Practice Notes: Johnson's return another example of defensive depth

Jack Johnson is getting ready to play again for the Blue Jackets, who won't have defenseman Markus Nutivaara against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday at Nationwide Arena ( 7 p.m., Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports Go, 97.1 FM).
Johnson, who's been scratched the past five games, said coach John Tortorella informed him that he'd replace Nutivaara, who sustained an upper-body injury Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks and is day-to-day.
"I feel good right now," Johnson said Monday, after practice at the OhioHealth Ice Haus. "[My] body feels good. Everything's good to go and ready to go."

Johnson, a veteran blue-liner whose NHL career spans parts of 12 seasons, didn't say much else about sitting out and now returning. He did, however, give a good thumbnail picture of just how tough it's gotten to crack the active lineup in Columbus now - especially as a defenseman.
The Blue Jackets are currently carrying 10 defensemen and all 10 now have NHL experience, including rookie Dean Kukan, who impressed coaches and management enough during limited action this season to earn a contract extension.
Among those not currently in the playing group are Scott Harrington, who's played 31 of his 78 career NHL games this season, and veteran Taylor Chorney, who hasn't played yet for Columbus after being claimed off waivers Feb. 21 from the Washington Capitals.
Asked if he's ever been part of a team with so much depth on defense, Johnson asked his own question in return.
"You mean in the NHL, besides like, an Olympic team, or something?" he said. "This is the first time on [an NHL] team that's carried 10. Usually you carry about seven, so you just don't have that many numbers. There's a lot of guys, good players, that … like Chorney. The guy hasn't even gotten a chance yet and he's a [really] good player."
Johnson is too, despite a down year statistically.
He has 10 points through 74 games, with three goals and seven assists, but his value to the team can't just be measured in offensive numbers - which are about half of what he put up in 82 games last season (five goals, 18 assists and 23 points).
Johnson also brings size, strength and can skate the puck out of trouble in the defensive zone if pressed to do it. He's also got those 12 years of NHL experience under his belt and built-in motivation to succeed, as a pending unrestricted free agent July 1.
Not many teams can lose a player like Nutivaara and replace him the next game with somebody like Johnson, which makes the Blue Jackets unique this season. This isn't the first time they've been able to do that on defense, either.
Last month, Nutivaara's return from an 11-game injury absence happened Mar. 12 against the Montreal Canadiens, when the Jackets needed a last-minute replacement after Ryan Murray couldn't play. Two games later, Murray re-entered the lineup when Seth Jones sat down for three games with an upper-body injury.
Johnson's pending return is the latest example of the Jackets' defensive depth, which could be key in the Stanley Cup Playoffs - should the Blue Jackets clinch a postseason spot. It's unknown how long Nutivaara will be sidelined or if there will be a spot for him to play once he's ready.
Same goes for Johnson and a handful of other defensemen, which is why he's happy to be back for another significant game.
"It's no fun to be playing games just because they're on the schedule," Johnson said. "Obviously, these games are fun, they're exciting. We've put ourselves in a really good spot right now, and the more you win, the higher the seeding you give yourself and possibly home-ice advantage and all those things are up for grabs."
News & Notes
-- A number of players didn't skate Monday, as an illness continues to spread around the team. Injuries, players feeling sick and other health-related situations kept about nine players out of practice.
"We just have a little sickness running through the team," Tortorella said. "If they didn't skate [Monday], they'll probably skate [Tuesday morning]. We're just using these two days to get ready for the game. One practice is plenty. It's been running through the team, so we just tried to get guys out of here that were sick or just not feeling well. Hopefully get another day in them and then they can skate in the morning [Tuesday]."
Jones (upper body) had a maintenance day, which have become expected as he plays through his injury. Nutivaara (upper body) is day-to-day. Murray, Panarin, Vanek and Bobrovsky were all presumably sick, while forward Josh Anderson (knee sprain), captain Nick Foligno (lower body) and forward Lukas Sedlak (upper body) are still recovering from injuries sustained prior to the last road trip.
-- Joonas Korpisalo and goaltending coach Ian Clarke handled the goaltending duties at practice Monday. Clarke has filled in during practices a few times recently, as Bobrovsky aims to stay rested and sharp.
