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The Beau Abides. Penguins 2, Blue Jackets 1 (Recap)

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Well that's just, like, a regular season series sweep, man.

It took longer than perhaps anyone would have liked, but the Pittsburgh Penguins shook a three-game losing streak en route to a 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, sweeping the season series from their new divisional foes while earning a postseason berth for the eighth-straight year.

Chris Kunitz and Beau Bennett scored for the Penguins, who had previously dropped three straight games which would have clinched a playoff spot, while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 35 shots in the win.

Fleury's strong performance included a number of in-tight saves in the game's final minutes while the Blue Jackets had six skaters on the ice after James Wisniewski pulled Columbus to within one goal on a late third-period power play.

Fleury made Bennett's marker stand up as the game-winner, sending the Penguins to their eighth-consecutive postseason appearance. Pittsburgh has now reached the playoffs in each season since Sidney Crosby's rookie season in 2005-06.

Bennett made his first appearance with the Penguins in months on Friday. His third-period marker would become the game-winner, and came off a rush started by an excellent sequence by Robert Bortuzzo. Bortuzzo broke up a Columbus rush and then swept the puck into the neutral zone, where Bennett and Jussi Jokinen picked things up and scored on a 2-on-1.

The goal came less than a minute after Kunitz's opening marker.

With the win, the Penguins became the second team in the East to claim their postseason berth. Pittsburgh is almost assured the second seed in the East, as they trail the Boston Bruins for first overall by nearly as large a gap as they hold over the rest of the Metropolitan Division.

Pittsburgh has fallen off of late, going 7-7-2 in their last 16 contests following the Olympic break. The team has struggled with injuries and fatigue, going off the rails in a month they typically dominate under head coach Dan Bylsma.

However, the run of bad luck could be a boon. Pittsburgh hasn't necessarily turned its cozy stretch runs into inspired postseasons, and the recent run of poor play, bad bounces and general malaise -- should it turn into a strong postseason run -- might prove to be the cure for what has ailed the Penguins in recent postseasons.

Of course, Friday was just another win over the Blue Jackets, minus their top netminder. Don't call it a turnaround just yet.

Two big stories to note: not only did the Penguins avoid losing another player to injury after having lost Evgeni Malkin and Marcel Goc in recent contests, but the Pens saw one of their walking injured return to game action. Bennett played his first game with the Penguins in months and was the team's best skater all night.

If the pending returns of Malkin, Kris Letang and Paul Martin bring with them the same fresh legs and energy as the Pens got out of Bennett on Friday, Pittsburgh may not be in such bad shape after all.

The Penguins get the Blackhawks on Sunday. Chicago has been treading water themselves since crushing the Penguins in the final Stadium Series game. Friday's win over the Blue Jackets is a good start, but the Penguins would do well to turn their luck against sizable Western Conference teams by taking one back from Chicago.

S/t to Hooks for the headline, man.


Rangers Vs. Flames: Yuck

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Notes from the Rangers' loss to the Flames.

- That's a horrible loss. It really is. And it's not so much who they lost to, but it's how they lost. In a game when you score three goals in less than four minutes, take a 3-2 lead and suck all the air out of the opposing building, you need to win. When you take that 3-2 lead and have massive defensive lapses, get fancy in the opposing team's zone and then watch your goalie give up a softie? That's a bad loss.

- The good news is the Columbus Blue Jackets lost, too. I don't care about the Philadelphia Flyers winning, the Rangers are fighting for the "not wildcard" portion of the guaranteed playoff spots. That means the crosshairs are on Columbus, and while a win would have done wonders to keep pushing space between the Rangers and the Blue Jackets, a loss by both whitewashes the night.

- I saw a couple of people referencing this already, so I'll put it at the top. Martin St. Louis and Derek Stepan look much better than their flu-ridden game a few nights ago, but they still need some help. Stepan lost eight pounds (!!!!!!!!) with the flu and St. Louis was hit just as hard. It's no wonder the two of them look tired on the ice sometimes.

- The St. Louis situation hit a fever pitch when his goal was ruled a kicking motion and disallowed. That was the right call. However, all the other goals the NHL has allowed against the Rangers this year, that's another one you shake your head and say, "of course it went against the Rangers." Still, it's been the perfect storm for St. Louis. He comes to New York, slumps, has some bad luck, then he gets the flu that wipes him out for a couple of weeks and now he sucks? Do you people who think he's a bust really believe we went from being a point per game player to a nothing overnight? Give me a break, please.

- Henrik Lundqvist, I thought, was good until that damaging softie he gave up with 7.8 seconds left in the second period. The Rangers' defense did nothing to help him for most of the night, and he bailed them out on more than one occasion. However, you can't give up that goal. You just can't.

- The defense? Especially after the Rangers took a 3-2 lead and had control of the game? It was horrid. Just complete mental mistakes, followed up by lost coverages and confusion. That let the Flames tie the game and get back into things.

- And then the third period offense? Dreadful. The one power play the Rangers got? Worse than the John Tortorella era. Seriously. 1-for-22 on the power play. Want to know the one conversion? The Stepan empty netter to seal the win over the Devils. Yuck.

- Once again, the fourth line was the best offensive line of the night. Brian Boyle scored a big goal (and blocked seemingly every shot that occurred while he was on the ice). Dominic Moore was good. Derek Dorsett was flying. That trio held the Flames in their own zone for long stretches throughout the game, and they converted when the Rangers needed a goal.

Not much else to say. Thoughts?

Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets: Game Preview 3-29-14

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The Canes close out their season series against the Blue Jackets tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
March 29, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 The Fan

SB Nation Rival Blog: The Cannon

Hurricanes Record: 32-32-9 | 73 pts | 7th Metro | 13th EC
Blue Jackets Record: 37-30-6 | 80 pts | 4th Metro | 7th EC

Post-Season Picture:
Games Remaining: 9
Estimated Points Needed: 91
Points Back: 18 (win out)
Playoff Chances (Sports Club Stats): 1.1%
Tragic Number: 12

Team line combinations: [Blue Jackets] [Hurricanes]

Earlier this season the Hurricanes ended an eight-year losing streak against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 3-2 win in Raleigh. Then two weeks ago they ended a ten-year drought in Columbus with a 3-1 win. So what's left? At this point in the season, short of winning out to beat the playoff odds, it's playing spoiler against the Blue Jackets' playoff hopes.

The Blue Jackets are in the thick of the playoff battle, tied with three other Eastern Conference teams with 80 points and battling for the final wild card spots. They arrive in Raleigh on the back end of a back-to-back series and with a 2-1 loss to the Penguins (who clinched a playoff berth) last night in Columbus.

Curtis McElhinney was in net for last night's loss, backed up by Mike McKenna. After the game McKenna was reassigned to the Jackets' AHL affiliate Springfield Falcons. Primary netminder Sergei Bobrovsky had been out with an illness and practiced yesterday but wasn't well enough to join the lineup. He traveled with the team to Raleigh and will skate today to assess his status for tonight.

There are no other known changes to last night's lineup, although head coach Todd Richards hinted there may be a few after today's practice [Columbus Dispatch]. Ryan Murray remains out as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Ryan Johansen leads the Jackets in scoring with 54 points (29g, 25a). James Wisniewski has four points in his last two games.

Anton Khudobin was 50 seconds away from his first shutout as a Hurricane when the Jackets spoiled that on March 18th. Dobby finally broke through with Thursday night's 3-0 shutout win against the Panthers, and he may get rewarded with a start again tonight. He is 2-1-0 career against the Jackets and the only current Hurricane goalie with a win against them (Cam Ward is 0-4-0 and Justin Peters is 0-1-0).

The Staal brothers were the one-two punch knocking out the Blue Jackets when the teams last met here in Raleigh; Eric Staal with the first two goals and Jordan Staal following up with the game-winner. Jiri Tlusty and Jeff Skinner both have points in three consecutive games.

The Canes didn't practice yesterday and there won't be any lineup updates until after the morning skate, so stay tuned for news in that regard. In the meantime, catch up on a few pre-game clicks:

- Michael Smith answers your Tweetmail, and he and Kyle Hanlin offer up the 14th episode of the Hurricanes Report Podcast.

- Go behind the scenes of the Canes annual fathers trip with Open Ice: Fathers and Sons [CanesVison].

- Andrei Loktionov is making an impact with his new team [N&O].

