Wild @ Blue Jackets: Game preview, TV schedule, start time

Tonight the Wild face-off against the least of the East: the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Columbus missed the postseason last year, but they entered the season with high hopes after Todd Richards (former Minnesota Wild head coach) led the Jackets to a scintillating finish where they won 15 of their final 17 games. In the offseason, GM Jarmo Kekelainen made one of the biggest splashes when he acquired Brandon Saad, a 22-year-old winger that was one of the biggest offensive threats on the Cup-winning Blackhawks team. They weren't seen as a playoff lock, but it was widely agreed that they could make some noise this season.

Well, I suppose that they have made noise, being the most compelling dumpster fire in the NHL. It's not just that Columbus has been losing, they've been losing with style. Not only did an 0-8 start pretty much eliminate them from playoff contention before the calendar turned to November (getting Richards fired in the process), they also replaced Richards with John Tortorella, which has looked to be an absolute disaster.

Not only has Tortorella not managed to turn the Jackets around in any meaningful way, he's clashed extremely hard with Ryan Johansen, their 2010 first-rounder. Johansen, a former 30-goal scorer, has experienced every motivation-by-public-humiliation tactic on Tortorella's book: Getting benched, getting called out for fitness in the press, regular demotions to the fourth-line, and healthy scratches. With this coming off the heels of a bitter contract dispute over the summer, no wonder the 23-year-old center is rumored to be trade bait (with the Wild reported as having shown interest).

But Columbus' problems run much deeper than Tortorella and his questionable motivation skills. Their defensive corps are among the worst in the league, if not the very bottom of the barrel. Jack Johnson is their de facto #1 defenseman, but he's terrible everywhere but the power play- he has a mere 4 even-strength points all season long. Ryan Murray is a player that should eventually be able to play at a high level, but he's just 22 and missed most of last season due to injury. David Savard has been fine, but beyond that? Nothing. Justin Falk has even seen some action. Yeah, that Justin Falk. That's how bad this defense is.

Checking in on the Wild now. After dropping two games in Florida, this game should be one where the Wild can make up for the points they lost. The Wild played poorly against Tampa Bay, but had a good, strong game against Florida where they ran into a red-hot Al Montoya*.Unless Parise's knee continues to be bad, there aren't too many things to worry about with Minnesota right now.

Projected Lineups

Minnesota Wild

Columbus Blue Jackets

*How many times has anyone ever said that?