The Jackets look to match a franchise record eighth straight win, against a familiar foe with an 8 all their own.

Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets

December 18, 2014 - 7:00 PM EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Japers' Rink

Riding a winning streak always breeds confidence. Add in the fact that you have a goaltender playing out of his mind, and a mediocre division, and the fact that the Jackets are still alive for a playoff spot after such an atrocious start breeds even more.

Columbus is coming off arguably their best performance on Tuesday in Detroit, and with a goalie riding a .950 save percentage over a seven game winning streak, they welcome the Capitals to Nationwide to play them the second time in eight days. The Jackets won in overtime in DC last Thursday.

The big key? Staying out of the penalty box. To a man, all the players I talked to noted how terrible the three-penalty start last week was, and how they can't afford to give the league's top Power Play unit too many chances. The PK unit has been better of late, especially during the streak. "[The PK] is something that needs to be good, because it helps you win games," Nick Foligno said. "It's helped us win games and battle back in games. It's a big credit to every guy on our Penalty Kill and to our goalie as well."

But, they can ill afford to keep relying on that, especially against a team that's not overwhelming (not bad, mind you) at even strength but rains a fiery death on teams on the Power Play. "Hopefully we don't them as many chances as we gave them last game," Foligno said.

Columbus will be icing the same lineup from Tuesday, including newcomer Jeremy Morin and newly healthy Fedor Tyutin.

The Caps are playing well of late, despite losing in the epic 20-round shootout the other night in Florida. They're no doubt hungry for some payback after last week's loss to Columbus.

Todd Richards indicated that there would be no lineup changes. Richards also noted that, while obviously the team would like to score more goals, they have to keep playing defense first. Tonight, especially.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(13-15-2, 28 Points; 5th division, 12th conference)

Washington Capitals
(14-10-6, 34 Points; 4th Division, 10th Conference)

Season Series

11/11/14 - Columbus 2 at Washington 4
12/11/14 - Columbus 3 at Washington 2 (OT)
12/18/14 - Washington at Columbus
01/27/15 - Washington at Columbus
03/03/15 - Washington at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

Three cheers for the Tre Kronor!

Waved-off goal? CHECK! Overtime? CHECK! Bruins victory over the Wild? Wait, say WHAT???

• Loui Eriksson and Carl Soderberg were reunited with Chris Kelly, thanks to the return of David Krejci, and made a strong showing. [BostonHerald]
• Review the game in these GIF highlights. [Boston.com]
• It was the Swedes, including Niklas Svedberg standing on his head, that carried the Bruins through long stretches. The overtime period looked a lot like the Bruins we know and love.  [TheBostonGlobe]
• Krejci felt good physically in his return. Eriksson's GWG should come as no surprise. Svedberg broke a Bruins record. [TheBostonGlobe]
• Who was hot, and not, in last night's tilt. The magic number? 6-6-6! [CausewayCrowd]
• Here are a few observations from the game. [MetroWestDailyNews]
• Thanks heaps, Svedberg, you're not making things any easier for your coach. [Boston.CBSLocal]
• We all know the question, but no, Taylor Hall is NOT the answer. [BostonHerald]
• Meet Craig Cunningham, who spoke about enjoying his and his Providence teammates' NHL debuts, and his debt to the Vancouver Giants. (Video, 4:09) [BostonHerald]
• One source says that the Bruins may be looking for a swap with the Blue Jackets to dump salary. [JacketsCannon]
• Dear NBC- You Tried. Have a look at how the Bruins/Wild "rivalry was sold. [PuckDaddy]

Elsewhere around the rink:

• Remember "Bruin Killer" Thomas Vanek? The Wild are looking for him, too. [WildXtra]
• Biding his time as an assistant coach at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, former Bruin Hal Gillremains hopeful to extend his NHL career. [MetroWestDailyNews]
• The Maple Leafs keep winning, despite dismal statistics. HOW CAN THIS BE? [TheHockeyNews]
• There is more than one way for a team to achieve a high Corsi%. [TSN]
• In honor of the World Junior Championships, lets look back at the 1987 "lights out" brawl between Canada and Russia, eh? (Video, 5:26) [BarDown]
• Here's a gift list for the NHL teams included as a bonus in this power ranking. [Sportsnet]
• This season has seen the NHL moving away from enforcers. Some tough guys are finding it hard to make a living. [NBCSports]
• And the first NHL player to be fined for diving is... [TheScore]
• Off to a bad start... This AHL team gave up three goals in 21 seconds. OUCH! [DeadSpin]
• Good news! Gordie Howe is walking, and intends to make a final public appearance. [TheScore]

Washington gets back in the win column with a big come-from-behind effort

Click to enlarge

Keep up with the latest Caps-related Tweets right here:

Tweets from @JapersRink/tweet-tweeters

Look for updates in this story stream throughout the evening, including tonight's lines, new open threads for each period, and more.

And of course... have at it, people.

Aaaaaand.... breathe.

[GameCenter - Ice Tracker - Game Summary - Event Summary - Shot Report - Faceoff Summary - Play-by-Play - Home TOI - Visitor TOI - Advanced Stats at: war-on-ice, hockeystats, Natural Stat Trick and more via Nice Time On Ice

The Caps and Blue Jackets have been Metropolitan Division rivals for a little over a year now, but it's probably safe to say that the intensity between the two hasn't quite reached the same level as that shared by some of the other Metro inhabitants.

...that may not be the case any longer. After a crazy, physical, back-and-forth game - and the second-straight meeting between the teams to require extra time - this may have the makings of turning into a nice little rivalry.

A few more notes on the game:

• Anyone who says Alex Ovechkin doesn't play defense need only watch his sliding move to force a Columbus attacker to the back wall in the first period. They can watch that and say... okay, yeah, he really doesn't play defense. Not well, at least. But it worked, and that's all that matters.
• You'd be hard-pressed to find someone better at snagging loose pucks and forcing turnovers in the offensive zone than Eric Fehr - and he was at it again tonight, pressuring Jack Skille as the Blue Jackets attempted to clear the zone in the first period. Fehr was able to get the Caps back on the attack by forcing Skille to cough up the puck, and then set up Joel Ward for the game's opening tally. Nice work all around.
• Remember last game, when Jason Chimera took that ill-timed penalty in overtime, eventually leading to a Columbus power-play goal and followed by a seat in the pressbox for #25? If you don't, you can be sure he does, and it must have felt pretty good to put the Caps up by two in the dying seconds of the opening frame. And that pass from Michael Latta... wowza.
• The last time these two teams faced each other, the Caps' power play went awry, registering just one goal on six power-play chances and a big part of their eventual overtime loss a week ago. So after a week of practice and video sessions, they were prepared to make amends in the rematch, right? Wrong. This time around they squandered all of their time with the extra man... although granted, they only had three power plays tonight (and looked much better on all of them than a week ago).
• Things weren't much better on the other side of the special teams battle, as the Caps allowed the Blue Jackets back in the game by way of back-to-back power-play goals in the second period. If you're not going to score with the extra man, you need to at least keep the other team from doing so, and the Caps were unsuccessful. The only saving grace this time around? None in overtime. Hooray!
• After the Blue Jackets tied things up at two in the second period, the game started to unravel a bit, with a series of fights and general nonsense that led to a parade to the penalty box. First Tom Wilson (unwisely) dropped the mitts with Dalton Prout; that was followed by Michael Latta taking on Jared Boll, noted goon Troy Brouwer going toe to toe with Michael Chaput, and then a series of big hits, post-whistle scrums, and John Carlson with a dumb retaliatory penalty...all leading up to a standing-room only penalty box. Division rivalry!1!1!!
• The Caps did a good job of controlling the play in the first period, outshooting the Blue Jackets 15-5, outchancing them 8-0, and outscoring them 2-0. But we know this Caps team, and we know this Columbus team - so it wasn't that surprising (albeit no less annoying) to see that early trend reversed in the second, with the Caps outshot 10-6 and outscored 2-0. It would all come down to the third period...
• ...which didn't start off great, as the Jackets took the lead for the first time less than a minute into the final frame. It got better a few minutes later, though, when Karl Alzner decided he was going to channel his inner Mike Green and pull out some deeply-hidden moves to tie the game up all over again. And then it was bad again, when Chaput put the Jackets up by one with less than five minutes to go in regulation - his first-career goal, and the nail in the coffin... or not. Because there was Mike Green with the puck, channeling his inner Karl Alzner and setting up Troy Brouwer (or more accurately Troy Brouwer's skate) for the game-tying goal less than two minutes later.
• Just like last time, this one needed extra time - but the ending of this story was different, because Mike Green is really good at hockey and so is Eric Fehr. And Alex Ovechkin is good at hugs.

