The power play came alive against one of the worst penalty kills in the league when they played the Florida Panthers. Continuing that against the Tampa Bay Lightning would be vital as both teams are strong at 5-on-5. If they are able to succeed comes down to the lineup coming together like it did against the Panthers.
They'll face a completely different challenge against one of the best in the league. Are they up to the task?
John Tortorella Pre-Game
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Artemi Panarin | 13 GP, 1-10-11 | 71 | Nick Foligno | 13 GP, 3-5-8 | 77 | Josh Anderson | 11 GP, 5-3-8 |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 6 GP, 2-2-4 | 17 | Brandon Dubinsky | 13 GP, 0-3-3 | 64 | Tyler Motte | 2 GP, 2-0-2 |
| 11 | Matt Calvert | 13 GP, 3-5-8 | 10 | Alexander Wennberg | 12 GP, 1-8-9 | 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 13 GP, 4-4-8 |
| 22 | Sonny Milano | 12 GP, 5-2-7 | 18 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 13 GP, 1-1-2 | 37 | Markus Hannikainen | 5 GP, 1-0-1 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 13 GP, 3-5-8 | 3 | Seth Jones | 13 GP, 2-7-9 |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | 13 GP, 1-3-4 | 58 | David Savard | 13 GP, 2-3-5 |
| 27 | Ryan Murray | 13 GP, 1-2-3 | 65 | Markus Nutivaara | 7 GP, 0-5-5 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 10 | 8-2-0 | 2.07 | .932 | 1 |
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 3 | 1-2-0 | 3.67 | .887 | 0 |
Three Storylines
- Party Time: Before the game, John Tortorella and others will be honored for what they did during their 2004 Stanley Cup championship run. It will be part of the 25th anniversary of the team.
- Keeping Up With The Jones: A real issue for the Blue Jackets is making sure that they get into areas where they are able to score. They have been a great club at winning the shot differential fight but on nights against elite opponents, they have been pushed to the outside. The Lightning are one of the few teams in the league that can compete with the Blue Jackets depth. Getting on the board early and staying ahead could be helpful.
- Limit The Stars: The Lightning have two stars that are absolutely tearing up the league. Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov are scoring at a pace that hasn't been seen in a while. Kucherov leads the league in goals with 13 and Stamkos leads the league in points with 24. A lot of the offense comes from these two and making sure they are in check will be a full team effort.
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