Predators at Blue Jackets
3 p.m., Nationwide Arena
TV/Stream: BlueJackets.com, Fox Sports Go app
The Columbus Blue Jackets continue the preseason with the third home game of the campaign today vs. Nashville, last year's Western Conference champion.
In addition to welcoming back an old Central Division nemesis, Blue Jackets fans will get a chance to see goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky along with the team's projected first line of Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg and Artemi Panarin.
LINEUP
According to the club, the Blue Jackets likely will align accordingly:
| Left wing | center | right wing |
|---|---|---|
| Artemi Panarin | Alex Wennberg | Cam Atkinson |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | Nick Foligno | Oliver Bjorkstrand |
| Sonny Milano | Zac Dalpe | Tyler Motte |
| Markus Hannikainen | John Mitchell | Paul Bittner |
| Zach Werenski | Seth Jones |
| Gabriel Carlsson | Ryan Collins |
| Scott Harrington | Markus Nutivaara |
Goaltenders:
Sergei Bobrovsky/Ivan Kulbakov
What to Watch For
An informal viewing guide, if you will, for Saturday's game on NHL Network:
- Top line together: Panarin. Wennberg. Atkinson. This trio will be counted on for goals this year, and the three will be together on the ice for the first time this preseason. Many have been wondering how the former Blackhawks star will fit in with the Blue Jackets, especially together with a highly skilled passing center in Wennberg, and the three will give it a whirl this afternoon.
- Foligno in the middle, Dubois on the wing: The second line will also bear watching with Nick Foligno projected to play center with rookie and 2016 first-round pick Pierre-Luc Dubois on the wing. Dubois can play both but had a big performance on the wing Friday night, while Foligno has been mentioned as having a potential to move to the middle should the Jackets need depth there.
- Bob! That's right, the best goaltender in the league last year will play again today in Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets have taken a good long look at Joonas Korpisalo, who shined Saturday night, as well as the squad's young goalies, but it's always fun to see No. 72 between the pipes.
Quoteable
"You can't get too negative, and quite honestly you can't jump up and down when something good is going on. Both lines (Friday) night, there were a lot of kids in them. You have to be really careful. I think as you get going, we get to the middle of next week with three left, I think you're going to see more teams having their teams and that's when you can really start to see what you have." – head coach John Tortorella
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