February 22, 2012

Blue Jackets Ticket Offer

December 8, 2011 By 1 Comment

Our ticket partner, TiqIQ wanted us to give you a heads up on a great chance to get some Columbus Blue Jackets tickets-

Saturday night, the Blue Jackets welcome defending champ and Northeast division-leading Bruins to Columbus. Want to check out the action from some good seats at Nationwide? Thanks to our partners at TiqIQ you can “Pick Your Price” on tickets. Make an offer around $50 each on two “4-star” tickets that retail for over $127 each and they can be your’s for a discount of well over 50%. Can’t make Saturday? Well check out deals for for Tuesday’s Night’s match up with the Canucks – Make an offer around $45 each on two “3-star” tickets that retail for over $82 each. Plus, these offers come with no service or shipping fees!

Saturday against Boston.

Tuesday against Vancuver.

Filed Under: Blue Jackets, WFNY Tickets

Announcement: DP’s CBJ Coverage Moving to “The Cannon”

April 25, 2011 By 3 Comments

5-hole
I originally came to WFNY in the fall of 2008 with a proposal: there doesn’t seem to be a lot of Columbus Blue Jackets hockey coverage on your blog, but I love your blog, follow the team religiously, and write about sports on my own blog. Let’s join up!

That first year was great as I cut my teeth during the team’s first and only playoff run. It was fun to provide that coverage to the small sect of the WFNY readership that followed along with me. It has been fun, but as the past two years have unfolded it’s become clear that something just wasn’t fitting right here. When the great guys over at The Cannon approached me at season’s end about writing about the Jackets for/with them, it was too great an opportunity to pass up. So, we’re here to announce that going forward, essentially all of my Blue Jackets coverage will be moving to The Cannon. I will be writing for The Cannon on a day-to-day basis, and will trim back WFNY’s coverage to the weekly 5-Hole columns during the season and pertinent links in WWW each morning. I’ve also updated my Twitter handle to @DP_WFNY_Cannon as part of this move. [Read more...]

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CBJ Off-season: Q&A With GM Scott Howson

April 15, 2011 By 3 Comments

Columbus Dispatch Photo

Editor’s Note: The following interview took place on March 29th, before the end of the season.

With another non-playoff season now in the books for the Blue Jackets, the writing is on the wall for General Manager Scott Howson: changes need to be made to the roster. As timing would have it, he has 12 free agents on his roster, including several defensemen which is an area of serious need. I had the chance to speak with Howson between periods at the 3/29 game vs. Florida, and I asked him a few questions about the upcoming off-season. I’ll have more next week about needs and prescriptions, but this should be a good kickoff for where the franchise sits now after two straight non-playoff seasons.

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The 5-Hole: Blue Jackets News and Notes – 4/12/11

April 12, 2011 By 2 Comments

Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…

5-hole

The Week That Was

This Week: 0-3-0, 0 points
Overall: 34-35-13, 81 points (5th division; 14th conference)

It’s mercifully over. The Jackets limped home, finishing their last 21 games with a putrid 3-12-7 record, and earning just 13 points in that stretch to fall not only out of the playoff race, but all the way to second-to-last—AGAIN—in the Western Conference. They went from being firmly in the hunt at the end of February to looking ahead to another ugly off-season in just a few weeks. It was almost stunning how quickly and thoroughly it happened. At any rate, now that the season’s done, we’ll do a shorter recap here in our normal 5-Hole spot. Then, with some help from Jackets GM Scott Howson whom I had the pleasure of interviewing a couple of weeks ago, we’ll take a good hard look at what needs to happen this off-season in a future post.

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The 5-Hole: Blue Jackets News and Notes – 4/5/11

April 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…

5-hole

The Week That Was

This Week: 1-1-2, 4 points
Overall: 34-32-13, 81 points (5th division; 13th conference)

We’re finally heading down the home stretch. The Jackets were officially eliminated from the playoffs (something they’ve *actually* been for quite some time; we’re just talkin’ math now) on Thurday night in Washington, though it’s important to note that Columbus played three decent games this week, going to overtime and a shootout against two solid playoff teams. However, the starch seems to be out of the shirts, as the St. Louis Blue came in on Sunday and kicked them in the teeth pretty hard. Oh well, three games to go! The Jackets are currently sitting with the 8th spot in the NHL lottery, if it were held today. That would mean they could end up with either the 5th pick, the 8th pick, or the 9th pick. more on that grisly stuff next week.

