The Columbus Blue Jackets finally have a win under their belt after going winless for five games. It took a six-goal barrage, but they finally got back in the win column.
They'll go up against the New York Islanders who continuously find themselves in back and forth offensive games. For the Blue Jackets, as they look for offensive consistency, this game will be a massive test of whether or not the team can continue this spat of goals.
VIDEO: John Tortorella
Hear from Torts re:
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 12, 2018
- the 38-17-77 line
- Juice on the PK
- goaltender play
- and more... pic.twitter.com/5pDwpp9E6H
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Artemi Panarin | 55 GP, 15-30-45 | 18 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 55 GP, 12-13-25 | 13 | Cam Atkinson | 39 GP, 8-10-17 |
| 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 55 GP, 9-20-29 | 10 | Alexander Wennberg | 41 GP, 5-15-20 | 71 | Nick Foligno | 55 GP, 11-12-23 |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 48 GP, 5-10-15 | 17 | Brandon Dubinsky | 37 GP, 4-10-14 | 77 | Josh Anderson | 53 GP, 17-10-27 |
| 11 | Matt Calvert | 43 GP, 7-10-17 | 36 | Jussi Jokinen | 9 GP, 0-1-1 | 37 | Markus Hannikainen | 28 GP, 2-2-4 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 51 GP, 11-11-22 | 3 | Seth Jones | 55 GP, 8-28-36 |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | 55 GP, 2-5-7 | 65 | Markus Nutivaara | 48 GP, 3-14-17 |
| 4 | Scott Harrington | 27 GP, 1-2-3 | 58 | David Savard | 54 GP, 4-6-10 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 42 | 22-18-4 | 2.48 | .919 | 4 |
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 10 | 5-5-0 | 2.97 | .910 | 0 |
Three Storylines
- Rolling, Rolling, Rolling: The Blue Jackets' need their offense to continue at a high mark. They have a bunch of players in the lineup that have scored plenty of goals in the past. They need to put pucks on net, and they need to get more from their depth players. It doesn't seem like a big ask, but it has been an uphill battle. The team will take offense where they can get it.
- Bread Is Getting Toasty: Artemi Panarin is an excellent hockey player. In his past six games, he has six points, and he is continuing his great season by carrying the team when they need him most. He has already been hot for most of the season, but it remains to be seen if he can take it to a different level.
- Weathering The Storm: The New York Islanders come at teams in waves, they may have a bad period, but they come back at some point. The Blue Jackets need to defend those waves, and they can do it by taking their game right at the Islanders. They did it against the Devils, repeating the performance will be key.
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