- Down on the farm, the Checkers are keeping their post-season hopes alive, pulling into a playoff position for the first time in five months with a win for the ages against the Iowa Wild. The 7-0 rout featured a new franchise points record by Zach Boychuk (2g, 3a) and a third period donnybrook that was good for 230 penalty minutes [Puck Daddy]:

If you're headed to the arena, it's Go Green Night sponsored by Bayer CropScience. The Canes Promotions crew has a lot of activities in store, starting with a South Plaza party before the game. The players will be wearing commemorative green jerseys at warmups (to be auctioned later), and sporting their white away jerseys during the game. Also, the Kids 'n Community Foundation is selling mystery player t-shirts.

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

Game 75 Preview: Payback

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The Hurricanes started a dismal 1-3 slide for the Blue Jackets after securing a win in Columbus last week. Now it's time to take those points back.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Carolina Hurricanes

March 29, 2014 - 7:00 pm Eastern
PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Canes Country

Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes game coverage

Let's keep this simple: We don't want your BBQ, we don't want your Tar Heels, we want two points. Not one point. Not a shootout. TWO REGULATION POINTS.

That's all that matters right now.

Blue Jackets projected lineup (subject to change, hopefully Bob returns)

(37-30-6, 80 Points; 4th division, 7th conference)

Boone JennerRyan JohansenNathan Horton
Matt CalvertBrandon DubinskyCam Atkinson
R.J. UmbergerArtem AnisimovNick Foligno
Derek MacKenzieMark LetestuBlake Comeau
Jack JohnsonDalton Prout
Fedor TyutinJames Wisniewski
Nick SchultzDavid Savard
Curtis McElhinney
Sergei Bobrovsky

Hurricanes projected lineup

Does it matter? Just win!

Game Day #75: CBJ vs. Hurricanes

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The Hurricanes started a dismal 1-3 slide for the Blue Jackets after securing a win in Columbus last week. Now it's time to take those points back.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Carolina Hurricanes

March 29, 2014 - 7:00 pm Eastern
PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Canes Country

Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes game coverage

Let's keep this simple: We don't want your BBQ, we don't want your Tar Heels, we want two points. Not one point. Not a shootout. TWO REGULATION POINTS.

That's all that matters right now.

Blue Jackets projected lineup (subject to change, hopefully Bob returns)

(37-30-6, 80 Points; 4th division, 7th conference)

Boone JennerRyan JohansenNathan Horton
Matt CalvertBrandon DubinskyCam Atkinson
R.J. UmbergerArtem AnisimovNick Foligno
Derek MacKenzieMark LetestuBlake Comeau
Jack JohnsonDalton Prout
Fedor TyutinJames Wisniewski
Nick SchultzDavid Savard
Curtis McElhinney
Sergei Bobrovsky

Hurricanes projected lineup

Does it matter? Just win!

Blue Jackets 3, Hurricanes 2 (OT) - Game Highlights

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If you look very closely when they pan out on Anisimov's goal, you'll see me clapping very heartily and then sitting down. I'm wearing an old CBJ original sweater.

Blue Jackets 3, Hurricanes 2 - OT

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Hurricanes lose while shorthanded in extra period.

The Carolina Hurricanes played a tight game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night, but ended up losing in overtime, 3-2 at the PNC Center.

Jiri Tlusty was called for closing his hand on the puck and the Hurricanes faced a tough 4-on-3 disadvantage during the overtime period.  The Blue Jackets' Ryan Johansen scored during the powerplay for the win.

Jeff Skinner and Andrei Loktionov lit the lamp for the home team.

I will have more details a bit later.

Rangers split weekend games; St. Louis on his slump; Kreider out; Moore for Masterson

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Today's New York Rangers notes.

Three Stars of the Weekend

Number three: Cam Talbot A 26-save shutout (his third of the season) ensured the Rangers got back to winning, and gave Henrik Lundqvist some much needed rest in the process.

Number two: Rick Nash Two goals against Edmonton on Sunday, included one shorthanded, helped pace the Rangers offense. Nash has seemed like a completely different player since visiting his old team the Blue Jackets.

Number one: Mats Zuccarello After going 18 games without a goal, Zuccarello netted two on Sunday, including one you'll see below.

What You Missed

Derek Stepan and Zuccarello combine for the Rangers last goal against the Oilers, and their second shorthanded tally of the night.

In the thick of a playoff race, the Rangers did what they needed to against a bad Oilers team: take care of business. Strong games from Nash, Talbot, Stepan, and Mats Zuccarello led the way. Here are some recaps. [Blueshirt Banter] [Daily News] [The Record] [Newsday] [Blueshirts United]

The Bill Masterson trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game of hockey. So it should come as no surprise that Dominic Moore was nominated this year for the honor. [Blueshirt Banter] [ESPN NY] [Blueshirts Blog] [Rangers Rants] [Newsday]

Martin St. Louis still isn't scoring, but isn't getting down on himself. [Blueshirts Blog] [Rangers Rants] [NY Post] [Newsday]

If you missed the news, Chris Kreider had surgery on his broken hand, a procedure that could likely mean his season is over. [Blueshirt Banter] [NY Post] [Blueshirts Blog] [Newsday]

And with Kreider sidelined, is this finally the opportunity J.T. Miller has been waiting for? [Blueshirt Banter]

Once a newfound point of strength this season, the Rangers power play is again struggling. [NY Post]

It took the Rangers 20 minutes to find their footing on Friday, and despite scoring three straight in the third to take the lead, the Blueshirts saw their five game win streak come to an end against the Flames. [NY Post] [Daily News] [The Record] [Newsday]


Rangers Vs. Oilers: Well, That Was Pleasant

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Notes from the Rangers' win over the Oilers.

- Sometimes games like that are hard to evaluate, mainly because of the level of the other team. But in today's NHL, and especially at this time of year, you need to take advantage of the weaker teams on your schedule. You need to beat up on the smaller guys, if you will. The Rangers didn't against the Flames on Friday. They did on Sunday against the Oilers, against an admittedly weaker team.

- Still, two points are two points. The Rangers jumped back over the Flyers -- who originally leaped over the Rangers thanks to a ridiculous hand pass call and final-second tying goal -- and now lead Philadelphia by two points for second place. Keep in mind the Flyers do have two games in hand. More importantly, however, the Rangers moved six points ahead of Columbus (the Blue Jackets have two games in hand as well). I've said it before (although so has everyone) the important thing is to avoid a wild card spot. Let another team handle Boston and Pittsburgh in the first round.

- I know the streak of games without a goal has hit 14 games now for Martin St. Louis, but I do like to look at the bigger picture with him. I believe Sunday night was one of the first games he's been at or close to full capacity after being hit with the flu, and I thought he looked good. When a player is slumping I always look to see if they're still making things happen. St. Louis did on Sunday. Hit a post (or the goalie's mask, not sure which), had a shot trickle through the pads but not far enough to cross the line, and had another opportunity stopped with a great save. He is, as much of the roster has been at some point this season, remarkably snake bitten. But I promise you when he breaks out, it will be a flood.

- The Rangers' other goal scorer, Rick Nash, had a cool two-goal game, and could have easily had four. He had two breakaway opportunities (got stoned on both of them), scored one goal from behind the net and another shorthanded off a pretty feed from Derek Stepan. Nash might actually score 30 goals this year (he has 25) which would be an amazing feat if you factor in all the games he missed due to the concussion and the 10 games or so when he played and wasn't right. He's scoring at a 35-game pace, if you factor out the injuries. And that stat doesn't factor out those 10 not-the-real-Nash games. So, yeah, he's doing his job.

- I know I'm not defending Stepan for Lent, so all I will say is this: I don't understand why some of you don't appreciate him more. Three assists last night, a career-high 52 points so far and that includes his early season struggles. When i asked that question on Twitter I got some amazing responses. "He's the softest player in the league." "He has no hockey sense." "He will never be a number one center." "He's too slow to be effective in this league." "He's a terrible decision maker." And my personal favorite, "Only playoff goals matter." I don't even have a joke for those. They're the joke.

- I know it was a fluky goal, but Derick Brassard continues to contribute. I thought he was active in all three zones, scored his career-high 18th goal and is making things happen. He has 42 points so far, and could crack 50 points with a monster finish. For his struggles out of the gate, that's a Hell of a home stretch.

- Mats Zuccarello had two goals and an assist. The Rangers need him to be him, especially with St. Louis struggling, and he has been. Sure, these were his first two goals in 18 games, but he still makes things happen. And, as I argue with Stepan all the time, assists count, too.

