COLUMBUS Womens Josh Anderson Jersey , Ohio (AP) In a season of broken records and firsts for the Columbus Blue Jackets, one of the most important eluded them again: winning a playoff series.The Blue Jackets’ promising season fizzled out in Game 6 of their opening-round series against the Washington Capitals. They were stunning at times – like in the first two games, both won in OT – but glaringly not good enough the rest of the way. Columbus’ power play went to sleep, and the Capitals took four in a row, capping it with a 6-3 victory Monday night.Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made some acrobatic saves throughout the series, but he also allowed a goal or two he should have knocked down.”We did not make big plays,” coach John Tortorella said. ”At times, we didn’t get a big save. That goes right on through the team. I’m not just saying (Bobrovsky), but the whole team. That’s why you’re out in six. It’s tough in the playoffs. We have a number of things we need to get better at, as individuals and as a team.”There are reasons to be optimistic about the future of this young team. It battled through slumps and myriad injuries to key players, climbing back in the Metropolitan Division race with a 10-game winning streak. It played its grittiest hockey in February and March and emerged as a wild card from a mix of teams that all came on strong to finish.”I’m so proud to lead this team Adam Henrique Jersey , but I just want to see something good happen for our team,” said captain Nick Foligno, who scored two goals on Monday. ”I want us to realize the potential we have in here, and I want it to happen now.”RECORDS AND FIRSTSColumbus traded last offseason for forward Artemi Panarin, who became the star the team had hoped he would be. He broke Rick Nash’s franchise record for points with 82 (27 goals, 55 assists).He was great in the first three games of the playoffs but went quiet as Washington figured out how to pressure him.The Blue Jackets sorely need another guy performing at Panarin’s level. That could turn out to be Pierre Luc-Dubois, who broke franchise rookie records this season for goals and points (20-28-48). He centered the top line next to Panarin, and Tortorella said the playoffs contributed to his growth.”At 19 years old, pushed into the forefront as far as being our No. 1 center and coming into this series against a team that’s pretty deep in the middle, he handled himself very well,” Tortorella said. ”Were there some minutes he struggled? Yeah Womens Andrew Cogliano Jersey , but he’s 19. It’s just a great process for him to go through early in his career.”SPARKLING BLUE LINEThe first-line defensive duo of Zach Werenski and Seth Jones again was one of the best in the NHL. Both set franchise scoring records for defensemen with 16 goals apiece. Werenski is just 20, and Jones is 23. That line should be strong for years to come.QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONSAfter losing in the first round of each of four playoffs in its 17-season history, Columbus remains the only currently existing NHL franchise to never have won a playoff series.What can get the Blue Jackets over the hump?Another elite sniper to complement Panarin?A much better season from forward Cam Atkinson? The former All-Star was the team’s leading scorer last season but missed 17 games because of injury this time and never found his mojo. Other usually reliable forwards – including Foligno, Brandon Dubinsky and Boone Jenner – also were unspectacular.Will the Blue Jackets pay up to keep Bobrovsky and Panarin? Both Russians have contracts that run through next season but are eligible for extensions in July. Panarin, who made $6 million against the cap this season, will be able to command a big raise.— NEW YORK — The Nashville Predators are widely considered one of the teams likeliest to contend for the Stanley Cup this season. The New York Rangers are … not.But the Rangers will get an early opportunity to prove the prognosticators wrong Thursday night when they host the Predators in the season opener for both teams at Madison Square Garden.The Rangers embarked upon a rebuilding project late last season, finishing 34-39-9 and in last place in the Metropolitan Division. New York shipped off several veterans at the trade deadline, including Rick Nash and captain Ryan McDonagh.Article continues below ...Immediately after the season, the Rangers fired head coach Alain Vigneault Brandon Montour Jersey Kids , who directed the team to playoff berths in his first four seasons at the helm and steered them to the Stanley Cup Finals in his first campaign in 2013-14. Vigneault’s successor is David Quinn, who arrived from Boston University to oversee the type of youth movement rarely undertaken in the Big Apple. But Quinn is not ready to concede the season, even though the Rangers’ uphill task is made taller by their placement in the Metropolitan Division — home of the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, who combined to win the last three Stanley Cups.“Obviously, a lot has been made of the different direction we’re in right now, but we want to win every game,” Quinn told reporters. “I don’t think about it any other way, I think about coming here every day, being the best team we can be, making every guy a better player, making us a better team http://www.officialducks.com/authentic-adidas-cam-fowler-jersey , collectively, and playing the way we want to play.“And the winning and losing will take care of itself. And we feel we have enough good NHL players to give us a chance night in and night out.”There’s little doubt the Predators have the players to compete for a title. Nashville, which reached its first Cup Finals following the 2016-17 season, led the NHL with 117 points last season (53-18-11) but fell to the Winnipeg Jets in a seven-game Western Conference semifinal series.Head coach Peter Laviolette, who has put together a Hall of Fame resume by leading three franchises to the Cup Finals (he won the Cup with Carolina in 2005-06 and coached Philadelphia to the title round in 2009-10), is aware of the expectations surrounding the Predators and is eager to begin finding out just how good his team can become.“It’s the beginning of a journey for our group, and you hope to play a long time and find success all the way through,” Laviolette told reporters. “That brings excitement to the guys that get sick of practices and training camp. They want to play games, and New York is a great place for us to start.”Two franchise icons are expected to start the game in goal for New York and Nashville.Henrik Lundqvist is scheduled to set a franchise record by starting his 13th straight season opener for the Rangers. Lundqvist, who enters this year ranked within the NHL’s top 15 all-time in wins, games and saves Womens Corey Perry Jersey , is 8-5-0 in 13 games against the Predators.Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne, who has spent his entire 12-year career with the Predators, will draw the start. Rinne, whose Vezina Trophy last year was his first, is 3-2-1 in six games against the Rangers.