The Puck Drops Here 1/3/17 #BlueJackets #CBJ

By Chris Lulovics, @CLulovics

Well here we are at the start of 2017 and the Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the hottest teams in the NHL.  Who would of thought that at the beginning of the season?  Head coach John Tortorella  (head coach of the USA team in the World Cup of Hockey) ran what players and analysts call a boot camp in order to get his players in top physical condition so come the 3rd period they aren't out of gas and can put away teams.  Well his plan is definitely working because the Blue Jackets play their best period in the 3rd.

On Saturday the Blue Jackets extended their franchise best winning streak to 15 games by winning 4-2 against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild were winners of 12 games in a row before Saturday. The Blue Jackets have outscored their opponents 62-26 during the streak. In fact they went a perfect 12-0 during the whole month of December. Leading the way has been goalie Sergei Bobrovski who seems to be back to his old self from a couple of years ago when the Jackets made the playoffs. Cam Atkinson is leading the way accounting for 16 points in the last 12 games. Nick Foligno has also returned to his old format after a disappointing season a year ago. Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky while not producing on the score sheet like they would like too, have been playing a huge role with tremendous play away from the puck which helps other guys on the line to produce. And last but not least rookie defenseman 19 year old Zach Werenski. Last year at this time he was playing for the university of Michigan and then turning pro and helping the Lake Erie Monsters win the Calder Cup. Not only does Werenski hold the club record for most points by a rookie defenseman  (before the first half even ends) he is also the quarterback of the leagues best power-play. For a 19 year old to have that much responsibility shows the confidence that head coach John Tortorella has in him.

The Jackets are 2 games away from tying the NHL record.  They play Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers and Thursday against the Washington Capitals. They can set a new record at home Saturday night against the New York Rangers. I can only imagine the crowd that will be at that game. So far this season has been amazing after experts predicted the Jackets wouldn't amount to anything. There is a lot of hockey left and anything can happen but with their mentality of one game at a time let's just live in the moment right now and enjoy the ride. If you're not on the bandwagon you can always jump on now.

The Puck Drops Here 3.9.16: Blue Jackets Review #CBJ

By Chris Lulovics, @CLulovics


Well, the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. The Blue Jackets decided it was best to stay put and not risk the future of the team. Sure many GM's around the league were calling the front office of the Jackets inquiring about the many young talents the team has but why risk the future for a rental player or draft picks for players who may not work out?

As the past couple of seasons have shown, the team has been playing their best hockey the past couple of months and have shown that this is the team that many expected to see back in October.  Sure, they had the worst record in the NHL and were almost a lock for the #1 pick in the upcoming draft, but the team never laid down and never quit.  Head coach John Tortorella said the process wouldn't be a short overnight fix.  If these past two months have shown anything, its that this team can play like a top tier team. If they can play like this at the early months, then the playoffs are in the future for this young team.

Scott Hartnell, who was rumored to be traded to the Nashville Predators at the deadline, currently leads the team in points and third in goals with a stat line of 21 goals, 22 assists and 43 points. Brandon Saad is tied for the team lead in goals, while coming in second for total points with 24 goals, 17 assists and 41 points. The 24 goals for Saad is a new career high for him in his first season with the team coming in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.  Cam Atkinson is third in points while contributing 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points. Boone Jenner is having a good year after last seasons injury plagued campaign 24 goals 14 assists for 38 points. Rookie goaltender and Lake Erie Monster call up Joonas Korpisalo, in the absence of Sergei Bobrovsky who is still out with a groin injury, has been nothing but spectacular while being thrown into a situation that he along with many were not expecting him to be in this season.

The Lake Erie Monsters, who in their past ten games are 5-3-0-2, are currently sitting in the playoffs and playing some of their best hockey even with call ups coming from the bigger club.  The future is still bright with the Monsters playing the way they have been and if they can bring the type of play down there up to the NHL then winning ways should be coming back to Columbus.



As always CARRY THE FLAG, MARCH ON, WE ARE THE FIFTH LINE, ALL OF US and see you guys either at Nationwide Arena in Columbus or in downtown Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Puck Drops Here 3.4.15: #BlueJackets & #NHLTradeDeadline

By @CLulovics

With February in the books the Columbus Blue Jackets are all but out of the playoff race. The month of February went like the rest of the season for the Jackets with players coming off and going on the IR list. Sergei Bobrovsky who was selected for the All Star game was placed on the IR with a groin strain but has since been activated on February 28th. Boone Jenner is still out due to back problems but is skating lightly. The team lost Brandon Dubinsky and Matt Calvert both to concussions during the last week of the month. The Blue Jackets have lost a league high of over 400 man games due to injuries.

The trade deadline was March 2nd and some teams were buyers hoping to get players to help them either make the playoffs or help them go deep into the playoffs with hope of winning the Stanley Cup Finals. Some other teams not in the race will be sellers with hoping to pick up young prospects or draft picks which will help rebuilding for the future. The Jackets did make a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs trading Nathan Horton who hasn't played a game in 2 years due to back problems for David Clarkson. Not only did the Jackets get a player who has the grit the Jackets are looking for but also got a player who unlike Horton, isn't injured. Horton did sign here and wanted to be a part of the rebuilding phase but unfortunately things just didn't work out with the back problems but hopefully he can recover and play hockey again. 

During the trade deadline multiple teams did make moves either helping them make or go deep into the playoffs while other teams like Buffalo unloaded players for draft picks or young prospects. The Blue Jackets did make a couple trades though but basically stood their ground neither unloading a bunch of players or acquiring "rental" players with hope of making the playoffs this year. In a deal with the Minnesota Wild, the Jackets traded defenseman Jordan Leopold for defenseman Justin Falk and a 2015 5th round pick. Also in a trade involving defenseman James Wisniewski along with a 3rd round pick which was from Detroit for forward Rene Bourque, forward William Karlsson and a 2015 2nd round pick.

Also on Monday March 2nd the Blue Jackets and forward Cam Atkinson agreed to terms on a new 3 year deal worth in the neighborhood of 10 million according to reports.

While the year didn't go according to plan with all the injuries at the start of the season and continuing thoughout the whole year, this team is still on the rise and I have faith in the organization that they have a plan and will become a playoff contender next year unless they go on a hot streak like they have the past couple of years.

As always We Are The 5th Line, Carry The Flag and Let's Go JACKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!