This and that

This was sent to me from Kevin. It's the weather forecase for next Tuesday & Thursday:

Tue
Apr 21 Few Showers 55°/40° 30 %

Thu
Apr 23 Few Showers 58°/40° 30 %

Last Updated Apr 15 11:20 a.m. ET

Looks like pre-game R Bar patio weather to me! Remember it opens at 10:00 a.m.!

Game 2 between the Jackets/Wings will be televised nationally on the NHL Network:

In the first time of NHL Network U.S.’s history, it will broadcast a Stanley Cup Playoff game by airing live Game 2 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Conference Quarter-Final match-up between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings from Detroit on Saturday, April 18 @ 6pm ET.

Locally, Fox Sports Detroit and Fox Sports Ohio will broadcast this game live as previously scheduled. NHL Network will be blacked out in those local markets.

Speaking of TV, in case you hadn't heard yet, all games will be televised locally on FoxSports Ohio -- even the ones that are aired on Versus.

My question to you is which broadcast do you DVR? Or do you just record both?

How about some CBJ coverage from Edmonton? The Edmonton Journal check in with an article titled: "Do glass slippers go with Blue Jackets?"

It's a mismatch on paper. The Wings have 1,793 playoff games experience in their lineup; Columbus 401. The Wings have the NHL's best power play (25.5 per cent), the Jackets the worst (12.7 per cent). No clubs making the playoffs for the first time have ever won a Cup, but St. Louis (1968) and Florida (1996) did make the finals. "We're in it to win, just like the other 15 teams ... we didn't come this far just to throw our gear on and that's it," said Jackets captain Rick Nash, who got two hat tricks this season, both against the Wings.

"Detroit is the only team that has a legitimate knowledge of what it takes to win ... everybody else in the league can only talk about it," said Hitchcock. "I always think if you play those sort of (championship) teams, you can't be the same as them. You have to be better, and in a lot of aspects, and over the last two years we've added players for exactly this time of year ... (Fred) Modin, (Mike) Commodore, (Michael) Peca, (Kristian) Huselius, (Raffi) Torres. We're going to lean on those guys, big-time." Modin (Tampa) and Commodore (Carolina) have won Cups. Peca has been to the finals twice (with Buffalo and Edmonton), Torres once (with Edmonton). "Raffi is a major reason why we're in this thing ... he scored 12 goals, all late in the season. He scored six game-winners, which tied Nash," said Hitchcock.

First off I love the title of that article.

Remember this Columbus squad has a lot of Edmonton connections... starting with Scott Howson who came over from the Oil where he was their assistant GM. Also Jason Chimera, Jan Hejda, Raffi Torres and Michael Peca all spent with the Oil. Hitch is also from the area if I recall correctly.

In other words, the interest in this squad doesn't surprise me but still welcomed!

CNNSI says "Wings taking Jackets seriously".

I like this quote from Hitch:

Changing the losing culture in Columbus keyed the turnaround, Hitchcock said.

"When you exit the locker room and you feel the same way after a win or after a loss, you're in deep trouble," said Hitchcock, who was hired early in the 2006-07 season. "That was what was going on here. The wins felt the same as the losses.

"That's completely changed now."

Check out this Puck-daddy headline: "Detroit asks Jackets fans to fill empty seats"

Still plenty of tickets available for you folks on the fence!

From the "this is cool" drawer -- Five Buckeyes Skate into NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs

Those five are R.J. Umberger (Columbus), Ryan Kesler (Vancouver), David Steckel (Washington), Tyson Strachan (St. Louis) and Rod Pelley (New Jersey).

NBC's Bill Clement calls the Flyers and Blue Jackets playoff sleepers.

The No. 1 reason this could happen is the coaching of Ken Hitchcock. His bench generalship is se

cond to none. Once the playoffs begin, there is not a better tactical coach in the league. No coach makes adjustments better than Hitchcock. His adjustments are sometimes subtle ones to the system his team plays. Other times, they are more pronounced as he will change line combinations. He knows how to push all the right buttons. There is no one better in the game at the art of tactics and strategy.

No brass for the CBJ cannon. According to the Dispatch center Derick Brassard was not cleared by the Cleveland Clinic to resume contact drills.

That stinks and you have to feel for Brass as you know he's chomping at the bit to get back in there and help this team.

He's got to stay positive and keep workin though. For the good of his health and his career the team has to do what's best for him long term.

Vote for Steve Mason for the NHL's fan fav award by following this link! Vote early and vote often!

Don't forget the NHL playoffs start tonight!

Also for you ladies.. Julie from the Jacket Backers is encouraging all female fans to make a run on blue finger nail polish and paint those digits union blue!

Hope for the Jackets? This was just sent into me from Ryan via CBC:

"Since Colorado in 2002, no defending Stanley Cup champion has got past the first round of the playoffs. Holland chalks it up to parity across the NHL and motivation."

That is the best stat I've seen yet in regards to this series!

-LTL