The Columbus Blue Jackets get another huge test against the Philadelphia Flyers who are ahead of them in the standings. A win would go a long way in their climb back up the standings.
The Blue Jackets have kept their aggressiveness up and ran into the buzzsaw that were the Toronto Maple Leafs. A real key will be to forget the past game and move forward in a real and productive way. The upcoming games against Metropolitan division opponents are very important.
VIDEO: John Tortorella
Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Artemi Panarin | 57 GP, 15-31-46 | 18 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 57 GP, 13-14-27 | 13 | Cam Atkinson | 41 GP, 9-10-19 |
| 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 57 GP, 10-22-32 | 10 | Alexander Wennberg | 43 GP, 5-17-22 | 71 | Nick Foligno | 57 GP, 13-13-26 |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 50 GP, 5-11-16 | 17 | Brandon Dubinsky | 39 GP, 5-10-15 | 77 | Josh Anderson | 55 GP, 17-11-28 |
| 11 | Matt Calvert | 45 GP, 7-10-17 | 45 | Lukas Sedlak | 43 GP, 4-3-7 | 36 | Jussi Jokinen | 11 GP, 0-1-1 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 53 GP, 11-14-25 | 3 | Seth Jones | 57 GP, 8-28-36 |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | 57 GP, 3-5-8 | 65 | Markus Nutivaara | 50 GP, 3-15-18 |
| 46 | Dean Kukan | 8 GP, 0-3-3 | 58 | David Savard | 56 GP, 4-6-10 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 42 | 24-18-4 | 2.45 | .920 | 4 |
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 11 | 5-6-0 | 3.15 | .903 | 0 |
Three Storylines
- Players Stuck On IR: The Blue Jackets had both Sonny Milano and Ryan Murray travel with the team during their short two-game road trip. Neither entered the lineup and it remains to be seen how they will be used if and when they come back. The team doesn't need a kick in the pants but they have players on the sideline that could give the team a boost if needed. Will they be possibly used on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins?
- Bjorkstrand Comes Alive: Oliver Bjorsktrand has come alive at just the right time and he is creating offense all over the ice. The Blue Jackets desperately needed scoring depth and they're getting it from his line. He is on a three-game point scoring streak and has five points total over that time frame.
- Giroux Is Hot: While Bjorkstrand is hot, the Flyers Claude Giroux is in flames with how hot he is at the moment. He has eight points in four games and was named the first star of the NHL this past week. He is playing like no one else in the league and he is carrying the Flyers along the way. They need that to keep up with a strong Blue Jackets offense.
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