The Blue Jackets welcomed Ryan Murray back to the lineup against Tampa Bay, but the Lightning's Ben Bishop spoiled the debut, giving the Lightning a 3 - 1 victory.

Today marked the beginning of the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa Bay, and Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop played the role of a plundering pirate perfectly, robbing the Blue Jackets of numerous prime chances, allowing his band of brothers to bring home a 3 - 1 victory over the Blue Jackets.

Despite the score, this was one where the Blue Jackets played well -- no, very well -- for the majority of the game.  This despite the fact that some weirdness once again impacted the lineup on the ice.  With no waiver-exempt defensemen on the roster, Columbus returned forward Josh Anderson to the AHL early on Saturday to make room for Ryan Murray.  However, late in the day Matt Calvert fell ill and was scratched.  With the "extra" roster players consisting of Cody Goloubef, Jordan Leopold and Dalton Prout -- all blue liners -- the Blue Jackets were forced to use Leopold as a fourth line winger.  Somewhat ironic that they were in such a roster bind, just as they start to look reasonably healthy.  Except for Jenner . . .and Bobrovsky . . . and Horton . . . and Gibbons.  Never mind.  Let's look at how this one went down.

Period 1:  Robbery on the Frozen Sea

The Blue Jackets came out strong in this one, skating at speed, playing aggressively, tightly and with purposes.  For the first time in recent memory, there were a multitude of players who looked dangerous.  Ryan Johansen and Nick Foligno, of course, but they were joined by Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson, Artem Anisimov and Scott Hartnell.  Alexander Wennberg's progression continued, as he made a number of solid plays in all zones during the opening frame.  The defense largely played in a more settled fashion with Murray back in the picture, and Curtis McElhinney seemed more settled in goal, controlling rebounds far better than usual and appearing to see the puck better than in past outings.

Unfortunately, none of this good play could be translated into goals, due in part to some misfortune and in greater measure to the stellar play of the Lightning net minder.  The Blue Jackets ended the period in a virtual tie with the Lightning in shots, trailing 7 - 8 for the period, but had more takeaways, fewer giveaways and generally seemed more in control of the play.  The lone penalty of the period -- a holding call against Jack Johnson at 8:07 -- was killed with dispatch, and indeed created a prime scoring opportunity for the Blue Jackets.  Wennberg jumped the play at center ice, and skated the puck hard into the zone with Dubinsky on his right.  When he was challenged by the defense, Wennberg placed a perfect backhand pass on Dubinsky's stick, who rattled the ensuing shot squarely off the left post.

The lone Tampa Bay goal came with just 23 seconds left in the period, and represented a confluence of misfortune for Columbus.  James Wisniewski gathered the puck below his own goal line on the right, and waited until he was challenged before lobbing a high clearing attempt down the right side.  Unfortunately, it was short of the blue line, and was kept in by Jason Garrison, who immediately tapped it down the wall to Brendan Morrow.  Morrow in turn tapped it to Brett Connolly in front of the goal.  The Blue Jackets' defense was caught heading up ice, and Connolly was able to beat McElhinney high glove before they could recover.  1 - 0 Lightning as they headed into the locker room, but the Blue Jackets played better than the result dictated.  Could they convert that good play into tangible advantage in the second?

Period 2:  Same Song, Second Verse

The Blue Jackets played better in the second than they did in the first, and that's a solid compliment.  They outshot the Lightning 16 - 11 for the period, including a blistering six shots on goal during their initial power play of the night.  However, they were again frustrated in converting that play onto the scoreboard.  Bishop was again the primary factor, though again misfortune and some dubious decision making played into the result.

The Blue Jackets complicated things by taking a couple of minor penalties -- an interference call against Wisniewski at 2:18, and a goaltender interference call against Corey Tropp at 10:20.   Again, these were killed easily - -even provoking boos from the assembled crowd -- and again, they presented the Blue Jackets with another great opportunity.  This time it was Mark Letestu on a short-handed breakaway, and Bishop denied the opportunity.  Later, Cam Atkinson seemed to have created an open net opportunity when he seemed to attack the net, then carried it behind.  Bishop was woefully out of position, but Atkinson held the puck too long, enabling the defense to recover.  Not long thereafter, Fedor Tyutin launched a crafty shot/pass from the left point that rattled off the right post.

Two periods, some really solid play, and nothing to show for it.  To the Blue Jackets' credit, they had not allowed frustration to overtly impact their play. They needed to keep that attitude intact, and convert chances in the third.

Period 3:  Scuttled

The Blue Jackets carried the same resolve and energy into the final stanza, but an early penalty to Brandon Dubinsky, and the inability to convert on an ensuing power play seemed to allow frustration to set in.  The caliber of play became more ragged as the team seemed to take more chances.  Curtis McElhinney seemed less focused and began surrendering bad rebounds.  The result, of course, was that Tampa Bay was able to maintain possession for extended periods in the Blue Jackets' zone.  You can only get away with that against a skilled team like the Lightning for so long.

Sure enough, Tampa Bay found the vulnerability and struck twice in close succession.  At 10:02, McElhinney surrendered a succession of rebounds, which eventually resulted in Cedric Paquette parking the puck in the back of the net.  Jonathan Drouin and Alex Killorn earned the assists.  Just 1:41 later, David Savard badly missed on a cross-ice pass intended for Foligno near the end of the shift.  Valtteri Filppula grabbed the puck and beat McElhinney far side for a two goal lead.  That was more than enough for Bishop.

With over four minutes remaining in the contest, coach Todd Richards pulled McElhinney in favor of the extra attacker.  The strategy paid dividends when Ryan Johansen converted a quick snapper from the top of the zone with 3:26 left in the game, with David Savard and Ryan Murray adding helpers.  Anton Stralman helped the cause with a penalty at 17:15, but the Blue Jackets could not get organized on their entries, and spent most of the remainder of the period chasing the puck.  No miracles were forthcoming on this night, and the final score remained 3 - 1.

Epilogue

This was an effort that had many commendable aspects.  The club skated, provided support and created chances.  As noted, equal measures of solid work by Bishop, some misfortune and some poor decisions sealed their fate.  The bad part about getting guys back from an extended absence is that the chemistry is simply not there, and the returning guys simply need some time to get in game rhythm.  Brandon Dubinsky is just getting to the point where he looks consistently dangerous, and Anisimov is showing signs of getting there soon.  Murray looked good in his return, with no hitches in his skating stride.

McElhinney played well for two periods, but lapsed in the third.  Savard continued some marginal play - showing glimpses of what he can do, but then lapsing into either a horrific defensive lapse or turnover  -- usually with adverse results.  The play of Alexander Wennberg tonight showed the folly of the plus/minus statistic.  Looking at the scoresheet, you would see that he was a minus-3, and figured he sucked.  Watching the game, you would have an entirely different impression of his play.  Trust your eyes, this kid is good, and is only going to get better.

Unfortunately for the club, they cannot afford the time necessary to rebuild the team chemistry and hit their stride.  They were "zero for Florida", and that simply is not going to get the job done.  Talk of playoffs and positioning is really meaningless at this point in the proceedings.  The club simply needs to win every game and every point it can, and let the results be whatever they will be.  In a universe where a third string quarterback can lead a team to the national championship in just three starts, anything is possible.  However, what is mandatory is that the Blue Jackets get people healthy, find their mojo and identify who they are and how they are going to play going forward.  Stay tuned.

Off to Newark for a game, then back to Ottawa for a short home stand

It's been a rough season for the Devils.

Team scoring generally has not been a New Jersey strong point, but it's down 0.2 goals per game this season and is only ahead of Buffalo and Carolina.  Their leading goal scorer is Mike Cammalleri with 16 goals, and the only other players to reach double digit goals are Adam Henrique and Jaromir Jagr with 10 each.

All this despite their strong power play.  At 20.4%, it is ninth overall in the league.  The penalty kill has been almost opposite, with a 80.1% success rate and 22nd in the NHL.

The good news for Jersey is the play of Cory Schneider. His full season numbers are still somewhat average, but they've been on the rise.  He posted a pretty solid 0.940 in January, had four games above .950 in that time frame.  Scott Clemmensen appears to have played himself out of a NHL job, and has been in the AHL since December.  Keith Kinkaid hasn't seen a lot of action, but has put up respectable numbers for a backup.

The surging play of Schneider probably has a lot to do with the Devils record of 6-3-2 in January, which is vastly improved over the 13-19-7 in the first three months.  To be fair though, the scoring was much improved in January as well - but that would still rank in the bottom 10 if it were a full season number.

Ryane Clowe, Bryce Salvador, Damon Severson and Stephen Gionta are all out on IR.

The Capitals come in to the week sitting comfortably in a playoff spot.

While a strong recent showing (7 goals in his last 6 games) has put Alex Ovechkin at the top of the league for goals, the team hasn't been able to translate the success of the top line into wins as well as they would like.  Their last 10 is just barely over .500, and only a similarly weak record from Pittsburgh has kept Washington within potential reach of home ice advantage.

The special teams are in the same range as they have been for quite awhile for the Capitals.  The power play is a strength as always, and is fourth in the league.  The penalty kill hasn't quite been terrible, but the 18th place 81% is nothing to be happy about.

It is the start of a back to back for the Caps, and the second game is against the mighty-looking Ducks.  Based on that we might see Justin Peters take the net in Ottawa, but given his numbers as this year I'd guess we're more likely to see them ride Braden Hotlby in both games.

Dmitry Orlov, Aaron Volpatti and John Erskine start the week on IR for Washington.

Injuries have really decimated the Blue Jackets this season.  While they "only" have five players on IR right now, they've lost more man-games to injury than any other team this season.

All of that has lead to a team that is probably better than their 21-23-3 record would indicate, but it's tough to really tease just how much better out of the info we have on hand.

Their possession numbers have been brutal - at 5 on 5, they're 26th in the league, ahead of only Buffalo (naturally), Colorado, Calgary and Toronto.  But the flip is their PDO - they have the 5th lowest PDO in the league at 5 on 5, indicating that while their lack of success is partially systematic, it's also being driven further down by bad luck.  Again, the injuries come in to play here as well.  Do their possession numbers remain that low with a healthy roster?  Does their shooting percentage go up with fewer call-ups?

One problem that isn't coming from injuries is the goaltending.  At 3.12 GA/GP, Columbus is 26th in the league.  Sergei Bobrovksy has an underwhelming .913 SV% on the season.  Former Senator Curtis McElhinney hasn't inspired confidence with his .907, though he's got a respectable .924 since Bobo was injured.  Third string Anton Forsberg has the worst numbers of the three with a .841, but in only 79:13 of play.

Those five players mentioned as being on IR earlier are Nathan Horton (who hasn't played this season, and may never play again), Brian Gibbons, Boone Jenner, Jeremy Morin and Sergei Bobrovsky.

The infamous OTF gang headed to the cold grey earth above the Ohio River, and returned to tell the tale. Columbus charmed many people in the hockey community last weekend. We'll take a further look at the scenery, people, and layout that was All-Star Weekend in Ohio's capitol.

