Update (6:45 PM): More from Khan, who took the Ellis-related bits out of his earlier blog post and made a new one with some added info: namely, Matt Ellis will play tonight in place of Mikael Samuelsson, who will sit out with a groin injury.
That sucks for Sammy, who’s just gotten rolling, but great news for Ellis, who will be making his NHL debut sooner than expected. I highly doubt he would have played had Samuelsson not been hurt. So, no, Jiri Hudler will not be sitting, if you were wondering. - Matt
Update (4:30 PM): Ansar Khan reports that Dominik Hasek will be in net tonight, with Chris Osgood backing him up.
He also says the Wings called up Matt Ellis from Grand Rapids just in case they need someone to fill a hole in the lineup during the NHL’s holiday roster freeze from December 19th to the 27th. - Matt
Tonight is the second of eight meetings between these two teams this season. The Wings won the first meeting, 4-1 on November 4th off goals from Dan Cleary (2), Mikael Samuelsson, and Henrik Zetterberg. Dominik Hasek got credit for the win. Tonight’s meeting kicks off a home-home series, with the second game taking place Wednesday night in Detroit.
Immediately following their loss to the Wings on the fourth, the Jackets went into a tailspin, prompting the firing of Gerard Gallant on November 13 at the start of what would become a 1-6-1 slide. They have had a decent run of success since hiring Ken Hitchcock on the 24th, however.
Hitchcock has a more promising 6-41 record thus far, including a five-game winning streak that was halted with a 5-4 shutout loss in Phoenix. They followed that loss up with another, a 6-4 disappointment at home on Saturday against the Blackhawks. Things aren’t all positive in Columbus.
Former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov has had a bit of a resurgence of late, scoring five goals and notching seven assists in the eleven games since Hitchcock took over head coaching duties. Rick Nash, another slumping player before the coaching switch, has nine points in five games.
The Wings have won their last two games, one over the Blackhawks (3-2) on Thursday and the other over the Devils (2-1) on Saturday. According to the AP, the Wings have won seven straight in Columbus.
Chris Osgood may get the start tonight, as he is apparently finally ready to come back from his wrist injury, but Mike Babcock won’t tip his hand.
Even though they’re having a bit of a turnaround, the Blue Jackets should still be little cause for concern. As long as the Wings stay focused and play like their capable, it shouldn’t be too difficult to come out with a win.
Great to see Ellis finally get a shot at the NHL. He’s just about the hardest working player I’ve ever seen and he definitely deserves it. I have no doubt he’ll make the most of this opportunity.