The Carolina Hurricanes come to Columbus, Ohio for a Metro affair but at this point, it is known that these games always come with a little bit of flair. It doesn't matter if both teams are at the bottom of the division or are separated by twenty points, a good game is bound to happen.
Cam Ward is set to start in net for the Hurricanes which is a break for the Blue Jackets but could be an issue if the team goes with 11 forwards and seven defensemen like they did against the Nashville Predators.
John Tortorella Pre-Game
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Artemi Panarin | 16 GP, 2-10-12 | 10 | Alex Wennberg | 16 GP, 1-8-9 | 13 | Cam Atkinson | 12 GP, 4-1-5 |
| 18 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 16 GP, 2-2-4 | 71 | Nick Foligno | 16 GP, 3-5-8 | 77 | Josh Anderson | 14 GP, 6-3-9 |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 8 GP, 2-4-6 | 17 | Brandon Dubinsky | 16 GP, 1-4-5 | 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 16 GP, 5-5-10 |
| 22 | Sonny Milano | 15 GP, 5-3-8 | 64 | Tyler Motte | 5 GP, 2-0-2 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 16 GP, 4-6-10 | 3 | Seth Jones | 16 GP, 3-9-12 |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | 16 GP, 1-3-4 | 58 | David Savard | 16 GP, 2-3-5 |
| 27 | Ryan Murray | 16 GP, 1-3-4 | 65 | Markus Nutivaara | 11 GP, 0-5-5 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 12 | 8-3-1 | 2.37 | .921 | 1 |
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 4 | 1-3-0 | 3.28 | .896 | 0 |
Three Storylines
- Extra D: It looks like the Blue Jackets will be going with an extra defenseman once again. They will be playing with 11 forwards and seven defensemen and it appears that Gabriel Carlsson will be the lucky participant this evening. It shows that the trust in the fourth line is minimal at best and the fact that they would rather play Carlsson in tiny spurts than say Markus Hannikainen is a testament to how they feel about the team in its current iteration.
- Power Play Woes: Just how different are the power play units going to look tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes? Against the Nashville Predators, Zach Werenski was utilized in a different role and he had a late-game opportunity to tie it up and was unable to put it away. Are they going to continue to use him on the half-wall like they did before or was it a one-game experiment? Regardless, the team needs to break out of its slump and they have yet to find the proper formula.
- Dubois On Fire: With three points in four games, Dubois is playing well and after a stellar breakaway goal, he could be growing into a great player right in front of us. Out of all the rookies in the lineup, it appears that he has taken hold of a spot. With more ice time comes more responsibility and opportunities, is Dubois ready for the limelight or do they need to reign it in as he still learns?
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