Things were going so well- the Jackets were second in the conference, just a point behind the conference-leading Detroit Red Wings. Looking ahead at the schedule the Jackets had a home and home against those very Red Wings, with first place in the conference up for grabs.
The result? The Jackets were swept by Detroit, and those losses began what is now a five-game winless skid.
The most recent loss was a 7-2 drubbing by the Pittsburgh Penguins at home. The game was over before the first period ended, and Steve Mason was pulled in favor of Mathieu Garon.
There will almost undoubtedly be shakeups in the lineup, personally I am hoping for Nikita Filatov to get some action with Brassard and Voracek again, or perhaps opposite Rick Nash. If he can get things going, the setbacks with Kristian Huselius‘ injury won’t be as pronounced.
Mathieu Garon will be starting tonight.