Updated 2x at 10:06 AM: The 30-22-and-6 Detroit Red Wings host the 28-22-and-8 Columbus Blue Jackets tonight (7 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/FanDuel SportsNet Ohio/97.1 FM) as they open a pair of “four-point games” against Columbus, both tonight and in Saturday’s Stadium Series game in Columbus.
Columbus has won 2 straight games to snap an 0-3-and-1 stretch, having defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 last Saturday, and defeating the Dallas Stars 6-4 on Tuesday.
As such, the Red Wings hold the first Wild Card spot with 66 points, and the Blue Jackets are right behind the Wings with 64 points. They hope to not only pass the Red Wings over the course of the next two games, but also close in upon the New Jersey Devils, who sit 3rd in the Metropolitan Division standings with 70 points.
ColumbusBlueJackets.com’s Jeff Svoboda reports that the Blue Jackets held an optional practice on Wednesday, but Zach Werenski , Ivan Provorov and Kirlll Marchenko did discuss the fact that this is essentially a mini “playoff series” against the Red Wings:
“It’s fun to look at [the standings],” Zach Werenski said. “We’re in a great spot, and we haven’t been in this spot in a long time. We should enjoy it, we should embrace it, and we should know what’s in front of us. So I’m the guy that looks at it. I know some guys don’t, but it’s good to know where we stand.”
“Obviously, you look, but there’s 24 games left,” fellow defenseman Ivan Provorov said. “Every game matters. Our focus is on trying to focus on one game at a time.”
No matter what the approach is of the CBJ players, it’s fair to say they’re handling their spot with aplomb. Rejuvenated by some returns to the roster from injury, the Blue Jackets have come back from the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a pair of home victories against Chicago and Dallas.
Tuesday’s 6-4 win over Stars moved the team back into a playoff position, as the Blue Jackets hold the final spot in the Eastern Conference wild card standings. Just in front of them? The team they’ll play in the next two contests, the Detroit Red Wings, who have a two-point advantage over Columbus.
That makes the two-game series, which starts tonight in Detroit and concludes Saturday with the NHL Stadium Series game in Ohio Stadium, crucially important when it comes to the postseason race.
“Obviously going in there and playing there Thursday, it’s almost like a little preview before the outdoor game,” Provorov said. “I guess in a way, you can count it as a mini playoff series. Two games, home-and-home. Nothing better than that.”
If the Blue Jackets can play like they did against the Blackhawks and Stars, they’ll be in good shape. The win against Dallas, which entered the game third in the league in points percentage, was particularly impressive. Eleven different players had points, led by a two-goal performance from Kirill Marchenko, and the Blue Jackets never trailed in a game of punches and counterpunches.
The games keep taking on added importance, but the players say the key to staying in the race is to just keep playing the same way.
“It’s really important games right now,” Marchenko said. “I wouldn’t say every game is a playoff game, but it’s really fun games. Everybody enjoys this moment. When you win, you have a lot of fun. We try to do our work and think about the next game. Don’t think about 24 (left). Just have our next game in Detroit and try to get a win for us and try to do the same work that we did today.”
Field Level Media also posted a game preview from Columbus’ point of view, and it reads very similarly to Svoboda’s preview:
The Blue Jackets recorded a 6-4 home win over Dallas on Tuesday.
“Every game we’ve got to play like it’s a playoff game to make it in there, and that’s been our goal,” center Adam Fantilli said. “We’ve had that belief in ourselves, so we just want to start the same way we did (Tuesday) and continue that on through the whole game every single night.”
Kirill Marchenko had two goals and an assist to lead the attack. He’s now got a team-high 23 goals and 59 points, second to Zach Werenski (62).
“We’re playing our style every game,” Marchenko said. “We try to play our style every game, and (find) good opportunities to score. Just a fun and nice game (Tuesday). Everybody enjoys this moment, and when you win, you have a lot of fun.”
In the first meeting on Jan. 2, Detroit won on Columbus’ home ice, 5-4. Jonatan Berggren scored the game-winning goal with 36 seconds remaining. Alex DeBrincat contributed a goal and two assists for the Red Wings.
DeBrincat carries a seven-game point streak into Thursday’s game. He has five goals and six assists during that span.
I’m jumping the gun a little early here preview-wise, but these next two games are very important, so I feel that it’s necessary to post the two previews we already have so that you can understand how important these next two games are not only for the Red Wings, but also their opponent.
Here are today’s game notes: tonight’s referees are Mitch Dunning and Graham Skilliter; the linesmen are Libor Suchanek and Justin Johnson.
Update: The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that the Blue Jackets, who are holding their “moms’ trip,” want to earn a couple of wins as they play the back-to-back series against Detroit:
“There’s no better way than to go there and play the first one, then come back here with our fans for the Stadium Series,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski told The Athletic. “You can’t really draw it up any better. It’d be nice to get the first one (on Thursday).
“You never know what’s going to happen in an outdoor game, there are just so many variables. It’s one of those things that, even if you don’t get two points, you want to play the right way and establish that it’s going to be a hard two games for them. I’m sure they’re going to want the same thing.”
According to the NHL, this marks the fifth time in 43 outdoor games that the two opponents have faced each other in the previous game. It’s one of four home-and-homes on the Blue Jackets schedule, including two later this season vs. Ottawa (April 6 and 8) and Washington (April 12 and 13).
The NHL schedule-makers know what they’re doing, and they’re well aware that familiarity breeds contempt. The Blue Jackets, through their struggles over the years, do not have a clear rival, so the league needed to be creative to add a little spice.
Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason, who was one of the NHL’s noteworthy agitators during his 800-game career in the 1980s and ’90s, is hoping for two physical games vs. the Wings.
“That’ll be interesting, right?” Evason said. “Hopefully it gets a little feisty. That’d be fun.”
Update #2: From Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen:
The Red Wings are 9-1-2 in their last 12 games heading into tonight’s home contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network). Coach Dean Evason’s Columbus team is 5-4-1 in its last 10. The Blue Jackets are a high-scoring team, ranking fifth in the NHL at 3.29 goals per game. They rank 26th defensively at 3.28 goals per game. In Detroit’s only meeting with Columbus this season, the Red Wings won 5-4.
