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The Columbus Blue Jackets are getting ready to play the first home playoff game in franchise history on Tuesday night, and while they find themselves in a 2-0 hole against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings, some good news might be on the horizon. Hopefully, for the Blue Jackets sake, it's not a case of too little, too late. According to Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch, 21-year-old center Derick Brassard has been cleared for physical contact, and while he's not likely to play on Tuesday, it's possible he could see action in game 4 on Thursday.
If the Blue Jackets lose on Tuesday, it's not going to matter whether or not Brassard plays seeing as how the series, at 3-0, would essentially be over. If Columbus can pull out a win in game 3, however, Brassard's addition to the lineup might be quite a boost for Columbus. As Aaron Portzline pointed out in our recent interview, Brassard has the potential to be an elite player in the NHL, while the former top-10 pick recorded 25 points in 31 games for the Blue Jackets this season.
He was an early-season contender for the Calder Trophy before suffering a dislocated shoulder in December. Prior to the injury, he was almost a point-per-game player, while his points-per-minute rate of .069 was better than Columbus' top-four scorers during the regular season: Rick Nash (.047), Kristian Huselius (.038), R.J. Umberger (.029) and Jakub Voracek (.037).
While it remains to be seen how much of an impact he can actually make after sitting out four months, the fact remains Columbus can use all of the firepower it can get, seeing as how the Blue Jackets have scored just one goal in their first two playoff games.
Meanwhile, fans in Ohio's state capital are anxiously awaiting their first taste of playoff hockey, while employees at Nationwide Arena are looking to prevent out of town Red Wings fans from tossing sea creatures onto the ice.
The Blue Jackets offer a promotion known as the Huntington Green Seats, where 250 upper level tickets are sold at the arena two hours prior to faceoff for $20. According to Tom Reed at Puck-Rakers, the line for these tickets began at 12 PM ET on Monday. Welcome to the playoffs, Columbus.
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