It was a wild one, filled with physicality and pretty plays and ugly goals and regrettable blown leads and awesome comebacks. But most importantly, it ended with an overtime game-winner, an important two points in the standings, and the Caps' 15th win of the season.

Plus/Minus:

• Plus: Karl Alzner. Not entirely sure where he got those moves, but Alzner made a hell of a play to tie the game up at three in the third after setting up the game's first goal back in the first. Quite an offensive explosion for a guy who had just 67 points in his career coming into tonight. Tonight was just the third multipoint game of his career (although it was his second in this calendar year).
• Bonus Plus: Mike Green. How beautiful was his assist to set up the game-tying goal late in the third period? That was old-school Green, and only topped by the assist he picked up on the game-winning goal.
• Minus:The entire second period. Not only did the Caps blow a two-goal lead (ugh), with both goals being scored on the power play (double ugh), but they also allowed themselves to be sucked into a free-for-all of punches and post-whistles scrums and bad, bad penalties.

And now, this...

Game highlights:

This team has three clear leaders. It's time to reward them.

Todd Richards, it's time to name a captain.

Leadership by committee made sense when it wasn't clear who led this group of players. That day is long gone.

Give this team someone to rally around. It's no secret that Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, and Boone Jenner are the heart and soul of this club (along with Sergei Bobrovsky, of course).

Pick one as your captain. The other two are alternates. Done.

There seems to be a fear of making the wrong choice. I get that. (Adam Foote. Rick Nash.) And this is still a very young team. But Dubinsky just signed long-term. Nick Foligno has the opportunity to sign long-term. Boone Jenner is still on his entry-level deal, and is already playing himself into a long-term contract.

I just don't see the "press the eject button" mentality of a superstar, or an aging vet with one last chance for success. I see guys that are committed to winning. Guys that drive this team.

Again, I'll say: Give this team someone to rally around.

When someone takes extra swipes at Jenner, I want someone to say, "That's not going to fly. He's my captain."

If someone crashes Foligno hard into the boards or knocking the net off its moorings, I want someone to say, "That's our leader, our heart and soul, and you're not going to take him out."

If someone chirps at Dubinsky, I want everyone to take it personally, because Dubinsky is Blue Jackets Hockey.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying players don't have that live and die mentality. Especially those guys, and Matt Calvert, and Scott Hartnell, and Dalton Prout, and a few others. But this team is at its best when they're playing confrontational hockey. Yes, you can absolutely point to early season struggles as a result of many freak and unfortunate injuries. You also can look back and see a lot of guys not finishing checks. You see extra liberties being taken when they get our top players in the corners. You see too few people standing up for themselves and their teammates.

This isn't a knock against anyone else, certainly not when this team has had success being led by committee in the past. Yet, Jack Johnson and Jared Boll wearing alternate A's on their sweater - I don't know that I'm ok with that anymore. It screams rewarding players for their status, or their contract, and not for their play. That's not how Blue Jackets Hockey is supposed to work.

You've got your captain. It's time to give him the credit he deserves.

In a season where a lot has gone wrong, the Pittsburgh Penguins still find themselves in first place, largely thanks to some better than expected performances from some key players.

Mumps. Cancer. Blood clot. Beau Bennett walking past a black cat on a Friday the 13^th. Plenty of crappy things have happened to the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.

And yet, they're still in first place. Evgeni Malkin is near the top of the scoring race. Mike Johnston has proven to play an interesting, and so far effective system. Sidney Crosby had a great early part of the season. Patric Hornqvist has added a ton to the team. Kris Letang has been near-Norris caliber. And on and on with the positives.

So, I figured what are probably the most unexpected positives?

Brandon Sutter

Loved this portion from Jason Mackey in the Trib:

The rub around the league is that Sutter is a third-line center. He's not. He has proven this season that he's every bit capable of a top-six role, and his does it with his usual, steady style.

Win faceoffs. Play defense. Use your wingers. Sutter also plays plenty on special teams.

"I thought early in camp you could see right away that he can play as a second line center," Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. "He can play as a top line center. He's a guy who coaches trust because he plays the right way all the time."

Johnston also matched Sutter, Nick Spaling and Patric Hornqvist against Tampa Bay's top line of Steven Stamkos, Ryan Callahan and Valtteri Filppula. The final tally: Filppula contributed one assist.

"I thought the team responded well to it," Johnston said. "Sutter responded well to it. He's not afraid to play that shutdown role, but I'll bet you tonight he had three really good scoring chances as well."

I also liked this twitter exchange from Ray Ferraro and John Buccigross the other night:

Who would have thought: Brandon Sutter, value player. Sutter has 7 goals and 7 assists in 30 games this season, a pace of 38 points for the season (19g, 19a), which doesn't stand out hugely but would be a very solid season.

In Elliotte Friedman's latest 30 Thoughts he had Sutter's name mentioned:

The Oilers will continue to look for centres, defencemen and a goalie, and I asked around to see who might be a fit should they decide to try something significant. There were a lot of votes for Pittsburgh, with a plethora of young defenders. One exec said if he was Edmonton, he would target Brandon Sutter, although he added he thinks the Penguins hold on to Sutter until the salary cap makes it impossible for them to do so.

I would think that would be the case. Sutter is playing too well right now- and he's too big a part of the team to trade away. Dealing Sutter in part for a David Perron or even Jordan Eberle would solve one problem (skilled winger) but only open up another- depleted bottom 6 center. And yea, save it with the Marcel Goc talk. He's a decent player, but simply not productive enough to be a third line center on a good team.

For now, the Penguins are good as they are, with Sutter down the middle and helping them win games.

Blake Comeau

Columbus took note when former Blue Jacket Blake Comeau came back to town last week. From the Columbus Dispatch:

Former Blue Jackets forward Blake Comeau has found a new home and a new role in Pittsburgh after signing a one-year, $700,000 free-agent deal with the Penguins over the summer.

Comeau, a catalyst on the Jackets' bottom two lines last season, has become a fixture among Pittsburgh's top six, most often skating next to playmaking center Evgeni Malkin.

The Blue Jackets got a good look at Comeau's makeover during a 4-3 shootout victory over the Penguins last night.

Comeau got his 10th goal of the season to tie the score at 1 in the second period, when he zipped a tight-angled wrister from 37 feet past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was his first road goal of the season.

"I think Combs is playing really well right now," Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. "It's nice that (Comeau and Malkin), they do have that chemistry that you're starting to see."

Comeau has 10 goals, eight assists, 24 penalty minutes and a plus-7 rating in 28 games for the Penguins. He had five goals and 11 assists in 61 games for the Blue Jackets last season.

"It's great for him," Richards said yesterday morning.

"Having coached Blake and known him, you're happy to see guys have success when they're good guys."

