Game #78 preview, it's put-up or shut-up time for the Blue Jackets in Detroit

The Blue Jackets will put their season on the line tonight in Detroit. They take on the Red Wings in a game that can only be described as "must win" for both sides. It's time for this CBJ team to stop talking and show the 5th Line what they can do.

The Jackets enter this one on a six-game losing streak, and seriously in need of a spark. After their most recent loss (2-1 at home on Saturday), they reportedly did some soul searching post-game. We hope that was absolute rock bottom for this team-but tonight will not be an easy game to bounce back in.

They face a Detroit team that has also hit a skid. The Red Wings have lost their last two in a row, and five of their last eight overall. As a result, these two teams who looked pretty set for the playoffs a few weeks ago; will instead clash in a game that probably eliminates the loser from playoff competition, for all intents and purposes.

The Opponent

Now that the Buffalo Sabres have qualified for the playoffs, the team with the longest active drought is the Detroit Red Wings. They have not seen the postseason since 2016, and the noise is very loud around them right now. Especially since they can't seem to regain their footing.

Things are so tough in Detroit that there are rumblings about moving on from GM Steve Yzerman if they don't make the playoffs this year. That would be very newsworthy, considering his history in that city. This shows what a gauntlet the East has become, and it's not going to get any easier.

They sit tied with the Blue Jackets in the standings (40-29-8, 88 points), but own the first two tie breakers. They have more regulation wins (29), and more ROW (38). It's vital that the Jackets win this game, preferably in regulation.

Up front, there is no big superstar, but the Wings get enough offense to get by. The 22nd-best offense in the league, they are led in scoring by Alex DeBrincat. He's played in all 77 games this season, scoring 39 goals and 81 points. He has pretty good support, with 5 players having more than 50 points on the year.

Defensively, they are a pretty good team; currently ranked 11th-exactly what you would expect from a Todd McLellan coached team. They have been getting outstanding goaltending of late, also.

After splitting starts for most of the early part of the season, John Gibson has taken over as the #1 for the Red Wings. He's 28-20-3, with a .904% save percentage, 2.62 goals against average, and 4 shutouts on the year.

Update: Gibson will get the start. He's 9-4-1 all-time against the Jackets, with a .914% save percentage and 2.66 goals against average.

The Good Guys

It has been a tale of three seasons in Columbus, but their fate hasn't yet been decided. A sleepy start to the year had them fall to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Then, a bold acquisition and a new head coach ignited this team into posting one of the best records in the league from mid-January, through most of March.

Then, the bottom fell out, and they have just one win in their last eight games. Now they find themselves at a crossroads. It's on the players in that room to fix it, and all we can hope is that their closed-door meeting after Saturday's highly disappointing performance, helps spark them again.

The Jackets probably need to win all of their remaining five games to guarantee a playoff spot. Four wins and an overtime loss might do the trick as well-but that loss cannot come tonight in Detroit. This is put-up or shut-up time for this team.

They will have different line combinations tonight, something Rick Bowness touched on after last game. We'll update the article once we see them.

Three Keys to Success

1. Score some goals. Seems easy enough for an NHL team in 2026. Especially one with this much talent and experience. Only, they seem to have forgotten how.

2. Foot on the gas for 60 minutes. The Jackets are a terrible team when they try to back off and play defense. They are much better off playing on their toes, getting involved with their forecheck, and taking away time and space.

3. Change the narrative. There are no more changes coming for these guys, so it's up to the players on the ice to go out and execute. Show the world that this team is for real.

This is the third and final matchup between these two teams this season. The home team won the first two-both requiring overtime. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 Eastern Time. Let's go Jackets!