- And, of course, throw your hat in the air for Cam Talbot, who once again shut down another offensively skilled opposing team. He's a nice weapon to have on the bench. He's played in 20 games this year so far, with a few long stretches between starts, and still plays like he's been starting every game. He earns his third shut out of the year, his 12th win and another game to lower his already dramatically low GAA. I really do wonder if the Rangers will trade him over the offseason to a team desperate for a goalie who is willing to pay a lot. But he's also very valuable on the bench. Food for thought.

- I will touch on this topic. I didn't hate the move to put Dan Carcillo on the top line. He only ended up playing 10 minutes, but I understand the thought. Alain Vigneault re-united the third line, didn't want to mess with the fourth line and put St. Louis back on the win with Brad Richards. And, to be honest, while J.T. Miller does create far more offense than Carcillo does, from a defensive standpoint, Carcillo is more suited for the role he played Sunday. And against the Oilers, offense shouldn't be an issue. So, not a horrible move in my opinion.

- Tuesday is John Tortorella time again. Be ready.

Thoughts?

Game 75 Preview: Avalanche at Blue Jackets

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The Avalanche look to increase their points lead over the Chicago Blackhawks despite the loss of star center Matt Duchene.

Well folks, home ice advantage in the first round just got even more important. With the loss of Matt Duchene, the Colorado Avalanche are going to want every advantage they can get over the reigning champion Chicago Blackhawks. Matt Duchene has been an enormous part of this team's resurgence so far and quite frankly, the man deserves to be a part of the Avs playoff run. These boys are going to need to rally around eachother harder than they have all season, and Semyon Varlamov will have to steal the show, but I believe this team can still put up a fight, and with a little luck maybe win a first round series. The Avalanche need to win 4 playoff games for Matt Duchene. And then they need to win 12 more. #WinforDutchy

That said, we've still got 8 games left on the regular season schedule, starting with the Columbus Blue Jackets. While the Avalanche are looking to extend their lead over the Chicago Blackhawks for home ice advantage, the Blue Jackets are fighting to A) keep their spot in the playoffs despite a close group of teams in the 7-10 spots and B) beat out the red wings for the right to not play the Bruins. The importance of not playing the Bruins, like the importance of not playing the Blues cannot be overstated. The Blue Jackets are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games while the Avalanche are 6-3-1 and riding a 3-game win streak.

Avalanche Projected Lineup:

With Matt Duchene out of the lineup, Nathan MacKinnon will get a shot to play on the team's top offensive line. It's a wonderful opportunity for MacKinnon to show the Roy and the NHL how much he's grown since he centered the 3rd line on opening night.

Ryan O`Reilly - Nathan MacKinnon - Jamie McGinn (The "Hey you're not Matt line)

Gabriel Landeskog - Paul Stastny - John Mitchell (The defensive assignments and forechecks 4 dayz line)

Cody McLeod - Marc Andre Cliche - Max Talbot

Patrick Bordeleau - Brad Malone - Paul Carey

Jan Hejda - Erik Johnson

Nick Holden - Tyson Barrie

Andre Benoit - Cory Sarich

Semyon Varlamov

Probable BJ's:

Boone Jenner - Ryan Johansen - Nathan Horton

Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Cam Atkinson

R.J. Umberger - Artem Ansimov - Nick Foligno

Blake Comeau - Derek MacKenzie - Jared Boll

Jack Johnson - Dalton Prout

Fedor Tyutin - James Wisniewski

Nikita Nikitin - David Savard

Sergei Bobrovsky

Go Avs, go get those BJ's.

Game Preview #76 - Like A Snowball Rolling Downhill

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The Jackets have had four nights off in the last six days, so hopefully they'll be fresh for a crazy sprint to the finish. Eight games in 12 days starts tonight!

Colorado Avalanche at Columbus Blue Jackets

April 1, 2014 - 7:00 pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 FM -- TV - FSOhio
Opponent's Blog: Mile High Hockey
SBN's Avalanche vs Blue Jackets coverage

OK, so the Jackets are still hanging on to that last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They've had a chance to have two days off since playing on Saturday. They (hopefully) caught their breath for the final sprint, which is eight games in 12 days. Thankfully, four of the next five are at Nationwide, which hopefully will help mitigate some of the craziness. It starts tonight at home against Colorado, which is a team that's the turn-around story of the league this year.

I won't spend a lot of time breaking down the nuts and bolts of this game. Games this time of year for a team fighting for their playoff lives come down to will, heart, and timing. Remember the game in Colorado last season when the Jackets simply had to have points? Effort, will, and timely scoring got it done for them.

Nathan Horton is out tonight with an undisclosed injury, which might go a long way toward explaining the dive in his play lately. R.J. Umberger is again scratched, and Jared Boll makes his return. I question that move, since Colorado is notoriously a speedy team that gives the Jackets fits. Does a slower player like Boll really help? Does he bring more to the table than Umberger? I frankly don't get it, but then again this whole scratch system hasn't made much sense lately.

After a terrible drought, the Jackets have scored Power Play goals in the last three games (4-for-9, 44.4%) and Colorado's PK is the weakest part of a strong, strong team; they've allowed PPGs in five of their last six (11-for-17, 64.7%). Columbus will need to exploit that tonight.

This is going to be a tough game, as Colorado is trying to hold off Chicago for second place--and home ice in the first round--in the division. They are not in cruise control by any means. The Jackets simply need to BEAT them. Any means necessary.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(38-30-6, 82 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)

Matt CalvertBrandon DubinskyCam Atkinson
Boone JennerRyan JohansenMark Letestu
Nick FolignoArtem AnisimovCorey Tropp
Blake ComeauDerek MacKenzieJared Boll
Fedor TyutinJames Wisniewski
Jack JohnsonDalton Prout
Nikita NikitinDavid Savard
Sergei Bobrovsky
Curtis McElhinney

Colorado Avalanche
(47-21-6, 100 Points; 2nd Division, 4th Conference)

Ryan O`ReillyNathan MacKinnonJamie McGinn
Gabriel LandeskogPaul StastnyJohn Mitchell
Cody McLeodMarc-Andre ClicheMaxime Talbot
Patrick BordeleauBrad MalonePaul Carey
Jan HejdaErik Johnson
Nick HoldenTyson Barrie
Andre BenoitCory Sarich
Semyon Varlamov
Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Season Series

12/31/13 - Columbus 3 at Colorado 5
04/01/14 - Colorado at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

ColoradoColumbus
3.01 (6)GPG2.74 (14)
2.69 (15)GAPG2.68 (14)
20.0% (8)PP%17.8% (17)
79.9% (24)PK%82.2% (14)
Ryan O'Reilly, 26G leaderRyan Johansen, 30
Matt Duchene, 47A leaderJames Wisniewski, 38
Matt Duchene, 70Pts leaderRyan Johansen, 55
Cody McLeod, 120PIM leaderBrandon Dubinsky / Nick Foligno, 94
22-10-3Road/Home20-14-3
3/29 vs. San Jose, W 3-2Last Game3/30 @ Carolina, W 3-2 (OT)
6-3-1Last 105-4-1

Game Day #76 - CBJ vs. Avalanche

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The Jackets have had four nights off in the last six days, so hopefully they'll be fresh for a crazy sprint to the finish. Eight games in 12 days starts tonight!

Colorado Avalanche at Columbus Blue Jackets

April 1, 2014 - 7:00 pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 FM -- TV - FSOhio
Opponent's Blog: Mile High Hockey
SBN's Avalanche vs Blue Jackets coverage

OK, so the Jackets are still hanging on to that last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They've had a chance to have two days off since playing on Saturday. They (hopefully) caught their breath for the final sprint, which is eight games in 12 days. Thankfully, four of the next five are at Nationwide, which hopefully will help mitigate some of the craziness. It starts tonight at home against Colorado, which is a team that's the turn-around story of the league this year.

I won't spend a lot of time breaking down the nuts and bolts of this game. Games this time of year for a team fighting for their playoff lives come down to will, heart, and timing. Remember the game in Colorado last season when the Jackets simply had to have points? Effort, will, and timely scoring got it done for them.

Nathan Horton is out tonight with an undisclosed injury, which might go a long way toward explaining the dive in his play lately. R.J. Umberger is again scratched, and Jared Boll makes his return. I question that move, since Colorado is notoriously a speedy team that gives the Jackets fits. Does a slower player like Boll really help? Does he bring more to the table than Umberger? I frankly don't get it, but then again this whole scratch system hasn't made much sense lately.

