest of the season to make the playoffs. This isn't meant to be a "bang the drums and panic" post, but it is meant to be a "you should have butterflies because tonight's game is really important."

Hopefully the Rangers treat it that way, too.

More from Blueshirt Banter

Follow @BlueshirtBanterFollow @SBNationNHL

• Rick Nash on returning to Columbus; Pouliot misses practice; Sather's pedigree
• Will Martin St. Louis ever score a goal for the Rangers?
• Rangers Vs. Senators: That Was Crazy
• Rangers pound Senators; Dolan endorses Sather
• Rangers Vs. Senators Recap: What The Heck Just Happened?

The staff at Defending Big D has partnered with Plano-based charity Living for Zachary to raise enough money to donate an AED to a facility that serves young people.

When Dallas Stars forward Rich Peverley collapsed on the team bench earlier this month, a series of events quickly came together to save his life.

His teammates noticed the problem almost immediately, bringing the game to a halt so he could get prompt attention. A highly-trained and well-rehearsed medical team came together and did their jobs as successfully as humanly possible.

And the presence of an automated external defibrillator (AED) allowed that medical team to get Peverley's heart back into a normal rhythm in the span of a little more than a minute.

The AED undoubtedly played a huge role in saving Peverley's life that terrifying night, and the devices have made an enormous impact on the rate of successful outcomes for all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. The rate of revival from sudden cardiac arrest is at least three times as high, and many be as high as 15 times more, if there is an AED present.

Because of that, and in honor of both Peverley and the medical team that saved his life, we here at DBD want to pass that gift of better outcomes on by fundraising for the purchase of one (or more) AEDs. We are partnering with Living For Zachary, a Plano-based nonprofit founded in memory of Zach Schrah, a 16-year-old Plano high school football player who died from sudden cardiac arrest at practice in 2009, to raise money toward an AED to be donated to a place in the Metroplex that serves young people.

It costs $2,000 to donate each AED, which is designed to be used by bystanders as well as trained medical personnel, and the funds raised by DBD readers and others who donate to the campaign will be earmarked for this cause.

There are two ways to make a donation.

DBD CrowdTilt Page

The first is to simply make a donation to the above CrowdTilt page, which is set up to send the donations directly to Living for Zachary. The "tilt" level, or level at which the credit cards will be charged, is when the campaign reaches $1,000 pledged, and the site can also give you a receipt for tax purposes.

For those of you who have never used crowdfunding sites before, CrowdTilt is a page that aggregates donations in a fundraiser and sends them to the beneficiaries as a lump sum. Living for Zachary has set up an account as well and will receive the money directly through the website.

If you'd like to make this a bit more interactive, you can make a pledge to donate based on events that happen in the continuation of the game between the Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets, which will take place on April 9. For instance, you can pledge $1 per shot on goal for either team or $1,000 for each goal by Kari Lehtonen or Tim Thomas. The money for those pledges will also be collected through the CrowdTilt site in the days after the game.

A form to track both types of donations is located below. Please fill that out if you make a donation or pledge so we can thank you properly at the end of the fundraiser. The form is editable, so if your circumstances change or you'd like to donate more or less, you can always come back later to update it.

Donation Form

[Ed. note: If you made your pledge before we changed to a form, I do still have your pledge/donation information and will be able to update it for you at  your request. Sorry for the inconvenience!]

The CrowdTilt site will be accessible for 29 days from today, which means it can accept donations until late on the evening of Saturday, April 19th. If you go the route of making a pledge for the Jackets game, make sure to have your payment in by that time.

We've invited our friends from The Cannon as well as blogs representing Peverley's previous teams (Stanley Cup of Chowder, On the Forecheck and Arctic Ice Hockey) and the Dallas Stars forum over at Hockey's Future to participate, and we'd like to thank our friends over at PensBurgh for allowing us to model some of this off their successful fundraiser earlier this year.

Of course, this campaign isn't limited to readers of those blogs or forums - share this anywhere you think people might be interested. If we raise more than $2,000, that money will go toward the donation of a second (or more!) AED. And there will be a small token of thanks to the largest donor.

If you have any questions about the charity we've chosen to support, the structure of the fundraiser or AEDs themselves, feel free to ask them in the comments or contact myself or Taylor via e-mail or Twitter.

