The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost four straight games now, but they have seen an uptick in their play as of late. They go on the road to face the Washington Capitals and hope to get some payback after the Blue Jackets lost in gut-wrenching fashion on Feb. 6.
The Capitals will have confidence after their game against the Blue Jackets, but their performance shouldn't be a badge of honor. They were severely outplayed by the Blue Jackets in their previous game.
VIDEO: John Tortorella
"I just want us to get our mindset thinking quick and then playing quick. The past few practices have been more up-tempo, and we're going to concentrate on that."#CBJ head coach John Tortorella: pic.twitter.com/8Gbj7eapvm
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 8, 2018
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Artemi Panarin | 53 GP, 13-29-42 | 18 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 53 GP, 10-13-23 | 13 | Cam Atkinson | 37 GP, 8-9-17 |
| 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 53 GP, 8-19-27 | 10 | Alexander Wennberg | 39 GP, 5-15-20 | 71 | Nick Foligno | 53 GP, 10-12-22 |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 46 GP, 5-8-13 | 17 | Brandon Dubinsky | 35 GP, 4-9-13 | 77 | Josh Anderson | 51 GP, 16-10-26 |
| 11 | Matt Calvert | 41 GP, 6-10-16 | 45 | Lukas Sedlak | 40 GP, 4-3-7 | 36 | Jussi Jokinen | 7 GP, 0-1-1 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 49 GP, 11-11-22 | 3 | Seth Jones | 53 GP, 8-25-33 |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | 53 GP, 2-5-7 | 65 | Markus Nutivaara | 46 GP, 3-14-17 |
| 46 | Dean Kukan | 5 GP, 0-2-2 | 58 | David Savard | 52 GP, 4-6-10 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 42 | 22-17-4 | 2.48 | .920 | 4 |
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 10 | 5-5-0 | 2.97 | .910 | 0 |
Three Storylines
- Full 60: The most heartbreaking part of the Blue Jackets game against the Capitals was the fact that they came away with zero points. They may have ended up losing still but giving up a goal with less than a minute left demoralizes a team. The only remedy is playing the same team again but laying it on them just as thick as before. How the Blue Jackets come out tonight should be a good indication of whether or not they've turned their play around.
- Do It For Dad: The Blue Jackets have their father's along with them for this game. Not much more to add to that other than you don't want to get your butt kicked in front of your dad. It will be interesting if they play even more inspired by the dads in attendance.
- Don't Let Them Get A Lead: The Washington Capitals haven't lost a game in regulation after leading in the first and second period. While the streak needs to break at some point in time, trying to keep them from running away with it will be essential. If the Blue Jackets continue to push forward, they should have a good shot at winning their game against the Capitals.
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