After a terrible drought, the Jackets have scored Power Play goals in the last three games (4-for-9, 44.4%) and Colorado's PK is the weakest part of a strong, strong team; they've allowed PPGs in five of their last six (11-for-17, 64.7%). Columbus will need to exploit that tonight.

This is going to be a tough game, as Colorado is trying to hold off Chicago for second place--and home ice in the first round--in the division. They are not in cruise control by any means. The Jackets simply need to BEAT them. Any means necessary.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(38-30-6, 82 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)

Matt CalvertBrandon DubinskyCam Atkinson
Boone JennerRyan JohansenMark Letestu
Nick FolignoArtem AnisimovCorey Tropp
Blake ComeauDerek MacKenzieJared Boll
Fedor TyutinJames Wisniewski
Jack JohnsonDalton Prout
Nikita NikitinDavid Savard
Sergei Bobrovsky
Curtis McElhinney

Colorado Avalanche
(47-21-6, 100 Points; 2nd Division, 4th Conference)

Ryan O`ReillyNathan MacKinnonJamie McGinn
Gabriel LandeskogPaul StastnyJohn Mitchell
Cody McLeodMarc-Andre ClicheMaxime Talbot
Patrick BordeleauBrad MalonePaul Carey
Jan HejdaErik Johnson
Nick HoldenTyson Barrie
Andre BenoitCory Sarich
Semyon Varlamov
Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Season Series

12/31/13 - Columbus 3 at Colorado 5
04/01/14 - Colorado at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

ColoradoColumbus
3.01 (6)GPG2.74 (14)
2.69 (15)GAPG2.68 (14)
20.0% (8)PP%17.8% (17)
79.9% (24)PK%82.2% (14)
Ryan O'Reilly, 26G leaderRyan Johansen, 30
Matt Duchene, 47A leaderJames Wisniewski, 38
Matt Duchene, 70Pts leaderRyan Johansen, 55
Cody McLeod, 120PIM leaderBrandon Dubinsky / Nick Foligno, 94
22-10-3Road/Home20-14-3
3/29 vs. San Jose, W 3-2Last Game3/30 @ Carolina, W 3-2 (OT)
6-3-1Last 105-4-1

Notre Dame senior T.J. Tynan signs with Columbus Blue Jackets

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T.J. Tynan is a gifted playmaker who will add organizational depth to the Blue Jackets.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Notre Dame senior forward T.J. Tynan to an entry-level contract. The Orland Park, Ill. native is going to the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft.

Tynan, an undersized, but quick forward, has great hands and vision on the ice. The Blue Jackets organization is getting a player who will be more of a playmaker than a goal scorer.

The Des Moines Buccaneers product had eight goals and 30 assists in 40 games played this season. He finished his career in a Fighting Irish uniform with 54 goals and 107 assists in 164 total games.

Tynan and his teammates had their season come to an end Saturday night in a 4-3 overtime loss to St. Cloud State in the NCAA West Regional.

--

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

Danse Macabre -- Jackets Fall 3- 2 in OT

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In a bizarre game that the numbers can't begin to describe, the Blue Jackets were forced to settle for a point, despite the fact that none of the three goals credited to the Avalanche came off a Colorado stick. Still, a point is a valuable commodity at this time of year.

If you put the puck on net, good things usually happen. Sometimes bizarre things happen.  Such was the case tonight at Nationwide Arena, when the Blue Jackets saw two goals come off their sticks, and three goals off their skates, resulting in a freakish 3 - 2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche.   The numbers don't begin to tell the story of this one, which still netted a vital point for Columbus -- which is never a bad thing at this time of year.  So, with apologies to Stephen King for the title, let's take it blow by blow.

Juggling the Dance Card

As this stretch run has developed, trying to guess the line-ups that coach Todd Richards is going to put on the ice has been a perilous enterprise.  Today was no different, as news trickled out that Nathan Horton was out with a lower body injury.  That was followed with the news that R.J. Umberger was once again a healthy scratch, and that Jared Boll would make his on-ice debut after his lengthy injury absence.  No matter what your personal views of the players involved might be, clearly the swap of Boll for Horton and Umberger is not the type of move you would put on the blackboard, given the choice, when facing a talented team like the Avalanche.  So, the lines looked like this:

Atkinson - Dubinsky -- Calvert

Foligno - Anisimov -- Troppist

Jenner -- Johansen -- Letestu

Comeau -- MacKenzie -- Boll

As golfer Sam Snead used to say  -- "You gotta dance with who you brung . . .", so the Blue Jackets carried a somewhat unconventional lineup onto the dance floor for this one.

The Foxtrot

The first period was a measured one.  Decent pace, but no dramatic dips or twirls, a few physical encounters and just a few true scoring opportunities sprinkled among the total of 13 shots fired on goal during the period (8 for the Avalanche, 5 for Columbus.  Ironically, perhaps the best chance came early, as the puck found Jared Boll in the slot, but he could not convert.

From the stands, the Blue Jackets appeared somewhere between lethargic and energized for most of the period.  It seemed as if the squad was collectively trying to assess the speed and skill of the Colorado contingent, and react accordingly.  At about the midpoint of the period, the character changed, and Columbus began creating some real havoc with the forecheck, without sacrificing responsibility in their own zone. The home team did a good job of keeping the Avalanche to the perimeter, and Sergei Bobrovsky was solid in the blue paint.

One cause for early concern was Colorado's absolute domination of the face-off circle, as they took an early 7 - 1 lead in that category.  Of course, the off-ice officials tracking that stat were the same ones who missed at least three Columbus SOG in the first, and had something like 25 hits allocated between the two clubs after five minutes of play.   Not sure what they were watching from their perch up above, but its was not the same game I was seeing.  Fortunately, the Blue Jackets turned the tables in the face-off circle, and ended up winning the battle for the evening.

Columbus did show a lot of discipline, avoiding the bad penalties that have been periodically plaguing them this season. Of course, the officials called only three penalties all night, aside from the brief bout between Derek MacKenzie and Brad Malone in the first.  Malone got the split decision.

So, all in all, it wasn't a bad start for the Blue Jackets, who showed they could keep pace with the talented Avalanche.  Could they step it up in the 2nd?

The Two-Step

Simply stated, the Blue Jackets dominated the second period of play.  They came out skating hard, aggressively forechecking, and displayed the type of possession game that had the 16,550 fans in attendance standing in appreciation.  Still, all of that effort went for naught in the early going of the second, due to some missed opportunities and some nice saves by Semyon Varlamov.

With the way the Blue Jackets were buzzing in the offensive zone, there was a sense of anticipation that something would break soon.  That anticipation turned to reality at the 10:52 mark, when Brandon Dubinsky made a nice play by hustling to the end boards to win a battle for the puck, then sent the puck out in front.  Cam Atkinson pounced on it between the circles and beat Varlamov stick side for his 20th goal of the campaign, and the all-important first goal of the game.  Atkinson's time in the press box has borne fruit, as he was visible in the defensive zone all night long, and showed he can play in all three zones without losing his offensive touch.

The Blue Jackets pressure game continued, and directly contributed to the next Columbus tally. Fedor Tyutin cleared the puck from his own zone to the Colorado blue line.  Nate Guenin tried to make a play, but was staring at Nick Foligno and Blake Comeau charging at him as he skated backward.  He could not get a stick on the bouncing puck under that kind of pressure, and the puck got behind him, where Foligno grabbed it and skated in on Varlamov.  Comeau, for his part, got inside position on Guenin, and when Varlamov committed to Foligno, Nick deftly floated the puck across to Comeau, who had a wide open net for his 4th of the season.

One might think that a two goal lead would be enough, but the Blue Jackets continued the pressure all the way to the final horn, with James Wisniewski narrowly missing a prime chance with the final seconds ticking down.  As the team filed off to a well-earned standing ovation, the mood was upbeat , with the feeling that any sort of credible effort in the third would bring home the victory.  Unfortunately, feelings are not always reliable.

The Tango

The tango is a dance of drama, with just a tinge of tragedy tied to it.  As such, it represents a perfect metaphor for the third period of this one.

