Anaheim Ducks (27-20-4, 58pts) vs.
Columbus Blue Jackets (23-20-5, 51pts)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
7:00 PM EST
TV: FSN-OH / Radio: WWCD 102.5 FM
(Dispatch Preview / SportsDirect Preview)
WFNY Tickets – Follow me @WFNYDP from the press box tonight!
This is the last game for Columbus prior to the All Star Break. The Ducks have been hot, including but not limited to the last time these two teams played almost three weeks ago. The Jackets got embarrassed 6-0 in Anaheim, and the Ducks did that without Jackets-killer Ryan Getzlaf, who is still out tonight. The game immediately after that one, however, was the one where the Jackets finally put the brakes on their horrible play: they lost in LA, but they outplayed the Kings for the second half of the game. The next game was the Phoenix game at home, which Scott Arniel repeatedly cites as the beginning of the Jackets getting back to “playing the right way.” The Jackets are 3-0-2 in their last five, and need two more points before they head into the All Star Break if they really want to be in the playoffs discussion.
Projected Lineups
Anaheim Ducks:
| SC1: | Brandon McMillan | Bobby Ryan | Corey Perry |
| SC2: | Jason Blake | Saku Koivu | Teemu Selanne |
| CK1: | Matt Beleskey | Maxim Lapierre | Joffrey Lupul |
| CK2: | Dan Sexton | Todd Marchant | George Parros |
| D1: | Lubomir Visnovsky | Toni Lydman | |
| D2: | Cam Fowler | Andreas Lilja | |
| D3: | Luca Sbisa | Andy Sutton | |
| G: | Jonas Hiller |
Columbus Blue Jackets:
| SC1: | Rick Nash | Derick Brassard | Jakub Voracek |
| SC2: | Kristian Huselius | Antoine Vermette | RJ Umberger |
| CK1: | Andrew Murray | Sammy Pahlsson | Derek Dorsett |
| CK2: | Matt Calvert | Derek MacKenzie | Jared Boll |
| D1: | Jan Hejda | Marc Methot | |
| D2: | Fedor Tyutin | Anton Stralman | |
| D3: | Kris Russell | Grant Clitsome | |
| G: | Steve Mason |
Team Rankings
Scoring:
ANA – 2.61 gpg (22nd NHL)
CBJ – 2.58 gpg (25th NHL)
Defense:
ANA – 2.78 gapg (16th NHL)
CBJ – 3.06 gapg (24th NHL)
Power Play:
ANA – 23.7% (3rd NHL)
CBJ – 13.3% (28th NHL)
Penalty Kill:
ANA – 81.9% (16th NHL)
CBJ – 79.7% (23rd NHL)
Season Matchups
This is the fourth and final matchup on the season:
10/20/10 – Anaheim 1 @ Columbus 3 – recap
11/19/10 – Columbus 4 @ Anaheim 3 – box – Highlights
01/07/11 – Columbus 0 @ Anaheim 6 – box – Highlights
01/25/11 – Anaheim @ Columbus – 7:00 PM EST
Game Notes
The Ducks are playing very well, even without Getzlaf in the lineup. Since the end of a 10-game losing streak in November which found them sitting at 10-11-3, the Ducks have gone 16-9-1, which is good for 33 points in their last 26 games, and are 9-3-0 in their last 12. In short, the Jackets have to continue to bring the noise they’ve been bringing the past five or six games.
Scott Arniel talked on Monday about being back to “playing the right way,” which has included being a solid four-line team. He talked about his improved Power Play combined with rolling those four lines as a mix for wearing other teams down toward the end of games. That was apparent on the road trip, as they rallied from behind and put the clamps on both Florida and St. Louis when they had to.
The recipe has been simple: be physical with the opponents’ skill players, continue getting contributions from all four lines, be better on Special Teams (and the Jackets have been, of late, even if their season numbers don’t show it). Score some goals, wear your opponents out. The one thing that would also be nice would be not to fall into a 2-0 hole early as they did the past two games.
At the end of the day, this is the Jackets’ last game before the All Star Break, and it would be great to take some momentum into the break and the final 33 games. If they play like they have the past few, that’s a realistic chance.
Next Game For The Jackets
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
7:00 PM EST
Chicago Blackhawks @ Columbus Blue Jackets