Comeau's hot roll continues, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 OT win last night against Colorado, for his 11^th goal of the season.

Football Citrus Bowl Coverage

In case you haven't heard, Missouri's front four on defense are impressive, and they're anchored by monster DE Shane Ray.  Worry not, the Golden Gophers have heard of him as well.

Drew Wolitarsky is practicing, and if he goes, I assume it can only mean good things for the passing game.

The extra time off before New Year's Day *writer smiles* is giving David Cobb a chance to nurse that hamstring he tweaked against Nebraska.  On the bum-leg, he still rushed for 118 against Wisconsin, per the story.

Maxx Williams is prudently exploring his NFL options.  Please stay, Maxx, because we love you.  If it's best for you to go, then go.  We'll all be happy for you, especially if you're drafted by the Vikings or not the Packers.

In facilities news, shaving some of the cost off the new football facility might mean shovels can hit the dirt sooner, per a Strib report.  Take this one with a grain of SID.

RandBall takes a look at how different the Minnesota football landscape looks from a couple of years ago.

Hockey

It's World Junior Championship hockey time, which is a slow time if you're only concerned with the Gophers team and not what Gophers hockey players do on the international stage.  Well, here's a story about freshman Leon Bristedt teaching his roommate, Ryan Collins (Columbus Blue Jackets), how to drop Swedish F-bombs so he's ready for the tournament.  Is one link enough to justify making the cover photo a shot of USA hockey?  Sure is.

Squeaky-Sneaks

How to solve your depth problem: admit your recruits,  especially if he's 6'9."
And now this, from Disney's Beauty and the Beast:

No one hits like Gaston
Matches wits like Gaston
In a spitting match nobody spits like Gaston

Gaston:
I'm especially good at expectorating!
When I was a lad I ate four dozen eggs
Every morning to help me get large
And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs
So I'm roughly the size of a barge!

My what a guy, that Gaston!
No one shoots like Gaston
Makes those beauts like Gaston
Then goes tromping around wearing boots like Gaston

Gaston:
I use antlers in all of my decorating!

My what a guy,
Gaston!

Do you think the Gophers don't move the ball well enough?  Well, they lead the nation in assists. Does that disprove your theory?  That's an honest question, not sarcasm.

Wrestling

There's some family connections that are part of the Gophers renewed wrestling renaissance.  And they beat jNW.

Follow @Dark516Knight

Chicago goes for their 14th consecutive win over Columbus.

Chicago Blackhawks' starting goaltender Corey Crawfordreturns to action to face former teammate Jeremy Morin and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

Crawford missed the past eight games with a left-foot injury, though Chicago did go 7-1-0 over that span. The return of the 29-year-old netminder can only further help the red-hot Blackhawks cause as he has gone 12-5-1 this season with a 1.87 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.

Chicago has won 13 straight over Columbus since a loss in Oct. 2010, and has come away victorious in nine consecutive trips to the Buckeye State.

Crawford is 10-2-0 with a 1.82 GAA and .942 save percentage in 12 career outings against the Blue Jackets. Saturday will mark his first start since Nov. 29.

Morin was traded less than a week ago for defenseman Tim Erixon and he registered his first point on an assist in Thursday's game for Columbus. He was scoreless in 15 games with Chicago this season and struggled to crack the Blackhawk's roster given the team's depth at forward.

The Blackhawks have won 10 of their last 11 games after a 5-3 victory Tuesday over the Minnesota Wild. Patrick Kane scored the game-winner on a late power-play goal. Kane, Brett Seabrook and Jonathan Toews each had a goal and two assists, while Ben Smith scored an empty-netter and contributed an assist. Marian Hossa also scored and Antti Raanta made 26 saves.

Two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith missed the game due to an illness. He did return to practice on Friday and skated in Saturday's morning skate.

Opponent Breakdown: Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus was among the hottest teams in the league in December, but had a seven-game win streak snapped with a 5-4 overtime loss at the hands of the Washington Capitals on Thursday. It was the Blue Jackets first loss since Nov. 29.

Despite their recent form this month, Columbus still sits in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division.

Michael Chaput's first NHL career goal gave the Blue Jackets a 4-3 lead with less than five minutes in regulation, but Troy Brouwer sent the game to overtime before Eric Fehr netted the winner 42 seconds into extra time.

It also marked the fifth straight game the Blue Jackets has gone to either overtime or a shootout.

Nick Foligno scored twice - including the 100th of his career - and assisted on Jack Johnson's power-play goal. Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves in the loss.

Bobrovsky started every contest during their seven-game streak and posted a 1.71 GAA and .921 save percentage. In four career starts against Chicago, the 2013 Vezina Trophy winner is 1-2-1 with a 2.75 GAA and .921 save percentage.

Columbus' forwards have struggled to stay healthy this season with Scott Hartnell, Artem Anisimov, Mark Letestu and Nathan Horton all currently out of the lineup. Left winger Nick Folingno has been an offensive spark plug in their absence, scoring 16 goals and 30 points, including five goals and two assists over the past five games. Ryan Johansen trails Folingno by two points for the team lead with nine goals and 19 assists.

Things got worse for Columbus on Saturday morning when they announced forward Boone Jenner will miss one to two months with a stress fracture in his back. The 21-year-old has posted six goals and six assists in 20 games this season. Sean Collins was recalled from the AHL's Springfield Falcons. The move likely means Morin will see time on the power-play.

The Blue Jackets boast the league's sixth-best power-play at 23.5 percent, while their penalty kill is in the bottom third of the league at 78.4 percent.

Injury Report

Chicago: Trevor van Riemsdyk (knee)

Columbus: Brian Gibbons (knee), Scott Hartnell (finger), Artem Anisimov (tricep), Ryan Murray (knee), Mark Letestu (groin), Nathan Horton (back) and Boone Jenner (back).

Game Information

When: 6 p.m. CT

Where: Nationwide Arena

TV: WGN

Radio: WGN-720

Follow Second City Hockey on Twitter at @2ndCityHockey and Like us on Facebook. You can follow Brandon Cain on Twitter at @BrandonMCain

The Blue Jackets had their seven game winning streak snapped. They lost Brian Gibbons to injury. Then Boone Jenner. And now, the friggin' Blackhawks and their annoying-ass fans come to town.

Chicago Blackhawks at Columbus Blue Jackets

December 20, 2014 - 7:00 PM EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Second City Hockey

OK, this is officially ridiculous beyond all belief. Hockey Gods, our nuts have been thoroughly kicked in at this point. Can you please, please stop it?

I don't even know how to lead into this game. It feels like a loss already, simply because the Jackets announced this morning that Boone Jenner is out "one to two months" with a stress fracture in his back. I mean, come the f**k on. This injury bulls!t is enough already. Not to mention that forward Brian Gibbons is on IR now, as well, and it just feels like a complete punking from the Hockey Gods. At least they haven't poured sugar in the gas tank of the team bus. Yet.

So, yeah. This lineup. Chicago's lineup. The fact that we get our-Corsi'd by an insane margin nightly when we're a healthier team. I'm not, how you say, optimistic. Now please allow me to gather some papers together so that I may throw them into the air while screaming "F**K THIS SH!T" repeatedly.

Columbus has literally one strength as a team: their Power Play. Chicago has the best PK in the league. Welp.

We're back to icing largely an AHL-caliber bottom six. Welp.

The Blackhawks are even hotter than the Jackets, going 9-1-0 in their last 10. Welp.

Their fans suck, and always seem to show up here, especially on weekends. Welp.

Ugh. Just, ugh.

