It looks as though Howson has made a ruling on center Derick Brassard, who had surgery in late 2008. While the center is recovering famously, playing him before May is extremely unlikely, which would basically put him out until the second round of the playoffs.
Now personally, I am not much of an advocate of bringing anyone back unless they are more than healed, but in this case, I might be able to bite my tongue. Because they are not pushing to get him back, maybe the May timetable is completely reasonable. Regardless, Brassard is not being rushed, and that is a very good thing.
This weekend the Jackets play the Florida Panthers, who are fighting for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Both with similar styles, the game will certainly draw interest from the attending crowd. A win would bring Columbus within two points of Chicago, who fell to the 5th spot last night for the first time in probably a couple months.
One other point of interest I would like to get out there is their away record. While the Jackets have had tremendous success at home this year, their record away remains below .500 at 14-17-4. I think winning 5 of their last 6 away games would be a serious statement for the team heading into the post season, and I do not think it is all that hard to do.
Their final away games are against Florida, Tampa Bay, St Louis(2), Nashville, and Chicago. Interesting how 4 of those six are against division rivals, and winning them would definitely put the dagger in the heart of any divisional team trying to get past them in the standings. Here is hoping they treat the next 11 games as though they are all playoffs games.
Carry the Flag!
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