Jackets Look to End 4 Game Skid

The Jackets take on the up-start Phoenix Coyotes for the fourth and final time of the year. The Jackets have won two of three and will look to get back on the winning side of things tonight in Glendale.

The Coyotes lost their last game but are 5-2-3 in their last ten and sit three points ahead of the Jackets in the overall standings.

From a playoff picture standpoint, Phoenix sits ninth, just one point behind the Nashville Predators for that eight spot while the Jackets sit 11th and four points out.

Keys to lighting ‘em up

Get swagger back. The Jackets seemed to have lost it. That "strut" as Hitch has referred to before is gone. They had it going into the All Star break, but somewhere along the way after they have completely gotten away from what has made them successful. Jackets need to come out and act like they should win the game, not hope.

Survive injuries. We know Fedorov and Modin are out. The next hit was Leclaire. The good news is that he'll be back on Sunday; the bad news is that he'll be back Sunday and there are two important games between now and then. Injuries can't be an excuse, the guys on the ice must perform.

Norrena needs to regain form. Lets not sugar coat this—Norrena has been bad, real bad in his last handful of starts. He's just not making the big game saves like he did last year, and if goaltending can't make those saves, this team can't win. That's just the way it is this season. The offense just isn't there, so goaltending and defense must be exceptional every night.

Doan. Phoenix's key player. They must contain him. He's got 53 points in 53 games.

Watch the rookies, Mueller and Hanzal. These kids are making an impact (why can't we ever get rookies to make this kind of impact—story for another day). Mueller is red hot—has 37 points in 53 games, including 18 points in his past 13 games. This kid is really gelling well with Doan.

Score by committee. Actually, the Coyotes do a damn good job at spreading the wealth throughout their lineup. They have five players who have scored.