(SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of teams that have gone in opposite directions in December will meet Wednesday, as the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Minnesota Wild in a New Years Eve battle at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets entered this month with a 6-15-2 record on the season, but Todd Richards club has greatly improved its fortunes by posting a 9-1-1 mark so far in December. Despite the surge, Columbus still finds itself nine points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Minnesota, meanwhile, sits five points removed from the Wests final wild card spot after recording a 4-4-3 mark since the start of December. The low point of the rough month came during a 0-2-3 losing streak, a skid the Wild was able to snap with Mondays road victory in Winnipeg. After dropping the home part of a home-and-home series with the Jets in Saturdays 4-3 overtime loss, the Wild answered with a close win two days later in Winnipeg. Ryan Carter, Justin Fontaine and Marco Scandella all scored in the second period to help Minnesota notch the 3-2 decision at MTS Centre. Darcy Kuemper. who missed the opener of the home-and-home due to an illness, was back between the pipes Monday and helped stopped the skid with a 28-save performance. The Wild picked up the victory despite allowing Winnipeg to score twice on three chances with the man advantage. Minnesota went 0-for-4 on the power play. Our guys did a great job staying with it. Im real happy with the way we played the game, the contributions from everybody, Wild head coach Mike Yeo said. The win pushed Minnesotas road record this season to 8-9-0. Yeos club is capping a brief two-game trip tonight before opening the 2015 calendar year by playing four of five games on home ice. The Blue Jackets are 2-1-1 at the start of a five-game homestand after beginning December on a seven-game winning streak. The club had an 8-0-1 point streak snapped with a 5-1 loss to Nashville on Dec. 22, but rebounded from that setback with a resounding win its first tilt following the Christmas break. Columbus emerged from the holiday hiatus on Saturday and recorded a 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Scott Hartnell led the offense by scoring twice in his return from injury, while Kevin Connauton added a goal and two assists. Hartnell came back after a five-game absence due to a broken finger and picked up his third multi-goal effort of the season and first since Nov. 8 against Tampa Bay. He scored his teams first two goals on Saturday. Nick Foligno, Matt Calvert and Jeremy Morin also lit the lamp for the Blue Jackets. Jack Johnson and Brandon Dubinsky each chipped in a pair of helpers to back a 26-save effort from Curtis McElhinney. He made some big saves ... especially at the start of the third period, Calvert said of McElhinney. McElhinney started Saturday in place of No. 1 netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, who was unable to suit up for the game due to an illness. However, Bobrovsky is expected to start tonight and owns a 3-1-0 record and 1.68 goals against average in four career games against the Wild. Saturdays win pushed the Blue Jackets home record to 8-9-2. Columbus will head out on the road after tonight, as it will begin a four-game swing Saturday in Arizona. Columbus has won three straight and five of the last seven meetings against the Wild. The clubs have split the last four encounters at Nationwide Arena. Sports Jerseys From China . The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when - after nearly two years - federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges. 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Zachary Fucale made 28 saves for Halifax (34-17-3) in the loss.GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Raymond Felton is determined to keep personal turmoil from affecting what was already his most trying season professionally. A day after his arrest on felony weapons charges, Felton returned to practice with the New York Knicks on Wednesday, saying that was "not a distraction" to the team. Felton spoke for less than a minute and did not take questions. He thanked family, friends and teammates for their support and insisted his thoughts were on the Knicks game Thursday night in Miami. "This is not a distraction to this team," he said. "Im focusing on finishing out this season, finishing out these games with my teammates and going down to Miami, focusing on this next game at task versus the defending champs." The Knicks are barely hanging on in the playoff race and Feltons struggles have been among their biggest problems. Slowed by nagging leg injuries early, hes averaging a career-worst 10.4 points on 40.3 per cent shooting for a team with a 21-36 record. Hes also dealing with the breakup of his marriage, and he was arrested early Tuesday after authorities said a lawyer for his wife turned into a police precinct a loaded semi-automatic handgun allegedly belonging to the point guard, claiming she no longer wanted it in their home. Felton was released on $25,000 bail, and his next court appearance is scheduled for June 2. Knicks coach Mike Woodson said he never considered not letting Felton play against the Heat. "The bottom line is Ray is a part of our team, and as his coach Im going to support him and make sure hes doing everything the right way from here on out, and to try to get him to just concentrate on basketball and practice and playing games," Woodson said. Felton was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and criminal possession of a firearm. The firearm charge is punishable by up to four years in prison. The weapons charge is punishable by up to seven years in prison. He had turned himself into police not long after a 110-108 loss to Dallas dropped the Knicks farther back in the playoff race. His wife, Ariane Raymondo-Felton, filed for divorce last week, according to court records, and Felton acknowledged recently dealing with personal problems. He said he wouldnt comment on the case, referring any qquestions to his lawyer.dddddddddddd "But other than that, Im here to concentrate on this team, finish this season out with the New York Knicks and see what happens, man," Felton said. "Trying to make it to the playoffs. Were 5 1/2 games out, 25 games left, so Im really focusing on that with these guys, with the team and trying to make that happen." Felton was playing well in his first stint in New York before he was traded to Denver in the middle of the 2010-11 season as part of the package for Carmelo Anthony. He had a dismal 2011-12 season for Portland, admitting he reported out of shape because he wasnt sure if, or when, the lockout might end. Yet the Knicks surprisingly re-signed him that summer, a move that paved the way for them to let Jeremy Lin leave as a free agent. Felton rebounded with a strong performance last season in helping the Knicks to their first Atlantic Division title since 1994, but neither he nor the team has been able to build on that. Felton has played better lately, and centre Tyson Chandler said he was focused at practice Wednesday. "He seemed like he was no different," Chandler said. Felton still could face punishment from the NBA, though likely not until the legal process has been completed. He is set to earn $3.8 million next season and has a player option that would pay him $4 million in 2015-16, and any attempt by the Knicks to void his contract would be met with a strong challenge from the players association. For now, Felton and the Knicks are just trying to salvage the season. "My job is to continue to coach and try to get guys to do the right thing on and off the basketball floor. I take pride in that, so when things creep in like this, its a surprise, but again weve got to get through it," Woodson said. "Again, I dont know the legal part, the severity of it. All I know is Raymond is still with us and Im on Raymonds side in terms of trying to make sure that hes doing the necessary things to play basketball and Im going to continue to do that." Notes: The Knicks plan to sign veterans Shannon Brown and Earl Clark to 10-day contracts Thursday and have them available to play against the Heat. ... Anthony missed practice for personal reasons but will be with the team in Miami. ' ' '