Bobrovsky: No chance I was re-signing in Columbus

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Sergei Bobrovsky signed a contract with the Florida Panthers in the off-season. One place he was not signing was re-signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 30-year-old signed a seven-year, $70 million deal with the Panthers. He will make $11.5 million this upcoming season, then $12 million over the next three seasons.

Bobrovsky will also make $10 million during the 2023-24 season. He’ll get $6.5 million during the 2024-25 season and $6 million in 2025-26.

Sergei Bobrovsky follows the puck during a game against the Colorado Avalanche (Getty Images)

“There was no chance I’d sign an extension with [them],” he said to Russian outlet Sport24’s Daria Tuboltseva, which was transcribed by Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko. “I felt I needed [a change of] scenery. And it’s not just because of tensions with the Jackets.”

Bobrovsky — who turned into one of the best goalies in the league with the Blue Jackets — said he was offered a psychologist, which he said made him weird. He added he had been going to one since he was 21.

He spent the last seven seasons with the Blue Jackets. He was traded to Columbus from the Philadelphia Flyers, where he played his first two seasons.  

This past season, he appeared in 62 games, including 61 starts. He went 37-24-1 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.58 goals against average.

The 2.58 goals against average was his highest since the 2015-16 season when he had a 2.75 goals against average.

In his career, he has appeared in 457 games, including 446 starts. He has gone 255-153-37 in his career with a .919 save percentage and a 2.46 goals against average.

Blue Jackets sweep Lightning in 2019 playoffs’ first-round series

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

The Tampa Bay Lightning had the best record in the NHL. However, they did not make it out of the first-round of the 2019 NHL playoffs.

The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Lightning 7-3 at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night. The Blue Jackets swept the series with the win.

Alexandre Texier being interviewed by the media after being drafted in the 2017 NHL Draft (Getty Images)

This is the first-time that Columbus has won a playoff series. Before this series, the Lightning had a 6-0 record over the past two seasons against the Blue Jackets.

In addition, this is the first-time that the Presidents’ Trophy winner was swept in the first-round. It is just the third-time that the Presidents’ Trophy winner has been swept in a series ever.

The Detroit Red Wings were swept in the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals. Plus, the Calgary Flames were swept in the 1988 Smythe Division Final.

The third period belonged to the Blue Jackets. Matt Duchene — who was acquired by the Blue Jackets in a blockbuster deal with the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline — scored to make it 7-3.

Alexandre Texier scored his second goal of the game to make it 6-3. In addition, Artemi Panarin also scored an unassisted goal to make it 5-3.

Oliver Bjorkstrand gave Columbus a 4-3 lead late in the second period.

Brayden Point died the game at 3-3 with a power play goal. Cédric Paquette cut the Blue Jackets lead to 3-2 with his first goal of the series.

Seth Jones gave Columbus a 3-1 lead to begin the second period scoring.

The Lightning got on the board when Steven Stamkos scored. His goal cut the lead to 2-1.

Texier and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored the first two goals of the game for the Blue Jackets.

Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was the winning net minder. He made 30 saves and had a 90.9% save percentage.

He allowed three goals in 59 minutes and 30 seconds.

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy received the loss. He made 18 saves and an 81.8% save percentage. He allowed all four goals in 58 minutes and 26 seconds.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the first team in NHL history to win the Presidents' Trophy and get swept in the first round of a best-of-seven playoff series. pic.twitter.com/IzCLChTu4U

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 17, 2019

We don’t have any words and we know you don’t want to hear them.

We understand your anger, your frustration, your sadness. Everything you’re feeling – we get it.

This isn’t the ending we imagined, and certainly not the one we wanted. Thank you for being there the entire way.

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) April 17, 2019

Congrats on an incredibly special series win for your organization, @bluejacketsnhl. You earned it.

Good luck the rest of the way. pic.twitter.com/9eBqdBNzKo

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) April 17, 2019

Lightning looks to continue dominance against Blue Jackets in playoffs

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher 

The Tampa Bay Lightning tied an NHL record with 62 wins this season. They will look to continue their dominance on Wednesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 1 of their playoff series. 

The Lightning are a perfect 6-0 against the Blue Jackets over the last two seasons. Tampa Bay outscored Columbus 17-3 this season.

Nikita Kucherov skates with the puck against the Washington Capitals (Getty Images)

The teams haven’t competed against each other in since Feb. 18. Tampa Bay won the game 5-1.

“We haven’t played them in quite some time, and they’ve got so many more players now,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “Are they a more talented group? There’s no question. They’ve added some really good players. … The one thing I do know is they’re playing probably their best hockey of the year in this latter part of the season.” 

The series will go every other day. Besides Wednesday, the two teams will play on Friday at 7 pm in Tampa. 

The teams will switch to Columbus on Sunday, as the teams will play at 7 pm. They will also play on Tuesday in Game 4. 

If necessary, Game 5 will be on Thursday in Tampa, Florida. Game 6 will be in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, before returning to Tampa, Florida for Game 7 on Tuesday if needed.

With twelve more wins than the second best team, the Lightning are entering to the playoffs as the heavy favorites with odds at +225.