Bobrovsky has already matched his NHL career-high with 63 starts, which he set last season, and could be asked to start the final three regular-season games, if necessary.
"Bob is one of the guys who just needed today [off] too," Tortorella said. "He'll get a good practice [Tuesday morning] and get ready to go."
Korpisalo, meanwhile, showed up to practice clean shaven again.
"I know," he said, chuckling. "I look like a 15-year old boy, right?"
There was a reason behind his decision to shave, though. Korpisalo wasn't happy with allowing five goals in the Jackets' 5-4 overtime loss Saturday in Vancouver, when Columbus stormed back to tie the game late in the third period on three straight goals.
He was beaten in overtime on a wrist shot by Alexander Edler, which soured the ending for him.
"That was terrible last game," Korpisalo said. "Had to [shave]. Fresh start. You see the team coming back, huge goals … feel bad for letting them down, you know? That's how you feel after a game like that."
He's also trying to take a lesson from it.
"It's just the importance of just hanging in there, giving the team a chance," Korpisalo said. "Every save matters. Every single goal matters. It's a game of details, you know? I've had those kind of games, but playing good [early] and then still allowing three, four, five goals ... it's tough. You see the team coming back, huge goals ... I feel bad for letting them down [in OT], but that's how you feel after a game like that, just losing after that."
-- Speaking of that game, the way the Blue Jackets came back to tie it up late might be a useful thing down the line. Belief in doing rare things is built in games like that, which they're not taking lightly.
"That was a huge point," Korpisalo said. "That was awesome. The last goal they scored, I'd just gotten to the bench. I didn't even see it. I just saw the whole bench explode. I was so happy for them and it's great to see the bench in that mood. It's awesome to see the excitement, happiness and joy. You can see now that we've got the firepower, we've got the will … we've got everything you need to turn things around in a game. You always have confidence now."
That can often become the deciding factor in a game, regular season or postseason.
"It's such a fine line of winning and losing," Tortorella said. "It's a great lesson for a team, that it's never over, especially in this league here right now. There's so many mistakes made that you never know what's going to happen."
-- Alex Broadhurst has dashes next to his name in the season stats on the cover of the game notes, but the rookie forward is trying not to think about whether he'll make his NHL debut before the regular season ends.
What he has done since being recalled from the Cleveland Monsters on Mar. 26 is work on his friendships within the Jackets' locker room, something he began during the recent three-game road trip through Western Canada.
"That's been the easy part, getting along with these guys and talking to these guys," Broadhurst said. "I'm actually just building chemistry with some of the players, and hopefully if you get in the lineup you do well."
There's no telling when or if Broadhurst will play in any of the final three regular-season games. It would likely help his chances if the Blue Jackets can clinch a playoff spot before the final game April 7 in Nashville.
"It's always in the back of your head," he said. "I haven't played a game yet, so obviously that's something I really want to do. I'm just going to stick with it and stay focused, and be ready to go when I get the call."
-- Defenseman Ian Cole and assistant coach Brad Shaw watched together as Notre Dame won the NCAA Women's Basketball national title Monday night at Nationwide Arena.
Cole, like everybody else, was stunned by seeing Arike Ogunbowale's off-balance 3-pointer swish through the net for the Irish with just a tenth of a second left to play.
"That was awesome," said Cole, who played college hockey at Notre Dame. "Admittedly, I'm not the biggest basketball guy in the world, but having your alma mater playing a couple blocks away from your place, it's great. It's a great opportunity to come see them and support them. That second half and that last quarter … I was yelling, I was fist-pumping. It was great."
Cole can now shift his collegiate sports focus to the Irish hockey team, which will play the University of Michigan on Thursday in a national semifinal game. Cole declined to reveal the full details, but said there's been a friendly wager going between himself and two U-M alums, Zach Werenski and Johnson.
"I'm not going to make it public, but there's a friendly wager," Cole said. "Not even saying that it's monetary in nature. You might be seeing Jack and 'Z' decked out in a lot of Notre Dame gear for an interview. I said, 'Maybe,' so you never know. Perhaps … or maybe just a nice dinner on them."