At the outset, let's set a few things clear.  The Blue Jackets did not collapse into a prevent defense, nor did they commit massive turnovers or commit any of the untimely blunders that have undone some games this season.  They continued to skate, and while the forecheck might not have been as dominating as in the second, it was still disruptive, and was as aggressive as prudence would likely dictate, given the Colorado speed and skill.  Indeed, the Blue Jackets had the better of the first half of the period, and outshot Colorado 8 - 7 for the frame.  A couple of point blank chances went awry for the home team early, which could have been viewed as harbingers of trouble, but in context seemed to be merely reflective of the ongoing pressure Columbus was exerting.  Then the Hockey Gods began having their way.

Just before the halfway mark of the period, Marc-Andre Cliche brought the puck across the blue line down the middle, then dumped the puck to the left corner when challenged.  The Blue Jackets were in good shape defensively, putting pressure on the puck, and having a solid presence in the middle.  Brad Malone got to the puck in the corner, and chose to keep the puck in play by firing a hard centering pass across the crease.  There were no Avalanche in the middle, but the pass found Nick Foligno's skate, and deflected past a helpless Bobrovsky to narrow the gap to a single goal.  It was one of those "faultless"plays, where Foligno was watching for Av's forwards filling the middle and Bobrovsky was favoring the puck side of the net.  Everybody doing what they were supposed to, and still the puck ended up in the net.  That's hockey, right?  Just a bad break, but nothing serious.

Five minutes later, the Avalanche had a more credible offensive threat in progress, with Nathan MacKinnon buzzing around the zone with the puck, and Gabriel Landeskog trying to screen Bobrovsky down low.  Still, there were four Blue Jackets in the vicinity, and nothing suggested any untoward degree of danger.  Having no direct shooting angle, MacKinnon chose to simply fire the puck at the mass of humanity in front of the goal.  While Landeskog was unquestionably the closest Avalanche player to the puck, it's a close call to determine whether his stick actually touched the puck or not.  What is clear is that the puck went from his vicinity, off the skate of Brandon Dubinsky, off the skate of Dalton Prout, and into the net.  Again, Bobrovsky had no shot.  Once more, everyone being right where they were supposed to be . . and the puck ends up in the net.   At this point, Todd Richards might have been contemplating a ritual sacrifice to change the luck.  Still, the Blue Jackets managed a few solid chances in the final few minutes, and got the game to overtime, for a guaranteed point.

The Polka

It was tough to come up with a dance that adequately portrays the overtime period.  Ultimately, the polka seemed the closest, as it is frenetic . . .and just a bit absurd.  So was it with the overtime period, which featured speed and skill on both sides for the first half of the frame, although it translated into few real chances.  Then, just past the halfway point of the frame, the officials who had been unable to find their whistles for any number of ritual muggings in regulation, suddenly found the urge to call a penalty.  In this case, the referee positioned in a different zip code from the play whistled Artem Anisimov for holding, giving the Avalanche a pivotal 4-on-3 advantage for all but the final 21 seconds of OT.   While Anisimov was more than likely guilty of the infraction, the point is that far more severe transgressions had been routinely ignored all night, and to change the view of the rule book in the middle of overtime was a bush league move.

As hockey observers are well-aware, the 4-on-3 power play is a much more lethal opportunity than the standard 5-on-4, and this is particularly true with a club as skilled as Colorado.  Still, rather than relying on the collapsing triangle on the PK, the Blue Jackets attacked, strategically picking their opportunities, then denying time and space to the puck handler.  It was wildly successful, disrupting the flow and repeatedly putting Colorado back in its own zone.  Finally, as the power play entered the last 20 seconds or so, Colorado was finally able to gain possession in the zone.  Landeskog took the puck low to Bobrovsky's left, while MacKinnon crept down low to the right.  In between the two was Jack Johnson, who properly went down to prevent the cross-crease back door pass.  However, the puck found Johnson's skate, and once again deflected past the helpless Bobrovsky for the game winner.

The Finale

Early reactions to this one ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous, as is typical.  Some see this as losing a needed point, and a devastating emotional blow.  Others see it as gaining a point against one of the top teams in the West, with 100 points to their name coming into this one.  People who did not see the game will look at the box score and conclude . . . incorrectly . . . that this was a third period collapse.

From my seat, this was a really well played game from the Blue Jackets against a very tough opponent.  Sure, Matt Duchene was on the shelf.  So were Nathan Horton and Ryan Murray.  Columbus perhaps gripped the stick a bit too tightly on a few chances, but what team doesn't at this time of year.  By the numbers, Sergei Bobrovsky allowed three goals in 28 shots.  In reality, he should have had a shutout.

I can quibble with Todd Richards' roster choices, but there was no guarantee that it would have changed the horrific luck that victimized the club this night.  As would be expected, Jared Boll had lots of early energy, but faded quickly.  That limited the ice time of Richards' coveted fourth line, which increased the burden on the other lines.  That can't happen with the upcoming schedule.

While everyone played a good, solid game, special kudos go out to Blake Comeau, Brandon Dubinsky and Jack Johnson. Comeau was everywhere, as was Dubinsky.  Johnson made some key plays, kept possession in the offensive zone, and showed the kind of speed and skill that brought him to Columbus.  If he can maintain that level of play for the next 12 days, things will look bright for the Blue Jackets.

You could watch every NHL game for 15 years and never see three "own-goals" in one game.  This was truly a game of bad bounces, which unfortunately took away from a fundamentally sound effort.  If that kind of effort is repeated for then final seven, the club will be playing post-season hockey. Period.

Speaking of post-season, Dallas provided assistance with a 5 - 0 pasting of Washington.  New Jersey lost in a shootout to Buffalo, and Philadelphia lost in a shootout to St. Louis.  Toronto gained a point with their win, but the Blue Jackets have two games in hand on the Maple Leafs.  It's going to be a battle all the way to the wire, but just as we have been discouraged in past years by how tough it is to move from below the line to a playoff berth at this time of year, that same principle comes to the Blue Jackets' aid this year.  The Blue Jackets don't need to catch anybody (thought they would love to).  They have games in hand, the edge in ROW -- or both -- against all of their pursuers.  More importantly, none of those pursuers play the Blue Jackets again.  So, it's not good enough for those clubs to tie Columbus -- they must equal and surpass the Blue Jackets to earn a spot in the dance.

So, don't despair.  A point is a valuable asset about now.  Oh, and Ryan Murray is making the trip to Philadelphia.  Just saying'. . .

Rangers Vs. Canucks: FinaLouis! (Also Ryan McDonagh Panic)

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Notes from the Rangers' win over the Canucks.

- I don't know why I want to make this clear, but I feel like I should. I didn't hate John Tortorella. In fact, there were many, many instances where I loved him as a coach. However, I do agree he wore out his welcome and I do agree he wasn't the right guy to get the Rangers over the hump. But to blame him solely for the problems they're having in Vancouver is insane. And as the game went on, I actually ended up feeling really bad for him. So, yeah.

- And for the most important part of that game -- the Ryan McDonagh injury -- I don't have any information so I'm not going to speculate much. What I will say is it looked bad. Some of that might be because of who it was (the most important player on the team not named Henrik Lundqvist) and when it happened, though. Keep in mind that after the game Larry Brooks reported a Rangers' spokesperson said it "wasn't serious." Still, it wouldn't shock me if this was long term, either.

- A lot of people were pissed the Rangers didn't retaliate the hit, especially since it came from a player with that kind of history. I don't remember where I saw it, but someone found a clip of Dan Carcillo saying something to Alain Vigneault after the hit happened and Vigneault shook his head. My guess is Carcillo was asking if he should pay the Canucks back, and Vigneault said no. I actually like the decision not to. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Carcillo is an important part of this team and he can't be getting suspended over something that already happened.

- He's important because the fourth line is important. The Rangers need to make sure they take care of them this summer, especially is they have extra money from a Brad Richards buyout. No need to fix something that isn't broken, and yes, that includes Carcillo, too.

- "I told you he belonged on the first line," Alain Vigneault about Carcillo, probably.

- Lundqvist deserves a lot of credit for this win. He was fantastic, especially when the Rangers were pinned in their own zone for an extended period of time. He was shape all game, and made sure the Canucks didn't make their way back into the contest late.

- Derick Brassard has really come around, and his pass to Benoit Pouliot for the Rangers' second goal (a power play goal, no less) was fantastic. He's such a big part of this offense that it's easy to overlook him, but the Rangers don't have many guys who can dish the puck like he does. Mats Zuccarello can. Derek Stepan can. That's it.

- And, of course, how could we forget Martin St. Louis finally getting his first goal as a Ranger (and his 30th of the year). Did you see his reaction? It was more "sighs of relief" than "celebrate the goal." It was a Hell of a shot though. Hopefully that gets him going.