When the All-Star Game was first awarded to Columbus, it was a different time. In 2012, the fans were irate with the team. The GM was Scott Howson, and the Jackets were a bad product on the ice. The NHL threw Columbus a bone, and awarded the team the 2013 All-Star Game. A game that never happened thanks to the lockout.

Fast-forward to 2015, and the Blue Jackets have made some signings and done some much better drafting. Columbus might be pretty good before too long. But for now, Nick Foligno is an all-star and we're living with that.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

THE TRIP

Who said that Pekka Rinne isn't going to the All-Star Game? pic.twitter.com/iy3HnqBCD6

— On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck) January 23, 2015

Dan: We left early in the morning on Friday, and managed to make some decent time and get there before the credential deadline. Driving through Ohio between Cincy and Columbus features far more farmland than expected. It also featured much more Confederate flags painted on the roofs of barns than expected as well.

Jon: My takeaway from the drive up came while passing Bowling Green, when I noticed new apartment complexes built along side I-65. From the amount of times I drove that up and down that corridor in college, I like to think I memorized every minute detail between Exits 22-28. Seeing it different than your mind remembers sticks with you.

Jason: The highlights of the drive? Well, we stopped at was was likely the worst Burger King in America for lunch, so that was fun. And what's the deal with all the water slides in Northern Kentucky/Southern Ohio? We saw approximately 1000 water slides, probably enough to slide all the way back to Nashville. And Dan is right about the flags...they may have the Blue Jackets, but lots of folks are still fighting the War of Northern Aggression in Ohio. Puzzling.

FRIDAY

Jason: We arrived at the credential office with about 30 minutes to spare, mostly because I forgot to calculate the loss of an hour by traveling to EST when planning our departure. When we got to the front of the line, they told us we "weren't on the list" so I dropped a "don't you know who I am?" and they fixed it right up.

Dan: After checking into the hotel, we soon discovered that our hotel was home to a chess tournament and golf show. We assumed it was a contraband convention as well. Also, our hotel was essentially invisible to our Uber driver.

Jon: Embassy Suites, however, knew Nashville's #OfficialOnlineMedia contingent was coming, and they set us up with digs on the "Premier Floor." This meant we got a PIN that we could use on the vending machines for unlimited juice, soda and snacks. In unrelated news, I don't have to do grocery shopping for the rest of the week.

The Uber driver Dan mentioned took almost 30 minutes to pick us up to take us to the Fantasy Draft. According to the app's map, the dude was driving all over the airport runways before figuring out where he needed to be.

Jason: Uber did NOT have an All-Star Weekend.

Dan: From there we made our way to the Columbus convention center for the draft. From where I was in the convention center watching the draft, I can now comfortably say that 'Hawks fans lead the league in leather jackets.

Jon: The media was relegated to a separate workroom in the convention center to watch the draft on a big-ass projection. We saw what you saw, with the exception of an up-to-the-minute lineup of results on either side of the screen. One of my favorite parts of the night came in the scrum with Filip Forsberg after the draft. A reporter asked him about guys "staying hydrated" throughout the show, which gave everyone in the scrum a nice chuckle.

But Forsberg gave a short non-answer about "a big game coming up on Sunday and it's important to stay hydrated." Like, with water. If his body language was any clue, he didn't pick up the obvious dig at players being visibly drunk on stage. Whether intentional or not (to me he just didn't understand the phrasing of the question) his innocence makes him even more endearing than he already is.

Jason: While it was a little weird to drive to Columbus so we could watch the draft on TV, it was entertaining to hear the press cracking up at all the jokes. I wonder if they (we) were the perfect audience. Did most of those jokes land at home? They ALL did in the press room. Oh, and in case you missed it, here's an example of the type of insight we brought to the coverage:

Zemgus Girgensons bought his shirt at Target 20 minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/0Re6KIo9H1

— SB Nation NHL (@SBNationNHL) January 24, 2015

Dan: The media reception was fun, and at a very good place. The food options consisted of pretzels, pulled pork (it was good), and some other fare. Between the billiards and the company, a great time was had by all.

But then, we were convinced to go to what we may all agree is one of the worst establishments we've ever visited. We left after about 15 minutes. Anytime we're comparing the ambiance and smell of your bar to a Louisiana truck stop, you have problems, Char Bar.

Jon: If you ever want to know what it'd be like for a bar to exist in the bottom of a sewer system, Char Bar is the place for you.

Jason: The Char Bar only stunk if you were INSIDE. Out back, it smelled like a cotton candy e-cigarette. Because someone was smoking one. I had a good time at Gaswerks, home of our media reception. The food was good (and free), the drinks were good (and free) and the pool tables were plentiful (and free). Come to think of it, my review *might* be influenced by what I actually paid. Hard to say. Folks on Yelp seem to have formed a different opinion (some of these are hilarious):

SATURDAY

Dan: I'll be honest, I was in no way prepared for Fan Fair. I would compare it to Hunter S. Thompson walking into Circus Circus. There was smoke, there were mascots, there was bad music. And admittedly, I was not 100%.

Especially after Fin assaulted me.

Jon: I had two goals for the weekend: get a picture with the Stanley Cup, and get a picture with every single mascot. The task proved daunting, but within a minute of walking into the Fan Fair, the N.J. Devil walked right past us. Within a few minutes, a significant dent was made in the quest. But more on that a little later...

The fair was great. Everything from being able to get an up close and personal view of all the trophies, to all the different skills events laid out, as long as you didn't mind waiting in line. In hindsight after the Hardest Shot competition that night, it's sobering to see the average joe crank a puck at a speedometer, and only hit about 17 mph.

Jason: Agreed on the greatness of the Fan Fair. Tons of activities, mascots, food, memorabilia. It's definitely a can't-miss for next year. The only thing to keep in mind is that the lines for EVERYTHING were crazy long. It probably didn't help that we were there in the prime hours of the day, but it's something to think about if you hate standing in line-or if you have kids that hate standing in line. Here's a quick shot from inside the Disco Nightclub Dance Party Extravaganza Fan Fair (Appletinis not pictured).

Dan and I also got a chance to hit the draft stage, and while we were "drafted" to Team Toews (GROSS), it did give us the opportunity to examine the jerseys up-close. My verdict is "eh, not bad". The whiteness was kind of cool, but the shield was MASSIVE and felt like a giant platter on your chest. Don't think I would buy one, even though putting Forsberg #9 on the back would improve it significantly.

Dan: I will never understand the idea behind wearing gym shorts with a jersey. I caught 5 people wearing this combination for the weekend. It wasn't just a 5k thing.

I saw multiple people wearing this combination. Didn't snag a picture of the Carolina offenders. pic.twitter.com/kRlcCMOwGa

— Dan D Bradley (@DanDBradley) January 26, 2015

Jason: In addition to the Fan Fair, there were several outdoor activities. We participated in none of them. They looked great, though. There was a giant bar next to the skating rink, a snow slide across from the arena, and open fires with folks roasting s'mores. Yum.

The line for the slide was crazy-long...except as we headed out of the arena on Sunday night. Of course. Will they have stuff like this here next year? I certainly hope so.

SKILLS COMPETITION

Dan: I was the only guy I saw wearing a Weber sweater. So I got some looks, but no one said an ill word or anything. I was seated next to a few Penguins fans, whom I felt sorry for since their only player to pull for was Marc-Andre Fleury. It's not like Crosby was promoted for this event or anything.

Jon: You'll never forget where you were the first time you heard the Cannon. That thing is LOUD. You can feel the it in your chest, and the sound does not translate well on television.

The game-ops trolls let it loose at random times all weekend. Sometime after introductions and before the competition started, it was introduced to my poor ears. My nose was buried in my computer, and had I been taking a drink it would have ended up on myself, my equipment, and everyone below me. I still think the thing is awesome, though.

Dan: I was nervous when I saw the lineup for the hardest shot, mostly because of Dustin Byfuglien. It's known that Weber was the favorite for this, but I've always believed that Vikingstad Smith would be great at this event. So when he only shot at sub-100 mph levels, I relaxed. Then Shea missed the net. So worry crept back in.

Worry was then dissolved. From where I was sitting, I couldn't see the radar gun results. The players and other half of the building could, and that's what that "WHOA" reaction is. For the rest of the night, I would hear comments about his shot all around the concourse.

That Forsberg kid is mighty special. He got a big rise out of the crowd during the relay, and the shootout goal brought the house down. It would've been nice to see him during the gimmick shootout competition, but whatever. Also, the skills competition really missed Corey Perry. The first half was pretty tame, and no one would've helped it more than him and his crazy lacrosse stick tricks.

Jason: From our perch high above the ice, we could't see the radar reading either. All I heard was a gasp from the people who could. When they finally showed the number...let's just say I might've cheered in the press box.

Jon: Seeing all those players wearing a ton of different jerseys was a spectacle to behold. It's not often that much variety graces a single rink. Even with having to be dialed in to two specific players for a moment that passes as quickly as it came, seeing all the other players was fantastic.

Though I'm a little furious that I missed out on Pekka Rinne taking pot shots at an empty goal across the ice.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Dan: Firstly, I did not handle downtown Columbus well after the game. It took all day for me to get back into game-shape, so I was excited to see what downtown Columbus had to offer for nightlife. There was this ski lodge themed place next door to the arena that promoted their hot cocoa for $1, and spiked cocoa for $2.

It was a cold Saturday night with a big event at the arena that ended before 10pm.

The bar/restaurant across from nationwide is closed before 10pm. This is an issue.

— Dan D Bradley (@DanDBradley) January 25, 2015

And to make matters worse...

TIM HORTONS IS CLOSED BEFORE 10

— Dan D Bradley (@DanDBradley) January 25, 2015

Yep. I reacted to this poorly.

BURN IT DOWWNNN

— Dan D Bradley (@DanDBradley) January 25, 2015

The Arena district is very pretty, but I guess I'm used to the unhinged madness of Broadway. Next year, VUMC might want to set up a triage in the old convention center to handle those who won't be able to handle Broadway/2nd Ave. People seemed to really dig a collection of chain restaurants around the arena, so God help them next year.

Having had success in St. Louis, we took our talents to the local casino. Regardless to how we performed, we were upstaged by two other guys trending in different directions. One man absolutely cleaned up at the blackjack table, and recognized me on Sunday in the upper level. Another gentleman had possibly the worst hour stretch at a table I've ever seen. He wasn't wearing hockey team gear, but his mates were. I'll let you guess the team: he kept throwing gobs of money at his problems, kept rage betting, and kept losing over and over.

Jason: The "skill" of the dealer cannot be overstated here. I guarantee she locked down Employee of the Month that night. I suspect she wins it every month, since the band took a break from their Florida-Georgia Line covers every time she came back from break to play this as she jogged in from the bullpen:

Jon: I probably shouldn't have told him to double down when he was already playing $150 hands, but you always double when you have an 11 against a dealer's 6. I don't know what was worse, seeing him dig into his pockets and pull out wads of crumpled Benjamins several times, or watching his buddies giggle while he did it.