The Lightning has a 73-60 playoff record. They lost in the Conference Finals in the 2017-18 season.

The Blue Jackets have never won a playoff series in team history. Their head coach John Tortorella guided the Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004.

Columbus has a 5-16 playoff record. They are 0-4 in playoff series. 

“We are a team that feels really confident now that we’ve gotten in, with everything we’ve faced and gone through,” Columbus captain Nick Foligno told reporters. “We’ve grown as a team together. I think you’re just seeing this become more of a team. We’re excited about putting that to use in the playoffs.”

Tampa Bay has three 40-goal scorers. Nikita Kucherov had 41 goals. He also led the team with 128 points. 

Steven Stamkos had 45 goals and Brayden Point had 41 goals.

Columbus had one 40-goal scorer. Cam Atkinson had 41 goals.

Blue Jackets probable goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has gone 37-24–1-1 on the season. It is his third straight season with 37 wins.

Lightning probable goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy led the league with 39 wins, as he went 39-10-3-1. The 24-year-old also missed a month of the season due to an injury.

Senators’ Duchene traded to the Blue Jackets

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher 

The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired center Matt Duchene on Friday with Julius Bergman. In exchange for Duchene, the Ottawa Senators are receiving prospects Vitalii Abramov and Jonathan Davidsson. 

In addition, the Senators are also receiving a 2019 first-round draft pick. They are also receiving a conditional 2020 first-round draft pick. 

Matt Duchene looks for a shot against the Detroit Red Wings (Getty Images)

The 28-year-old Haliburton, Ontario, Canada native has been traded for the second-time in his career. He also was involved in a trade on Nov. 5, 2017 between the Senators, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Nashville Predators.

Ottawa sent Kyle Turris to Nashville.  Duchene went from Colorado to Ottawa.

Andrew Hammond, Shane Bowers, Ottawa’s first-round draft pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and Ottawa’s third-round draft pick in the 2019 NHL Draft went to Colorado. In addition, Samuel Girard, Vladislav Kamenev and Nashville’s second round draft pick in the 2018 NHL Draft went to Colorado. 

Duchene appeared in 50 games with the Senators this season. He had 27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points. He also had a -2 +/- and 6 PIM. 

He last played for Ottawa on Feb. 18 against the Chicago Blackhawks in a loss. He had two assists for two points. One was an even-strength assist, while the other was a power-play assist. He also had 18 shifts for 15 minutes and seven seconds in the game. 

Bergman was a second-round draft pick in the 2014 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks. This is the fourth-time he’s been traded since being traded. 

It’s the second-time in less than a year, as the Sharks traded him with Mikkel Bødker and a sixth-round draft pick in the 2020 NHL Draft to the Senators for Cody Donaghey, Mike Hoffman, and a fifth-round draft pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. 

He was last played for the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League. He had six assists for six points in 33 games. He also had -9 +/- and 12 PIM.

Davidsson was a sixth-round draft pick by the Blue Jackets in the 2017 NHL Draft. He has not appeared in an NHL game yet. 

He is playing for Djurgårdens IF Hockey in Stockholm, Sweden. He has 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in 35 games. He also has 8 +/- and 16 PIM.

Like Davidsson, Abramov has not appeared in an NHL game yet, either. He was the Blue Jackets third-round draft pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. 

He is presently played with the Cleveland Monsters in the American Hockey League. He has 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points in 52 games, according to hockeydb.com. He also has a -2 +/- and 28 PIM. 

@Senators pic.twitter.com/dZ5vapeDOY

— Matt Duchene (@Matt9Duchene) February 22, 2019

@BlueJacketsNHL can’t wait to get started! Excited to join such a great team… let’s get in a spot and go for a run!

— Matt Duchene (@Matt9Duchene) February 22, 2019

Panthers interested in Blue Jackets’ Bobrovsky

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

According to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, the Columbus Blue Jays and the Florida Panthers may pull off a blockbuster deal. The Panthers are interested in acquiring goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

The Panthers are interested in acquiring both Bobrovsky and pending free agent Artemi Panarin. Florida has until Feb. 25th at the NHL trade deadline to make a deal.

Sergei Bobrovsky makes a save against the Chicago Blackhawks (Getty Images)

Over the weekend, the Panthers made a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Florida shipped Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan to the Penguins for Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann.

The problem with the Panthers in their attempt to acquire Bobrovsky is they are currently paying Roberto Luongo and James Reimer. Both are under contract respectively through the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

In addition, they are combined making $7.933 million against the cap. The 39-year-old Luongo has a $4.53 million cap hit this season.

Plus, the 30-year-old Reimer has a $3.4 million cap hit.

The 30-year-old Novokuznetsk, USSR native was suspended for one game by the Blue Jackets in January. He did not play against the Nashville Predators at Nationwide Arena on Jan. 10, before returning to practice with his teammates one day later.

Bobrovsky is currently on a three-game losing streak between the pipes. His last win came against the New York Rangers on Jan. 13.

This season, Bobrovsky has made 36 appearances, including 35 starts. He has a 19-16-1 record with a .901 save percentage and a 3.01 goals against average.

