The Penguins are in town for the finale of the four-game season series against the Blue Jackets on Thursday (7 p.m., Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports Go, 97.1 FM), and there's a lot riding on the outcome.

Following the Blue Jackets' practice Wednesday at Nationwide Arena, the veteran defenseman was asked if teammates in Columbus had inquired about the tendencies of his former teammates with the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.

The grin on Ian Cole's face said more than the words that soon left his mouth.

They're tied at 96 points within the Metropolitan Division, with identical 45-29-6 records, and the winner gets a leg up in the chase for second within the division - currently held by Pittsburgh based off regulation/overtime wins (ROW).

Finishing second in the division grants home-ice advantage for the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which both teams are eager to get - especially since it looks like they might meet again in the first round, for the second straight year and third time overall.

Cole, who was traded to the Ottawa Senators and then Columbus around the NHL Trade Deadline last month, hoisted the Cup with the Penguins the past two seasons. He left no doubt, however, where his allegiance now lies.

"I'm sure it will be a little weird at first, but it's one of those things where it's a hockey game and you can't change how you play or what your outlook is, based on who you're playing or who your friends are," said Cole, who answered reporters' questions for 15-plus minutes. "As far as I'm concerned, it's going to be one of those things where you're going to try and put the same product out there you would against anybody. You might [tick] some friends off, but that's why they're friends. Hopefully, they'll forgive you."

Cole used to be added protection for Penguins stars like captain Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. Now that he wears red, white and Union blue, his job will now be to stop or smash them, if a clear shot is available.

Don't expect Cole, a 6-foot-1, 219-pound fireplug, to go easy on his former teammates just because they won back-to-back championships together.

"You can't be letting off on somebody just because you like them, or they're going to embarrass you," he said. "It's not really going to fly, so you've got to be as hard on your friends as you are on anybody, if not harder, just to make sure they don't embarrass you."

Cole's been a great addition to the back end in Columbus, even if his presence helped create a logjam of good defenseman who now can't crack the active lineup without somebody getting injured.

He's got toughness, he's direct with the puck and he's even added a little offense with two goals, five assists and seven points. Playing with David Savard, who's similarly built and bearded, the pair has become a defensive bedrock for the Blue Jackets.

The Penguins will now get their first up-close look at it - and Cole doesn't plan on it being an enjoyable experience for them. He still has a lot of close friends in Pittsburgh, but he's clearly a Blue Jacket now.

"It's something where, what we accomplished as a team, in the past, that's never going to change," Cole said. "That's in stone now. That's great. That's awesome. I'm not a part of that anymore. I'm not trying to three-peat. I'm trying to win with this team, and we're trying to win our first Stanley Cup. That's really the only way to look at it in my mind."

News & Notes

-- Injured forward Josh Anderson took part in his first full team practice since sustaining a sprained knee Feb. 26 against the Washington Capitals. Anderson, who has 18 goals and 29 points, was one of the Jackets' leading scorers when he was injured.

He declined to say he feels 100 percent healthy but did say he's ready to play whenever called upon. It's unknown whether that will happen Thursday.

"I mean, it's up to him," Anderson said, referring to coach John Tortorella. "I'm just going to be waiting here, ready to play whenever. I feel pretty good. I felt pretty good practicing for the first time with the team there, and hopefully I'll be ready to play real soon. It's just a coach's decision. I think I'm ready to play."

-- Cole was asked if he'd share with the Blue Jackets' coaching staff and teammates what he knows about the Penguins' systems and communications between goalies and defensemen.

"I do know all those things, yep," he said. "And this is why you don't see many NFL trades during the season, because you know the playbook, right? It's just one of those things that you try to deal with the best you can."

So, yes, in other words.

-- Injured defenseman Markus Nutivaara (upper-body injury) got back on the ice for practice but didn't do much work in drills involving defense pairings. Jack Johnson, who filled in for Nutivaara on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings, continued working with Ryan Murray in practice. Nutivaara is day-to-day.

Defenseman Seth Jones missed another practice as a maintenance day, while grinding through an upper-body injury, but is expected to play. Jones has eight points (two goals, six assists) in six games after returning from a three-game absence caused by the injury.