Leaving the Jackets Blue

The Florida Panthers have struggled with scoring this year, ranking near the bottom of the league in goals. But it could be worse – they could be the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets are dead last in goals, and haven’t been able to keep opposing teams out. The teams meet Saturday at the BankAtlantic Center in their only match up of the year. This game is important for the Cats, who have been steadily improving since their slow start behind the stellar goal work of Roberto Luongo and the red-hot play of center Olli Jokinen, who leads the team in goals, points, and assists. This game will be their last at home before going on a three-game road trip to the West Coast. Columbus has also seen improvement since a November in which they only won three games, but they’ve been dismal on the road, and unlike the Panthers have continued to struggle keeping the puck out of their net. Both teams are looking to heat up before the league breaks next month to let players represent their nation’s teams in the Winter Olympics.
Sat., Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m.