Game Preview: Russian Line Looks To Propel Blue Jackets To Back-To-Back Wins

FLORIDA PANTHERS
16-8-2 (34 pts; .654%) ROSTER SCHEDULE
1:00 P.M. – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH
TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ Power Play NHL Network
ODDS & PROJECTIONS:
ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 34%
TIPICO SPORTSBOOK: CBJ +200

The good news? The Columbus Blue Jackets looked about as good as they have all season Friday night, defeating the St. Louis Blues by a 5-2 margin. 

The bad news? They'll be without captain Boone Jenner for the next six weeks as a result of a fractured jaw in the win.

The injury changes the dynamic for the Blue Jackets front six, who will be missing their top center until sometime in January. But it does not change it completely — and Columbus could be onto something with their de facto second line.

The trio of Yegor Chinakhov, Dimitri Voronkov, and Kirill Marchenko excelled in the win, and continue to impress in recent games. With Jenner out and minutes up for grabs, look for it to be an opportunity for an increased role for the young Russians. 

Columbus' first glimpse of that should come Sunday, when they face the Florida Panthers in an early-afternoon affair from Nationwide Arena. Here's what to know as the Blue Jackets seek their first Sunday victory (0-3-1) of the season:

TALKING POINTS: FLA

• The defending Eastern Conference champions are 4-1-1 in their last six games, and sit in second place in a wildly tough Atlantic division. They're also 4-1-1 in their last six road games. Sunday's game against the Blue Jackets is the beginning of a five-game road trip for the Panthers that will see them head into Seattle and western Canada over the next week. 
   
• Sam Reinhart may be one of the more underrated players in the entire NHL. The 28-year-old is coming off back-to-back 30 goal seasons and is on pace for 54 goals this season and it probably goes without saying that the former Buffalo Sabre is the team leader in both goals (16) and points (33) for the Panthers. He's also tied with Aleksander Barkov for assists (17). 
   
• Florida's secret sauce this season has been their defense and netminding. Of the ten teams with the most points in the NHL, none of them average fewer goals per game than the Panthers 3.04 — a stat that is offset by ranking 4th (and very close to 3rd) in goals allowed per game. 

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• The solution to the hole left at center by Jenner is likely not one that will have an immediate, permanent answer to it. Adam Fantilli could be an option, but there's been a lot to like about his game recently (four goals and two assists in his last five games) and moving a player on a hot streak is always risky. Kent Johnson is a future center and played it much of the time in his stint with the Cleveland Monsters last month, so a shift from wing to center is a possibility but would still leave a top-six hole to fill. Patrik Laine could play Sunday after missing this week with an illness — could we see a rebirth of the center experiment? Jack Roslovic is due back in the next couple of weeks from a fractured ankle and was playing good hockey; he could get a look down the line, too.
   
• Congratulations to Marchenko. who scored his 30th goal Friday in just his 86th game. That beats out Rick Nash by ten games for the fewest number of games for a Blue Jacket to score 30 goals. He's been above his average playing time in four straight contests, too, a good sign that head coach Pascal Vincent has trust in Marchenko, along with linemates Chinakhov and Voronkov. There are 171 lines in the NHL that have been on the ice together for at least 30 minute in 5-on-5 hockey, and this line ranks 18th in goals per 60 minutes at 4.63. Of the 17 trios above them, only five have a better goals allowed than the Russian's 1.16. Great offensive and good defensively — is this the real Blue Jackets top line right now? 
   
• Just a quick shout-out to Justin Danforth, who has been an unsung Swiss Army knife of a player for the Blue Jackets this season. He's one of just six Columbus skaters to play in every game this season and his six goals and six assists very often come at the right time. 

Updated: 10:45 a.m. // Subject to Change
Lines based on most recent practice/game, injury updates, and club news.