Oh, yeah. Erixon and Morin. I just don't even care at this point. Erixon's probably thankful he got out before rupturing a femur, or whatever dick-kicking injury is next for Columbus.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(13-15-3, 29 Points; 6th division, 13th conference)

Chicago Blackhawks
(22-9-1, 45 Points; 1st Division, 2nd Conference)

Season Series

12/20/14 - Chicago at Columbus
03/27/15 - Columbus at Chicago

Head to Head Stats

The Blue Jackets had their seven game winning streak snapped. They lost Brian Gibbons to injury. Then Boone Jenner. And now, the friggin' Blackhawks and their annoying-ass fans come to town.

Chicago Blackhawks at Columbus Blue Jackets

December 20, 2014 - 7:00 PM EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Second City Hockey

OK, this is officially ridiculous beyond all belief. Hockey Gods, our nuts have been thoroughly kicked in at this point. Can you please, please stop it?

I don't even know how to lead into this game. It feels like a loss already, simply because the Jackets announced this morning that Boone Jenner is out "one to two months" with a stress fracture in his back. I mean, come the f**k on. This injury bulls!t is enough already. Not to mention that forward Brian Gibbons is on IR now, as well, and it just feels like a complete punking from the Hockey Gods. At least they haven't poured sugar in the gas tank of the team bus. Yet.

So, yeah. This lineup. Chicago's lineup. The fact that we get our-Corsi'd by an insane margin nightly when we're a healthier team. I'm not, how you say, optimistic. Now please allow me to gather some papers together so that I may throw them into the air while screaming "F**K THIS SH!T" repeatedly.

Columbus has literally one strength as a team: their Power Play. Chicago has the best PK in the league. Welp.

We're back to icing largely an AHL-caliber bottom six. Welp.

The Blackhawks are even hotter than the Jackets, going 9-1-0 in their last 10. Welp.

Their fans suck, and always seem to show up here, especially on weekends. Welp.

Ugh. Just, ugh.

Oh, yeah. Erixon and Morin. I just don't even care at this point. Erixon's probably thankful he got out before rupturing a femur, or whatever dick-kicking injury is next for Columbus.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(13-15-3, 29 Points; 6th division, 13th conference)

Chicago Blackhawks
(22-9-1, 45 Points; 1st Division, 2nd Conference)

Season Series

12/20/14 - Chicago at Columbus
03/27/15 - Columbus at Chicago

Head to Head Stats

Norfolk is 29th of 30 teams in the AHL and most likely will remain there going in to Christmas. Bottom line, the best players are not playing like the best players.

1Antoine Laganiere led the Admirals with two points (1G, 1A) versus the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (New York Islanders) on Friday night.  Laganiere now has six goals and three assists for nine points on the season.  Friday's two points marked the first back-to-back multi-point games for the 6'4" center.

2 Center Charlie Sarault assisted on both Norfolk goals against Bridgeport, bringing his season total to five and his points total to six (1G, 5A)

3Emerson Etem scored two goals against Bridgeport.  He has three on the season with the Admirals in 5 appearances and was recalled earlier in the week to Anaheim.

4Mat Clark, usually known more for being a physical presence than for his offense, put up his fourth point, an assist, last weekend against the Springfield Falcons (Columbus Blue Jackets).  Clark now has one goal and three assists in 17 games for the Admirals.

5 Norfolk's 4-3 win over top-ranked Springfield was just the fifth time Admirals have scored four or more goals this season.  Eight different Admrials contributed to 4-3 win over Springfield last Saturday, with goals from Emerson Etem (2), Joseph Cramarossa, and Antoine Laganiere.

6Yann Danis released after 11 games, the most starts for the six goaltenders who have started for Norfolk.  Danis was 5-6-0 with two shutouts, a 2.72 GAA and .914 SP.

7 Norfolk has scored first in seven of their 28 games, winning 5. 

8William Karlsson has six points in 11 games with the Admirals (3G, 3A) but only one goal and two assists in his last eight games.

9Louis Leblanc scored his ninth of the season against Bridgeport.  Leblanc is second on the team in points with 14 (9G, 5A).

10 The Admirals are now 4-6-0-0 in their last ten games and have no consecutive wins in that span.  Norfolk sits at 29 of 30 teams in the AHL and is nine points out of a playoff spot.

--Fair winds and following seas to Goaltender Yann Danis, who was released earlier this week with the assignment of both Jason LaBarbera and John Gibson to Norfolk.  Danis stabilized the goaltending situation in Norfolk and in my opinion was the lynchpin that allowed Anaheim management to pull its head out of its rear and figure out a long-term plan for the season.  Danis was the consummate professional and asserted himself as the number one in Norfolk despite being on a Professional Tryout.  Norfolk is of course fortunate to have the tandem of Gibson and LaBarbera, but it doesn't seem fair to Danis to dismiss him with just a pat on the back after he played as hard as he did and kept the Admirals in games they had no business being in.  I hope he can find a home with another team, he's certainly deserving and will bring a great deal of skill and experience wherever he lands.

--Gibson going in Saturday night as per Coach Skalde.  The decision to play LaBarbera Friday was based solely on the amount of practice Gibson had prior to the weekend.  Neither goaltender had played in a game for what felt like a year, but "Barbs" had practice time with Anaheim and was the "safer" choice last night.  He didn't look bad, but there's clearly going to be some rust after that much time off.

LaBarbera is another "veteran" goaltender who is all business when it comes to their role in the organization.  His season so far has been a whirlwind, starting in training camp and not really knowing whether he was going to be in the NHL or in Norfolk, then coming to Norfolk to back-up Igor Bobkov.  When the Bobkov experiment didn't work, Jason took over the starting role before being recalled to Anaheim and thrown in to a three-in-three weekend situation after Gibson was hurt in warm-ups.  He played in a few games, then was relegated to the bench while Frederik Andersen started something like 300 games straight, and lost that spot with an injury.  Once Ilya Bryzgalov was signed, the writing was of course on the wall for both LaBarbera and Gibson, who will be the tandem in Norfolk for the remainder of the season (barring any trades or injuries).  Jason put his role very simply, and  that is to be John Gibson's biggest fan, to help him stay calm and focused, and to give him breaks when he can.  He's accepting of that role and is embracing it.  Whether or not he was the best choice for a signing in the off-season or not, his attitude has won my respect and I believe Gibson, Norfolk, and Anaheim will all benefit greatly from having him in the system.

--Non-existent.  That was Coach Skalde's description of William Karlsson's game last night.  I believe he was being gracious with that.  In a ten minute post game interview, over a minute was spent eviscerating Karlsson's play in last night's game as well as over the past month.  He's not playing with the skill and talent he's displayed in the past, and certainly not like he is deserving of a recall any time soon.  Some of course will make the argument that he can be expected to be down on himself after being demoted, but I have just two letters for that excuse: B.S.  He's a professional hockey player who is paid to play.  It makes absolutely no sense that Karlsson would not take advantage of every situation he can to force the Ducks to look hard at recalling him.  It's not about the guys around him either, as LeBlanc and Friberg are skilled and fast enough to play with him.  No, there is something wrong mentally with him; whether it's self-confidence, self-pity, or just a lack of heart or effort.  But anything "good" he accomplished earlier in the season he's basically flushing all away and with each game is solidifying his spot on the Norfolk roster.  Three points in December and a minus -7, with his last (and only) goal of the month coming back on Dec 7.  Since then he's gone four games with just one point, an assist that was one of 11 total points among eight different skaters.  The woes of the entire team can't be placed solely at his skates, but the fact that he isn't doing anything to help cure them surely can be.  For Ducks' fans that favored Rakell over Karlsson I say congratulations, you got the better end of that deal.

Follow me on Twitter: @VAPuckhead

The Hawks find themselves down a goal after the first period, despite dominant play for the vast majority of the frame.

