The Blue Jackets have resided in the NHL's basement almost all season, and it looks like they're going to stay put.
On Wednesday, the Blue Jackets were blanked 3-0 by Edmonton in Rexall Place, a meeting of the NHL's 29th- and 30th-place clubs as the 2011-12 regular-season draws near.
The loss leaves the Blue Jackets 10 points behind the Oilers in the standings with 12 games remaining for each club.
Barring a sudden charge by the Blue Jackets and a late-season collapse by the Oilers, the Jackets will have a better-than 50 percent chance to land the No. 1 overall pick early next month when the NHL holds the NHL entry draft lottery.
The Blue Jackets have never come out of the lottery with a better pick than No. 3 overall. That occurred in 2002, and they later traded up to No. 1 overall to select Rick Nash.
NOTES, QUOTES
Blue Jackets blanked again
--Wednesday's loss marked the fourth time this season the Blue Jackets have been shut out, a surprisingly low number considering the Jackets are 28th in the NHL in scoring with only 2.26 goals per game. The Jackets were shut out six times last season.
--The Blue Jackets have lost four straight games in Edmonton, and are just 2-8-1 in Oil City since Dec. 2, 2006.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're playing these games down the stretch, and, standings-wise, they might not mean much. But this makes it a little more interesting for us." -- Blue Jackets center Darryl Boyce, referring to the Blue Jackets' goal of finishing the final 20 games of the season with a .500 or better record. So far, they're 4-4-0.
ROSTER REPORT
PLAYER NOTES:
--G Steve Mason missed two games with a lacerated pinkie, but he's back and ready for action now. Mason had his left hand sliced by the blade of teammate John Moore as Moore spun around and fell in the crease. The cut required 18 to 20 stitches, but -- not quite two weeks later -- Mason is likely to start on Saturday in Vancouver.
--RW Derek Dorsett has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for two weeks now, and he didn't travel with the Blue Jackets on their junket through Western Canada. But Dorsett is skating on his own and hopeful of returning before the season's ends.
--G Curtis Sanford was flirting with a .500 record -- he was 9-11-4 -- on the last-place team in hockey. But the last month has not been kind to Sanford, who is 1-6-0 in his last seven starts. The Blue Jackets have scored just eight goals in those six losses.
MEDICAL WATCH:
--D Fedor Tyutin (broken hand) is out of the season.
--C Derek MacKenzie (concussion) is out indefinitely.
--LW Kristian Huselius (lower body) is out indefinitely.
--D Radek Martinek (concussion) is out for the season.
--D Marc Methot (broken jaw) is out for the season.
--RW Derek Dorsett (upper body) is out indefinitely.
