My favorite types of trades are ones you’ll find most often in baseball (not that it doesn’t happen in other sports, nor does it truly happen that often), when a trade goes down between two teams playing each other that night. There’s no train ride (because this isn’t the 1940’s), no plane ride – all you have to do is walk over to the opposite clubhouse/locker room and say “hey, I was supposed to hate you, but then 10 minutes ago I found out we’re now teammates, so what’s up?” Its interesting on so many levels to me, but that is neither here nor there.
Tonight’s matchup is almost exactly that. Six days away from being that, in fact. It was a day in which both Tim Erixon and Jeremy Morin were planning on spending in Nationwide Arena, but I assure you they thought they’d be in different colored sweaters, different locker rooms and one in his own bed while the other had to worry about rolling in with the team from out of town. Yes, of course I’m talking about the swap that occurred Sunday, and how the schedule allowed for little time for us to wait for the matchup, because here it is!
Okay, that’s enough about that. Let’s talk about the Blackhawks. This is the first time the Blue Jackets will meet Chicago this year, and it comes in the midst of an eight game point streak for Columbus, and it would be an eight game winning streak if not for a loss last time out to Washington. Chicago, on the other hand, has yet to lose double digit games, and are on a modest two game win streak, most recently beating the Wild 5-3 on Tuesday. Fresh legs for the ‘Hawks, and with a team in the Blue Jackets who have gone to at least overtime in six of their last seven games, that could pose a major problem.
Last year when these two met, it was often not pretty. That’s because Chicago is now elite, and a contender year in and year out. And, while the Jackets aren’t bad, they’re just not there (yet), and its always amazing how large the discrepancy is. Chicago is no small task, and if the Jackets don’t play a fantastic opening 40 minutes (I’m thinking like a two or three goal lead after the second), this could all go down hill real quick. A rested Blackhawks team against a Jackets team that has played a lot of extra hockey.
Lets hope I’m wrong, lets cheer for Erixon, and lets start another winning streak tonight. You know the drill, puck drop is at seven.