Saturday was truly an ugly loss. Some might think it’s one of those games you just forget, crumble up and toss away in the wastebasket. I hope the Wings take that loss and use it as a measuring stick. Sure, our team is the mighty Red Wings, but there are some other good teams out there too, no doubt. The Wings need to take that 7-1 thumping and say to themselves, “this is where we are (puts hand at about shoulder height)…and this is where we need to be (raises hand high above head).”
And what better way to get rid of the frustrations of an ugly loss than by beating up on the Columbus Blue Jackets? You have to imagine that Uncle Mike had the club skating hard and working their asses off in practice since Saturday. And you have to believe that the team wants to right the ship. We all joke about the BJs being pathetic (they are), but this is going to be a tough game. Columbus is winless, they’re playing at home, they’re getting James Wisniewski back from suspension, they’re always motivated when playing the Wings, and they’re going to go out playing hard.
The Wings should win this game on talent and depth, but they better be prepared to work hard. Columbus wants a win in front of their fans. The Wings need to bring their legs, backcheck, play solid specialty teams and Ty Conklin sure as hell better show up in net.
Every point counts in the NHL, the Wings cannot leave two points on the board tonight. Good teams win the games they should and this is a game that Detroit absolutely should win. Head down to Columbus, avoid the wild animals, get the two points, and come home. Go to work, son. Let’s play some good, hard hockey.
The Cannon is your SBNation Blue Jackets’ blog.
Puck drop is a little after 7p ET.
The Expected Lineup
Henrik Zetterberg — Pavel Datsyuk — Danny Cleary
Jiri Hudler — Johan Franzen — Valtteri Filppula
Justin Abdelkader — Darren Helm — Todd Bertuzzi
Tomas Holmstrom — Andrew Miller — Patrick Eaves
Jakub Kindl — Jonathan Ericsson
Ty Conklin (starting)
Scratches: The Fabian Brunnstrom experiment went very well on Saturday, eh?. I’m not saying the loss was his fault by any means, but needing to bounce back after a 7-1 loss, Babcock will most likely be putting in the vets and guys he trusts. Andrew “Don’t Call Me Drew According to SBNation ” Miller and Patrick Eaves are the guys on that fourth line you can trust. Have to believe Cory Emmerton will be coloring in the Leino Lounge with Fabio tonight.
Injuries: Mike Commodore (knee) and Jan Mursak (ankle)
Paternity Leave: Jimmy Howard (It’s a boy!)
| Red Wings | HOW THEY MATCH UP | Blue Jackets |
| 5-1-0 | Record | 0-7-1 |
| 3.17 (4th) | Goals Per Game | 2.12 (T-25th) |
| 2.33 (T-9th) | Goals Against Per Game | 3.50 (29th) |
| 17.9% (12th) | Power Play % | 10.5% (26th) |
| 73.7% (27th) | Penalty Kill % | 64.3% (30th) |
| Johan Franzen (4 goals) | Goal Leader | 2 tied with 3 goals |
| 2 tied with 7 points | Points Leader | 2 tied with 8 points |
- The Red Wings are 46-11-1-6 (W-L-T-OTL) all-time against the Blue Jackets.
- James Wisniewski will play his first game of the season tonight. He was suspended for hitting Cal Clutterbuck in the head after the whistle in a preseason game. This offseason, at the time, I would have been pleased if the Wings signed the guy. In hindsight, I’m glad they didn’t.
- Dating back to last season, the Blue Jackets are 1-14-4 in their last 19 games.
- After starting 0-for-16 on the power play in their first three games of the season, the Wings are 5-for-12 in their last three.
- Detroit is 15-1-2 in their last 18 games against Columbus (including the 4-game sweep in the 2009 playoffs). They’ve outscored the BJs 61-30 in that time. The Wings are 5-0-2 in their last 7 games in Ohio, outscoring the BJs 19-5.
Prediction: Tonight’s going to be a close game. 4-2 is your final score (Wings with an empty net goal). Pavel Datsyuk is your player of the game. He’s the difference in the contest. He’ll be in total “F you” mode and dominate this game.
Let’s Go Red Wings.