Jason: No, you should't have. It was funny, though. Especially since the guy was too hammered to even comprehend what was going on. The dude easily lost about $3,000 in an hour, but his buddies seemed to be taking the whole thing in stride. Like they'd seen him do this exact same thing (or worse!) before. Wild stuff.

Dan: The man was the [NHL team he likely supported] at the table. He was throwing money at his problems, getting angry, and being mocked by his fans.

Go on, guess the team.

SUNDAY

Dan: We got our picture with the Cup. That was about all we wanted to do at Fan Fair, and we succeeded quickly. This was an absolute victory. We caught up with Josh Cooper, who convinced us that Subway was a better lunch option than some Southern themed place near the arena. He did have a point, we were driving back immediately.

See? We didn't touch it :) pic.twitter.com/wKM9yiUrLc

— On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck) January 25, 2015

Jon: The rules for your picture: "You can do whatever you want with the Cup. You can touch it, kiss it, but DON'Tpick it up. You'll also only hand them one device for you to take pictures with."

The whole thing was over in about two minutes, but they let us take a group shot as well as individuals. I really wanted to see if this was the honest-to-goodness Cup with the XXXX over a name for the 83-84 Oilers, but between sensory overload, time, and just marveling at the thing, it didn't happen.

Jason: Man, two minutes might even be stretching it. You wait and wait and wait in line, only to be presented with a bunch of rules, there's tons of people all around, they take your picture, then you're gone. I don't even remember looking at it. But I have a picture proving it was RIGHT THERE, so I guess it happened.

THE ALL-STAR GAME

Dan: Due to going as part of a spur-of-the-moment decision, I needed to buy my seats. I used a known ticket website, and they were set up on site at a hotel boardroom. It was the greatest ticket buying experience ever.

And the seats were awesome. Nationwide Arena only has two tiers, and has some great sight lines.

Jon: After setting our stuff up in the press box, Jason and I went down and chatted with the guys who stand next to the Cannon all game. My main concern was for the people that sit directly below it every game, and how they still have the ability to still hear. They let us in on the secret of the device, (which isn't really a secret since FoxSports Ohio did a whole story on it): no sound comes out of the Cannon. Only fireworks.

The sound you hear is actually a mortar blast being fired in the rafters. Hooked up to the arena speakers, it echoes throughout the entire building. Despite the illusion being shattered, it's still great, no matter how many reporters were complaining all weekend.

Jason: Getting into the arena before the public was really nice. We got a chance to check out the pro shops (which were running low on tons of stuff) and walk around the concourse a bit. If you've never been to Nationwide Arena, it's a really cool layout. The lower level is completely open, so you can actually see the ice if you're walking around or getting something to eat.

Dan: The game was not received well by the fans. The mistake was making one team the local favorite, and when that team fell behind, people were quiet. It was like watching a beer league game with pyrotechnics, and the fans began leaving in the late third period. Other than Rick Nash scoring, they were quiet after the first. Somehow Ryan Johansen got the MVP award, which seemed silly compared to Voracek or Tavares receiving the "honor", but the game itself was silly so this was deserved.

Just got handed the event summary. Looks something like this: pic.twitter.com/3XbRpHBuPr

— On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck) January 26, 2015

Jon: The game was not received well by the media, either. Let's be honest, it was boring even with the millions of goals scored. Jason went to bathroom right as the second period started and missed like four goals in the minute or so he was gone. There were only two things I really enjoyed - Lumbus fans Bronx cheering Marc-Andre Fleury every time he touched the puck of made a save, despite being the "home" goalie, and this:

Jason: After the game, we headed down to the locker room. What a mess. Like being packed in a can of sardines. Plus, it was snowing and we were hitting the road right after we left...not the ideal time to be stuck in the bowels of the arena for who knows how long. We were treated to this little exchange though during Shea Weber's availability:

Reporter Guy: Shea, you haven't scored yet. You've been here a bunch. Does it bother you at all?

Weber: No.

Reporter Guy: No? Doesn’t matter?

Weber: Does it bother you?

Reporter Guy: Not really, no.

Weber: Ok. I’m just here having fun...

After that game-winner from The Captain, we hit the road.

EPILOGUE

Dan: My lasting impression of Columbus is a good one. It's a nice downtown, especially if you work for Nationwide, the state, or the CBJ. The idea that bricks make for a good sidewalk and street material in a place that snows and freezes regularly seems a bit off, but it looks great. The arena, as mentioned, is still one of the best in the league. And no one is supposed to care what I think, but I've never been asked about my opinion about a place before in my life. "How is everything?" "Do you like Columbus?" I may have been asked 8-9 times. The answer is I do; I'm admittedly not a big fan of Ohio or any place that's consistently cold enough to freeze beer, but Columbus isn't a bad place for hockey at all.

Jon: I had a blast last weekend. (Get it?) No matter where the fans were from, they were all receptive and eager to talk about hockey. Shoutout to the Lighthouse Hockey reader that told us our OTF sweatshirts were cool! I didn't get to try as much local food and beer as I wanted, but thems the breaks when you're there to work and the NHL and Embassy Suites are providing most of your meals.

The crowd at Nationwide Arena definitely piqued my interest as to what it would be like for an actual game. For the weekend, though, Lumbus fans were representing their city well and certainly made it a treat to wander around. It's just too bad it's in the Midwest.

Jason: Columbus really did a great job. They had 3 years to prepare, but still. Everything was within walking distance. Parking was cheap and plentiful. Everybody seemed to be advertising $2 beers.  There are several great hotels right near the arena that are probably wide open on non-All Star weekends. The arena itself would rank right at the top amongst the six or seven I've been to for NHL games. The only thing that *might* drag it down a touch was the Skyline Chili...but I suppose some people like it:

If you look closely, you can see @DanDBradley eating Skyline Chili pic.twitter.com/mcIff22ovv

— On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck) January 25, 2015

Dan: I would never soil my body with Skyline. This is an outright lie.

Jason: Thanks to the NHL for credentialing us for the weekend, thanks to the Nashville Predators players and staff that we spoke to, and thanks to Columbus for being fantastic hosts. Ok, Nashville...you're on deck!

See you next year! pic.twitter.com/dv3VRv3JTR

— On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck) January 26, 2015

The Blue Jackets have played themselves completely out of the playoff race at this point, and show no real long-term signs of making it back this season. So, what comes next?

Arizona Coyotes at Columbus Blue Jackets

February 3rd, 2015 - 7:00 PM EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Five For Howling

This game has an interesting trailer: if you've resigned yourself to talk of the draft order, this game actually has some very real meaning. A win for Arizona would give them a season sweep, and would put the teams just one point apart in the race to the bottom.

Conversely, you could choose to look at it as one of the Jackets' best chances to win a game as they enter what feels like a death march to April essentially completely out of it with 34 games to go. Either way, it's a far cry from last season's game in Columbus against the Yotes, when both teams were fighting for their playoff lives, and the fans were treated to one of the best endings of the season.

Seems so, so long ago.

In many ways, looking at the main stats, these two teams are near mirror images of one another. They both have good Power Plays, and... yep. Look at the bright side: if the Jackets give up six tonight, at least we don't have to hear that annoying coyote howl sound over and over.

As for the lineup, well... Matt Calvert is still sick with whatever it is that's been crushing him of late, and the Jackets are again going to roll a defenseman at forward. This time, however, it makes a little more sense, as Kevin Connauton is going to move up to the fourth line, and Jordan Leopold will join James Wisniewski on the bottom defensive pairing. I actually don't hate this aspect of the lineup. If you've decided you're going to keep all these defensemen, Connauton probably is the best one to skate up front if you had to pick one. Leopold stabilizes the defense just a bit more, as well.

In net, Anton Forsberg gets his first start since back in November when he got lit up by Tampa Bay in the first period to the tune of four goals. That said, though his two starts in the NHL have been less than memorable, Forsberg has gone 18-7-1 with a 2.04 GAA and .927 SV% in Springfield this season. Count me among those who, at this point in a lost season, wouldn't mind giving the kid some run in the NHL to see what kind of moxie he has, knowing full well he's got another year or two in the AHL to develop.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(21-24-3, 45 Points; 7th division, 14th conference)

Arizona Coyotes
(18-26-6, 42 Points; 6th Division, 13th Conference)

Season Series

ARI - 1-0-0
CBJ - 0-1-0

01/03/15 - Columbus 3 at Arizona 6
02/03/15 - Arizona at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

The Blue Jackets have played themselves completely out of the playoff race at this point, and show no real long-term signs of making it back this season. So, what comes next?

Arizona Coyotes at Columbus Blue Jackets

February 3rd, 2015 - 7:00 PM EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Five For Howling

This game has an interesting trailer: if you've resigned yourself to talk of the draft order, this game actually has some very real meaning. A win for Arizona would give them a season sweep, and would put the teams just one point apart in the race to the bottom.

Conversely, you could choose to look at it as one of the Jackets' best chances to win a game as they enter what feels like a death march to April essentially completely out of it with 34 games to go. Either way, it's a far cry from last season's game in Columbus against the Yotes, when both teams were fighting for their playoff lives, and the fans were treated to one of the best endings of the season.

Seems so, so long ago.

In many ways, looking at the main stats, these two teams are near mirror images of one another. They both have good Power Plays, and... yep. Look at the bright side: if the Jackets give up six tonight, at least we don't have to hear that annoying coyote howl sound over and over.

As for the lineup, well... Matt Calvert is still sick with whatever it is that's been crushing him of late, and the Jackets are again going to roll a defenseman at forward. This time, however, it makes a little more sense, as Kevin Connauton is going to move up to the fourth line, and Jordan Leopold will join James Wisniewski on the bottom defensive pairing. Ii actually don't hate this aspect of the lineup. If you've decided you're going to keep all these defensemen, Connauton probably is the best one to skate up front if you had to pick one. Leopold stabilizes the defense just a bit more, as well.

In net, Anton Forsberg gets his first start since back in November when he got lit up by Tampa Bay in the first period to the tune of four goals. That said, though his two starts in the NHL have been less than memorable, Forsberg has gone 18-7-1 with a 2.04 GAA and .927 SV% in Springfield this season. Count me among those who, at this point in a lost season, wouldn't mind giving the kid some run in the NHL to see what kind of moxie he has, knowing full well he's got another year or two in the AHL to develop.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(21-24-3, 45 Points; 7th division, 14th conference)

Arizona Coyotes
(18-26-6, 42 Points; 6th Division, 13th Conference)

Season Series

ARI - 1-0-0
CBJ - 0-1-0

01/03/15 - Columbus 3 at Arizona 6
02/03/15 - Arizona at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

The Arizona Coyotes will try to conclude their road trip with a win when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Arizona Coyotes have been away from Gila River Arena long enough. But before they can come home, they have one last game to play. Arizona will play the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday evening to end eight consecutive games on the road.

Matchup at a Glance

View from Arizona

It's rare this season that Arizona plays two teams in a row with worse possession stats. After beating a Montreal Canadiens team that played without Carey Price, the Coyotes will play another NHL team without its stud goaltender. Sergei Bobrovsky is on injured reserve with a lower body injury for the immediate future.

