A former Western Conference rival comes to Nationwide Arena. The Nashville Predators come to town with plenty former Blue Jackets in tow and it will make for an interesting evening. At this point, both teams are at the top of their respective conferences and are going to make a difference come playoff time.
So once again the Blue Jackets have a barometer to match themselves up against. It is going to be a good one in the Arena District.
John Tortorella Pre-Game
Torts displeased with #CBJ's play tonight: pic.twitter.com/YuDYGqqBRS
— ColumbusBlueJackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 7, 2017
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Artemi Panarin | 15 GP, 2-10-12 | 71 | Nick Foligno | 15 GP, 3-5-8 | 77 | Josh Anderson | 13 GP, 6-3-9 |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 8 GP, 2-4-6 | 17 | Brandon Dubinsky | 15 GP, 1-4-5 | 13 | Cam Atkinson | 11 GP, 4-1-5 |
| 64 | Tyler Motte | 4 GP, 2-0-2 | 10 | Alexander Wennberg | 15 GP, 1-8-9 | 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 15 GP, 5-5-10 |
| 22 | Sonny Milano | 14 GP, 5-3-8 | 18 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 15 GP, 1-2-3 | 37 | Markus Hannikainen | 7 GP, 2-1-3 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 15 GP, 4-6-10 | 3 | Seth Jones | 15 GP, 3-9-12 |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | 15 GP, 1-3-4 | 58 | David Savard | 15 GP, 2-3-5 |
| 27 | Ryan Murray | 15 GP, 1-3-4 | 65 | Markus Nutivaara | 10 GP, 0-5-5 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 3 | 1-2-0 | 3.67 | .887 | 0 |
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 12 | 8-3-1 | 2.37 | .921 | 1 |
Three Storylines
- Hartnell Down: The return of Scott Hartnell to Columbus shouldn't be too ceremonial considering the amount of time he spent with the team but his personality says otherwise. Always bigger than whatever else that is going on, it feels special in Hartnell's first game back in Columbus. It also appears he will be on a line with former Blue Jacket Ryan Johansen only adding to the intrigue.
- Trade Hangover: The biggest trade of the season has been the three-team trade that the Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche, and Ottawa Senators pulled off. In the deal, Kyle Turris joined the Predators. They gave up young defenseman Samuel Girard in the process and other pieces including minor leaguers and picks. The loss of Girard shouldn't be insurmountable but did the trade possibly shake up the dressing room?
- Keep On Scoring: The Blue Jackets have not had a problem scoring goals thus far and getting Cam Atkinson back in the lineup should be a plus. Each team hits a rut and with injuries mounting on offense, it will be important for the team to find a groove. Against a mobile team like the Predators, it will be important to get on the board early and often. It will be interesting to see if the fourth line gets involved as well after being forgotten the past few games.
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