Columbus Blue Jackets Round Two Against Detroit Red Wings

No doubt about it, tonight will be a rumble for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Detroit Red Wings come into town as Part II of the series plays out in Columbus.

If you have a ticket to the game tonight, you’re sure to get your money’s worth. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings will play for the second time in five days. But this matchup will see both teams on an emotional high following the events of Tuesday’s game in the Motor City.

Fights, physical game play, cheap hits, missed calls, and an overtime winner all made Tuesdays game an emotional volcano that exploded into Red Wings fans throwing beer onto the ice and chanting a less than appropriate word. They weren’t wrong to be upset though. The fabulous NHL referees missed an obvious slash leading to Seth Jones‘ rocket to end the game.

There were missed calls all over the ice that game and none more egregious than Brandon Smith dirty hit on Josh Anderson.

This clear high hit resulted in Josh Anderson having to miss the remainder of the game. After sitting out the Vancouver game, Anderson will be in the line up tonight.

Let the Boys Fight

The hit didn’t result in a penalty but did result in the refs in their infinite wisdom to break up a fight between Scott Hartnell and Brendon Smith. Fighting is in the game for this exact reason. Sometimes the refs miss calls and when needed players need to step in and ensure these dirty hits don’t happen.

First off, how you miss this call is a mystery to me. Secondly, you step in and break up a fight that both men were ready and willing to have? That’s absurd and is just going to ensure the game tonight see’s its fair share of fights and hard hits.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The linesman have been stopping more and more fights this year. The league wants to protect its tail during an ongoing lawsuit but the strategy is bound to backfire.

Fighting protects players and ensures situations don’t boil over and continue from game to game, week to week. Tonight unresolved bad blood will boil over on the ice at Nationwide Arena. Grab your popcorn folks, were in for a wild one.