Columbus Hopes to Win Big as the Father Jackets Watch On

In the second of home-and-home games, the Columbus Blue Jackets take on the Washington Capitals.

In the previous matchup, Columbus couldn't recover after the Capitals scored late in the third period. They were able to tie it up with a goal from Brandon Dubinsky, but when Niklas Backstrom scored with 43 seconds left, the game was all but finished.

Columbus is now clinging to the second wild card spot for dear life. They sit an uncomfortable 3-points behind Philadelphia and 4-points behind the Devils. Every point count this late in the game especially since the next three games are divisional matches. Even the bottom team only trails by 3 points.

"Eventually, we're going to have to go on a run," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "These teams that are bunched, the team that gets off on a run here is going to solidify themselves into a [playoff] spot. Eventually we're going to have to do that, but we're just going to take it one day at a time, and not look at the big picture."

A run may be the only chance Columbus has at maintaining their playoff spot. However, with these next few games all being divisional, their 0-4 run could also increase. The tides could turn either way with this team.

Their game on Tuesday was hard-fought despite the final score. It may not have been a full 60 minutes, but it was pretty damn close. Columbus has been falling short when it comes to the second period, but Tuesday was another story. It was one of the best second periods the team has had in a while. Nevertheless, Torts felt the final score was a "kick in the stomach," but believes the boys can end this losing streak as long as they stay resilient.

Regardless, the other teams are quickly becoming aware of our downfalls. At the beginning of the season, Columbus was a top team when it came to penalty kills. In the last six games, though, the Jackets have allowed a power play goal in the last six games. They've dropped considerably in the standings of PK percentage. They've dropped down to 27th place for penalty kills. But maybe there's something tonight they didn't have in the past games that could help them.

This weekend is the Father's Trip. This is the time of the season when the players can bring their dads along for the ride. Fathers from all over the globe come to support their kids including the likes of Papa Bobrovsky from Russia and Papa Nutivaara all the way from Finland. The dads made the trip to Washington with their boys, and it may just be the motivation Columbus needs. Can't lose if your dad is watching, right?

"It can't hurt us right now," Tortorella said of the dads tagging along. "Maybe they get some juice that they're playing in front of their dad. I do think it's important."

Sergei Bobrovsky is expected start tonight and face off against Braden Holtby. Joonas Korpisalo was assigned to the Cleveland Monsters, and in his place, Columbus brought up Jeff Zatkoff. Zatkoff was acquired from the LA Kings and has not played a game for the Jackets since his acquirement.

In other news, The Cannonball was another huge success. This year was western themed and everyone came sporting their best cowboy hats. Cam took it a step further, as he usually does, and wore a red and gold emblazened cowboy shirt. Country singer Dustin Lynch headlined the show. By the end of the night, the fundraiser has raised a little over $450,000 for the Blue Jackets Foundation, a charity that helps families fight childhood cancer. It's an amazing cause that has helped the entire community, and you can donate here.

Tomorrow night, Columbus hosts Hockey is For Everyone in which they celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. There will be special activities for the fans and the players will be sporting pride tape during warmups.

CBJ Projected Lineup

Artemi Panarin - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Cam Atkinson

Oliver Bjorkstrand - Alexander Wennberg - Nick Foligno

Boone Jenner - Brandon Dubinsky - Josh Anderson

Matt Calvert - Lukas Sedlak - Jussi Jokinen

Zach Werenski - Seth Jones

Jack Johnson - Markus Nutivaara

Dean Kukan - David Savard

Sergei Bobrovsky

Washington Projected Lineup

Alex Ovechkin - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Tom Wilson

Andre Burakovsky - Nicklas Backstrom - T.J. Oshie

Jakub Vrana - Lars Eller - Brett Connolly

Devante Smith-Pelly - Jay Beagle - Chandler Stephenson

Christian Djoos - John Carlson

Matt Niskanen - Dmitri Orlov

Brooks Orpik - Madison Bowey

Braden Holtby