- The power play looks good. The penalty kill looks better. I tweeted this a few games ago but it's relevant now, too. "Is it bad the Rangers' penalty kill is more lethal than the power play?"

- Aside from McDonagh, the next most important part of the game was the two points, which the Rangers got in regulation again. Both the Flyers and the Blue Jackets lost in overtime, so both only grabbed one point. The Rangers are three points ahead of Philadelphia and seven points ahead of Columbus. Do keep in mind, though, the Rangers have three more ROW than the Flyers and six more ROW than Columbus, so a tie in either case will most likely go to the Rangers.

Thoughts?


Avalanche 3, Blue Jackets 2 (OT) - Game Highlights

Storm Tracking: Finally Some Decent Weather!

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It certainly was a perfect week for the Carolina Hurricanes, but it was better than it has been in a while. Carolina played 4 games and got points in each of them. While it doesn't help them get into the playoffs, maybe it builds a little momentum heading into the offseason?

Too little, too late would be an accurate statement to describe the Hurricanes week.  But after going 6-12-0 between February 1st and March 25th, a 2-0-2 week looks quite nice.  It started out with a 3-0 home victory over the Panthers where Anton Khudobin picked up his well deserved first shutout of the season.  It was followed up with a hard fought, yet disappointing overtime loss to the Blue Jackets.  Then Canes fans witnessed the Cam Ward of old, stealing Carolina a point in a shootout loss in Ottawa.  The week was capped off with an impressive win over the Metropolitan Division leaders in Pittsburgh.  It was a week with both negatives and positives.  The Canes continued to generally get off to slow starts and the veteran forwards really weren't huge factors.  But the goaltending was superb and the younger generation led the way.  7 of the 10 Canes to register points this week were 26 years old or younger.  While the playoffs are out of the picture, if they can continue and generate a little momentum and good feelings heading into the offseason?  Here are the stats for the week of 3/26/14 through 4/1/14.

Canes Weekly Stats

Players

GP

TOI/G

G

A

P

+/-

PIM

S

Hits

BkS

GvA

TkA

Jeff Skinner

4

16:36

3

2

5

2

2

12

5

0

2

1

Andrei Loktionov

4

16:37

1

3

4

2

0

9

2

2

0

1

Elias Lindholm

4

15:17

2

1

3

1

0

12

7

1

3

3

Justin Faulk

4

23:21

1

1

2

3

0

9

6

4

2

1

Riley Nash

4

15:51

0

2

2

E

0

2

4

2

1

2

Eric Staal

4

21:52

1

1

2

2

2

12

8

3

2

6

Jiri Tlusty

3

14:36

2

0

2

2

2

8

7

0

0

1

Brett Bellemore

4

13:15

0

1

1

2

0

5

6

5

2

1

Patrick Dwyer

4

12:53

0

1

1

E

2

4

9

0

1

0

Jay Harrison

4

18:25

0

1

1

3

2

5

7

8

3

1

Drayson Bowman

2

11:19

0

0

0

E

2

3

1

3

1

0

Radek Dvorak

3

5:42

0

0

0

1

15

1

0

1

0

0

Nathan Gerbe

4

15:21

0

0

0

E

4

8

3

0

0

1

Ron Hainsey

4

21:27

0

0

0

-1

0

4

4

8

3

0

John-Michael Liles

4

21:38

0

0

0

-2

2

5

6

7

2

1

Manny Malhotra

4

9:23

0

0

0

2

0

0

5

3

1

0

Andrej Sekera

4

24:02

0

0

0

3

0

7

8

7

2

1

Alexander Semin

3

19:12

0

0

0

E

0

5

1

0

0

2

Jordan Staal

4

17:12

0

0

0

E

0

7

10

1

2

2

Chris Terry

1

13:18

0

0

0

E

0

1

3

0

0

0

Zach Boychuk

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

Mike Komisarek

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

Ryan Murphy

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

Aaron Palushaj

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

Brett Sutter

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

Players

GP

GS

W

L

OTL

Shots

Goals Allowed

Saves

Save %

GAA

A. Khudobin

3

3

2

0

1

98

4

94

0.959

1.32

Justin Peters

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0.00

Cam Ward

1

1

0

0

1

29

1

28

0.966

0.92

Weekly Advanced Stats

Here is a little key to some of my abbreviations. F - For, A - Against, CF% - Corsi For Percentage, FF% - Fenwick For Percentage, SF% - Shots For Percentage, OZst% - Offensive Zone Start Percentage, NZst% - Neutral Zone Start Percentage and DZst% - Defensive Zone Start Percentage. If you would like more advanced statistics, this information was collected from www.extraskater.com.

Goals

All Situation

5 on 5 Close

5 on 5 Zone Starts

Players

F

A

CF%

FF%

SF%

CF%

FF%

SF%

OZst%

NZst%

DZst%

Terry

1

1

52.9

50.0

57.1

46.2

42.9

40.0

46.7

46.7

6.7

Loktionov

5

1

52.8

55.6

62.0

53.6

59.6

57.1

49.0

37.3

13.7

Tlusty

2

0

51.3

51.7

51.3

54.9

54.1

47.6

48.6

32.4

18.9

Semin

0

0

50.5

47.1

49.2

49.4

45.9

48.7

28.6

32.7

38.8

J. Staal

0

0

50.4

49.0

49.4

45.7

42.6

44.7

25.0

41.7

33.3

Faulk

5

3

49.4

46.4

49.0

55.6

51.7

50.0

30.0

32.2

37.8

E. Staal

3

2

49.3

50.0

50.6

51.0

52.9

54.8

38.0

34.2

27.8

Gerbe

0

0

48.6

44.0

38.7

45.0

41.0

37.8

27.3

40.0

32.7

Sekera

4

2

48.3

46.4

48.5

54.7

52.8

50.8

30.3

32.6

37.1

Skinner

7

3

48.0

47.1

49.4

51.3

52.4

53.1

42.6

31.5

25.9

Dwyer

1

1

46.5

44.9

45.5

48.3

46.7

47.1

15.4

35.9

48.7

Harrison

6

1

45.6

45.7

45.9

43.2

43.9

44.9

44.0

22.0

34.0

Lindholm

5

2

45.5

46.1

49.3

50.7

55.6

55.8

36.5

34.6

28.8

Hainsey

1

2

44.7

48.5

52.1

44.8

50.8

51.2

28.2

42.3

29.5

Liles

0

2

43.7

46.2

47.9

42.3

46.4

46.2

27.7

41.0

31.3

Bowman

0

0

42.3

42.9

50.0

51.3

50.0

60.0

8.7

17.4

73.9

Nash

5

3

41.0

40.2

42.9

47.4

47.8

48.6

34.0

36.2

29.8

Bellemore

2

0

40.0

38.6

43.3

45.2

45.5

52.6

36.1

27.8

36.1

Malhotra

2

0

32.8

34.0

40.6

38.1

43.3

45.5

6.8

25.0

68.2

Dvorak

1

0

21.9

28.6

31.3

30.0

42.9

45.5

10.0

25.0

65.0

Boychuk

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Komisarek

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Murphy

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Palushaj

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Sutter

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Who's Hot

  • Jeff Skinner - This might have been one of Jeff's best stretches in his career.  He's scored more goals, had game winners, made some dynamic plays before, but this week Jeff displayed a little more complete game in my opinion.  He was looking to pass, rather than just shoot and was fighting for the puck along the boards.  He led the team in goals, points and total goals for.  He also tied for the team lead in shots, tied 2nd in assists and tied for 4th in +/-.  His possession numbers were only above average, but you could tell the difference he made when he was on the ice.  But the number that really stood out to me was his 5 hits.  That represents more than 1/4 of his season totals in this week alone!  Maybe Skinner is taking the next step or maybe this is just one of his little streaks, but he deserves much credit for his play this week.
  • Andrei Loktionov - Loktionov has been teetering on my Hot List for the past couple of weeks and finally makes it.  Since coming over in the Tuomo Ruutu trade, Loktionov has seen his minutes and game pick up.  He was getting close early on, but now it seems things are starting to break his way.  He had a team high 3 assists, was 2nd in points, tied for 4th in +/- and tied 4th in shots on goal.  Loktionov was in the top 4 in every possession category, leading 3 of them.  His lowest number was 52.8%, which is even more impressive considering where the team as a whole ranked this week.  This guy is proving to be a quality player that can pass and helps the PP.  He's also seems to be pretty reliable in his own zone while contributing offensively, given he was on the ice for 5 Canes goals and only 1 against.  Got to give some props to Jim Rutherford here, doing what he does best, finding a diamond in the rough.
  • Anton Khudobin/Cam Ward - What a week for the goaltending duo for the Canes?  4 games played, 3 against teams in the top 14 in goal scoring and you average a 0.961 save percentage & 1.21 goals against average.  You really can't ask for much more than that and both guys were excellent this week.  As mentioned earlier, Khudobin got his first shutout of the season.  And in Ottawa, Cam looked like the guy from 2010/2011, stealing a point in a game the Canes didn't deserve to be in.  Given the team's scoring issues this season, this is what was needed on a more consistent basis this year.  And there's still the issue with what to do with Ward this summer.  But for a week at least, the Canes had an outstanding show put on by both of their goalies and it was great to see.