Bobrovsky probably won't mind missing this game that much. The Coyotes chased him from the last meeting, a 6-3 home victory all the way back on January 3rd. Now the two teams will finish their season series exactly one month from when it started.

View from Columbus

Keys to the Game

• Better Flow Control - The Coyotes took possession of major stretches of the Montreal game, and kept the Habs out of their defensive end. They'll have a chance to do the same tonight.
• Net Front Presence - Arizona's first goal against Montreal was a product of sending a player to the front of the net to get a deflection. Their other two took advantage of traffic in front. There's a pattern here: net-front presence = goals.
• Don't Look Ahead - It will be nice to be back in Glendale to play a game. That game is not until Thursday though. The Coyotes need to make sure they show up tonight and finish out the road trip strong.

Who's Hot

Lauri Korpikoski has two goals and two assists in his last four games. That's some solid secondary scoring.

Points have been at a bit of a premium for the Jackets over the last week. Cam Atkinson does have a goal and two assists in the Jackets' last three contests though.

Injury Report

Mikkel Boedker (spleen) remains on IR, while Dave Tippett expected both Martin Hanzal and Joe Vitale to miss tonight's game with upper body injuries.

Apart from the above-mentioned Bobrovsky injury, the Jackets have Nathan Horton (degenerative back), Brian Gibbons (knee), and Jeremy Morin (heart) on injured reserve. Boone Jenner (back) isn't expected back until the end of the month, while Matt Calvert (illness) may be unavailable for tonight's game.

Puck Drop

Tonight's game begins at 5 PM Arizona time. You can watch the game on Fox Sports Arizona or listen on ESPN 620 AM.

The Arizona Coyotes finish their season long road trip on a high note with a 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Arizona Coyotes have been on the road for 18 days without a home game. Some of that was spent recharging the batteries during All Star weekend, which was held in Columbus, Ohio. Therefore, it was sort of fitting for the Coyotes to wrap up this season long, eight game road trip in Columbus against the Blue Jackets. Ending it with a 4-1 victory was even better.

No one would have blamed the Coyotes if they came out flat in the last game of a long and winding road trip. Instead, Arizona came out with the pedal to the metal, outshooting the Jackets 12-2 in the opening ten minutes of the first. The Coyotes fourth line of Lucas Lessio, Brendan Shinnimin and B.J. Crombeen generated pressure in the Jackets' zone. Crombeen would throw a shot on net that Columbus goalie Anton Forsberg would stop, but Lucas Lessio would corral the rebound from behind the net and slam it into the net to give Arizona a well deserved 1-0 lead at exactly 8:00 of the first.

The lead would hold through the opening stanza but Connor Murphy, a Columbus native, took a cross checking penalty late in the first period to give the Jackets a power play entering the second. With all kinds of traffic in front, James Wisniewski unleashed a one timer from the middle of the blue line at 0:40 of the second that Mike Smith never saw to tie the game at one. Columbus had weathered the early Coyote onslaught and now had the momentum. But the Coyotes refused to lose.

Given a powerplay on an offensive zone penalty from Wisniewski, the Coyotes capitalized in a big way. Oliver Ekman-Larsson took a shot from just above the right face off circle. Coyote captain Shane Doan was set up in front, and his picture perfect screen allowed OEL's wrister to elude Forsberg for his 15th goal at 2:32. A little over two and a half minutes later at 5:19, the Coyotes power play struck again. Ryan Murray was sent to the box for hooking and Doan would put a rebound through a sprawling Forsberg off a Keith Yandle point shot. The special teams show made the score 3-1, and Columbus never recovered.

Columbus would tilt the ice in the third period, outshooting the Coyotes 12-2 in the final 20 minutes, but they couldn't solve Mike Smith. The Coyotes' beleaguered netminder made some key saves and the defense held in front of him to keep the score 3-1 until Tobias Rieder salted things away with an empty netter at 17:49 for his 8th of the year.

It wasn't always a pretty road trip, but the Coyotes finished the eight game swing with a 3-3-2 record for eight points. With three wins in the last four game, Arizona returns home with some momentum and confidence.

Paw Prints

• The Coyotes outshot Columbus 14-10 in the 1st period, but ended up losing the total shots battle 29-31 on the night.
• Oliver Ekman-Larsson's 15th goal of the year was both a career high and enough to make him the league leader in goals among defensemen this season.
• Arizona went two of three on the power play, and killed two of three penalties.
• Keith Yandle added two assists to give him a team high 36 points.
• Antoine Vermette also had two assists in another return to Columbus. He has one goal and five assists in ten career games against the Jackets as a Coyote.
• Brendan Shinnimin recorded his first NHL point on the Lessio goal.
• Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen combined for six shots and no points. Arizona did a nice job corralling the All-Star duo.
• Jack Johnson played 24:20 to lead all skaters.
• Anton Forsberg made only his third start of the season, and his first since November 8th against Tampa Bay.

Our Three Stars of the Game

1. Mike Smith. The Coyotes goalie stopped 30 of 31 shots and made some big saves down the stretch to keep the two goal lead.
2. Oliver Ekman Larsson. Had the game winning goal and led the Coyotes in ice time and shots on goal.
   
3. Brendan McMillan. McMillan didn't score, but he was all over the ice with five shots on goal, two blocked shots and some huge sticks in lanes on Columbus chances. He, Dave Moss and Kyle Chipchura set the tone for Arizona all night long.

Looking Ahead

The Coyotes finally return to Gila River Arena with a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. Arizona looks for revenge from an ugly 3-0 loss in November on Thursday night at 7PM.

There was little redeeming social value to be found in tonight's 4 - 1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes.

When the Blue Jackets last faced the Arizona Coyotes, it was January 3, 2015 - - the first game of the new year -- with Columbus emerging from a truly wondrous December that saw them post a 10 - 1 - 1 record and return to playoff relevance.  The Coyotes, however, were unimpressed, and proceeding to lay a 6 - 3 shellacking on the Blue Jackets, serving notice that it was no longer the magic month of December.  Columbus proceeded to post a 5-8-0 record in January, once again putting their playoff chances on life support.

Against this backdrop, Columbus was seeking to start February off on a better note.  They failed . . . miserably.  Let's do the post-mortem and see what happened.

Period One:  Milk Carton Time

The game started at the usual appointed hour of 7:00 PM EST, but the Blue Jackets apparently did not get the memo.  After a decent first shift that generated the first shot of the game, the Blue Jackets went into hibernation, permitting the Coyotes to pretty much have their way with the puck in the offensive zone.  On the rare occasions when the puck fell on a Columbus stick, it either stayed there too long -- resulting in a turnover -- or left too quickly, with no apparent target in mind -- also resulting in a turnover.  It is a testament to the absurdity of the NHL "Giveaway" statistic that the officials only charged the Blue Jackets with seven turnovers for the game.  I swear I identified that many by the second media break.

The ragged play was contributed to in part by some rather unique line configurations, including the ongoing saga of the waiver-bound defensemen, who are apparently alternating at forward in the absence of Matt Calvert.  Tonight it was Kevin Connauton on the forward lines, with Jordan Leopold returning to the blue line -- for the most part.  As has been customary of late, the configurations changed with some frequency throughout the game.  More on this later, but there was certainly a lack of comfort with the on-ice pairings, resulting in missed passes, more than the usual number of offsides calls, and obvious confusion as to who was going to be where and when.

Given this state of chaos, it should come as no surprise that Arizona took the lead at the 8:00 minute mark.  The play began below the line, came out in front to B.J. Crombeen who's shot from the left caromed off Anton Forsberg (who drew the starting assignment in goal) and over to the right post, where it appeared to again bounce around before Lucas Lessio, who tucked it in the back of the net for a 1 - 0 lead.  Brendan Shinnimin picked up the second assist -- his first helper of the season.

After another minute of futility, Brandon Dubinsky selected Kyle Chipchura as his dance partner for a pugilistic wake-up call.  Why a bunch of professional athletes require one of their number to get in a fight to wake up is beyond my comprehension, but it appeared to have some catalytic effect.  For the final several minutes of the period, the Blue Jackets showed more life, more skating, and actually created some shots.  The final shot margin for the period was 14 - 10 Arizona, but the optics of the period were not that close.

The improved offensive pressure had some impact, as it provoked a cross-checking penalty by Connor Murphy with just 36 seconds left in the period.  While Columbus was unable to convert before time expired, they had the chance to go to the locker room, shake off the cobwebs, and start the second fresh, with a man advantage.  Just what the doctor ordered.

Period Two:  One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

The Blue Jackets came out just as the assembled crowd hoped -- with a spring in their step and malice in their hearts.  They took possession of the puck, set up the power play, created traffic in front of Mike Smith, and got the puck to James Wisniewski at the point.  Wiz buried a laser through traffic, and suddenly the game was tied with just 40 seconds gone in the period. Jack Johnson and Scott Hartnell garnered the assists, and it looked like Columbus had its footing back.

Unfortunately, Wiz giveth . . . and Wiz taketh away.  In a play that we seem to have seen dozens of times in this and other seasons, Wisniewski made an ill-advised pinch from the right point, had the puck turn over, and the race the other way commence.   This usually results in an odd-man rush, but Wiz was able to corral Lauri Korpikoski in a move that gave the referee the choice between holding, interference, hooking or tripping.  Interference was the choice, and Arizona was on the power play just 1:16 after the Blue Jackets had knotted it up.  It took just 36 more seconds for Oliver Edman-Larsson to bury a shot from the right point through a heavy screen by Shane Doan and Forsberg's five hole.  Keith Yandle and Antoine Vermette were credited with the assists, and the Coyotes went back on top.

Apparently pleased with the power play scenario, Arizona got another opportunity at the 4:16 mark, when Ryan Murray was whistled for a phantom hooking infraction. In real time it appeared that Shinnimin had a firm grasp on Murray's stick, and pulled it forward.  The call was made from behind the play, and Murray was clearly frustrated by what he undoubtedly thought was a penalty against Shinnimin.  This time, it took just over a minute for Arizona to convert.  Keith Yandle let a point shot fly from the middle, and the puck pinball around the crease, eventually ending up on the stick of Doan, who put it home.  Korpikoski and Yandle had the helpers, and Arizona had some breathing room.

The last goal appeared to take the wind out of the Blue Jackets' sails, and they could do little in the way of offensive pressure for the rest of the frame.  The Coyotes again held the edge in shots, 13 - 9, making 27 shots in all over just two periods.  The deficit was in no way due to any transgressions by Forsberg, who made some strong saves and looked generally more comfortable than he has in prior outings for the mother ship.

Still, despite everything, the gap was only two, and the Blue Jackets had more than enough firepower to close the gap.  It would take a more complete effort in the third.

