Scouting Report (Courtesy of Stats LLC)
At the start of the NHL season, virtually no one would have circled on the schedule a late March matchup between the Florida Panthers and the Columbus Blue Jackets as a pivotal game.
But Thursday night at Nationwide Arena, two of the league’s hottest teams will square off in a matchup that could go a long way toward deciding who’s in and who’s out of the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
The surging Blue Jackets (41-28-5) have won a season-high nine consecutive games, moving one point ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers into third place in the Metropolitan Division.