by Paul Vernon - AP

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Continuing the "get to know your central division opponent" feature, here is a five question and answer piece that Mike MacLean of The Cannon, the Columbus Blue Jackets SB Nation member, was nice enough to fill out for us. Take some time to read his responses and visit The Cannon in anticipation for the game. 

1. Recently you wrote an article about the potential exodus of the Blue Jackets from Columbus. In short, how realistic is this?
The Cannon: In reality, it is unlikely that the Jackets will move from Columbus. The recent events in Phoenix show that the NHL is dead-set against relocation. I am confident that something will be done to stop the operating losses that the Jackets are suffering right now, whether that's through public taxation or a restructuring of the arena lease with Nationwide Insurance.

2. Rick Nash is, in my opinion, one of the least appreciated guys in the league. How good is this guy really and how does he carry the team night in and night out?
The Cannon: Rick Nash, in a market like Toronto, Montreal, New York, Philadephia or Chicago would be a superstar. He is a threat in all facets of the game, whether it's five-on-five, power play or on the penalty kill. Under Ken Hitchcock he has become the total package, a player who can score, set up plays, and even check and defend. He has the ability to change the tempo of a game himself. When the Jackets need a play to change momentum, Nash is the guy to do it. He is a great penalty killer, using his positioning and anticipation. He also has the ability to keep players around him grounded, while he's not a rah-rah guy, he has a calming influence and is a fantastic leader. By doing the small things night-in and night-out, the players see this and follow his lead.

3. What's the biggest difference between last year's Blue Jackets and this year's Blue Jackets team?
The Cannon: The biggest difference between last year's squad and this year's stems from the two key free-agents the Jackets acquired this past summer. Mathieu Garon gives the team a trustworthy backup to Steve Mason, who can go out and win games himself. The team didn't have that luxury last year with Wade Dubielewicz. Sammy Pahlsson gives the Jackets a legitimate checking line, something they lacked last season. Also, there is a bit of a swagger this season, after finally getting the playoff monkey off their back.

4. Last year Steve Mason took home the Calder Trophy for top rookie. How feasible is it that he could take home the Vezina this year? 
The Cannon: Mason had a fantastic season last year, but he is only now-a month into the season- rounding into form. There is added pressure on him because of the Calder, and perhaps that was affecting him early. The Vezina is a long-shot, mainly because of his disappointing star but also because there are a handful of other goalies out there (namely Marc-Andre Fleury) who are looking fantastic right now.

5. For the casual fan looking at the Columbus roster, with a few exceptions there are mostly a lot of names that you don't hear on the highlight reels that often. How has this team emerged as the division leader? From great team play or is it the Mason & Nash show?
The Cannon: I think the Jackets early success is due to the team game. The scoring is spread out amongst all four lines, but at the end of the day Rick Nash is their scoring leader and his best start to a season factors in heavily to the team's early success. Team defense is also a strong point.

BONUS! What are the chances that RJ Umberger knows where Brad Stuart is at all times?
The Cannon: I'm sure RJ wll be on the lookout- and maybe Derek Dorsett or Jared Boll-the Jackets' tough guys-has a short memory and gives Stuart some "payback"!

Once again, thanks to Mike MacLean for participating.

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

One puck to rule them all...yes, a Lord of the Rings quote.(AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

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San Jose Sharks: 11-4-1, 23 points

Key Wins: 6-3 over CBJ, 7-3 over NYR, 4-1 over PHI, 3-1 over COL

Winners of six straight, the Sharks are on fire after a 2-2 start. Coming into tonight's game, both teams look to extend winning streaks in what will likely be a good defensive battle.

*The A and B next to the ranking is how many spots Above or Below the Red Wings the team is

The Sharks are in the top half of the league in nearly every category and are on of the best in the league. Head coach Todd McLellan took the Detroit game west to San Jose with him and has implemented the system in a very effective way. The solid defensive play and offensive attack make the Sharks a big threat to the hobbled/sick Red Wings.

Players to watch on offense: Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton

Players to watch on defense: Rob Blake, Kent Huskins

Fear The Fin is the SB Nation affiliate of the Sharks and will have anything you want to read Sharks related.

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

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Extremely pressed for time, this is about all I've got for the "Looking at..." feature prior to this game.

Boston Bruins: 6-6-1, 13 pts

Key wins:  7-2 over Carolina, 3-0 over Dallas, 2-0 over Edmonton

Stanley Cup of Chowder for all Bruins related topics.