AEDs save lives. We saw a demonstration of that on March 10 at the American Airlines Center. Young T. J. Ramos, who got to meet the team in Philadelphia, is another example.

Help us make sure other such stories have equally happy endings.

It's probably hyperbole to say that this game is the biggest game in franchise history, but to this date it kind of is. It's Rick Nash night, and these two teams both need these two points in an insane way.

New York Rangers at Columbus Blue Jackets

March 21, 2014 - 7:00 pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Blueshirt Banter
SBN's Rangers vs Blue Jackets coverage

It had to be you, Rick.

The Jackets face off tonight against the Rangers in what will be their last meeting of the season. They're both sitting at 78 points, with the Jackets holding the current tie-breaker due to games-played. This is the most four-pointer game of all the four-pointers we've played to this point.

These clubs haven't played in two months, and that game in Madison Square Garden was a bit of a turning point for Columbus: it was Sergei Bobrovsky's first game back from injury, and the Jackets held on to win in a shootout, which kick-started an eight-game winning streak that completely changed the Jackets' season prospects. Since that time (including that game, Columbus has gone 18-7-2, good for 38 points in 27 games.

So, yeah, that was kind of a season turning point.

And speaking of turning points, there's Rick Nash. Nash's trade request in February of 2012 seemed like a the lowest of low points for the Blue Jackets. His subsequent trade to New York in the summer of 2012 seemed to signal the complete nadir of the franchise.

But then a funny thing happened; it turned out that the trade actually WORKED.

Since these teams didn't play last season due to the lockout-altered schedule, and also because of Nash's early-season concussion, this is the first game he will play in Columbus as a visitor. Nash has said that it's "good to be back" in Columbus for the game, and the timing of things couldn't be crazier. Had Nash played in that November game instead of being injured, there wouldn't be the giant storyline hanging over this game, and it would just be about the standings.

It almost seems fitting that the game not only features two of the most important points of the season considering the standings, but the Nash storyline as well.

I didn't blame Nash for wanting to be traded, and I certainly am not crying any tears anymore having seen the result of the trade and the shift it signaled for Columbus. Knowing what we know now, the question of whether or not it would have ever "worked" here in Columbus with Nash as the main focal point of the franchise is certainly up for spirited debate. Since that trade and a "breaking in" period last season after the lockout, the Jackets have been arguably better than the Rangers for long stretches, and now are faced with an opportunity to deal a blow to the Rangers' playoff aspirations.

I don't want the fans to jeer him like they do Jeff Carter. I don't want the cascades of boos. I think a polite ovation is in order for all that Nash did for this franchise, both in terms of bringing true legitimacy to the team and city as well as carrying the team on his back to its only playoff appearance in 2009.

But, the Jackets--and the fans--can show Nash that while it probably made sense to him to leave when he did, the team might actually be better off without him. I can think of no more fitting way to welcome Nash back to Columbus.Let's show him tonight what could have been.

***

As for the lineup tonight, there was no morning skate this morning, and as of yet I have not read anything definitive about who will sit tonight for Columbus. As such, I'm leaving the lineup as-is with the expectation that it will change (I can't see R.J. Umberger getting another scratch for a game he's probably DYING to play). We'll update what we can.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(36-27-6, 78 Points; 3rd division, 7th conference)

New York Rangers
(37-29-4, 78 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)

Season Series

11/07/13 - New York 4 at Columbus 2
12/12/13 - Columbus 4 at New York 2
01/06/14 - Columbus 4 at New York 3 (SO)
03/21/14 - New York at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

Rangers		Columbus
2.59 (18)	GPG	2.81 (11)
2.46 (6)	GAPG	2.71 (16)
19.0% (12)	PP%	17.4% (17)
84.3% (7)	PK%	81.7% (16)
Rick Nash, 22	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 27
Derek Stepan, 34	A leader	James Wisniewski, 33
Mats Zuccarello / Derek Stepan, 47	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 52
Derek Dorsett, 105	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 94
21-13-0	Road/Home	19-12-3
3/18 @ Ottawa, W 8-4	Last Game	3/20 @ Montreal, W 3-2
4-5-1	Last 10	7-2-1