Period Three:  Effort, But No Results

Columbus came out with speed and intensity in the third, posting the first eight shots of the period, and outshooting Arizona 12 - 2 for the entire stanza.  Yet, the only goal of the period was Tobias Rieder's empty netter with 2:11 left in the contest.  In between there were some tantalizing opportunities, including one Ryan Johansen shot that got through Smith, and sat tantalizingly in the blue paint, just inches from the goal line.  Unfortunately, the Blue Jackets could not get a stick on it, and the opportunity was missed.   On another rush, Alexander Wennberg floated a perfect cross-ice pass to Jack Skille, who likely just missed his aiming point, enabling Smith to make the save.

Credit has to be given to Smith and the Coyotes.  Few rebounds were permitted, and most of those were directed harmlessly toward the corners.  On those offensive rushes that the Blue Jackets did not sabotage themselves by poor passing or timing, the collapsing Arizona defense put their sticks to work and annoyingly poke the puck out of harm's way.  In any event, the result was an ugly 4- 1 loss that the club could ill afford.

Epilogue

In his post game remarks, Coach Todd Richards noted the failure of the club to start on time, but otherwise had no explanation or solutions for what he saw on the ice.  Yes, there was too much drifting going on, and the legs took ten minutes to get moving.  That's hardly the first time this has happened this year, but this one had a different feel.  This was ragged throughout, and there seemed to be tangible frustration and lack of chemistry, virtually from the opening drop of the puck.

You have to wonder if the constantly shifting forward line combinations, with no apparent rhyme or reason, are having a psychological impact on the squad.  Nick Foligno and Johansen were split up, Corey Tropp was given top six minutes, and the shifting combinations seemed almost random in their utilization.  You might think that once the ragged play was evident, some more familiar pairings would have been put in place to enable restoration of order, but that was not forthcoming.  The overall impression was a bunch of hockey players putting forth some credible individual efforts, but nothing resembling cohesive team play.  These guys are professionals, however, and should be expected to transcend these types of issues.

Again, the numbers on this one were misleading.  The Blue Jackets outshot Arizona, beat them in the face-off circle, and prevailed at the team all - situation Corsi numbers.  Yet, watching the game it never seemed that close.  Columbus out-hit the Coyotes 36 - 16, which is perhaps a better indicator of which team had the better of the real possession battle.

David Savard had another game where he really struggled.  He was beaten to the pucks, was physically out-gunned and fired an amazing array of ill-conceived passes to nowhere.  Other than his goal, Wisniewski similarly showed some spotty defensive play, in that frustrating "angel/devil" way that only Wisniewski can seem to master.  It seems unfathomable that John Davidson and Jarmo Kekalainen are going to move forward with no margin at forward and a stable of blue liners rotating in.  One would think that one of the members of the defensive logjam would be on the trading block -- and sometime soon.

This was a mystifying, disappointing effort for the club, and one that cannot be repeated on Friday when St. Louis comes calling.  That could be truly ugly.

On the bright side, the Blue Jackets are done with their season series against the Coyotes.  Good thing, too.  I'm fresh out of arms to chew off.  Stay tuned.

The Fantasy Draft, Skills Competition and the NHL All Star Game itself were the focal point of All Star Weekend in Columbus. But there was so much more that formed the fabric of the weekend. Here's a look back at what we saw.

The snow slide is gone, the hotels are empty and the NHL brass have returned to New York (albeit not without some travel difficulties . . .)  By all accounts, the NHL All Star Weekend was a rousing success.  The Fantasy Draft was the most entertaining ever -- assisted perhaps by some liquid courage -- with Nick Foligno and Alexander Ovechkin stealing the show.  The Skills Competition lived up to the advance billing, both in terms of skill and amusement.  Shea Weber came just short of a new record in the hardest shot competition, while Ryan Johansen channeled his inner Braxton Miller and enlisted youthful assistance to take the Breakaway contest.   The game itself set records for total goals and goals by one team -- while seemingly played in slow motion.  However, after what came before, it almost seemed anticlimactic, even though local boy Ryan Johansen purloined the MVP award -- and car -- thanks to a home-oriented fan vote.

Beyond these marquee events, however, were a bunch of events that served as the "glue" for the entire experience, making the weekend a seamless celebration of the game of hockey and the community itself.  Let's look back at some of these other attractions.

All Star 5K

My car thermometer registers 25 degrees as I emerge  and head  toward Nationwide Arena.  A thin sheen of ice coats the sidewalks, as I notice a steady stream of people heading in the same direction.  Some are . . .unbelievably. . .donning shorts.  Others are in sleek running suits.  At least one Hansen brother is in evidence, as is a woman sporting a garbage back over running attire.  A kilted gentleman strides by with purpose, and a wide variety of NHL, AHL, CHL & KHL sweaters are in evidence.  Fan Fair does not open for two hours, and the Skills Competition is 11 hours hence.  So what gives?

The answer is the NHL All Star 5K Race, which attracted an impressive 4,000 participants on a morning more suited to the Winter Classic than a jog around the Arena District.  The event debuted at the All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina, drawing an estimated 300 people.  Columbus elevated the event to new levels, not only in runner participation, but in the sheer scale of the event.  Jody Shelley was one of the hosts of the event.  Leo Welsh sang both the Canadian and U.S national anthems.   Stinger (Columbus), Carlton (Toronto) and Iceburgh (Pittsburgh) represented the mascot community.  Blue Jackets' President Mike Priest was roaming the neighborhood.  The plaza was jammed -- and the start of the race was still an hour away.

So, what motivated a crowd this size to brave the chill and icy conditions to run around downtown?  Some, obviously, were dedicated runners. However, the vast majority appeared motivated more by the hockey connection than by establishing a personal best in the 5,000 meters.  One participant -- an Otterbein University professor who displayed a sartorially mixed metaphor with a Blue Jackets sweatshirt and Montreal Canadiens hat -- perhaps expressed the sentiment best, explaining that he did not have tickets to the events, but that participating in the race enabled him to have a connection with the All Star Game festivities and support the Blue Jackets.  That's good stuff.

It may seem like a small thing, but the participation level in this road race made an important statement as to the level of community commitment that exists to the City and the ASG festivities, and just how far Columbus has come in bringing hockey to the forefront.

Winter Park

The 5K Race is an event, but really only a small part of the entire experience.  The Columbus Blue Jackets All Star Winter Park is a much broader symbol of the meaningful ways that an event such as the All Star Game can reach out beyond the scope of hockey to the community at large,  A cooperative effort between the Blue Jackets, Worthington Industries, Scotts and Huntington Bank, the Winter Park featured an NHL sized out door rink, which was open to the public for skating for several days prior to the event, and attracted crowds non-stop during its open skating sessions.  Why not?  Skating and skate rental combined cost only $5.00, and the adjacent area included portable heated facilities for the kids, ample food & beverage options, and strategically spaced fire pits to warm the hands.

If $5 was to rich for your tastes, the huge snow slide on Nationwide Boulevard might have been more to your liking.  For a mere $2, you could carom down a slide of manufactured snow on an inner tube-type cushion.  The ride was steep enough to evoke the periodic scream from some of the teenage female patrons, but was benign enough to be suitable for all ages.  Again, the lines were consistent, but manageable, and you could not find a discouraging word about any of these attractions.

On Saturday morning, the Columbus AAA Blue Jackets were facing off against the Cleveland Barons in their version of the Winter Classic, with maybe 100 or so interested spectators occupying the bleachers that ringed the rink.  It was a spirited brand of hockey, punctuated by the usual exhortations from overly invested parents.  However, it was a scene that made you wonder why this -- or something like it -- could not be a permanent fixture on the winter landscape in Columbus.

NHL Fan Fest

The first word that came to mind when you entered the NHL Fan Fest at the Columbus Convention Center was "massive."   For anyone who has attended the annual fan celebrations hosted by the Blue Jackets -- or any other franchise --  think of that event, then multiply it by fifty.  You truly needed to see it to comprehend its scope.  From Honda vehicles to pucks from the WHA, from the Stanley Cup to peanut butter cups, you can find it there.  The full family of NHL trophies were on display,  with the longest line -- by far -- populated by those who wanted their photo taken with Lord Stanley's Cup.  The hall included a dizzying array of interactive games, hockey skills contests and simulations.  The stage used for the Fantasy Draft was a popular attraction.  Every manner of memorabilia or souvenir could be acquired -- for a price of course -- including various items promoted as collectibles.  Value is in the eye of the beholder, and some of these items would warrant a closer inspection.

The wonderful thing abut the NHL Fan Fest was the steady, steady stream of visitors that poured into the venue all weekend long.  All ages, from as many different locations as you could conceive (judging by the sweaters) -- and virtually all of them smiling, wide-eyed and engaged.  Again, it's easy to dismiss functions like this as cliche, but the NHL and the Convention Center did a fantastic job of putting this together, and estimates of total attendance ranged from 35,000 to 50,000 patrons.

Gary Bettman "State of the NHL" Press Conference

While not a public event, the Commissioner's annual "State of the NHL" press conference after the Board of Governor's meeting is traditionally a time of significant announcements.  In keeping with the warm, fuzzy mood of the entire weekend, nary a cross word crossed anybody's lips during the session, which fetatured formal announcement of the 2016 Winter Classic (Boston vs. Montreal at Gillette Stadium), and Stadium Series (Minnesota hosting Chicago, Colorado hosting Detroit).  Once again, the majority (4 of 6) participants in the outdoor spectacles are from Original SIx venues.

Bettman was effusive in his praise of Columbus as the host of the All Star Game, as a franchise and as a hockey city.  Such stuff is fairly standard to be sure, but the Commissioner went farther than he needed to, and that can only have a positive influence on others considering Columbus for significant events in the future.

As expected, Bettman also announced the resumption of the World Cup of Hockey for September 2016 in Toronto.  Eight teams (Canada, USA, Sweden, Russia, Finland, Czech Republic, an All-Europe squad and a North American "young guns" team will fight it out over a two week stretch, with a best two of three final.  It was emphasized that this had no impact on the NHL participation in future Olympics, which was portrayed as an issue "yet to be discussed." Donald Fehr was in attendance , and confirmed that the World Cup was very much a joint NHL/NHLPA endeavor, and would be governed by NHL rules.  It is a credit to the All Star Game that Fehr & Bettman can appear on the same stage with neither clenching jaw or grinding teeth.

Finally, Bettman made assurances as to the health of the game (playing to 96% of capacity for the first half), and the fact that the current disparity between the Candian and U.S dollars would not cause the salary cap to "fall off the cliff".  He was forced to field no uncomfortable questions, and it seemed that a combination of Midwest and Canadian politeness had overcome the nerve center of hockey for a day -- which is never a bad thing.

"Red Army" Screening

Some of the media attended a private screening of the documentary "Red Army" at the Arena Grand Theatre in the afternoon.  I mention this for two reasons.  First , is the fact that the director, Gabe Polsky, found it important enough to attend the event in person, even though the film was premiering in Toronto and at the Sundance Film Festival on the same day.  Secondly, this is a truly remarkable film that any serious hockey fan -- or fan of history, for that matter -- should make it a point to see.