Who's Not

  • Alexander Semin - When he falls, I guess he falls pretty hard.  Semin has been one of the Canes best players for a while now, but when pointless in 3 straight for the first time since early January.  And to wrap things up, he caught the flu and missed the 4th game.  But it wasn't just a lack of scoring, Semin's whole game was off this week.  He only had 5 shots on goal and was not on the ice for any Carolina goal.  But the biggest thing was his possession numbers.  Alex was in the high 40s this week, with his highest being the All Situation Corsi For at 50.5%.  This is a guy that leads the Canes in almost every possession stat this season, averaging over 60% in All Situations Corsi and over 59% in All Situations Fenwick.  Hopefully this was just an off week or maybe he was fighting the flu a little longer than expected.  Either way, I hope this was an aberration and not what we'll see the rest of the season.
  • Jordan Staal - The same thing that happened to Alex also happened to Jordan.  The well went dry and quickly.  Jordan didn't have any points for the week, wasn't on the ice for any Canes goal and saw his possession numbers dip into the 40s.  But at least Jordan did some of the little things to help the team out, like delivering a team high 10 hits.  It is starting to seem to me that Jordan feeds off his linemates, but isn't the type of guy that really drives the bus.  That's not meant to say he isn't a good player, but it appears that his linemates are the ones that are going to determine Jordan's point production for the Canes.  If their going, Jordan produces, if not, he's almost strictly a defensive center.  Another thing to point out is that Jordan has been struggling in the faceoff circle the past couple of weeks.  He's still at 54% for the season, but the last 2 weeks have been in the mid 40% range and that needs to rebound.  Let's just hope that some rain fills that well up again and Jordan finishes the season strong, producing some points.
  • Eric Staal - This is a week were the stats the don't the whole story.  Eric lead the team with 6 takeaways, tied for the team lead in shots with 12, tied 3rd in hits with 8, tied 4th with a +2 rating and tied 4th with 2 points.  That really doesn't sound too bad, but watching him has been a different story.  His play has been lackluster and his effort level disappointing.  Maybe his brother can't drive a line, but we all know that Eric sure the hell can and he isn't.  Use to, when this team needed him, he could put them on his back and score a critical goal or at least fend off defenders with the puck, eventually creating a scoring chance for a teammate.  This year's version (particularly lately) of Eric Staal isn't the same guy.  I wish I knew what was going on with him, but I don't.  All I can say is that I believe the old Eric is still there, but someone or something needs to draw it out of this shell.  I'm not 100% sure if he'll be back with Carolina next season, but I hope so and I hope it's not the 13/14 version.  If he is here, this team needs Eric Staal to be the player he can be if they have any hopes at being a playoff team.

Notable Weekly Team Stats

  • The Hurricanes certainly weren't scoring in bunches this week, averaging exactly at their season average of 2.50 goals per game.  That ranks 21st on the season and tied for 17th for the week.
  • The PP continued it's recent hot streak, going 2 for 8 or 25%.  That ranked tied for 6th in the league and is 9 percentage points higher than their season average.  It appears the coaching staff has finally figured out that the "Kid Unit + Old Man Harrison" might be something that works.
  • The PK dropped some this week, clocking in at 85.7%.  That puts them dead middle in the NHL, tied for 15th.  Of course the 1 PP goal they gave up was a 4-on-3 in OT against Columbus, those are always difficult.
  • Sort of an unusual week for the Canes.  They finished top 10 in hits with 103 (6th) and blocked shots with 55 (8th).  They were middle of the pack in takeaways with 24 (12th), giveaways with 28 (18th) and turnover margin at -4 (tied 16th).  Typically the Canes are near the top in takeaways and turnover margin and generally closer the bottom in giveaways and hits.
  • Carolina again gave up more shots than they took.  They averaged 29.5 shots per game, tied for 16th in the league.  They gave up 31.8 shots against per game, which was 21st in the NHL.  Luckily, the had the highest save percentage for the week.
  • Faceoffs stepped off a cliff this week, dropping to 22nd in the NHL at 48.3%.  Manny was the only regular in the positive at 53.8%, Riley was next at 48.0%, and Eric & Jordan both tied at 47.7% to finish it off.
  • The Hurricanes go 1-2-0 and finished with 51% Corsi & Fenwick the previous week.  Yet the drop this week and go 2-0-2, really puzzling?  Carolina finished with a 46.8% 5 on 5 Corsi For percentage for the week.  They finished with a 45.9% 5 on 5 Fenwick For percentage.  So they drop 5 to 6 points and end up getting better results.
  • Team Stat of the Week - Goals Against - 1.25 GA/G - The Canes tied for giving up a league low 5 goals, but did it in more games than the others.  So their 1.25 goals against per game was the league leader.  And while the defense played a part, most of the credit needs to go to Dobby and Cam.  The team gave up the 2nd most shots on goal with 127.  As mentioned above, the goaltending duo stopped a combined 96.1% of those and ended up with a 1.21 goals against average with overtime factored in.

Former Canes Weekly Stats

Players

Team

GP

TOI/G

G

A

P

+/-

PIM

S

Hits

Bks

GvA

TkA

R. Whitney

DAL

3

12:30

1

2

3

3

0

4

0

3

0

1

M. Cullen

NSH

3

17:03

0

2

2

E

0

6

1

0

2

1

A. Ladd

WPG

4

20:06

2

0

2

E

0

12

6

3

6

0

T. Ruutu

NJD

4

14:57

1

1

2

-3

0

3

7

1

0

1

K. Westgarth

CGY

4

6:04

1

1

2

2

14

3

6

1

0

0

J. Williams

LAK

4

17:12

1

1

2

3

0

10

2

0

3

0

R. Carter

NJD

4

8:22

0

1

1

E

2

2

5

0

0

2

A. Hall

PHI

4

11:45

0

1

1

1

2

5

9

4

1

2

J. Jokinen

PIT

4

17:18

0

1

1

-1

0

7

3

1

3

1

R. Vrbata

PHX

3

19:35

0

1

1

-1

0

9

2

1

2

3

C. Adams

PIT

4

11:10

0

0

0

-2

4

2

14

2

1

1

B. Allen

ANA

3

15:50

0

0

0

1

2

2

2

9

2

1

T. Bodie

TOR

3

8:35

0

0

0

2

0

5

2

0

1

2

Z. Dalpe

VAN

1

6:49

0

0

0

-1

0

0

2

0

0

0

T. Gleason

TOR

3

13:57

0

0

0

-2

0

0

8

4

3

0

J. McBain

BUF

3

22:02

0

0

0

-3

0

4

0

4

0

1

B. Sutter

PIT

4

16:35

0

0

0

-1

0

9

0

4

2

1

A. Alberts

VAN

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

E. Cole

DAL

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

J. Corvo

OTT

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

P. Eaves

NSH

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

D. Seidenberg

BOS

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

J. Welsh

VAN

0

0:00

0

0

0

E

0

0

0

0

0

0

Rangers' Magic Number Is Three Points, More Important Number Is Seven Points

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0

The magic number to make the playoffs is three more points, but the more important number is seven.

The New York Rangers are three points out of a playoff berth. That's the magic number. Right now the only team that can knock the Rangers out of a playoff spot if they don't get three points is the Washington Capitals. It doesn't matter if the Rangers earn all three points themselves or if the Capitals lose three points on their own (or any combination of the two), either way it results in a playoff berth.

The Capitals have 81 points in their 76 games so far this season. That gives them a maximum of 93 points if they won every single game from this point to the end of the season. The Rangers have 39 ROW (against the Capitals' 25!!!) so even if the two teams were tied with 93 points the Rangers would earn the tiebreaker and make the playoffs. So there is your original magic number to make the playoffs.

