#blue-jackets

#blue-jackets

(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

The Vegas Golden Knights weren't expecting they'd get in-his-prime Jonathan Quick when they acquired the 36-year-old goaltender from Columbus, a day after the Kings had traded the backbone of their 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup championship teams to the Blue Jackets.

The Columbus Blue Jackets plan to name Stanley Cup winner Mike Babcock head coach, according to TSN, The Athletic and other media outlets.The hire reportedly will become official when Babcock's contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs expires at the end of June.The Blue Jackets fired Brad Larsen on April 15 after finishing last in the Eastern Conference at 25-48-9 (59 points).

Brock Nelson at Islanders practice on Thursday.(Photo courtesy of the New York Islanders) New York Islanders center Brock Nelson was back on the ice for his team's practice on Thursday before their trip to Columbus to face the Blue Jackets.[It was very good to see him back at practice].He seems like he's OK, head coach Lane Lambert said.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will resume playing hockey games after an interminable break that saw them play just once in the last eleven days.In that game, you may recall, the Toronto Maple Leafs went down to the Boston Bruins, despite playing a damn good game, and deserving a better result.If it's results they are looking for, tonight is a good game to get them.

Mike Babcock is a well-known name in the NHL coaching world.He is one of the most successful coaches of all time, with 700 career wins.He also has a Stanley Cup victory with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008.Babcock has the pedigree of a veteran coach, which is what the Columbus Blue Jackets might be aiming for, unlike Brad Larsen who was fired last month after two losing seasons with the club.

The Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in the fourth overtime to take a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final.Game One lasted a marathon 2 hours and 19 minutes and 47 seconds.It was the sixth-longest game in NHL history - replacing Game Four of the Capitals-Penguins from 1996 as the longest four-overtime game.

The San Jose Sharks are a little over a month away from making their selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.Despite a rather dreadful season, they received no help from the lottery.As of now, they are slated to select fourth overall on June 28.While it is certainly upsetting that the Sharks did not win the lottery, they still have a top-five pick in an absolutely insane draft.

To kick off the longest road trip of the 2022-23 season, the San Jose Sharks (14-23-9, seventh Pacific) are visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets (13-30-2, eighth Metropolitan) at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.This is the first meeting this season between San Jose, 28th overall in the league, and Columbus, who are currently on a 3-15-0 skid and became the NHL's bottom team after a Jan. 19 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

With the Leafs back in action, and ~30 games left for every team, it's as good a time as any to look at the standings.Kyle Dubas made a few comments yesterday about not losing focus in a tough division, and it's clear he's not wrong about this.There's nothing worse than losing ground on a bye week through no fault of your own, but Tampa has cooperated by not winning all that much lately.

Morning Sports Update "We have never operated that way and aren't now."The Red Sox open the 2023 season at Fenway Park in a matchup against the Orioles at 2:10 p.m.
Tonight, the Bruins host the Blue Jackets at 7 p.m., and the Celtics will be in Milwaukee to play the Bucks at 7:30 p.m.
Bill Belichick addressed his "last 25 years" comment: During his Monday media availability - his first since the end of the 2022 season - Bill Belichick was asked why Patriots fans should be optimistic about next season.

The Washington Capitals got on the ice for their morning skate on Tuesday before a home matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets.The Caps will return to the more familiar Metropolitan Division action after two rough losses to Central Division competition.Alex Ovechkin will also be honored before the game for scoring career goal number 802 which lifted him past Gordie Howe for second place on the NHL's all-time, goal-scoring list.

SAN JOSE - The San Jose Sharks just lost to the NHL's last-place team in front of their second-smallest announced crowd of the season.Are we sure Connor Bedard can cure all that ails this organization?Seems like a tall order for a 17-year-old.The Sharks are now just two points out of 32nd and last place in the NHL after a wild 6-5 overtime loss to that last-place team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, on Tuesday.

Johnny Gaudreau scored at 4:17 of overtime to cap a five-point night and lead the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets to a wild 6-5 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.Gaudreau took Patrik Laine's pass from behind the net at the bottom of the right circle and roofed a wrist shot past Kaapo Kahkonen for his second goal of the game and highlight the third five-point game of his career.

The tank battle went almost how you would expect it to go.Both teams played terrible hockey for stretches and somehow managed to make the game go to overtime.The Jackets ultimately picked up the victory despite blowing a third period lead.Here's what happened.1st Period
There was little defense early on in the game as both teams traded chances.

Columbus Blue Jackets (20-38-7, eighth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. San Jose Sharks (19-36-12, eighth in the Pacific Division) San Jose, California; Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: The Columbus Blue Jackets aim to stop a four-game slide with a win against the San Jose Sharks.San Jose is 6-19-8 at home and 19-36-12 overall.

The New York Islanders limp into Pittsburgh, accumulating injuries at forward and insults in the standings.But because of how equally meh-verage the Capitals, Penguins and Panthers have been, the Islanders enter the night holding the second wild card spot.They're tied on points with the Penguins (who still have those four games in hand) and one point ahead of the Capitals and Penguins.

One of the "fun" things about the Islanders' current injury load is seeing things like Matt Martin, first liner.That's just kind of where we are, with key centers Mat Barzal and J-G Pageau joining Josh Bailey and Oliver Wahlstrom (remember him?) on the injured list.For tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, Arnaud Durandeau - who had a nice NHL debut - sticks around, but Otto Koivula gets another look instead of Andy Andreoff, as those two were swapped in Bridgeport transactions today:

#Isles at morning skateLee-Horvat-MartinParise-Nelson-PalmieriDurandeau-Cizikas-FaschingJohnston-Koivula-HolmstromPelech-MayfieldRomanov-PulockAho-DobsonSorokinVarlamov- Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday)
February 22, 2023
Meanwhile, another change to the second power play unit, which could give Otto a little space, if he gets a chance:
Tonight's opponent is legit.

Two days away from the NHL trade deadline, the Washington Capitals have made their next move.GM Brian MacLellan has traded Lars Eller to the defending champion Colorado Avalanche.The return is a second-round pick in 2025.The news was first reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.Hearing Lars Eller to the Avalanche
- Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 1, 2023


2025 2nd is return
- Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 1, 2023

Eller, 33, has seven goals and nine assists in his 60 games this season.

That was a regulation win the New York Islanders needed to have, and they did exactly what they needed to do to secure it.They controlled the run of play over the Buffalo Sabres for most of the game, save the first few minutes of the first and second periods.They bored everyone to tears, but they did it.

The San Jose Sharks have had issues stringing together wins all season long, and those struggles have extended to teams at or near the bottom of the NHL standings.Saturday, the Sharks had trouble putting away the NHL's worst team, as Gus Nyquist scored a go-ahead goal with 7:22 left in the third period to help give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 5-3 win at Nationwide Arena.