The Columbus Blue Jackets fell to the San Jose Sharks, and now they will take on the New York Islanders in New York. The Islanders have been reeling and are sliding down the standings giving the Blue Jackets a significant opportunity.
The Islanders made a big impression last time when Josh Bailey had a hat trick. The Blue Jackets will need to monitor the many offensive weapons on the Islanders if they want to win.
VIDEO: John Tortorella
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Artemi Panarin | 51 GP, 13-28-41 | 10 | Alexander Wennberg | 37 GP, 5-14-19 | 13 | Cam Atkinson | 35 GP, 7-9-16 |
| 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 51 GP, 8-18-26 | 18 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 51 GP, 10-12-22 | 71 | Nick Foligno | 51 GP, 9-12-21 |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 44 GP, 5-8-13 | 17 | Brandon Dubinsky | 33 GP, 3-9-12 | 77 | Josh Anderson | 49 GP, 15-10-25 |
| 11 | Matt Calvert | 39 GP, 6-9-15 | 45 | Lukas Sedlak | 38 GP, 4-3-7 | 36 | Jussi Jokinen | 5 GP, 0-0-0 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 47 GP, 11-11-22 | 3 | Seth Jones | 51 GP, 8-25-33 |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | 51 GP, 2-5-7 | 65 | Markus Nutivaara | 44 GP, 3-13-16 |
| 46 | Dean Kukan | 3 GP, 0-2-2 | 58 | David Savard | 50 GP, 3-6-9 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 41 | 22-16-4 | 2.46 | .921 | 4 |
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 9 | 5-4-0 | 2.85 | .912 | 0 |
Three Storylines
- Line Blender: The lines have been all over the place. They'll be different again tonight. The Blue Jackets need something, and they haven't gotten it anywhere. It looks like they'll be loading up on one type of player. There will be a rough and tough line; they will also have an offensive line as well. The line of Bjorkstrand, Dubois, and Foligno will be a mix of both. How they fare against the Islanders could mean more and more changes.
- Whose Line Is It Anyway: The Islanders give up a bunch of goals. They always are in big offensive games. The Blue Jackets are going to have to step up and sneak it past the Islanders goaltender. Which line takes advantage is what should be looked at right now and into the future.
- Barzal The Beauty: The New York Islanders offense is big and bad. They have John Tavares, Josh Bailey, Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle. Mat Barzal is the player that can make a game change on a moments notice. Where he is on the ice should be monitored by the Blue Jackets all night long.
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