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Blues Roll Over Jackets 6-1 After Not Much Fight At All

April 3, 2011 By 1 Comment

Kirk Irwin/NHLI via Getty ImagesBlues 6, Blue Jackets 1
(box) – Highlights
CBJ: 34-32-13, 81 pts

The Jackets were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday night in Washington, and St. Louis was eliminated this week as well. But, over the past few years, when these two teams have gotten together, the records and standings have taken a back seat. Bottom line: these two clubs just don’t like each other. And, that dislike usually finds a way to manifest itself in the play on the ice.

We didn’t see the physical play for most of the first half of this game, but we did see some shaky defensive zone play, some unfortunate bounces, and some flat out ugly play from the Jackets en route to a disappointing loss at home to the Blues. Oh, and once the scoreboard started to tilt, both teams decided to get plenty of shots in on each other.

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Jackets Finally Solve the Shoot-Out, Edge Panthers 3-2

March 29, 2011 By 1 Comment

AP Photo/Jay LaPreteBlue Jackets 3, Panthers 2 – SO
(box) – Highlights
CBJ: 34-31-11, 79 pts

“Tonight was about trying some things different.” So said coach Scott Arniel afterward. With just seven games left on the schedule, the Jackets have been limping home. Awaiting them tonight in Nationwide Arena was a team from the Eastern Conference in the same boat. Columbus came in 10-3-2 against the East, and had already beaten Florida once this season. The Panthers came in with eight fewer points than Columbus, and just as bleak an outlook. Columbus came out early looking intent on bringing their best effort. But it would once again come down to a third period lead lost, and the Jackets struggling to put the puck in the net while staring the of-late nemesis—the shootout—squarely in the face.

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The 5-Hole: Blue Jackets News and Notes – 3/29/11

March 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…

5-hole

The Week That Was

This Week: 0-2-1, 1 point
Overall: 33-31-11, 77 points (5th division; 13th conference)

Seven games to go, and the Jackets are all but officially eliminated. If eighth place Chicago earns two points, the Jackets will be mathematically eliminated. Not that this is a surprise; their current 2-8-5 stretch ended their hopes long ago. But, there’s always something so final about the math finally saying it’s over. Columbus still needs four points in their last seven games to clinch their second best point total in franchise history. Not that finishing in 12th with that total would be a positive thing…

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The 5-Hole: Blue Jackets News and Notes – 3/22/11

March 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…

5-hole

The Week That Was

This Week: 1-2-1, 3 points
Overall: 33-29-10, 76 points (4th division; 12th conference)

We’ve officially entered the “playing out the string” portion of the season. The Jackets look like a team that’s fun our of gas, both physically (in the midst of a 16-games in March stretch) and mentally. They finished a stretch of three games in four days by getting shut out twice at home. At this point, with 10 games to go in the season, the Jackets have a couple of things to shoot for. With five more points, they will bring home their second-best point total in franchise history. So there’s a little feather for your cap.

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Bruins’ Rask Too Much As Jackets Fall Again in a Shoot-out 3-2

March 15, 2011 By 3 Comments

AP Photo/Jay LaPreteBruins 3, Blue Jackets 2 – SO
(box) – Highlights
CBJ: 32-27-10, 74 pts

The Jackets have been traditionally good against the East over the past four seasons. They would need that record to continue in a positive way, as they have gotten to the point of the season where they need two points basically every night.

They came out playing like they knew their playoff lives depended on it, registering eight of the first nine shots. And, while they had tons of chances to win this game in regulation and overtime, a hot opposing backup goaltender and their nemesis of late—the shootout—would decide it. It seemed early like the Jackets might be catching a break by facing Boston’s backup goalie, Tuukka Rask. At the end of the game, however, Rask would prove to be the difference.