The film documents the Soviet Red Army hockey team, primarily through the eyes of Slava Fetisov, perhaps the single best defenseman  -- aside from Bobby Orr -- ever to play the game.  Many might argue he was better than Orr.  Be that as it may, Polsky does a masterful job of conveying the tortuous journey that the Red Army players had to endure under mentors Tarasov (good) and Tikhanov (not so good).   Much of the film was shot in Russia, and Posky does a great job of extracting the raw emotions from Fetisov and the others.  You alternately want to punch or hug Fetisov, but end up feeling a sense of tremendous respect for him and the path he was compelled to tread.

For those of us who lived through some of the darkest days of the Cold War, the themes of this film strike home  . . .hard.  However, its message is not limited by generation.  It transcends the time from Stalin to Putin, and tracks the lives involved to the present day.  It shows the transfiguration and metamorphosis of nations and individuals, shows how we got where we are today, and asks the very relevant question of whether  things have really changed that much.  That it's all done through the vehicle of hockey makes it just a bit more special.

Again, without the All Star Game, this doesn't happen at this time in this place.  When it is more widely available, put this one on your "Must See" list.

The Red Carpet

The All Star Weekend's nod to Hollywood comes in the form of the Red Carpet Walk the players and coaches take upon their arrival at the arena prior to the Skill's competition.  Here, the red carpet entrance was situated at the main entrance to the Ice Haus, with the carpet itself occupying the rink area. Fans -- mostly youngsters -- crowded the bleachers and the adjoining standing areas, poised to gain autographs from their favorite players.  The ever-present media swarm was poised for a continuous series of 30-second interviews with the players as they proceeded across the carpet.

If there was a single event where some of the players seemed to be less-than-enthused participants, this was it.  They did their duty, signed the autographs, did the interviews and managed to keep smiles on their faces, but some approached it with clenched teeth.  It is a contrived event, and after already spent much of the day in media scrums, this was a bit of fluff that perhaps went over the top a bit.  Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen kept the high spirits that they maintained for the whole weekend, and Ovechkin spent a long time providing signatures and interviews.  Most of the others seemed to find their way through the procession as quickly as could be diplomatically tolerated, and you really couldn't blame them.

The sartorial highlight (?) of the event had to be Brent Burns, who sported a vibrant plaid suit beneath his full beard, wild hair and constant smile.  Think the GEICO cavemen wrapped in wallpaper. . .    Patrik Elias sported a suit that could only be characterized as electric blue.  Really . . . electric . . . blue . . .    Still, this was for the fans, and the majority of the players seemed to take it in that spirit.  I suspect, however, that if the players got to vote on a single event to be axed from the agenda, this would be it.

The NHL Mascot Challenge

Mascots are for kids, of course, but the fact that all thirty of the NHL Mascots were in attendance added to the celebratory atmosphere, and delighted the youngsters who were present for the events.   The mascots also participated in a two-day "athletic" competition, grouped into teams by conference, culminating in a hockey game (played in full mascot regalia), on the main ice just before the Skills Competition.

Is this another bit of fluff?  Sure, but it is just another piece of the entertainment puzzle.   The hockey game was actually quite entertaining, with the Eastern Conference team winning the game and the overall competition.  Stinger scored a hat trick and was named the MVP, and displayed some real skating ability, as well as a relatively wicked wrister.  Some of these mascots had some real ability, and managing to play some semblance of hockey while sporting outfits not geared for athletic prowess was fairly impressive in its own right.

Wrapping It Up

From Children's Hospital to the All Star Game, from the 5K to the Skills, and from the Snow Slide to the Fantasy Draft, the entire weekend was a non-stop salute to hockey and Columbus.  I spoke with dozens of media and fans from all over the U.S. and Canada over the course of three days, and they were uniform in their praise of the event, the city and the arena.  Most had never been here, and most of them were surprised at the cosmopolitan offerings and the vivacity of the hockey interest shown.

In terms of execution, there really was little room for improvement.  There were some unfortunate audio system issues during the Skills Competition, and perhaps a bit more snow might have added to the festive atmosphere, but that's about it.  Ironically, my lone personal gripe involved the pace of the All Star Game itself.  I get the no hitting.  I get the no penalties.  But, as a quid pro quo for surrendering those attributes, it would be nice to see the game played more quickly, where the skill can really be featured.  Just a thought . . .

Columbus  and the Blue Jackets could not have had two better ambassadors than Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen.  They were available to the media  and the public, recognized their responsibilities, yet maintained that necessary irreverent attitude and tongue-in-cheek approach that is essential to this event.  The post event press conferences the two players held on Friday and Saturday were entertainment shows in and of themselves.

So, after years of waiting, Columbus, the Blue Jackets, the Convention & Visitors Bureau and everyone else who had a hand in bringing the spectacle to fruition should be really, really proud.  It was an outstanding event, executed flawlessly and provided terrific entertainment and visibility for the entire community.  The dividends will be earned for years to come, and Columbus has cemented its position as a true hockey town.

It will be a long time before this event returns, so savor the memory.  It's a good one.

Evander Kane is sometimes an enigma wrapped up with hockey skills. He is one of the Jets best players...and infinitely more valuable on the team than on the trade market.

Evander Kane was healthy scratched again at the coach's discretion. Usually the team will explain why and then move on. This has not happened. Instead, Paul Maurice said it was not guaranteed that Kane returns to the lineup on Friday, which has led to more questions about what Kane did that was so egregious. Although it is no fans right to know what is going on behind closed doors with a team, but if the team does not control the narrative than the story will come out messier than anyone ever wanted.

The NHL has a long list of players that have been traded for off ice indiscretions rather than on ice performance. While it makes sense that a team holds their players to a certain standard, there are many risks to trading a player for their behaviour rather than their performance. Tyler Seguin, Mike Richards, and Jeff Carter are all recent examples of players who have been traded because of how they acted when they were not at the rink. Why do teams continue to not learn from past mistakes and trade players because of their character? No one knows exactly.

The emphasis placed on character, especially by old-timers, is interesting. Read any story about Guy Lafleur and you would learn that the man, although a great player, he was not known for being a character player off the ice. His play on the ice dictated that he was more of an asset to the Montreal Canadiens than if they traded him. Lafleur stayed and in the end the Canadiens won five Stanley Cups with him. No one really cared that he was not an angel off the ice.

I am not saying that Kane is Lafleur; far from it. Lafleur is an extreme example of why a team should stick with a player, even if that player never grows into a character guy off the ice. To assume that a team will be made up of 23 good guys who are never late for meetings and will always do the right thing is asinine.

A better set of examples of players being traded because of character are the recent trades of Seguin, Richards, and Carter. All three were moved because they partied too much and were not the most reliable teammates. While Richards is now in the AHL after not being able to live up to his contract on the Los Angeles Kings, Seguin and Carter have flourished since being traded. The former is now one of the NHL's leading scorers and the latter has been a key cog in two Stanley Cup wins in four years. Maybe their character is not so bad after all. None of the teams trading the players with questionable character got full value back for the player. At first it looked as though the Philadelphia Flyers traded Carter and Richards at a loss; hindsight has shown that is not the case, but the Columbus Blue Jackets are probably regretting trading for Carter and than trading him away in short order.

Not getting full value for a player for off-ice reasoning means that a player who is perceived to be of poor character is more valuable to their current team than they will ever be on the trade market. The hockey world is a small, insular community and word travels fast. Unless the player is disturbing the team so badly that the team can simply no longer manage with the player in their midst, the team in question is almost always better off holding onto the player and letting them grow up or leave in free agency. Being forced into a move is the worst possible end to any concerns about a player.

The argument should be made that once a player is traded, they get shaken up a bit and realize that they have to change their ways. Maybe that is true. Maybe being moved and having to learn that you are not the special snowflake that you were treated as with your original team does something to a player. Maybe it does not though. And even if that is what happened, does it help a team to trade a player at 75 cents on the dollar because they are of poor character in the eyes of their current team? Trade Kane would be a massive mistake for the Jets right now because his value is not at its highest level and he represents offensive depth, something that the Jets sorely lack.

Corsi is all shot attempts, including blocked shots. Zone starts is the fraction of face-offs taken in the offensive or defensive zone.

Kane is the left wing who takes the most defensive zone starts and still manages to have a positive on-ice Corsi differential. While this stat is not perfect, it paints a good picture of what Evander Kane means to the Jets. Although he is not the first line left winger that it was envisioned he would be when the Atlanta Thrashers drafted him fourth overall in 2009 or the player many thought he would be when the Jets moved here in 2011, Kane is still a key part of the Jets team and getting full value for him at this point is near impossible.

Trading Kane means the Jets are willing to take the loss on him and lose valuable depth for lesser players because they are no longer willing to work with Kane off the ice. This is not the most prudent of plans because as hard as it is to admit, Andrew Ladd is aging and at some point will be gone or have depreciated enough that he is a lesser asset and player than Kane. Ladd is still superior to Kane defensively, but Kane is better at producing shots/60. Both players are valuable to the Jets and instead of thinning out the depth for an already thin forward core, the Jets should only be adding to it.

With Kane in the lineup the Jets have three left wingers who can drive play and score. This is invaluable for a team that is relying on goaltending that may or may not be around league average and a defence that has a funky distribution of ice time. The Jets need Kane, immature or not, to help them win. They need Kane to show them that he can be counted upon for every game, unless he is injured. If he is habitually late for games or practice, he is not acting professionally.

The Jets hold some responsibility here. Instead of simply saying "healthy scratch, coach's decision" they should have elaborated on the reason as to why Kane was scratched. No one knows why he was scratched and now there are rumours that Kane is a problem child. Because the narrative was not controlled from the beginning by the Jets, everyone is speculating on what is going on with Kane. There are rumours. There are no facts. Controlling the narrative means controlling what people know, even if the narrative is not the actual fact, it can make Kane look like less of a "problem" so if the Jets do end up trading him his value is higher than if he has concerns about his off-ice character.

The Blues have a team-record thirteen game point streak going while the Jackets have lost three in a row.

There was a lot being said about the Blue Jackets getting healthy and maybe plodding their way back into playoff position before the end of this season. I'm not sure that's going to happen. They've lost three games in a row, and they look flat and listless.

The Blues, however, have 25 of 26 possible points in their last 13 games. They may not be who Columbus would like to see at this moment. The Blue Jackets, however, are just who the Blues need to play. They finally fought their way into a tie with the Predators for first place in the Central Division. A win tonight puts them in sole possession.

Brian Elliott gets the nod tonight. Check back in a little while for another CCR preview and your GDT. While you're waiting head over to The Cannon and say hi to JD and Jarmo's newest fans.

Yawn. Is it April yet?

St. Louis Blues at Columbus Blue Jackets

February 6th, 2015 - 7:00 PM EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: St. Louis Game Time

I can't even.

St. Louis is 12-0-1 in their last 13. The Jackets are 3-8-0 in their last 11, are carrying nine defensemen, and have been icing one at forward. Repeatedly.

And you want me to break this one down?

F that.