More photos » by Jimmy Jeong - AP

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Edmonton Oilers: 6-5-1 13 pts

Key wins: 6-4 over Columbus, 2-1 over Vancouver

 New note on the table, the NHL Rank will now feature a indicator if the ranking given for that team is above or below Detroit's ranking. A=Above, B=Below the ranking that Detroit is currently at.

Much like Detroit, this team has been up and down. Detroit needs to take advantage of the amount of shots the Oilers give up per game and keep the shots down from guys like Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky. Resident brawler Zack Stortini and some other Oilers bring a physical aspect to this team so it will be interesting to see how the Wings match up against them. 

Players to watch on offense: Ales Hemsky, Dustin Penner, Sam Gagner (top line)

Players to watch on defense: Lubomir Vishnovsky, Denis Grebeshkov

The Copper & Blue is your source for any and all things Oilers related.

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

Forme Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson with the Canucks. (AP Photo/Francis Specker)

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Vancouver Canucks: 6-5-0 12 pts

Key Wins: 3-2 over Chicago, 7-1 over Montreal, 4-3 over Dallas

Vancouver has struggled at times this year but has won three straight contests to put themselves back in the mix early. Mikael Samuelsson leads the team in shots (surprised? me neither) but also has five goals to show for it. The team has been shaken a little bit from the injury to Daniel Sedin but has recovered and put together a solid top line as well as talented second and third lines. Put Roberto Luongo net and you have a chance to win any game.

Players to watch on offense: Henrik Sedin, Mikael Samuelsson (former Wing), and Alexandre Burrows (essentially, the first line)

Players to watch on defense: Kevin Bieksa, Willie Mitchell

Nucks Misconduct has any and all things Canucks that you may want to find out.

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

about 1 month ago: Colorado Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson has some help from a teammate batting away a deflected puck shot by the Minnesota Wild in the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009, in St. Paul, Minn. The Wild won 3-2 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Colorado Avalanche: 7-1-2, 16 pts

Because we played them a week ago, I'm not going to do much of an analysis. Likely, the young guys (Duchene, O'Reilly) will play well and Craig Anderson will continue to be a force in net. Wojtek Wolski is the clear offensive leader and Milan Hejduk is right there next to him. Cody McLeod is out of tonight's game following an eye injury that placed him on IR.

Mile High Hockey

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

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Phoenix Coyotes: 5-2-0 10 pts

Key Wins: 3-0 over Pittsburgh (Penguins only loss thus far), 1-0 and 3-2 over San Jose, 4-0 over Boston

With an off-season of highly publicized turmoil surrounding the front office woes and the Jim Balsillie bid for the team, not much was expected out of the team from the majority of the outsider opinions. Add in the resignation of one of the game's greatest players in Wayne Gretzky from his head coaching position, and expectation were lowered even further. In steps former Dallas coach Dave Tippett to fill the coaching void and bring a new attitude to the team. 

Ilya Bryzgalov has found a home in Phoenix as the starting goalie and has proved he is more than capable. He can shut the door on the best of teams on any given night and its helps that the defense around him is limiting the number of shots he has to face. With a good faceoff percentage and a tough defense, the Coyotes present real problems for this Red Wings team. 

Players to watch on offense: Shane Doan, Peter Mueller, Petr Prucha

Players to watch on defense: Ed Jovanovski, Adrian Aucoin

Five For Howling is the SBNation affiliate for the Coyotes. Check 'em out.

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

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The Wings will embark on a 5 game road trip, three of which are against Canadian teams, over the next week and a half. The trip is one of three trips of 5 games throughout the season and the first one will be the first real test of this team's ability to win away from home. So far, Detroit is 0-3 on the road (counting both Sweden games as away contests) and needs to right the ship sooner rather than later.Last season, Detroit was tied with Boston for the most wins on the road at 24. 

Here's a quick look at the schedule for the next five games:

As you can see, everyone of these games is going to be tough. The Coyotes (yes, the Coyotes) are off to a 5-2 start and have some good play in net from Ilya Bryzgalov, who was the NHL's top star for last week with a .95 GAA and a 3-0 record. We already know what Colorado can do, and has done, to the Wings. Vancouver has gotten off to a shaky start with a 3-5 record but any time you face Roberto Luongo you also face the possibility of an L in the boxscore. Edmonton and Calgary are both off to good starts with 5-2-1 records and both have solid netminding to go with their offensive attack.

All five games are going to be a battle and staying up late to watch them might make things even worse for us fans. However, success on the road could lead to boosted confidence within the team and good things for this team still searching for an identity moving forward in the season.