Have you missed the Columbus Blue Jackets?
The 4 Nations Face-Off has been a major hit amongst casual and die-hard hockey fans. With off-the-charts intensity in the inaugural best-on-best tournament for country pride, it has delivered on all levels as Team USA gets set for Thursday's championship matchup against either Team Canada, Team Sweden, or Team Finland.
Just imagine what's in store for the NHL with the remaining two months of the regular season to go.
Following the league's two-week break between NHL games, the Blue Jackets return to their intense playoff race when they host the Chicago Blackhawks this Saturday, Feb. 22.
The Jackets went into the break having lost four straight games but could have come away with two points in all four of those games — a 5-3 loss at the Dallas Stars, a 3-2 loss at the Buffalo Sabres, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club, and a late 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers.
Columbus is fourth in the Metropolitan Division, currently sitting one point out of a playoff spot. They trail the Detroit Red Wings by one point in the Eastern Conference wild-card race and are two points behind the Ottawa Senators for the first wild-card spot.
With 26 games remaining and the trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET on Mar. 7, the intensity only heats up from here.
Back To It
| Feb. 22 | 7 p.m. |
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A soft landing for the Blue Jackets?
You can't assume anything in the NHL but on paper, it's an ideal matchup from Columbus' point of view as they look to get back into action and gain an important two points against the league's second-worst team from a standings perspective.
But it's up to the Blue Jackets to be ready for Connor Bedard and Co.
Round II vs Stars
| Feb. 25 | 7 p.m. |
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The game in Dallas on Feb. 2 was costly as Columbus lost a slew of players in the game including Kirill Marchenko to a broken jaw after a puck struck him on the bench and Dante Fabbro to an upper-body injury.
There was also a controversial third-period goal that looked like a clear high stick but review went the Stars' way and they added one more third-period goal to take the 5-3 win.
So what will round two have in store?
Dallas holds the third overall seed in the NHL and the second spot in the West as it continues its march towards a fourth straight trip to the playoffs.
Home And Home With Detroit
| Feb. 27 | 7 p.m. |
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| Mar. 1 | 6 p.m. |
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The NHL's marquee matchup occurs on Mar. 1, when the Blue Jackets host their first outdoor game against the Red Wings at Ohio Stadium.
To add spice to that matchup, both teams are separated by a point in the standings for a playoff spot and a home and home that begins in Detroit on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Columbus lost a tough game to Detroit late in the Jan. 2 matchup. Since then, neither team has lost many games.
The Red Wings are the second-best team in that span, going 13-4-1 while Columbus is 10-6-2. Detroit's season turned around once they brought in Todd Mclellan as their new head coach — Mclellan interviewed for the Jackets' gig over the summer — and Detroit is 15-5-1 under Mclellan. Only Dallas and Washington have been better since then.
Longest Road Trip Left
| Mar. 4 | 7 p.m. |
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| Mar. 6 | 7 p.m. |
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| Mar. 7 | 3 p.m. | Trade Deadline |
| Mar. 9 | 6 p.m. |
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| Mar. 11 | 7 p.m. |
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The Jackets will have one more large road test as they play at the Lightning, Panthers, Rangers, and Devils from Mar. 4-11. We know how good all of these teams are. The Rangers are the only team not currently occupying a playoff spot and they're two points behind Columbus.
Before the Jackets' current four-game losing streak, they were closing in on the Devils inside the Metro but now New Jersey has an eight-point cushion.
Back Home
| Mar. 13 | 7 p.m. |
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| Mar. 15 | 7 p.m. |
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| Mar. 17 | 7 p.m. |
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| Mar. 20 | 7 p.m. |
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Aside from a date with the Golden Knights to kick off their longest homestand remaining from Mar. 13-20, it'll be much the same for Columbus as they will entertain the Rangers, Devils, and Panthers.
We'll see how the Jackets stay in the race to this point and they have reinforcements coming in the way of Marchenko, Fabbro, Boone Jenner, Sean Monahan, and Erik Gudbranson. And Yegor Chinakhov?
Perhaps a key trade deadline acquisition?
Closing Out March
| Mar. 21 | 7 p.m. |
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| Mar. 24 | 7:30 p.m. |
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| Mar. 28 | 7 p.m. |
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| Mar. 29 | 7 p.m. |
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From Mar. 21-29, the Jackets will head to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins and New York to face the Islanders before coming home to host the Canucks and then travel to Ottawa.
The Penguins look like a team that will miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season and while Columbus finally ended the losing streak in Pittsburgh, chalk up another big road test in what has always been a tough environment for the Jackets.
Speaking of tough environments, the Islanders have caused fits for the Blue Jackets.
The Islanders have returned to the playoff picture and sit three points behind Columbus. Since the 2018-19 season, the Blue Jackets are 5-13-2 against the Islanders and 1-8-1 at the Islanders — regardless of their building — since then. The last victory for the Blue Jackets on Long Island came on Dec. 23, 2019.
With Ottawa looking poised to continue their playoff run, that matchup figures to be important for both clubs.
End Of The Year
| Apr. 1 | 7 p.m. |
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| Apr. 3 | 7:30 p.m. |
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| Apr. 5 | 7 p.m. |
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| Apr. 6 | 5 p.m. |
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| Apr. 8 | 7 p.m. |
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| Apr. 10 | 7 p.m. |
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| Apr. 12 | 7 p.m. |
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| Apr. 13 | 6 p.m. |
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| Apr. 15 | 7 p.m. |
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| Apr. 17 | 7 p.m. |
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Columbus will close the season with 10 April games, including a back-to-back matchup with the Maple Leafs and Senators and a home date with Ottawa on Apr. 8. They also have a huge matchup with the Capitals as Alex Ovechkin chases down Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal mark. He's 16 away from passing The Great One.
Could Ovechkin set the mark against Columbus?
The current pace lines up for right around Apr. 13-15, when the Jackets play a home-and-home with the Caps. Ovechkin scored his first two career goals against Columbus in his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, at Nationwide Arena.
Columbus caps off the regular season at home against the Islanders.