Hockey's a funny thing sometimes. The Blackhawks spent the majority of the first quarter dominating the Columbus Blue Jackets, putting constant pressure on Sergei Bobrovsky. Despite this, and the fact that the final shot count in the first came in at 15-3 for the Hawks, the Blue Jackets actually lead 1-0. The goal scorer for Columbus? Former Hawk Jack Skille.

We'll just chalk that one up to the Blackhawks having a little bit of fun with their opponent before hitting the next gear. At least that's the hope here. Of course, if they continue that first quarter pace, they'll leave the Blue Jackets in the dust. Go Hawks.

The Blackhawks and Blue Jackets are tied at 1 after 2 periods in Columbus. Discuss the third period here!

After dominating the first period but failing to score, Patrick Sharp turned things around a bit for the 'hawks in the second, putting one home to bring this one to a 1-1 ties. Despite a huge 29-12 advantage in shots on goal, the Blackhawks have struggled to solve Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovski. They've made some good plays in the offensive zone and created quite a few scoring chances, but Bob has had the door shut all night. The 'Hawks will need to continue their dominance in this one, and solve Bobrovski at least once if they plan on taking home 2 points tonight.

Here's the third period game thread. Go 'Hawks!

Just when everyone thought the worst of the Injury Crisis was over . . . it wasn't. With Brian Gibbons and Boone Jenner now on IR, demonic possession seems to be the only logical explanation.

I had originally slated a piece analyzing the Blue Jackets' struggles with shooting and even strength scoring for this slot.  Then, as I was contemplating my morning coffee and catching up on the hockey Twitterverse, I first saw that Brian Gibbons was placed on IR, with Alexander Wennberg and Cody Goloubef recalled.  Disappointing, as Gibbons has been bringing a lot of speed and tenacity to the ice during the recent streak, and finally was rewarded with an assist vs. Washington.  My thoughts then turned to possible line combinations, and how the Blue Jackets were going to cope with eight defensemen on the big club's roster.  After achieving a level of consciousness permitted only by additional caffeine intake, the word came across Twitter that Boone Jenner was lost for one or two months, due to a stress fracture in his back.  If the Gibbons injury was a painful body blow, the Jenner news came as a roundhouse square to the chin.  After missing 11 games due to a broken hand, Jenner was just hitting his stride, becoming a dangerous presence on each shift.  That's when I decided to postpone the other piece.  Under the circumstances, it just seemed to be . . . piling on.

There are no more words or numbers that can adequately describe the infernal nature of the Blue Jackets' injury plague this season.  Even the national hockey media has been sympathetic in the wake of the latest debacle, with NBC Sports carrying the following headline:  "Seriously?  Stress fracture sidelines Columbus' Jenner for 1-2 months"When the greater hockey community starts saying things like "Really?" you seriously have an issue on your hands.  The 209 man-games seems like a big number, but is hard to get your mind around what that actually represents.  Combining the man-games with salary is superficially attractive, but can actually artificially inflate or understate the actual impact.  Boone Jenner makes $778K, in round numbers.  Is his value much greater than that?  Of course it is.  The best I can do is this:  if you round to the nearest whole number, the Blue Jackets' injury situation amounts to having seven guys plucked out of the locker room before each game.  Seven.  Each game.  Let that loll around in your gray matter for a bit.  The missing guys haven't been AHL retreads, either.  Jenner, Nathan Horton, Brandon Dubinsky, Scott Hartnell, Artem Anisimov, Sergei Bobrovsky, Fedor Tyutin, James Wisniewski, Ryan Murray, Mark Letestu . . .

So, the fact of the injuries is just that . . . a fact.  No matter how unpleasant it may be, in common parlance, it is what it is. The issues then become: 1. Why is this happening?  and 2. What now?  Let's deal with the latter issue first.

Of course, last night's win over Chicago was a stunner, and a testament to the guts and determination the club can muster . . . as well as the other-worldly play Sergei Bobrovsky can provide.  It was yet another game in the recent string where the result defied the optics - the Blue Jackets were significantly outplayed virtually everywhere on the ice . . .except in goal. This streak will convince some that the club is fine, can simply ride Bobrovsky to the Promised Land, and to hell with shot differentials and even strength scoring.  That's possible, but highly precarious. Others will grasp onto the numbers, summarily decree the season lost, and entreat the front office to bag the season in favor of one of the top two draft picks.  Others will lobby for immediate trades, and still others will take varying degrees of middle ground.  Of course, in the final analysis, what any of us think about the situation is irrelevant.  The only thing that matters is what the organization does -- and in that regard, the Blue Jackets are at a bit of a crossroads.  Their December run has returned them to playoff relevance -- now just one game below .500 -- but walking a tenuous high wire in terms of how the job is getting done.  What was already a hill to climb suddenly is now steeper, and the fear is that adrenaline and guts can last only so long.

Let's deal with the extremes first.  There is no way that the organization goes into "tank mode" in search of the prized draft picks.  The players have too much pride to do that, and Jarmo Kekalainen and John Davidson both understand that even top draft picks are no sure thing, and risking the attendance drop-off and ill will among the fan base is simply not a result that could be countenanced at this point. No matter how the club is doing it, they are a playoff contender, and anything seen as scuttling that effort would be viewed as treason.   By the same token, don't look for one or more earth-shattering trades in an effort to salvage a playoff run.  Kekalainen and Davidson have made it clear that they will not purge young talent for temporary fixes.   Now, to be sure, there are existing situations that will likely need to be dealt with.  The Blue Jackets were forced to bring Cody Goloubef back from his conditioning assignment, under penalty of exposing him to waivers.   There are no waiver-exempt blue-liners left, so another move there is a distinct possibility.  While a waiver move is always possible, I'd expect the front office to be a bit patient.  With just one game left before the Christmas break, the Blue Jackets will have a chance to get some of the nicks and cuts healed, hopefully get Scott Hartnell back, and perhaps get Mark Letestu close to returning.  Otherwise -- absent a dramatic shift in record . . . in either direction . . .I just don't see a major move on the trade front until the All Star Break.

Equally important to the discussion is how the organization responds in terms of its utilization of the existing players on the roster.  For example, recalling Alexander Wennberg makes a lot of sense. The kid has a world of talent, and just needs the game to slow down a bit for him before the main engine is ignited.  Last night, he showed some real skill, a presence in all three zones, and just missed on a few chances. On the other hand, the recall of Sean Collins to replace Jenner has me scratching my head.  Collins is 6'1", 195, and will turn 26 in nine days.  He has a single NHL point in 13 games played, and has been largely invisible in his prior auditions with the club.  In the other corner is Kerby Rychel, age 20, 6'1", 205, and with three points in five NHL games played.  After being the last cut in camp, Rychel played well when recalled, and looked very comfortable on NHL ice.  Then he was scratched and demoted.  It makes no sense.

In the not-too-distant past, there was a club in the NHL that was struggling on the ice -- and at the gate.  They had the good fortune of some good draft picks, and their competitive situation and injury status provided the opportunity for these kids to see regular NHL ice time.  The club decided to swallow hard and let the kids run.  The club was the Chicago Blackhawks, and the kids were Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and a few others. That turned out pretty damn well for the club, I'd say.  If you watched them last night, these guys can play. The analogy is clear.  There is a window of opportunity here, and the Blue Jackets should take advantage of it.  Take guys like Rychel, Wennberg, Dano and Goloubef -- give them minutes and tell them to go get it done. Sure, mistakes will happen, but the seasoning will be invaluable, and I suspect the club's overall competitive level would not take a hit . . .and could get a significant boost.  The club just lost some skill and speed, and it's not going to be replaced by Sean Collins or Jared Boll.  The club is going to need to start scoring at even strength and put up more than two goals per game, and the injection of young talent might just spark that transition.  Just my view . . .