Lineups. Stuff. Enjoy.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(21-25-3, 45 Points; 7th division, 14th conference)

St. Louis Blues
(34-13-4, 72 Points; 2nd Division, 3rd Conference)

Season Series

02/06/15 - St. Louis at Columbus
03/28/15 - Columbus at St. Louis

Head to Head Stats

With the franchise record set, the boys head to #Lumbus

For the first time in team history, the Blues have points in 13 straight games. This includes 7 straight wins, and now puts them in a tie with Nashville for tops in the Central. The Preds have played one less game, and so have that advantage. This is truly historic for the Blues, and the rest of the league is really taking notice of that accomplishment. Of particular note is that the Blues are winning despite injuries to some major players. The ability to keep winning in spite of those missing players is a testament to the depth that the front office has constructed for the team. There's a lot of satisfaction in that.

Of course, the fans in Columbus would think that's just adorable.

The Blues have had to deal with injuries, for sure, but their adversity pales in comparison to that of the Blue Jackets. The big free agent signing in the 2013 offseason was Nathan Horton, who played a whole 5 games in the 2013-2014 season and none this year at all. Other players have in been in and out of IR this year, with star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (BOBROVSKY!!!) recently joining the injured list with a groin issue. Currently, Matt Calvert is day-to-day with an illness, Brian Gibbons and Boone Jenner have been on IR since mid-December and Jeremy Morin went on IR with an accelerated heart rate as of 01/28. In total, the Blue Jackets have lost 312 man-games to injury so far this year. Those missed games amounts to 5.7 million in Cap hit, which also factors in the importance of those absences via their salary cap value. In contrast, the Blues have lost 91 man-games, with a value of 2.16 million against the cap (numbers via ManGamesLost.com).  It's not quite as dangerous as working in the coal mine, but it sure seems like it.

After impressing a lot of the hockey world last year, the Blue Jackets were expected to improve again this year and make a claim for a playoff spot. Instead, their constant health concerns has dragged them down to a 21-25-3 record, good for 2nd-worst in the Meh-tropolitan and 3rd-worst in the Eastern Conference (only Buffalo and Carolina are worse). Fans are hoping that they can rescue the season (or at least project some respectability) once they get players back healthy. Horton did show up to practice recently, but he's certainly a ways off. He'll be stiff until he can get into game shape. The reality is, they are actually closer to the top of the McDavid/Eichel standings, so they might get a different prize than the one they were expecting this past Fall. A fresh start next year will do them well.

That's not to say that they're pushovers, though. As we saw with Buffalo last night, even the worst teams can put up a considerable fight. The success the Blues have had this and previous years means that we're going to get the best effort of every team we play. All-Star Captain Nick Foligno is having a career year, tied for the team points lead with 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists). Keeping pace with him is young star Ryan Johansen, first on the team with 19 goals (and 26 assists). After that, there's a steep drop off - third on the team in points is Scott Hartnell with only 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists).  Those 3 players are the only ones in the double-digits for goals scored. If we can keep those guys off the scoresheet, the game is already halfway won. Also, keep an eye out for old friend Jordan Leopold, who has 3 points since we traded him to C-Bus earlier this season.

With Officer Bobrovsky no longer on the case, the crease has been given over to Curtis McElhinney and Anton Forsberg. I'd expect McElhinney to get the start for the Blue Jackets, as they are well-rested and he's the most experienced of the two. So far this year, he's posted a .907 Save Percentage and an even 3.00 GAA. The Blues will be starting Brian Elliott in net.

The other notable lineup change, is the expected swapping of Ty Rattie for Joakim Lindstrom . Of course, Coach Hitch may change his mind, but his announced intention prior to the Buffalo match was to split the two games between them. With Rattie appearing in Buffalo, that would suggest Lindstrom plays tonight. Either way, it's a beautiful world for Blues fans. Stay tuned.

Further Reading:

The Cannon

Blues vs Blue Jackets coverage

GameDay Twitter Feed

Tweets from https://twitter.com/CrossCheckRaise/lists/gameday

Final Verse: Another early one; the puck drops at 6:00 PM St Louis time, and the GDT should drop shortly before that. The TV broadcast is on FoxSports MW, and the radio call is on KMOX 1120 AM. Skip the work happy hour, and spend it with us, eh? That way, you have the game on and you can drink all you want, because you're already home. Keep an eye out for Hitch's Hat, who will be at the game, as well.

LGB!!!

Yawn. Is it April yet?

St. Louis Blues at Columbus Blue Jackets

February 6th, 2015 - 7:00 PM EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: St. Louis Game Time

I can't even.

St. Louis is 12-0-1 in their last 13. The Jackets are 3-8-0 in their last 11, are carrying nine defensemen, and have been icing one at forward. Repeatedly.

And you want me to break this one down?

F that.

Lineups. Stuff. Enjoy.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(21-25-3, 45 Points; 7th division, 14th conference)

St. Louis Blues
(34-13-4, 72 Points; 2nd Division, 3rd Conference)

Season Series

02/06/15 - St. Louis at Columbus
03/28/15 - Columbus at St. Louis

Head to Head Stats

The Jackets follow up the most unbelievable game I can ever remember with a chance to show it wasn't a fluke. Sadly, it came about two weeks too late.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Ottawa Senators

February 7th, 2015 - 7:00 PM EST
Canadian Tire Centre - Kanata, Ontario
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Silver Seven

Where to begin?

Well, first of all, holy crap. What in entire sheeps' balls was that last night?

The Blue Jackets not only ended the Blues' 13-game points streak, but they did it in about the most commanding fashion imaginable. Their seven goals actually bumped their total goals-per-game average up almost a full tenth of a point, which, this late in the season, is ridiculous for one game. Remember last season when the Jackets had won eight in a row and then lost--at home--to lowly Buffalo? On the "bummer" scale, that was a strong 7. That game last night for Blues fans probably broke the scale entirely. Wowzers.

Of course, it was not without a price. In the process of both blocking shot attempts late in a laugher of a game, both James Wisniewski and Ryan Murray (@#&!*) managed to sustain injuries deemed serious enough not to even travel to Ottawa. I can't make the sarcasm font in this part of the preview, so pretend the following is in said font: the silver lining is that at least we've been carrying nine defensemen.

It's been a long time since the Jackets and Sens have matched up. The last time was just the ninth game of the season, and it was the mark where the injury thing got patently ridiculous. So, it almost seems fitting to be down two defensemen tonight.

If you're still into the notion of checking the standings until the math says we shouldn't, it's important to note that the Sens are just in front of the Jackets (though Columbus is still 14 points out of eighth place, so let's be real). They axed Paul MacLean back in December, and have basically been treading water since then.

If the Jackets were able to play close to how they played last nigh ALL the time, they could make a run. But, let's just admit the fact that they always seem to play up or down to their competition at the worst times. As Todd Richards said in the post game, last night has to be the new normal effort level for this team. You're obviously not going to win 7-1 every night, but you've shown you can do it. You have to do it every night, now.

If they do, nothing's completely out of reach. If it was just a short mirage... well, the draft is in June.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(22-25-3, 47 Points; 7th division, 14th conference)

Ottawa Senators
(20-21-9, 49 Points; 6th Division, 12th Conference)

Season Series

OTT - 2-0-0
CBJ - 0-2-0

10/18/14 - Columbus 2 at Ottawa 3

10/28/14 - Ottawa 5 at Columbus 2

02/07/15 - Columbus at Ottawa

Head to Head Stats

The Jackets follow up the most unbelievable game I can ever remember with a chance to show it wasn't a fluke. Sadly, it came about two weeks too late.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Ottawa Senators

February 7th, 2015 - 7:00 PM EST
Canadian Tire Centre - Kanata, Ontario
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Silver Seven

Where to begin?

Well, first of all, holy crap. What in entire sheeps' balls was that last night?

The Blue Jackets not only ended the Blues' 13-game points streak, but they did it in about the most commanding fashion imaginable. Their seven goals actually bumped their total goals-per-game average up almost a full tenth of a point, which, this late in the season, is ridiculous for one game. Remember last season when the Jackets had won eight in a row and then lost--at home--to lowly Buffalo? On the "bummer" scale, that was a strong 7. That game last night for Blues fans probably broke the scale entirely. Wowzers.

Of course, it was not without a price. In the process of both blocking shot attempts late in a laugher of a game, both James Wisniewski and Ryan Murray (@#&!*) managed to sustain injuries deemed serious enough not to even travel to Ottawa. I can't make the sarcasm font in this part of the preview, so pretend the following is in said font: the silver lining is that at least we've been carrying nine defensemen.

It's been a long time since the Jackets and Sens have matched up. The last time was just the ninth game of the season, and it was the mark where the injury thing got patently ridiculous. So, it almost seems fitting to be down two defensemen tonight.

If you're still into the notion of checking the standings until the math says we shouldn't, it's important to note that the Sens are just in front of the Jackets (though Columbus is still 14 points out of eighth place, so let's be real). They axed Paul MacLean back in December, and have basically been treading water since then.

If the Jackets were able to play close to how they played last nigh ALL the time, they could make a run. But, let's just admit the fact that they always seem to play up or down to their competition at the worst times. As Todd Richards said in the post game, last night has to be the new normal effort level for this team. You're obviously not going to win 7-1 every night, but you've shown you can do it. You have to do it every night, now.

If they do, nothing's completely out of reach. If it was just a short mirage... well, the draft is in June.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(22-25-3, 47 Points; 7th division, 14th conference)

Ottawa Senators
(20-21-9, 49 Points; 6th Division, 12th Conference)

Season Series

OTT - 2-0-0
CBJ - 0-2-0

10/18/14 - Columbus 2 at Ottawa 3

10/28/14 - Ottawa 5 at Columbus 2

02/07/15 - Columbus at Ottawa

Head to Head Stats

A preview of the game between the Ottawa Senators and Lumbus Blue Jackets on 7 February 2015.

The Ottawa Senators return to action with another must-lose game when they host the Lumbus Blue Jackets tonight. The Senators are coming off a pair of 2-1 losses to New Jersey and Washington while Lumbus destroyed St. Louis 7-1 last night.

The Senators have fallen into seventh last and Lumbus would pass them on a tiebreaker with a regulation win tonight. If the Leafs manage to beat Edmonton, they too will pass the Senators and push them into fifth last in the NHL. Looking further back, the Coyotes in fourth last are four points behind Ottawa while the improving Hurricanes are six points behind Ottawa. In the realistic best case scenario of falling to third last, Ottawa would have a 1 in 7 chance at drafting Connor McDavid.

Robin Lehner will start again for Ottawa. Chris Philips, Patrick Wiercioch and Jean-Gabriel Pageau will be the healthy scratches with Alex Chiasson and Mark Borowiecki returning to the lineup. Here are the lines from Sylvain St-Laurent.

