Ain't No Joshin', Anderson is Back in the Lineup

Tonight at Nationwide, the Columbus Blue Jackets will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last time this season.

Columbus recently defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-4, while Pittsburgh lost agist the Washington Capitals 3-1.

Detroit kicked off the period with an early goal from Tyler Bertuzzi, but Cam Atkinson came back with a goal of his own to tie the game.

Nevertheless, the Red Wings scored two more unanswered goals and another goal from Bertuzzi 31 seconds into the second period.

Atkinson scored again over halfway through the second period, and it seemed like an obvious loss for the Jackets. However, in the third, Columbus was able to turn the game around. Sonny Milano and Artemi Panarin were able to tie the game and force it into overtime.

It was an intense OT, with the Jackets starting it shorthanded. Matt Calvert was assessed a hooking penalty at the end of the third period, and served out the remainder of it during OT. Bob made some amazing saves and kept the boys in blue in the game. Then, at 2:55, Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his 20th goal of the season.

Pittsburgh hasn't played since Sunday night when they took on the Washington Capitals. Both teams have already clinched their playoff spot, Washington taking the division, so their final games are to further their standings.

The Capitals scored a goal in each period from three different players. TJ Oshie, Dmitry Orlov, and Tom Wilson all got a point Sunday night. The lone goal scorer of the Penguins was Patric Hornqvist at 16:15 in the third.

The Jackets and Penguins are tied at 96 points, but the Pens hold the second place spot by virtue of a tie-breaker; Pittsburgh has more overall wins when you include overtime victories.

A victory for Pittsburgh means the Pennsylvania team will have swept the series. The won the first two games in shootouts, and then won 5-2 in February at Nationwide. If the Jackets win tonight, they can clinch their playoff spot. They only need one point, so as long as their able to force it into overtime, they'll clinch.

In other news, Josh Anderson will be making his reappearance tonight! He participated in a full skate Wednesday, and also participated in the optional skates during the team's recent trip. He has been injured since February 26, and is still considered day-to-day.

Additionally, Ian Cole is excited to play against his former team and friends as he answered questions from reporters with a smile:

"You can't be letting off on somebody just because you like them, or they're going to embarrass you," he said. "It's not really going to fly, so you've got to be as hard on your friends as you are on anybody, if not harder, just to make sure they don't embarrass you."

While he was in Pittsburgh, Cole played a security role for the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Now that he's sporting the Stars and Stripes, there's no doubt of where his loyalty lies. If the opportunity presents itself, the veteran defenseman will enthusiastically fight, his grin giving away his eagerness.

Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Lineup

Artemi Panarin -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Cam Atkinson

Boone Jenner -- Alexander Wennberg -- Thomas Vanek

Sonny Milano -- Mark Letestu -- Oliver Bjorkstrand

Matt Calvert -- Brandon Dubinsky -- Josh Anderson

Zach Werenski -- Seth Jones

Ian Cole -- David Savard

Ryan Murray -- Jack Johnson

Sergei Bobrovsky

Pittsburgh Penguins Projected Lineup

Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust

Carl Hagelin -- Evgeni Malkin -- Patric Hornqvist

Conor Sheary -- Riley Sheahan -- Phil Kessel

Zach Aston-Reese -- Josh Jooris -- Tom Kuhnhackl

Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang

Olli Maatta -- Justin Schultz

Jamie Oleksiak -- Chad Ruhwedel

Matt Murray