The Columbus Blue Jackets head to Sunrise, Florida to take on Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers after a 3-2 loss to Panarin and the New York Rangers on Thursday.
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| FLORIDA PANTHERS |
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13–9–5 (31 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7 P.M. – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 PPG PAINTS ARENA SUNRISE, FL |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS GO |
The Panthers have been off since a Tuesday loss to Minnesota and it is unclear who will get the start in net when the Jackets head to town. I am sure the Jackets would like to test a shaky Bobrovsky and Bob would like to have the chance to prove he can beat the team he left in free agency.
If the Blue Jackets keep with recent tradition, Elvis will receive the start in net, but due to the club being on a three-game losing streak, they may keep Korpisalo in net.
The good new for Columbus is that Foligno is continuing to produce for the club and Atkinson picked up his first goal in six games against the Rangers. Atkinson leads the team in shots with 93, but only has five goals this season putting his shooting percentage at 5.4% -the lowest in his career - and hopefully this goal can knock him out of his funk.
Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Nyquist–Jenner–Bjorkstrand
Foligno–Texier–Atkinson
Milano–Dubois–Bemstrom
Nash–Wennberg–Anderson
Defenseman
Kukan–Jones
Murray–Savard
Gavrikov–Peeke
Goalie: TBD
Scratches: Harrington, Robinson
Storylines
- Defense. Without Werenski on the blue line, the entire unit needs to step up to help create offense for the club and deny chances for the other team.
- Figure It Out. The Jackets have the second least goals for this season. This is not the position any team would like to be in especially a team like the Blue Jackets who believed that they were still a team to be reckoned with despite the losses of Panarin and Bob.
- Bob or Driedger, Doesn't Matter. Whether Bobrovsky is in net or Driedger, the Jackets are facing off a goaltender who has struggled all season or a rookie who only has two games under his belt. This means lots of shots regardless of location, bodies out front and cleaning up the rebounds.