Letestu returns to Columbus in three-way deal

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Center Mark Letestu has been traded twice in the same deal. Letestu was initially traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Nashville Predators.

The Oilers received forward Pontus Åberg in the deal for Letestu. Then, the Predators flipped him to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fourth-round draft pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Mark Letestu is seen here as a member of the Edmonton Oilers skating with the puck as Vegas Golden Knights’ Erik Haula attempts to get the puck (Getty Images)

This season in 60 games, Letestu has had eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points. Following this season, he will be an unrestricted free agent.

Letestu, 33, has spent the past two and a half seasons with the Oilers. He appeared in 220 gales in Edmonton, where he had 34 goals and 45 assists for 79 assists.

He returns to the Blue Jackets, where he has already played four seasons. He has appeared in 223 games, where has had 43 goals and 55 assists for 98 points.

Letestu has also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played three seasons for the Penguins, where he played in 85 games and had 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points.

Åberg, 24, has played the past two season with the Predators. In 52 NHL games, he has three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He also has 12 PIM.

In 37 games this season, Åberg has two goals and six assists for eight points.

Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde suspended

The NHL has suspended Philadelphia Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde for two games without pay. He was suspended following an elbow to Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews during NHL Game No. 1048 in Chicago on Wed., March 16.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the suspended on Friday afternoon. The incident happened at 19:30 of the first period.

VandeVelde was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing in the game.

He will forfeit $7,6661.30 based on his average annual salary under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The money will go into the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

The Flyers defeated the Blackhawks in the game, 3-2, from the United Center in Chicago. The Flyers had goals by Brayden Schenn, Ryan White and Radko Gudas.

The Blackhawks had goes from Toews and Marián Hossa.

With the win over the Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night, the Flyers are back in the playoff picture.

VandeVelde will miss Saturday afternoon’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. He’s also expected to miss Monday night’s game against the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

He may return on Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. If he doesn’t return for that game, he could return on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Co.

Washington Capitals postpone two games due to Winter Storm Jonas

The Pittsburgh Penguins game at the Verizon Center with the Washington Capitals has been postponed due to Winter Storm Jonas. There’s been no make up date determined as of yet.

It’s the second straight Capitals game that was postponed from the snowstorm. Their Friday night game with the Anaheim Ducks was postponed, according to the National Hockey League.

The Capitals game with the Ducks was originally moved from 7 pm to 5 pm. That was before it was postponed all together.

Severe snow is now only affecting the Washington, D.C. area, but much of the East Coast.

According to the Capitals update, an email message was sent to ticket holders and communication updates by the team and on social media platforms. The team will accept tickets for the rescheduled date, which hasn’t been announced.

For entrance into the postponed games, all guests must keep their original tickets in order to attend the new game.

The Penguins host the visiting Vancouver Canucks at 12:30 pm EST at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

The Capitals will next be on the ice against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 27th at 8 pm from the Verizon Center. Due to the storm, their last game was on Jan. 19th against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The Capitals won 6-3 in that game.

Fan trolls the Green Bay Packers at the Wild vs Blue Jackets game

By Anthony Caruso III
Posted: January 19th, 2015 at 9:55 PM EST

In the first half of the NFC Championship game, the Green Bay Packers were leading 16-0. Then, in the second half, things turned in favor of the Seattle Seahawks.

The game would be tied at 22 at the end of regulation. But the Seahawks won the coin toss, and went down the field and scored a touchdown for the win.

Fan trolling the Green Bay Packers (Photo from Twitter)

With the win, the Seahawks moved on to the Super Bowl. But one fan at the Minnesota Wild vs. Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game tonight, a fan is trolling the Packers.

It is not clear what team this individual roots for. However, it is very clear that he’s not a Packers fan.

He may be a fan of the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals haven’t advanced out of the first round in years, and the Browns haven’t made it to the playoffs since they were re-born in 1999.

Rangers score three times, shut out the Flyers on Black Friday

By Anthony Caruso III
Posted: November 28th, 2014 at 3:52 PM EST

The Philadelphia Flyers will look to get out of their funk tomorrow at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.

The Flyers have dropped three straight contests, including the past two on the road and this contest at the Wells Fargo Center. The Rangers defeated the Flyers 3-0 in their annual game after Thanksgiving.

Dan Boyle (Getty Images)

The Orange and Black haven’t won a contest since a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 22nd. They will look to get back on the winning ways tomorrow at 1 pm.

So far, the Rangers are a perfect 2-0 against the Flyers this season. They have won both teams by shutouts, and scored 5 goals, as well.

At 5:30 in the third, Rich Nash scored a short-handed goal assisted by Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh to make it 3-0. In the second at 4:14 to make it 2-0, Martin St. Louis scored his 9th of the season, while being assisted by Stepan and Chris Kreider.

Dan Boyle opened the contest with a power play goal at 6:10 with assists by Stepan and St. Louis.

Rangers netminder Cam Talbot made 26 saves in 59 minutes and 35 seconds. His counter part Steve Mason made 21 saves and three goals in 59 minutes and 30 seconds.