MacArthur - Zibanejad - Ryan
Michalek - Turris - Stone
Hoffman - Lazar - Chiasson
Condra - Legwand - Scrub

Methot - Karlsson
Scrub - Scrub
Scrub - Scrub

Lehner (starter)
Scrub

Some notes for tonight:

• God bless you people that still find the motivation to pay to go to the games. I have tickets to see the Senators play the Leafs in Toronto at the ACC in late March and goodness gracious that should be an awful game.
• Ottawa has 17 even strength shots on goal against Washington and 13 of them were with Erik Karlsson on the ice. Even strength shots on goal were 13-8 Ottawa with Karlsson on the ice and 18-4 Washington with Karlsson off the ice. In terms of attempted shots, it was 23-18 Ottawa with Karlsson on the ice and 34-12 Washington with Karlsson off the ice.
• This is going to be the first time since the 1995-1996 season that Ottawa misses the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
• Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone have been two of the bright spots this season as they both have taken a big leap in their development. Both are on pace for just under 50 points and Hoffman is on track to get close to 30 goals.
• Tonight will be Cody Ceci's 100th NHL game.
• I really hope Bryan Murray knows what is doing with Marc Methot. With less than four weeks to go under the trade deadline, Murray's options will be either to take whatever the best trade offer or to give in to Methot and extend him on Methot's terms. Methot gets far too much credit for Erik's play as of late but there is no doubt he's one of the rare top four defencemen on the team.
• After several rough starts, Robin Lehner has given up exactly two goals in each of his last three games with a combined save percentage of 92.9%.
• Remember Nick Foligno kids? He has 48 points in 49 games thanks to shooting 19% but would still have 41 points in 49 games if he had his career average shooting percentage.
• In a shocking turn of events, Ottawa isn't controlling the play as much as they were while the likes of Chris Neil, and Mark Borowiecki were injured. But they provide grit and toughness, so the meat-heads are happy at least.

Here are some stats for the two teams tonight. All stats are from NHL.com except Corsi and Fenwick are from naturalstattrick.com.

A recap of tonight's game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Ottawa Senators.

Columbus came out strong to start the game, with young All-Star Ryan Johansen leading the way. Midway through the period, Ottawa got an excellent opportunity when Corey Tropp and Jack Johnson took consecutive penalties, giving the Sens about 30 seconds of 5-on-3 time. Despite some good chances, the Sens were unable to breakthrough. Ottawa killed off a late penalty to Alex Chiasson and after 20 minutes the teams were still tied at zero. Shots 12-11 in favour of Columbus.

The second period started with a good chance for the Zibanejad line on a 4-on-2 but the trio couldn't convert. After a Chris Neil-Dalton Prout tilt, Mark Borowiecki made some noise by taking the puck away from Nick Foligno, charging up the ice, and firing the puck at the Columbus goal. At the halfway point of the second period, Robin Lehner made an excellent save on Tropp on a Blue Jackets 2-on-1. Shortly after, the fourth line of David Legwand, Erik Condra, and Chris Neil kept the Jackets hemmed in their own end for an entire shift. Curtis McElhinney and Robin Lehner continued to be the game's best players and the game was still tied 0-0 after two periods. Shots 24-22 in favour of Columbus.

Early in the third, Mike Hoffman and Alex Chiasson had an excellent opportunity to opening the scoring on a 2-on-1, but Hoffman's pass was broken up by a sliding Columbus defenseman. Moments later the Jackets opened the scoring when Johansen led a rush in to the Ottawa zone. Cody Ceci got turned around on the play, losing his man and preventing Lehner from making the rebound save on Cam Atkinson. Condra and Legwand had great chances to tie the game midway through the period after another nice shift from the fourth line, but were turned aside by McElhinney. A couple minutes later, Nick Foligno added another goal for Columbus, after charging through several Senators, beating Ceci cleaning, and putting a backhand five hole on Lehner. Lehner will want that one back, but it was also a great, strong, individual effort from Foligno, and poorly played by Ceci. A minute and a half later, the fourth line continued its strong night when the trio of Legwand, Neil, and Condra crashed the net, with Condra swatting home Ottawa's first goal of the season. The Sens went to the powerplay shortly after and despite some excellent pressure, couldn't notch the equalizer. Ottawa came close to tying things up late, the best chance to Mark Stone, who was robbed by a diving McElhinney. An empty-netter made it 3-1, and a snip from Matt Letestu with seconds left on the clock made it 4-1 for the Jackets. Shots 35-33 in favour of the Sens.

Sens Heroes: Erik Condra, David Legwand, Chris Neil

The fourth line had a good night, led by Erik Condra. Condra was great on the forecheck and scored Ottawa's only goal on the night. The line spent a lot of time in the offensive zone, Legwand had 6 shots, and Chris Neil did the things he's supposed to do after apparently asking to play more before the game: he had a fight, 6 hits, 1 shot, and drew a penalty. Pretty good night for a veteran who suddenly has a lot of eyes on him.

Sens Hero: Mark Stone

He didn't make it on the score sheet, but he was buzzing all night. Numerous good scoring chances, 6 shots, and the opportunity for writers to use the predictable "hands of Stone line".

Honourable Mention: Robin Lehner

The score line makes this look worse than it was and his 90.6 SV% isn't flattering, but Lehner was pretty great in this game, especially in the second period. Sure, he wants that second goal back, but this loss isn't on him.

Sens Zero: Cody Ceci

A forgettable night for the young blueliner. Ceci was beaten soundly on both goals and was on the ice for every goal Columbus scored tonight.

Sens Killer: Curtis McElhinney

McElhinney stood tall in the Columbus goal all night, but especially in the third period when the Senators pressed hard. He finished the game with a 97.1 SV%.

Sens Killer: Nick Foligno

The former Senator got the better of his old team tonight, with a great individual effort for the game winning goal.

Game Flow via Natural Stat Trick:

Shot chart via ESPN:

Highlights via NHL.com:

The NHL trade deadline approaches, and one thing is clear. (I'm not enjoying writing this.)

Cam Atkinson is one of my favorite players. I still believe he might be a 30 goal scorer. Cam, if you're out there, I appreciate you and what you've done in Columbus. At the same time, it feels appropriate for me to be the one to write this - I don't hold a single bit of ill-will towards Atkinson or his play for the Blue Jackets.

If he does one day score 30 goals in a season, I don't think it will be with Columbus.

I hate the idea of trading him, because he's exactly the type of player this team needs. The thing is, the team also needs to put players like Atkinson in a position to succeed, not in whatever hole needs filled.

Something isn't working. As long as Todd Richards is coaching here, his usage of a player like Atkinson isn't going to change on a permanent basis. The team isn't playing well with him (overall), so it's not exactly a stretch to say they'll continue to get by without him.

Let him go somewhere and hopefully get a decent return. Just hope he doesn't put up 30 goals next season, because that's ultimately going to reflect back on Jarmo and could be the turning point in his tenure.

No one wants to see this team blow it up, and I don't believe they will. There are a lot of good players on this roster. But management can't make ticky-tacky moves and expect a complete 180 based on better luck. Yes, health will hopefully be on their side next season. What if it's not? Does Jordan Leopold for a 5th round pick help? Does Cody Goloubef for a fourth liner help? No, I don't think so.

Maybe they'll stockpile picks, then pull the ol' New York Islanders offer every draft pick for first overall strategy, but I doubt it.

There needs to be at least one "significant" move, even if it means getting rid of a player like Atkinson or Calvert (a real shame, if you ask me). If they're not playing the system, get rid of them. If you don't have faith in the system to the point of moving a player who doesn't fit, why will the players have faith in it? (Whether the system works is an argument for another day.)

Atkinson represents the best value of someone who's not a "core" player or a top prospect. I'm afraid that, more than anything, is why he finds himself in no man's land.

The Blue Jackets need to make some changes. That much is clear. What's sadly becoming clearer and clearer each day is that the change needs to start with #13.

A look at how the players did as the Sens started their freefall out of playoff contention.

If management thought the Senators could still compete for a playoff spot, this past week has to have shown them that it's futile. The Sens lost all three games: 2-1 to the Devils, 2-1 to the Capitals, and 4-1 to the Blue Jackets, though that one was also 2-1 until the last two minutes. By Saturday night, the Sens were 14 points out of the final Wild Card spot (albeit with two games in hand).

Biggest Gains:  Robin Lehner

In a week in which the Sens scored only three goals in three games, not very many people stood out positively. Lehner gets this award for putting up a .913 in three games. He got three starts this week, and showed management that he can at least be a starting goalie. That's a lot better than we could've said about his season a week ago.

Biggest Losses: Jean-Gabriel Pageau

He put up pretty poor possession numbers through two games, and then was almost a healthy scratch against the Jackets. I don't expect him to stay in this funk after the promise he's shown for most of the year, but it doesn't bode well that Cameron was willing to scratch him.

Goaltenders	Trend	Notes
Craig Anderson		Get well soon!
Robin Lehner		See Biggest Gains
Defensemen
Mark Borowiecki		Played two games this week, and put up Corsi-for percentages above 60% in both of those games. Credit where credit is due.
Cody Ceci		Victimized for a goal against the Jackets to sum up a week in which he was among the Sens' worst possession players.
Jared Cowen		Had a better week than his partner, but not by much.
Eric Gryba		Great game against the Jackets, poor game against the Caps (like most of the defencemen), and scratched against the Capitals. We'll call it a wash.
Erik Karlsson		Held pointless this week, but was the Sens' best player most of the week. He looked like the only defenceman who bothered to show up against the Capitals.
Marc Methot		He had an overall pretty good week, in no small part due to playing with Karlsson, but you can't fault him for not being as good as his partner.
Chris Phillips		Only one game this week, but he gets a plus for setting a new franchise record for games played.
Patrick Wiercioch		Only played one game, and was hardly noticeable. I'm expecting him more and more to get traded to a team that admires his stats.
Forwards
Alex Chiasson		Only played one game this week, but was dependable on the ice. If he wasn't the supposed centrepiece of the Jason Spezza trade, he'd be definite trade bait.
Erik Condra		Condra is praised for being one of Ottawa's top possession forwards - too bad he didn't achieve that at all this week.
Mike Hoffman		Put up two points in a week where all Ottawa players combined put up seven points. When Hoffman's on the ice, the puck is rarely in Ottawa's zone.
Curtis Lazar		Lazar in the top six has been a weird experiment, but he gets a plus for a great read to set up an ugly breakaway goal, his second goal of the year.
David Legwand		Legwand's week was fine. I really don't know what else to say.
Clarke MacArthur		The MacA-Zbad-Ryan line went frombeing the new hotness to being pretty terrible this week, all three being held pointless. Maybe we'll see 7-16 back together soon.
Milan Michalek		Scratched against the Jackets, and nobody batted an eye.
Chris Neil		He keeps playing, and plays with a lot of energy. If he decides he wants to be traded, someone is going to overpay for what he brings at his age.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau		See Biggest Losses.
Bobby Ryan		Just like MacArthur, Ryan had a forgettable week.
Zack Smith		Are we ever going to hear an update on this guy?
Mark Stone		He had a point this week, and looked pretty good. Probably could have got an up arrow, but I felt like I'd already given out too many for a pretty awful week for the team.
Kyle Turris		I actually kind of liked the look of the 68-7-61 group. He scored a goal, and was the Sens' best possession player in two out of three games this week.
Mika Zibanejad		I think it's only a matter of time until Cameron gives Turris his first-line centre job back, at least for a few games.

Special thanks to our friend winterion at Japers' Rink for our icons!