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 11.18.15: What's Happened With The Blue Jackets? #CBJ

By @CLulovics

Well let's face it. The start to the 2015-2016 NHL season for the Columbus Blue Jackets did not start how anyone including national annalists envisioned it. After starting the season 0-8, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen to fire head coach Todd Richards and replace him with John Tortorella. Tortorella who previously coached for the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and most recently the Vancouver Canucks brings an overall head coaching record of 444-371 to go along with 8 playoff appearances and 1 Stanley Cup Championship.

Boone Jenner, Brandon Saad, Scott Hartnell and Brandon Dubinsky have been their usual selves providing the offense with the needed spark along with scoring points. Sergei Bobrovsky has not been his usual stellar self. Not all the blame can be put on Bobrovsky though. As national writers along with annalists said before the season even started, the Blue Jackets defense hasn't helped out their goalie. Some lapses along with miscues have spelled doom for both Bobrovsky and the blue line in the early stages of the young NHL season. But with Tortorella at the helm now it seems to be that those little yet huge mistakes seem to be disappearing and the Blue Jackets are playing a better overall game.

The Blue Jackets minor league affiliate the Lake Erie Monsters currently sit at 8-3-0-2 on their young season for 14 points and 3rd in the Central Division in the Western Conference as of this writing. Leading the Monsters in points is Kerby Rychel sitting at 4 goals 7 assists for 11 points while splitting time between the Monsters and the Blue Jackets. With a lot of young talent the Monsters will continue to be fun to watch downtown at Quicken Loans Arena and is a good event to take the family too.

While the Columbus Blue Jackets are currently 7-12, anything can happen in the NHL and they certainly are not out of it. But they have to pick up the pace soon otherwise their playoff hopes and dreams might fade quickly. This team has the talent to turn this whole thing around as long as they play their type of game which they didn't in the start of the season but seem to be coming back around too. Tortorella might just be the spark that this team needs especially with a lot of hockey left to be played.

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: Columbus Blue Jackets 2015-16 Season Preview #CBJ

By @CLulovics

HEALTHY: in good health. Not injured or sick. Those are the things that made last season for the Blue Jackets uneasy. With 502 man games lost due to injury, the Blue Jackets led the NHL in that department and setting a new club record as well. Not the type of record the team had in mind of breaking when the season started, the team in the last two months of the season went 16-4-1 and recorded a point in the last 13 games. Todd Richards will be at the helm for the group once again this year. Last season Richards became the Blue Jackets all time winning coach, surpassing former coach and current coach of the St. Louis Blues Ken Hitchcock. Going into this season the Jackets are healthy unlike last year at this previous time, so expectations are once again at an all time high.

The big acquisition for Columbus during the off season was trading for Brandon Saad who spent the previous couple years playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and winning two Stanley Cup Championships during that time.  Columbus gave up forwards Artem Anisimov, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp, Marko Dano, and a fourth found pick in the 2016 NHL Draft for Saad along with defenseman Michael Paliotta. Saad put up career highs last season with 23 goals 29 assists for 52 points in only his 4th professional season. To keep Saad with the Blue Jackets long term, the team inked him to a 6 year extension worth $36 million. Another big off season signing was defenseman David Savard agreeing to terms on a 5 year $21.25 million dollar extension which keeps the big, strong, well minded young fellow in town for years to come.

The 2013 Vezina trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky who last season signed a 4 year $29.7 million contract extension, is once again the main man in goal. After a couple of injuries last season (just like everyone else one the team), Sergei looks to stay healthy and prove once again why many feel that he is the best goalie in the NHL. Ryan Johansen one of the NHL'S young studs will look to build on his career best in assists and points from last season. With the projected first line of Johansen, Saad and new Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno, he should have plenty of opportunities to surpass those point totals.

That first line of those three players could provide the fans with an opportunity to see something special. Boone Jenner, Brandon Dubinsky, David Clarkson, Cam Atkinson, Matt Calvert, Scott Hartnell, Kerby Rychel and Alexander Wennberg will look to provide fire power on offense. Jack Johnson, Fedor Tyutin, David Savard, Kevin Connauton, Dalton Prout, and a healthy Ryan Murray will provide strong help on the blue line in front of Bobrovsky.

The Blue Jackets will open up the 2015-2016 season at home on October 9th against Eastern Conference foe the New York Rangers. Beautiful Nationwide Arena is home to the Jackets. Opened in 2000, the arena seats 18,500 for hockey games. Surrounding the arena is another beautiful area called the Arena District which is home to many restaurants, bars, hotels and other outdoor places to sightsee. Across from the arena as well is the minor league stadium Huntington Park which is home to the Cleveland Indians AAA team the Columbus Clippers. So if you are ever in the Columbus area I strongly encourage you to catch a game, take in some food and drink, and spend a night at one of the many hotels which are in walking distance.

With the season fast approaching optimism, joyfulness and other emotions are high. This team has many others around the league talking about how good they can be. I feel that the Jackets will return to the playoffs this year and make a lot of noise.

As always CARRY THE FLAG, MARCH ON, WE ARE THE FIFTH LINE, ALL OF US.

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!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Puck Drops Here 2.4.15: #BlueJackets Mid-Season Review #CBJ

By @CLulovics

Here is the Columbus Blue Jackets mid season review along with a quick short review of the entire league. The Jackets who started the season with almost half of their roster on IR started off slow and at the bottom of the NHL standings had a really good month of December to get themselves back into the playoff picture.

Ryan Johansen, Nick Foligno, and Sergei Bobrovsky were all named to the all star game which was held in Columbus over the weekend of January 24th which saw the skills competition and then the game itself held on the 25th. Bobrovsky was injured and could not compete in the game. Nick Foligno was named captain of the home team and selected teammate Ryan Johansen with the first overall pick of the NHL fantasy draft. Team Foligno lost the game to Team Toews by a score of 17-12. Nick Foligno had a goal and an assist while Ryan Johansen had 2 goals and 2 assists and took home the MVP award. Johansen also won the breakaway skills competition on Saturday night. Nashville Predators Shea Webber won the hardest shot at 108.5 mph  (record is 108.8)

Team leaders in points are Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen both with 45 points. Foligno has 18 goals and 27 assists while Johansen has 19 goals with 26 assists. Scott Hartnell has 10 goals 18 assists for 28 pts. James Wisniewski has 5 goals, 17 assists for 22 pts. And Jack Johnson has 5 goals and 18 assists for 23 points, also as of this writing.

Also as of this writing the Anaheim Ducks lead the league with a record of 32-12-6 for 70 points in the Western Conference. In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Red Wings have 64 points and the New York Islanders have 65 points. The Jackets are currently 13 pts out of the last wild card spot but anything can happen and like last year thus team can go on a streak in a month and find themselves back into the playoffs.

Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals leads the league in goals with 29. Philadelphia Flyers Jakub Voracek leads the league in assists with 41 and also leads the league in points with 58. The NHL trade deadline is March 2 at 3pm.

The Blue Jackets are gonna have to stay healthy and play a complete team game from here on out if they want to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.


As always Carry The Flag and We Are The 5th Line