Playing a solid Maple Leafs team, the Blue Jackets came out ahead at home. Now they need to play the next night against a Pittsburgh Penguins team hungry to get back in a playoff spot.
It is an unfamiliar position for the Penguins and an unenviable spot for the Blue Jackets on the back end of a back to back.
Patric Hornqvist may be returning to the Penguins lineup and will be a game-time decision. He has been skating in recent days and is the perfect adversary for the Blue Jackets. He plays a tough game. Add Ryan Reaves to the list and fireworks are going to pop off.
The Penguins also added defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to the team via trade this past week. The six-foot-seven-inch mountain of a man will make an impact in one way or another in this game.
VIDEO: John Tortorella
"It was an opportunity to get ourselves out of a rut."#CBJ pic.twitter.com/Z1l4ra4BbD
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 21, 2017
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Artemi Panarin | 35 GP, 7-21-28 | 18 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 35 GP, 7-8-15 | 77 | Josh Anderson | 33 GP, 13-8-21 |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 28 GP, 3-7-10 | 10 | Alexander Wennberg | 29 GP, 4-12-16 | 13 | Cam Atkinson | 30 GP, 6-7-13 |
| 22 | Sonny Milano | 27 GP, 5-5-10 | 71 | Nick Foligno | 35 GP, 7-6-13 | 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 35 GP, 6-16-22 |
| 11 | Matt Calvert | 23 GP, 4-7-11 | 45 | Lukas Sedlak | 22 GP, 4-1-5 | 37 | Markus Hannikainen | 16 GP, 2-2-4 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | Markus Nutivaara | 28 GP, 2-10-12 | 3 | Seth Jones | 35 GP, 6-13-19 |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | 35 GP, 2-5-7 | 58 | David Savard | 34 GP, 2-5-7 |
| 4 | Scott Harrington | 13 GP, 1-1-2 | 53 | Gabriel Carlsson | 11 GP, 0-1-1 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 28 | 17-10-1 | 2.44 | .919 | 4 |
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 7 | 4-3-0 | 2.84 | .911 | 0 |
Three Storylines
- Sidney Crosby, Ever Heard Of Him: Not at his normal point per game pace, Crosby is having a bit of a down year. A down year for him is a career year for others though and he still is one of the top players on the team in scoring. As always, the Blue Jackets will need to find a way to slow him down. It'll be interesting to see who they throw up against him. Pierre-Luc Dubois is young but could be an interesting candidate. Nick Foligno and Alexander Wennberg would be compelling as well but their linemates don't really match the defensive mold. Monitor the line matching from the Penguins here.
- Phil The Thrill: While Crosby is having a down year, Phil Kessel is having a career year. He is scoring goals at a scorching pace and continues to buck others expectations for him. He has been skating with Crosby as of late making them one tough line. Giving him time and space is the last thing you want to do. Keeping him to the outside is the best a defenseman can hope for.
- Opportunity For Consistency: The back to back angle of this game is a tough, tough draw. Not a lot can be done about it but it gives the Blue Jackets a chance to show that they are ready to be a more consistent team. Which team will show up? Which team is going to come to play in a "rivalry" game?
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