Since I'm...ah...temporarily underemployed this week (I start a new gig after the new year, don't worry about me), I ran down to get some video from the pre-game skate and Scott Arniel's press conference. Take a look!

The good news, as coach Arniel said, is that the Flames haven't actually gotten into a full game yet, so hopefuly the Jackets will be able to make that work for them.

The bad news is that the Jackets will have to go back to back, and Steve Mason will be asked to get himself up and "stop the bleeding" given the news that Curtis Sanford is banged up.

The NHL's trade freeze will "thaw" at midnight. A change in Columbus seems inevitable, but what form it may take could be shaped by what happens tonight.

In hopeful jinx news, Jarome Iginla is a hat trick away from 500 career NHL goals. Yeah.

The weather is getting ugly out there. Be safe!

Holiday travel has disrupted our usual schedules! Madness! MADNESS!

Emergency game thread, dawg! CALL EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!

With the Jackets down south for the first of seven road games between now and January 13th, an interesting rumor broke on ESPN today.

Claiming that Scott Howson is looking to line up a "large deal" after the NHL's holiday roster freeze expires, the natural impulse is to wonder what might happen.

Could he declare the Jeff Carter experiment a failure and ship the recent acquisition out to another interested buyer? (Preferably for a return of picks or prospects), or perhaps finally cut ties with Steve Mason?

Could Fedor Tyutin find himself on the move after signing a 6 year deal? Would Howson consider trading Rick Nash if he could get the power forward to agree to waive his no-trade clause?

What constitutes a "large" deal? Just moving Derick Brassard for some goaltending help or another strong d-man might be "large" enough to make a big impact on the ice. Or perhaps he finds a taker for Vinny Prospal to give the veteran a shot at a cup this season while giving the Jackets some help.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes to pass after December 27th.

Meanwhile, tonight, the Jackets have a chance to give their fans one last gift before they go home for the holidays - here's hoping that Curtis Sanford can regain some of the stellar form he showed the last time he took the ice down in Bridgestone Arena.

There's been one major development since the preview: according to Aaron Portzline of the Dispatch it looks like Steve Mason will get the start tonight, after Curtis Sanford experienced back spasms earlier today.

This is another chance for Mason to earn the number one job back. His performance between now and the end of the season will dictate whether he'll be back with the team next season. I'm pulling for him, but at this point it's a game-by-game audition. He's a good goaltender, but he needs to get some things sorted out.

Tonight would also be a good opportunity for the top line of Rick Nash, Jeff Carter and Vinny Prospal to have a truly dominant game. Talent-wise, they are one of the best in the league. Now it's time to prove it on a far more regular basis.

I put an end to my fearless predictions, but here's one anyway- James Wisniewski will score tonight.

See you after the game with the recap.

Time for a little game action.

If you missed the updates, Dane Byers and Aaron Johnson will be out, so Ryan Johansen will draw in on the second line, while Mark Letestu is expected to play on the fourth line but keep rolling with PP units. Derek Dorsett will be reunited with Umby and Pahlsson - here's hoping that line clicks once again, as the Jackets can use all the secondary scoring they can get.

Steve Mason will make his second start of the home stand, and hopes to give the Jackets a chance to pull 5 points from the 5 game set. Not the result anyone wanted, but I suspect he'll be satisfied with a victory in his second start this month. The Jackets will be off for a brief Central Division road trip through the end of next week, then back for a visit from Calgary, a trip to Dallas, and finishing the month with the New Year's Eve game vs. Washington.

I wouldn't be shocked if Dorsett and Steve Downie get to know each other tonight - particularly if Dorsett gets assignments against the Stamkos line.

Enjoy the pre-game ceremonies to honor Vinny Prospal, and let's hope the team gives him a nice holiday gift with a big effort on home ice.

Go Jackets!

Let's not sugar coat this, the Jackets have their work cut out for them tonight. The Canucks are hot, very hot, right now, winning nine of their last ten games. Columbus will need to make the most of every powerplay, and will need to avoid taking penalties themselves.

The biggest story for tonight's game remains Steve Mason- the team's franchise goaltender will make his first start in almost a month. How the team in front of him responds to him being back in the cage remains to be seen, but Mason has had a lot of time to work with goaltending coach Ian Clark. There's no denying the fact that Mason will need to be strong tonight against the Canucks.

Look for Dane Byers to come out banging bodies tonight, looking to make an impact after being called up from Springfield yesterday.

Start #12 for Curtis Sanford, against the team where his streak began.