But that's not the more important number. The more important number is the number seven, which signifies how many points the Rangers need to earn or the Columbus Blue Jackets need to lose (or, again, any combination of the two) to see the Rangers clinch one of the two guaranteed playoff positions remaining in the Metropolitan.

We know why this is important. This is important because it would avoid Boston or Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs.

The Blue Jackets have 83 points through 75 games, giving them a maximum of 97 points if they won every single game the rest of the way. The Rangers currently have 90 points with five games remaining with 39 ROW while the Blue Jackets only have 33, so realistically you would have to assume the tiebreaker will go in the Rangers' favor if they both ended up with 97 points.

Tonight, the Blue Jackets visit Philadelphia in a massive tilt between those two teams. Right now the Flyers' maximum possible points would be 101, so until they lose there is no magic number to clinch home ice through the first round. A regulation result in any fashion between the Flyers and Blue Jackets would benefit the Rangers in different ways. A three-point game does some harm, but it will allow the Rangers to gain ground on someone.

In the end, however, the Rangers control their own destiny. If they win games they're going to do themselves some major favors and make this easy.

So let's hope this is just easy.

Game Preview #77 - Still There For The Taking?

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0

The Jackets are probably more focused on hanging on to a Wild Card, but let's not ignore that this game still has some significance in the Metro.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Philadelphia Flyers

April 3, 2014 - 7:00 pm EDT
Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Broad Street Hockey
SBN's Flyers vs Blue Jackets coverage

This game looked like it would be a huge one in the standings even just a week or two ago. Philly's stellar run of late combined with the Jackets faltering a bit have taken some of that starch out, but if you look at the math of it all, a regulation win for Columbus still leaves the door open for the Jackets to try to swoop in and steal that third spot in the standings. It would take some help, for sure, and step one would be to win tonight.

But for a complete third period meltdown the last time these teams played in Philly back in December, the Jackets would be going for the season sweep. And, the previous three games between these clubs have been--how you say--flush with goals: 25 goals total scored in the first three meetings. It will be interesting to see if the clubs can clamp down on defense.

Tonight also marks the first official meeting between Sergei Bobrovsky and Steve Mason, as the former was injured during that December game and the latter was able to effectively duck a return trip to Columbus as he was the backup in both games. Mason has been OK since the Olympic break, stopping 91% of the shots he'd faced. He's had a shutout, but has also given up four goals four times since then as well. Hopefully the Jackets can get to him early and rattle that world famous confidence of his.

For the Jackets, R.J. Umberger looks to draw back in, most likely for Corey Tropp. Also out is Nikita Nikitin, who will be replaced by either Nick Schultz or Tim Erixon. My guess below is that Schultz gets in. We shall see.

Whether the Metro is still even an attainable goal is a matter of debate and math. What isn't is that the Jackets simply have to have two points. Getting them in regulation would be even sweeter.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(38-30-7, 83 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)

Boone JennerRyan JohansenMark Letestu
Matt CalvertBrandon DubinskyCam Atkinson
Nick FolignoArtem AnisimovR.J. Umberger
Blake ComeauDerek MacKenzieJared Boll
Jack JohnsonDalton Prout
Fedor TyutinJames Wisniewski
Nick SchultzDavid Savard
Sergei Bobrovsky
Curtis McElhinney

Philadelphia Flyers
(39-27-9, 87 Points; 3rd division, 6th conference)

Scott HartnellClaude GirouxJakub Voracek
Tye McGinnBrayden SchennWayne Simmonds
Matt ReadSean CouturierMichael Raffl
Zac RinaldoVincent LecavalierAdam Hall
Braydon CoburnKimmo Timonen
Mark StreitNicklas Grossmann
Andrew MacDonaldLuke Schenn
Steve Mason
Ray Emery

Season Series

12/19/13 - Columbus 4 at Philadelphia 5
12/21/13 - Philadelphia 3 at Columbus 6
01/23/14 - Philadelphia 2 at Columbus 5
04/03/14 - Columbus at Philadelphia

Head to Head Stats

PhiladelphiaColumbus
2.80 (11)GPG2.73 (14)
2.72 (16)GAPG2.68 (14)
19.4% (10)PP%17.6% (17)
85.0% (5)PK%81.8% (16)
Claude Giroux / Wayne Simmonds, 25G leaderRyan Johansen, 30
Claude Giroux, 53A leaderJames Wisniewski, 38
Claude Giroux, 78Pts leaderRyan Johansen, 55
Zac Rinaldo, 137PIM leaderBrandon Dubinsky / Nick Foligno, 94
23-13-2Home/Road18-16-3
4/1 @ St. Louis, L 1-0 (SO)Last Game4/1 vs. Colorado, L 3-2 (OT)
6-2-2Last 104-4-2

Game Day #77 - CBJ vs. Flyers

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0

The Jackets are probably more focused on hanging on to a Wild Card, but let's not ignore that this game still has some significance in the Metro.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Philadelphia Flyers

April 3, 2014 - 7:00 pm EDT
Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Broad Street Hockey
SBN's Flyers vs Blue Jackets coverage

This game looked like it would be a huge one in the standings even just a week or two ago. Philly's stellar run of late combined with the Jackets faltering a bit have taken some of that starch out, but if you look at the math of it all, a regulation win for Columbus still leaves the door open for the Jackets to try to swoop in and steal that third spot in the standings. It would take some help, for sure, and step one would be to win tonight.

But for a complete third period meltdown the last time these teams played in Philly back in December, the Jackets would be going for the season sweep. And, the previous three games between these clubs have been--how you say--flush with goals: 25 goals total scored in the first three meetings. It will be interesting to see if the clubs can clamp down on defense.

Tonight also marks the first official meeting between Sergei Bobrovsky and Steve Mason, as the former was injured during that December game and the latter was able to effectively duck a return trip to Columbus as he was the backup in both games. Mason has been OK since the Olympic break, stopping 91% of the shots he'd faced. He's had a shutout, but has also given up four goals four times since then as well. Hopefully the Jackets can get to him early and rattle that world famous confidence of his.

For the Jackets, R.J. Umberger looks to draw back in, most likely for Corey Tropp. Also out is Nikita Nikitin, who will be replaced by either Nick Schultz or Tim Erixon. My guess below is that Schultz gets in. We shall see.

Whether the Metro is still even an attainable goal is a matter of debate and math. What isn't is that the Jackets simply have to have two points. Getting them in regulation would be even sweeter.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(38-30-7, 83 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)

Boone JennerRyan JohansenMark Letestu
Matt CalvertBrandon DubinskyCam Atkinson
Nick FolignoArtem AnisimovR.J. Umberger
Blake ComeauDerek MacKenzieJared Boll
Jack JohnsonDalton Prout
Fedor TyutinJames Wisniewski
Nick SchultzDavid Savard
Sergei Bobrovsky
Curtis McElhinney

Philadelphia Flyers
(39-27-9, 87 Points; 3rd division, 6th conference)

Scott HartnellClaude GirouxJakub Voracek
Tye McGinnBrayden SchennWayne Simmonds
Matt ReadSean CouturierMichael Raffl
Zac RinaldoVincent LecavalierAdam Hall
Braydon CoburnKimmo Timonen
Mark StreitNicklas Grossmann
Andrew MacDonaldLuke Schenn
Steve Mason
Ray Emery

Season Series

12/19/13 - Columbus 4 at Philadelphia 5
12/21/13 - Philadelphia 3 at Columbus 6
01/23/14 - Philadelphia 2 at Columbus 5
04/03/14 - Columbus at Philadelphia

Head to Head Stats

PhiladelphiaColumbus
2.80 (11)GPG2.73 (14)
2.72 (16)GAPG2.68 (14)
19.4% (10)PP%17.6% (17)
85.0% (5)PK%81.8% (16)
Claude Giroux / Wayne Simmonds, 25G leaderRyan Johansen, 30
Claude Giroux, 53A leaderJames Wisniewski, 38
Claude Giroux, 78Pts leaderRyan Johansen, 55
Zac Rinaldo, 137PIM leaderBrandon Dubinsky / Nick Foligno, 94
23-13-2Home/Road18-16-3
4/1 @ St. Louis, L 1-0 (SO)Last Game4/1 vs. Colorado, L 3-2 (OT)
6-2-2Last 104-4-2
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