Everyone finally calm after that win over Pittsburgh? Yeah, it took me a little bit to do so as well, but I think I’m good.
Everyone finally to terms with the trade from Sunday? Me too. Not that I was ever against it, per se, as much as I did like Tim Erixon, but it was more-so excitement to see what Jeremy Morin, a guy who has been described as a “natural scorer,” and who has a “play-me-or-trade-me,” attitude, can bring the the Blue Jackets. (Oh, Erixon made his Blackhawks debut on Sunday night, logging just over 10:30 of ice time.)
Morin joins the Jackets for the first time tonight as the CBJ put their six game win streak to the test in the Motor City and the Detroit Red Wings. And, while the last time the Blue Jackets and Red Wings met wasn’t apart of the nine game losing streak, it was the beginning of a six game streak – the 5-0 loss in Nationwide, which was actually not half bad of a game until a three-goal third period made it feel like the blow out the score would indicate. Yes, that was the same game in which Boone Jenner almost had a goal to make it 1-1 before the end of the first period, but we all know how that ended up.
Things are different tonight, maybe not in terms of on-ice (I wish I could say Sergei Bobrovsky was out at this time, but he was in goal…), but definitely when it comes to the confidence this team has. Six game winning streak aside, two points tonight would jump Columbus from seventh to fifth in the Metro Division (that is, if Tampa can help out and defeat Philadelphia). Not bad not bad.
The Wings come into tonight with a bit of fire power, as Pavel Datsyuk (who missed the last meeting) has seven goals over a 10 game span and Tomas Tatar has six lamp-lighters over the past 13. Detroit also is hoping to have Danny DeKeyser (has been out with an upper body injury since Wednesday) and Justin Abdelkader (who not only has had an upper-body injury since Nov. 30, but was diagnosed with a shoulder injury over the weekend and is day-to-day) return to their lineup tonight.
If anything, tonight is about showing Detriot that November 18th was a fluke, and I’ll bet Morin is itching to finally play on an NHL sheet of ice again. Puck drop is at 7:30. Threw you for a loop there, didn’t I?
Next: Key to the Game for CBJ: Put Foligno and Johansen Together