To briefly touch on one other point, the reaction of the coaching staff in terms of on-ice strategy will be interesting to observe.  (I'll examine this in more detail in the article originally scheduled for this slot.) Coach Todd Richards is not particularly adventurous when it comes to offensive zone play, and tends to err on the side of caution and reserve.  Note the increased reliance on the "collapsing" defense and the curious allotment of ice time among the forwards.  (However, the club showed a mores active defense against Chicago last night.) The loss of Jenner and Gibbons could incite him to climb deeper into the hole, and play an even more defensive game, relying on his goaltender to stop the incoming pucks, and the power play to provide a 1 - 0 or 2 - 1 victory. (Last night was another example) As noted above, that can work for short stretches, but it's dangerous as a long-term strategy.  From my seat, I think precisely the opposite tactic is called for -- let the young guns loose, play tough in the neutral zone, and put the pressure on the other team.  If you do that, your margin for error increases.  Using last night's game as an example, the Blue Jackets were much more dangerous when they pushed the play pro-actively, and showed they could pin other teams in their own zone using their own speed.  So, keep a close eye on the ice time provided and the forward momentum on the ice.  It could speak volumes about where the club is headed.  If you're given lemons, you better make lemonade.

Turning back to the question of "Why is this happening?"  First and foremost, there are not always reasons or blame to be handed out for everything that happens.  A wise man once noted . . . "Shit Happens."  Truer words were never spoken. There's truthfully not much anyone can do  -- within the bounds of reason -- to prevent things like broken hands.  A certain amount of the other injuries are also part of the bargain -- particularly when you have a team that prides itself on hitting everything that moves.  Watch a lot of those noisy checks along the boards, and the hitter frequently comes out of the exchange worse than the target.  Similarly, when you play a collapsing defense and rely on blocking shots, guys are going to get hurt.  As Sam Snead once said -- "You gotta dance with who you brung . . . "  So, there's a certain injury risk that is just part of the territory when you play the style of game the Blue Jackets do.

Another potential issue getting some play is the role of the medical staff and the strength and conditioning staff.  Again, you have to avoid the knee-jerk tendency to find blame for every ill, but this one is at least worth a look.  The number of abdominal/sports hernia issues has been problematic, and those kinds of injuries can be at least minimized by exercises designed to strengthen the muscles at the pelvic floor.  You also have to wonder about some of the delayed response time seen in certain injuries.  Ryan Murray is a young guy, and his most recent MRI was reported as clean.  Why so long? Brandon Dubinsky was out longer than anticipated as well.  It's worth a look.

While these explain injuries in isolation, neither of these come close to a rationale for the epic scale of injury that the Blue Jackets have suffered this season.  As Sherlock Holmes observed :

When you have eliminated the impossible, then whatever remains -- however improbable -- must be the truth.

Hence, my conclusion that only demonic possession could be responsible for the injury scourge at Nationwide Arena.  (If you run into me at the Arena, ask me about the horrific trick we played on the RA in our college dorm after a group trip to see the movie.  The 1973 original -- not the inferior remake.)  So, if none of the other things mentioned above help, it's time to hit Google for exorcists.  It couldn't hurt, right?  (Note:  No actual demons were harmed in the writing of this article.)

The Crunch is back on top of their division again, sitting pretty in first in the Northeast due to owing the tie-breaker with the Springfield Falcons. The Crunch is also second in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind Manchester.

Early holiday presents are the best, aren't they? Well, Crunch fans got quite a few this past week:

1) The Crunch is back on top of their division. Syracuse won the East Division championship in 2013, and was briefly on top of that same division at the start of last season before things fell apart. Now the Crunch has clawed its way back up again, this time in the quite close Northeast Division (11 points separate 1st place and 5th place). Although technically tied with the Springfield Falcons, Syracuse owns the tie-breaker at the moment, so they get the number one slot. The Crunch also has a game-in-hand on the Falcons.

2) The Crunch is now second in the Eastern Conference. They are also only one point behind first place Manchester.

3) The return of a confident Kristers Gudlevskis. Before fellow netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy's recall to the Tampa Bay Lightning last week, it appeared as though Gudlevskis had lost the number one slot in Syracuse. Vasilevskiy had just been voted the AHL Player of the Week and was riding pretty high. But with Vasilevskiy on recall, Gudlevskis had the opportunity to show that he wasn't out of the competition just yet. The awesome news is that he sized the chance and ran with it. Gudlevskis has won four games in a row, including all three contests the Crunch played this past week. He's clearly found his stash of Latvian Calming Pie again, and is using it to once again rule the crease:

Meanwhile, Kristers has won his 11th game. He's let in 5 goals in his past 4 games and has .954 over that span.

— Clare Austin (@Puckologist) December 21, 2014

4) The continuation of the longest winning streak the Crunch has seen in 6 years. Six years ago, while affiliated with the Columbus Blue Jackets and led by captain Zenon Konopka, the Crunch went on a 15-game winning streak that catapulted them into the Calder Cup playoffs. That team was one of the most beloved in Crunch history, and was really only eclipsed by the 2012-2013 team, a group that is now arguably the most beloved in Crunch history. To see a nine game streak right now with the current group of guys in Syracuse is pretty exciting. It's amazing to seem them living up to their potential.

Given all of this, one can't help but be a little excited by the possibilities in Crunch Land. It's incredibly early. The halfway mark of the season hasn't even been reached yet. There's still plenty of ways this can all fall apart.

For now, though, the holidays have just come a little early to Syracuse Crunch fans.

Latest Stats for the Syracuse Crunch:

• Regular season record (wins-losses-OT losses-SO losses): 19-7-3-0

• Place in Eastern Conference (top 8 make the playoffs): 2nd

• Place in Northeast Division: 1st

• Top scorer: Yanni Gourde (12-12-24)

• Top scoring defenseman: Nikita Nesterov (3-11-14)

• Top defenseman, +/-: Jean-Philippe Cote, +14

• Top rookie: Joel Vermin (7-6-13)

Other transactions and player news:

-Forward Philippe Paradis returned to the Crunch lineup last week, and scored in his first return outing. Paradis was injured in a game against Rochester on Dec. 6th.

-Forward Eric Neilson is still out with the upper-body injury he suffered against Binghamton on Nov. 28.

-According to theahl.com, forward Jerome Samson has been reassigned by Tampa to Team Canada in order for him to play in the Spengler Cup.

-According to theahl.com, goalie Allen York has been returned to the Florida Everblades.

Syracuse Crunch media highlights:

Denmark enters their third WJC looking to make history with their first ever win

This is only Denmark's third appearance in the upper tier World Juniors tournament and their past history does not suggest a strong showing. While Denmark's junior program has grown by leaps and bounds, as evidenced by the development of players like Nikolaj Ehlers and their play in division 1 of the World Juniors, they are still underwhelming when compared to the mainstays of the tournament. There isn't a question of whether Denmark will medal, it's only a question of whether they'll finish 9th or 10th and maybe, just maybe end up with their first ever win.

Roster

*grey text for undrafted players

Draft Eligible Players

Any player born before September 16th, 1997 is eligible for the 2015 NHL draft.

Pickings are slim on the Danish team for draft worthy players with only Alexander True, cousin of Nikolaj Ehlers, in his first year of eligibility for the draft. True has been solid for the Seattle Thunderbirds, but hasn't prove himself to be anything more than a bubble player in terms of the draft. True is a big centre with raw skill, he's definitely a project player. It's rare for Danes to be drafted and True would have to acquit himself well at the WJC and go on a tear in the second half of the WHL season in order to guarantee that a team would pick him.

