Return of the Wiz

[IE]

Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski practiced with the team without limitations today and will return to the lineup against Phoenix on Tuesday after missing seven games because of a head injury.
Wisniewski was struck in the face by a shot and forced to the leave the game during the third period of a shootout win at Calgary on March 18. He said today that he did not want to end the season on such a negative note and that his concussion symptoms has subsided.

The Blue Jackets, in turn, reassigned defenseman Cody Goloubef to AHL Springfield. Goloubef was an emergency recall on Saturday and made his NHL debut at St. Louis on Saturday, less than hour after arriving to the Scottrade Center.

Dalton Prout, recalled last week, will remain with the team and be in the lineup on Tuesday. Defenseman John Moore was struck in the foot with a shot during a win over Florida on Friday and will not play against Phoenix. Moore attempted to practice today but left the ice after only a few minutes.


Side dishes

--Blue Jackets interim coach Todd Richards said he ?absolutely? wanted to get goaltender Steve Mason a start in one of the final two games of the season. Mason practiced in full yesterday after missing three games because of a head injury. Richards said Mason could back up Allen York against the Coyotes on Tuesday.



--The Blue Jackets can complete a four-game season sweep of an opponent for the third time in franchise history with a win over Phoenix on Tuesday. Columbus swept Colorado in 2008-09 and the Los Angeles Kings in 2002-03.

 

[IE]

? Despite having the NHL?s worst record, the Blue Jackets have often matched and at times bested the intensity of playoff-racing opponents this month.

But they will face the most desperate of Western Conference clubs in the season?s final week, beginning tonight with a game at Phoenix and continuing on Thursday at Colorado.

Both teams are among the five still competing for the final three playoff spots in the West.

?It?s the same thing we?ve expected against Florida, St. Louis and Detroit,? interim coach Todd Richards said. ?They?re all jockeying for position. Phoenix is a little bit different because it?s life or death. Every point is extremely important for them.?

The Blue Jackets beat the Panthers, Blues and Red Wings last week, but St. Louis and Detroit already had clinched, and Florida is on the verge.

The Coyotes likely will need at least two more points with three games remaining to make the playoffs. A loss tonight could have immediate and dire consequences.

?I think we?ve thrown a monkey wrench into some other teams? seasons already, but this makes it even more fun,? defenseman Jack Johnson said. ?We want to finish as strong as we can, and if we can do it against teams that are playing their best hockey this time of year, then that makes it even better.?

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said his team can?t afford to take the Blue Jackets lightly, but its focus will be on improving its own play. Phoenix must be better if it is to reach the postseason, he said.

?The only area that has been good the last two games is goaltending,? Tippett said.

When it was pointed out that the Coyotes? power play has been excellent of late ? 4 of 5 in the past two games ? Tippett disagreed.

?There?s an old saying that if it?s not broke, don?t fix it,? he said. ?I go by: If it?s not broke, then you haven?t looked hard enough. We?ve got lots of room for improvement in all areas.?

Colorado retained a slim chance of making the playoffs yesterday. The 10th-place Avalanche has two games remaining and needs to win out and get a variety of other results to fall its way to make the postseason.