NHL Preview Columbus at Detroit
Among the numerous games being played in the NHL tonight is the matchup between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings. So far this season the two teams look to be headed in two different directions. Columbus is winless through their first six games this season while Detroit is unbeaten with a 4-0 record. Based on the current and recent track record of the two teams it looks like Detroit will likely extend its fast start and send the Blue Jackets away with yet another defeat.
As far as this matchup goes, it has been relatively lopsided as the Red Wings have won 10 of the last 13 meetings between the two teams in this series. Another fact is that the Blue Jackets have lost nine out of their last eleven visits to the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The Red Wings swept the Blue Jackets in four games back in the 2009 playoffs so Detroit’s dominance in this matchup is quite apparent.
The Blue Jackets are coming off a loss against Dallas that resulted in a home and home series sweep over the last two games. Columbus lost their last game at home against the Dallas Stars by a score of 3-2 to drop to their 0-5-1 regular season record. For the Blue Jackets they got good performances out of Derrick Brassard and Kris Russell who scored their two goals and their goaltender Steve Mason had 15 saves on 18 shots while filling in for the starting goalie. Columbus has been riddled with injuries this season as their starting and backup goaltenders have been out of action so far this season. As a result Mason is now the goaltender and will start tonight against the Red Wings. The Blue Jackets centerman Jeff Carter has been placed on injured reserve on Tuesday with an injured foot and is expected to miss two weeks.
The Red Wings on the other hand have had a promising season so far this year. They are coming off a 3-2 overtime victory over Minnesota this past Saturday night. Therefore the Red Wings have had plenty of time to rest and prepare for this game and should be ready to play. In Saturday’s game Johan Franzen was the hero as he scored the game winning goal in overtime to clinch the victory. Detroit goaltender Jim Howard made 12 saves to help his team preserve the win. With the win, Detroit is off to its best start since the 1997-98 season when they won the second of back to back Stanley Cup championships.
Both teams have performed okay in the respective settings of tonight’s game. Last season the Red Wings went 21-14-6 at home while the Blue Jackets went 17-16-8 on the road. However the Red Wings are undefeated at home this season with a 2-0 record while the Blue Jackets are winless on the road with an 0-2 record. Something has got to give tonight as it should be a good competitive contest.