And of course there's always the possibility of a player who was passed over in their first year of draft eligibility being selected this year based on a strong WJC showing or blooming late. Mads Eller or Mikkel Aaagaard could fall in this category, but their showing would have to be monstrous.

Strengths

When talking about the strengths of the Danish team, one has to compare the team against its past iterations, rather than against its current competing nations. This is a team that has never won a WJC game so any strides or ripples they make have to be compared against its own accomplishments, not that of other countries.

The Danes don't have a lot of offensive threats, but Nikolaj Ehlers is about as good as they come in the CHL. He and Blue Jackets property, Oliver Bjorkstrand are coming off 100 point seasons and are in the midst of another one. They form an explosive top flight unit for Denmark with Mads Eller of the Edmonton Oil King (brother of Lars), the likes of which the team has never had. The line has talent, familiarity with North American ice, and experience. This will be the line to watch for Denmark. Alexander True and Mikkel Aagaard also give the Danes a couple of nice complementary scoring forwards.

The Danes play a very team centric game that focuses on defense and keeping the puck away from problem areas. Many of the Danish junior players play in the Metal Ligaen - the elite league in Denmark - and are used to assuming bottom 6 roles. They're comfortable in a defensive role and their overall team play reflects that. If the Danes can stifle chances and get solid goaltending from George Sørensen or Thomas Lillie they just might steal their first WJC win (I mean as in a game, not a gold).

Weaknesses

Outside of Ehlers and Bjorkstrand, the Danes don't have a lot of top tier talent. True is still fairly raw and an afterthought in draft discussions, much like Aagaard and Eller were in their first year of draft eligibility. Their North American experience should help on a smaller ice surface, but they're not impact forwards.

That's bad news for Denmark as they have a serious dearth of offensive forwards. Many of their players have experience playing against pros and grown men, but that experience comes on the third and fourth lines. So while that's beneficial in a defensive role, it hurts in any other situation. To put it simply, many of Denmark's players are hurt by a lack of development and a lack of ice time in offensive and special teams situations.

Denmark is still growing as a hockey playing nation so these are teachable moments in a still growing program. Unfortunately teachable moments usually cost you wins.

X Factor

I don't think I can emphasize this enough - Ehlers. Ehlers is a dynamic and explosive player who can singlehandedly dismantle junior teams. He is the best prospect Denmark has ever produced and one of the better players at this year's tournament. If they stand a chance of squeaking out a win it'll be December 30th against Switzerland and it will have to be the Nikolaj Ehlers show supported by team defense and above average goaltending. If opponents find a way to stymie Ehlers (and they will), Denmark's already slim chances take a massive hit.

The Jackets' home-stand continues, and they welcome arguably the best goaltender in the league this season.

Nashville Predators at Columbus Blue Jackets

December 22, 2014 - 7:00 PM EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: On The Forecheck

In some ways, you almost hate to see the break coming. Since the calendar flipped to December, the Jackets have only lost once, and they have earned points in all nine of their games. After tonight's game, the holiday break comes, and with it some needed time off. Unless, of course, you're a believer in the notion that you want to keep playing in a routine when your team is winning like this.

At any rate, Nashville comes calling tonight. In some ways, the last time these two teams played marked a bit of a turning point for Columbus: it was the last time they lost in regulation, but it was probably the best game they'd played in quite a long time... certainly of that 0-5-1 skid to finish November. "I thought we played them so hard [last time]," said Nick Foligno. "Unlucky bounce late in the game and they get a win. Otherwise it maybe goes into overtime and it's a different story. We know we can play with them. I know they're playing well right now and doing a lot of great things, so it's going to be a test for us."

Tonight should feature an all-world goaltending matchup between two of the best in the business who are both playing at or near their apex. Sergei Bobrovsky has been almost untouchable in December, posting a .940 save percentage during this nine-game points streak. That includes stopping 300 of 319 shots, or 35.4 shots per game. Holy balls.

Rinne has been stellar all season long. If I had a vote for the Vezina and it was voted on in December, he would get my vote going away. He has a .933 save percentage... for the entire season. He's 21-6-1 and has a minuscule 1.87 goals-against average. In other words, he's been almost as good as Bob has been of late, but he's been doing it for three freaking months straight.

The few players I talked to after morning skate noted Rinne's rebound control as an area to try to attack, but a goalie that size who is athletic presents many challenges. "I think what makes [Rinne] so difficult to play against is, he's not only big but he's athletic," said Foligno. "He's a guy that can get around the net really well, and he's someone who also plays the puck really well, too. He's got all the facets of being a great goaltender."

"[We have to get] traffic on this guy, he spits out a lot of rebounds," said Matt Calvert. "He's a great goalie, though, so we're going to have to get the second, third, fourth efforts on him."

So, if you remember that 0-0 shootout game in Detroit last week, well, don't be surprised if something similar happens tonight.

As usual, no lineup changes for the Jackets.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(14-15-3, 31 Points; 6th division, 13th conference)

Nashville Predators
(21-8-2, 44 Points; 3rd Division, 4th Conference)

Season Series

11/29/14 - Columbus 1 at Nashville 2
12/22/14 - Nashville at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

The Jackets' home-stand continues, and they welcome arguably the best goaltender in the league this season.

Nashville Predators at Columbus Blue Jackets

December 22, 2014 - 7:00 PM EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: On The Forecheck

In some ways, you almost hate to see the break coming. Since the calendar flipped to December, the Jackets have only lost once, and they have earned points in all nine of their games. After tonight's game, the holiday break comes, and with it some needed time off. Unless, of course, you're a believer in the notion that you want to keep playing in a routine when your team is winning like this.

At any rate, Nashville comes calling tonight. In some ways, the last time these two teams played marked a bit of a turning point for Columbus: it was the last time they lost in regulation, but it was probably the best game they'd played in quite a long time... certainly of that 0-5-1 skid to finish November. "I thought we played them so hard [last time]," said Nick Foligno. "Unlucky bounce late in the game and they get a win. Otherwise it maybe goes into overtime and it's a different story. We know we can play with them. I know they're playing well right now and doing a lot of great things, so it's going to be a test for us."

Tonight should feature an all-world goaltending matchup between two of the best in the business who are both playing at or near their apex. Sergei Bobrovsky has been almost untouchable in December, posting a .940 save percentage during this nine-game points streak. That includes stopping 300 of 319 shots, or 35.4 shots per game. Holy balls.

Rinne has been stellar all season long. If I had a vote for the Vezina and it was voted on in December, he would get my vote going away. He has a .933 save percentage... for the entire season. He's 21-6-1 and has a minuscule 1.87 goals-against average. In other words, he's been almost as good as Bob has been of late, but he's been doing it for three freaking months straight.

The few players I talked to after morning skate noted Rinne's rebound control as an area to try to attack, but a goalie that size who is athletic presents many challenges. "I think what makes [Rinne] so difficult to play against is, he's not only big but he's athletic," said Foligno. "He's a guy that can get around the net really well, and he's someone who also plays the puck really well, too. He's got all the facets of being a great goaltender."

"[We have to get] traffic on this guy, he spits out a lot of rebounds," said Matt Calvert. "He's a great goalie, though, so we're going to have to get the second, third, fourth efforts on him."

So, if you remember that 0-0 shootout game in Detroit last week, well, don't be surprised if something similar happens tonight.

As usual, no lineup changes for the Jackets.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(14-15-3, 31 Points; 6th division, 13th conference)

Nashville Predators
(21-8-2, 44 Points; 3rd Division, 4th Conference)

Season Series

11/29/14 - Columbus 1 at Nashville 2
12/22/14 - Nashville at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

Preds have a slew of games against Eastern opponents, starting tonight in Ohio.

