The Columbus Blue Jackets need a win in the worst way. I mean the point of hockey is to win every game but the Blue Jackets haven't been the best at it as of late. If they want to stay in the playoff hunt, beating the lowly Senators is going to be needed.
The Senators will likely be scratching their star players Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Mark Stone in anticipation of trades. This game should be as easy as it gets and
The Blue Jackets are in the market for more players, including a couple on the Senators, could you imagine the possiblity of a player just switching locker rooms?
PROJECTED LINES:
Panarin – Dubois – Atkinson
Foligno – Jenner – Anderson
Robinson – