The Columbus Blue Jackets' season-long four game homestand continues and they will host another fledgling playoff team in the Colorado Avalanche.
Don't look now, but the Blue Jackets are on a tiny "winning streak" and this homestand is a great opportunity for them to pick up points. The Avalanche are going to be a tough out and with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen in tow, they'll test the Blue Jackets defensively.
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Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Artemi Panarin | 67 GP, 21-37-58 | 18 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | 67 GP, 15-20-35 | 13 | Cam Atkinson | 51 GP, 13-15-28 |
| 22 | Sonny Milano | 40 GP, 11-5-15 | 71 | Nick Foligno | 63 GP, 14-13-27 | 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 67 GP, 10-25-35 |
| 26 | Thomas Vanek | 4 GP, 0-0-0 | 10 | Alexander Wennberg | 52 GP, 6-19-25 | 38 | Boone Jenner | 60 GP, 6-14-20 |
| 11 | Matt Calvert | 55 GP, 7-13-20 | 17 | Brandon Dubinsky | 49 GP, 5-10-15 | 55 | Mark Letestu | 5 GP, 1-0-1 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 63 GP, 13-17-29 | 3 | Seth Jones | 67 GP, 10-31-41 |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | 67 GP, 3-6-9 | 27 | Ryan Murray | 32 GP, 1-4-5 |
| 23 | Ian Cole | 5 GP, 1-1-2 | 58 | David Savard | 66 GP, 4-8-12 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 13 | 6-7-0 | 3.13 | .905 | 0 |
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 54 | 28-21-5 | 2.44 | .920 | 4 |
Three Storylines
- Dubois Continues To Shine: Rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois is having a year that not many believed he could have. He's offensively helping the Blue Jackets and is third on the team in points. His season is now third all-time in Blue Jackets rookie scoring, as well. The rookie wall isn't an issue for him and in these last few games for the team, they'll need him at his very best.
- Solid Ground: The Blue Jackets have mostly figured out their defensive pairings. They have placed Ian Cole with David Savard and left Seth Jones and Zach Werenski intact. Ryan Murray and Jack Johnson are paired up and the two haven't gelled very well.
- Return of the MacK: Sergei Bobrovsky is out once again and that means the Blue Jackets will face another big test. Joonas Korpisalo will get his second straight start, facing off against Nathan MacKinnon. MacKinnon has 13 points during his six-game point streak; he's the motor for the Avalanche and will need to be shut down if the Blue Jackets want to have a chance.
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