Whoever asked for two Nashville Predators games in two days leading up to Christmas must have been extremly good this year. The Preds wrap up their season series against Columbus, who have decided to stick it to the Hockey Gods and win, despite all their injured players.

The Columbus Blue Jackets

The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the Blue Jackets they were getting healthy.

Just as everything starts coming up Lumbus, the team announces that Boone Jenner would again miss time. About 1-2 months with a stress fracture in his back. I'd say they just can't catch a break, but that's apparently the opposite of true. Jenner joins Artem Anisimov, Scott Hartnell, Brian Gibbons, Mark Letestu, and Ryan Murray on the shelf. That's not even counting the absence of Nathan Horton, who may be done for his career. (Side note: read that last story if you haven't already. It's heartbreaking.)

They just haven't gotten the memo that injuries should still be causing them to lose. Since playing the Preds at very end of November, Columbus hasn't lost a game in regulation. Playing Nashville seems to be the cure for losing teams, right Toronto?

The Jackets are 8-0-1 in the month of December, which includes a seven game winning streak that was just broken by the Washington Capitals on Thursday. No matter, they decided to start another one with a shootout win against the Blackhawks on Saturday. It's something they've been getting a lot of, recently. Of the nine games this month, seven of them have gone to overtime or a shootout, including the last six in a row.

Don't let the standings fool you, this isn't a pushover team. Remember, this should have been a playoff team, and they have certainly been playing like it recently. Expect Sergei Bobrovsky in net this time.

The Nashville Predators

You'd imagine we'll start seeing more of Carter Hutton soon, whether it's tonight or tomorrow. Nashville's schedule has been extremely light with back-to-backs so far this year, and there are three of them coming up in the next two weeks.

Unless whatever illness I have is what James Neal has, he should be back in the lineup tonight. Neal, who bridged the end of November and beginning of December with a nine-game goalless drought (seven straight without even a point), has picked up four points in his last four games. Scorers like him a generally very streaky, but he's only on pace for around 50 points this year, which would be low for him.

The culprit? You guessed it, he's not getting as many points on the power play. This season, Neal is right in line with his career average G/60 (1.09) and P/60 (2.10) at even strength, but way off his career man advantage numbers. He's notching about 2.16 points every 60 minutes of power play time, rather than his career 4.25. Pittsburgh certainly helped boost those numbers and we expected it to take a dip, but he's also shooting way less than usual. That's not surprising, since Nashville is 22nd in the league in S/60 on the power play.

So don't worry about Neal. Sure, maybe you'd like to see him above his career rates, rather than right on top of them, but let's not get greedyl. He's still the only Predator other than Filip Forsberg to break double-digits in goals so far, and is on pace for about 30 if absolutely nothing changes.

The good news? The power play has clicked in three of its last four games, with three goals on 13 chances in that span. (Just missing four for 13 by a split second.) That's 23.1% effective, or the same rate that has Columbus sitting at fifth in the league. Granted, they've done that for an entire season. Four games is hardly enough to decide whether they've turned a corner or not, but baby steps in a positive direction are still positive. If this trend continues, look for a lot of guys to start scoring, Mr. Neal included.

UPDATE: Like some of us were speculating after Saturday's win, Craig Smith could stay on the top line.

Neal not skating with regular unit. Skating with Jarnkrok and Beck. Smith stays on line with Ribeiro and Forsberg. #Preds

&mdash">https://twitter.com/hashtag/Preds?src=hash">#Preds— Willy Daunic (@WillyD1025) December">https://twitter.com/WillyD1025/status/547068119781769218">December 22, 2014

These are only practice lines, and may not necessarily what will be what happens during the game. But that's, uh, an interesting line.

Sights and Sounds

Early one tonight, boys and girls, so that's a 6 p.m. CST start time on FS-TN and 102.5 The Game. Hopefully you've already taken the week off work so you have no obligations. If you're one of the stiffs like me who has to work, try not to run over any last minutes shoppers while your speeding home to catch the puck drop.

The American defenseman and Swedish forward both look to represent their respective countries in the top U-20 tournament before coming back to Minneapolis for the second half of the season.

Two University of Minnesota freshmen will end their first semester of college by taking what they have learned at school and represent their home countries.

Swedish forward Leon Bristedt and American defenseman Ryan Collins (Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick) were each named last month to the preliminary roster for their respective Under-20 World Juniors Championship teams. They are joined by sophomore forward Hudson Fasching (Buffalo Sabres).

Although neither freshman has punched his ticket to the tournament, which runs from December 26-January 5 in Toronto and Montreal, Canada, being away from Mariucci Arena and in camp the week before the tournament is a good first step.

"It's such an honor. Having a chance to be part of it last year, but over the years being a part of other teams where there was U17 teams or U16 teams going overseas, it's a tremendous honor," said Minnesota head coach Don Lucia, who coached Team USA to a fifth-place finish in 2014. "You grow up in your country and have pride in your country to represent. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Collins, an 18 year-old from Bloomington, Minnesota, returns to representing the United States wearing the red, white and blue. The 6'5", 204 lbs defenseman spent the previous two seasons playing for the US National Development Program, where he won a gold medal at the 2014 Under-18 World Championships.

"It's amazing," Collins said. "Every time you get an opportunity to wear the USA jersey it's an honor that I don't take for granted."

He's in a battle to make the final 23 man roster. Currently the United States has 8 defensemen in its camp with plans to cut down to seven. The young blue line is a strength for the Americans with 5 of the 10 players who started in camp, including the right-hand shot Collins, being first or second NHL draft picks. Three more could join the ranks next summer.

Bristedt, meanwhile, kind of returns home after six months acclimating in North America. The 5'8", 183 lbs forward is the lone college player on the team's roster, which currently sits at 25 players, including 14 forwards. While he is going to Ottawa for Sweden's camp, being back around his home countrymen combines the return to the European style of hockey the 19 year-old grew up playing with the North American style he has learned at Minnesota. (Plus being back around Team Sweden means Bristedt gets to be eating Swedish food, of course.)

The freshman is cautious about his chances to make the defending silver medalist Sweden, not wanting to celebrate before making the roster. However, Bristedt, who has four points (2G-2A) in 12 games for Minnesota this season, believes he can contribute for his country playing against the best players in the world in his age group.

"I think the coaches have a lot of trust in me and they know I can play the system," he said.

For these guys winter break is less a vacation from 9-4-1 Minnesota and more of an honor and opportunity - if they get the chance - to improve for second semester.

The World Juniors will also be one to show how far each has come since the two were in Lake Placid this past August for their respective evaluation camps. Bristedt and Collins may be playing different roles than they do for the Gophers on different countries, but they're together in their determination on the big stage.

"There's a lot of skill up there, getting to play against guys your own age again. I've played against some of them in the past and there are some skilled players out there," Collins said. "It's always a good challenge defensively to play against guys of that caliber."

Bristedt played against six of his future teammates in August. He vaguely knew who many of the forwards were. At the same time, the Stockholm native made some new acquaintances on the blue line.

"I didn't really know who they were back then," Bristedt said. "I remember (sophomore defenseman Michael Brodzinski) coming up to me and introducing himself, and I was like ‘man who are you?' He said, ‘I'm your teammate next year. Nice to meet you.'"

Four months later Bristedt knows his Minnesota teammates. He and Collins are roommates. That won't stop the two freshmen from possibly again playing one another tomorrow (December 23) in an exhibition game. If they both make their teams, they may also play in the medal rounds.

And if that happens the two Gopher freshmen will be closer together despite wearing different uniforms.

"We've been talking about it. I taught him some Swedish words that he can use," said Bristedt about going against Collins once again, which included the Swedish word for fatass, tjockis (and some other chirps between friends that aren't suitable for an article, he admitted).

"It's just going to be fun."

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