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Game Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Bruins (Game #69) – Just Win, Baby

March 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

jackets vs. bruinsBoston Bruins (38-21-9, 85pts) vs.
Columbus Blue Jackets (32-27-9, 73pts)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
7:00 PM EST
TV: FSN-OH / Radio: WBNS 97.1 FM

(Dispatch Preview / SportsDirect Preview)
WFNY Tickets – Follow me @WFNYDP from the press box tonight!

The projection seems to be that the Jackets have to win 10 or 11 of their last 14 games (think: 10-2-2 or 11-3 to get to 95 points). Well, they can’t win 10 games in one night. The first order of business is to win one game: the game in front of them. That’s tonight against another Eastern Conference foe, though this one is a division-leader. The Bruins are scuffling just a bit (0-2-2 in their last four), but prior to that had ripped off seven regulation wins in a row. Boston hasn’t played since Friday (loss to the Islanders), so they will be rested and ready to go.

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The 5-Hole: Blue Jackets News and Notes – 3/15/2011

March 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…

5-hole

The Week That Was

This Week: 1-1-1, 3 points
Overall: 32-27-9, 73 points (4th division; 12th conference)

The good news: The Jackets finally stopped their slide at seven games without a win (0-4-3). The bad news: it’s too little, too late, most likely. They Jackets are still eight points out of eighth place, though they have three games in hand against the current eighth place team. That said, there are still four other teams between the Jackets and eighth place. It’s still mathematically possible, but it’s a long-shot. A point per game (as they got this past week) isn’t going to cut it. With 14 games to go, Columbus has to win at least 10, and probably 11 of those 14.

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Game Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Blues (Game #66) – It’s All About the Two

March 9, 2011 By 2 Comments

jackets vs. bluesSt. Louis Blues (29-28-9, 67pts) vs.
Columbus Blue Jackets (31-26-8, 70pts)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
7:00 PM EST
TV: FSN-OH HD / Radio: WBNS 97.1 FM

(Dispatch Preview / SportsDirect Preview)
WFNY Tickets

Forget all of the playoff talk. Forget all of the projections. Forget how many points, wins, and overtime losses the pundits (like myself) have been saying it will take to get into the playoffs. None of that matters anymore, because you can’t get to any of that without getting two points tonight. Tonight’s game is the only one that matters. That’s the attitude these Jackets are going to have to adopt if they plan on making it to the playoffs, as Scott Arniel still seems confident they will. You can’t make plans either way without bringing home two points tonight. That’s the bottom line.

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The 5-Hole: Blue Jackets News and Notes – 3/8/11 – And The Bottom Drops Out…

March 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…

5-hole

The Week That Was

This Week: 0-2-2, 2 points
Overall: 31-26-8, 70 points (4th division; 12th conference)

Gentlemen, start getting those golf clubs polished. The Jackets ideally needed six or seven points on this five-game trip. They probably should have come home with seven. Instead? They come home with two. And just like that, their playoff chances are all but over. If you blinked, you probably missed it; it was fleeting. There are now 17 games to go, and the Jackets are seven points out of eighth place with four teams to jump over. Math is not on our side here.

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Game Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Oilers (Game #63) – Must-Win Time

March 3, 2011 By 6 Comments

jackets vs. bluesColumbus Blue Jackets (31-24-7, 69pts) vs.
Edmonton Oilers (21-35-8, 50pts)
Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta
Thursday, March 3, 2011
9:00 PM EST
TV: FSN-OH / Radio: WBNS 97.1 FM

(Dispatch Preview / SportsDirect Preview)

The Jackets deserved a better fate on Tuesday night, givine the league-leading Vancouver Canucks all they could handle in their building, going to an eight-round shootout before falling. Still, the Jackets got a point that, on paper, they probably weren’t expected to get, and now have points in nine of their past 10 road games (6-1-3). Edmonton is at the bottom of the standings for the second straight year, and dealt away Dustin Penner on Monday. They’re also without several other key players. Even still, as the Jackets have learned at various points this year, Edmonton can still get after you with their young, talented, and speedy players. The Jackets need to bring their A-game, and more importantly given everything at stake, they simply HAVE to win this game.

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