Facing a great team at their home arena, the Columbus Blue Jackets will take on the Dallas Stars.
The Stars led by Ben Bishop, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin are one of the better teams in the Central Division
The hope is that Sergei Bobrovsky is able to overcome his prior troubles and put together a solid game. The hope is also that the Blue Jackets defensemen are able to keep the players in front of them.
VIDEO: John Tortorella
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Artemi Panarin | 40 GP, 10-24-34 | 18 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 40 GP, 8-11-19 | 71 | Nick Foligno | 40 GP, 7-7-14 |
| 22 | Sonny Milano | 31 GP, 8-5-13 | 38 | Boone Jenner | 33 GP, 4-8-12 | 77 | Josh Anderson | 38 GP, 14-10-24 |
| 11 | Matt Calvert | 28 GP, 4-8-12 | 45 | Lukas Sedlak | 27 GP, 4-1-5 | 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 40 GP, 6-18-24 |
| 64 | Tyler Motte | 23 GP, 3-1-4 | 14 | Jordan Schroeder | 12 GP, 0-0-0 | 37 | Markus Hannikainen | 21 GP, 2-2-4 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 36 GP, 11-8-19 | 3 | Seth Jones | 40 GP, 7-16-23 |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | 40 GP, 2-5-7 | 58 | David Savard | 39 GP, 2-6-8 |
| 4 | Scott Harrington | 18 GP, 1-1-2 | 65 | Markus Nutivaara | 33 GP, 2-12-14 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 32 | 18-11-3 | 2.49 | .918 | 4 |
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 8 | 4-4-0 | 3.10 | .904 | 0 |
Three Storylines
- What About Bob: There are multiple factors that have gone into Sergei Bobrovsky's benching and now subsequent return. He hasn't played well, he has been hung out to dry and worst of all, it looks like his confidence has been shaken. He will return against the Dallas Stars and will face a lot of the best offensive players in the league. It is a stiff test and would stop the bleeding.
- Fourth Line Questions: Zac Dalpe was recalled on an emergency basis and with it, it means that a player is either injured or sick. It looks like he was taking shifts in Jordan Schroeder's spot meaning that the spot on the fourth line is up in the air. The production there has been bad enough as it is but they need more from it. They need a goal, they need anything. Rather than being an ice time liability, they need a night where they are an ice time asset.
- Slowing It All Down: The "Safe Is Death" sign is down in the Blue Jackets locker room meaning that the mantra has changed. It wouldn't surprise me with the current players that they try to slow it all down, muck up the neutral zone and make players really try to beat them in different ways. The discipline of the Blue Jackets will be put to the test. They've been playing one way for a while and it will now change against a solid opponent. Can you turn the switch off and on like that?
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