In some non-Jackets feel good news: A reconstituted Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team will take the ice for their first game since the tragic plane crash earlier this year in a few days. Tickets sold out within hours of going on sale. Best of luck to them.

Meanwhile, back at home, Scott Howson held another Season Ticket Holder meeting today. I wasn't able to attend this one, but there was a lot of interesting talk on Twitter as the GM once again faced hard questions with frank answers.

• On James Wisniewski and Brendan Shanahan: "I think he was made an example of, and Andy Sutton had better get nailed."
• On hosting an All Star Game: "We're on the radar and it looks good, but no commitment for when."
• On Jeff Carter: "His mental state is not where we want it to be, given the struggles."
• Areas of Focus going forward: "We've got to get better in goal and defense."
• Derick Brassard: "It's up to Brass to take advantage of the opportunities he's given."

I give Howson credit for some hard truth, but I wonder how that's going to affect how people look at Carter, Brass, and especially Steve Mason and Curtis Sanford. When your current starter is the third string goalie, it's not a great day, but he's still 5-3-3. Not exactly setting things on fire, but not terrible either. It's a big game tonight - do we need to put more pressure on the netminder's shoulders?

For additional reading and a change of pace, check out Ten Minute Misconduct, where he took in the OSU / Miami U men's hockey game at the Schott last night.

To keep up with Dan's theme, welcome to the Dark Side of the Schwartz. With the matchup tonight in Rexall place starting late, we'll make a pot of coffee, get on our comfy jammies, and perhaps indulge with a bit of brandy in the mug. It is Friday night, after all.

News out of the Albertan wilderness is that Kristian Huselius will return from the IR tonight to play in his first game of the season. You may recall when he did something similar against the Oilers last season and came away with a hat trick...but unfortunately Steve Mason couldn't stop a beach ball that night, so the Jackets lost 6-3. Hopefully we can give him a better welcome back present tonight since Curtis Sanford is confirmed as the starter.

The real question is how the Jackets' lineup will adjust with Juice back in the picture. Do you move him to the wing with Johansen and Letestu? Does Prospal bump down to put Juice with Nash and Carter, and Umberger goes to the third line? It seems like Cody Bass would be scratched, but would the team take advantage of the chaos to sneak Derick Brassard back in on the fourth line? Is this the start (again?) of three scoring lines?

We have many questions, but few answers. Perhaps the pre-game skate will offer some clarity...

As has been the case more often than not of late, center Derick Brassard is a healthy scratch tonight against the Flames. This was apparently the last straw for Brassard's agent, Allan Walsh. Walsh issued a statement blasting coach Scott Arniel, accusing the coach of burying players to mask his own lack of success. Head over to Puck Rakers for the full statement.

I'm not sure where I sit on the whole Brassard thing. I can't see the current top six (Nash, Carter, Prospal, Umberger, Letestu and Johansen) not playing on one of the top two lines. Brass is not a checker, so there goes playing with Vermette or Pahlsson. For a player who's improved every season since he joined the NHL, even if he was playing on the fourth line regularly I would consider it to be a waste. Having him in the pressbox is even more of a waste.

To muddle things even further, slick winger Kristian Huselius could be back in the lineup as soon as this weekend. Would Arniel take this opportunity to create three scoring lines? Nash, Carter and Prospal as the big unit. Huselius, Letestu and Johansen another line. A third scoring line of Umberger, Vermette and Brassard. That would leave Dorsett, Pahlsson, MacKenzie, Boll and Bass to fight over the three fourth line spots.

Anyway, back to the game.

It'll be an interesting tilt. With both teams blowing the big one on special teams, this game will come down to five-on-five play, and goaltending. Sanford is playing very well of late, and Kiprusoff is still an elite goaltender. It will be important for the Jackets to get ahead early. The Nash line will need to play as well as they did in a 4-1 victory against Calgary earlier this season.

Stay tuned after the game for my recap.

No big news out of today's morning skate other than Steve Mason coming in to back up Curtis Sanford, and Allen York being send back to Springfield.

We're about to have a clash of irresistible forces and immovable objects - the Blues, who have been riding a hot streak all month, vs. Curtis Sanford and his 1.00 GAA on home ice this season. With all the stories involved in tonight's matchup, you have to think that a lot of guys will have their juices flowing, and who knows what could happen?

R.J. Umberger has had quite a bit of success against St. Louis. Rick Nash and David Backes seem to have a constant battle when they meet up on the ice. Ryan Reaves and Jared Boll seem quite likely to renew hostilities. And just what impact will Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski have on this matchup?

If you're not at the game, stop here to keep an eye on the game, and we'll see what shakes out tonight down at Nationwide...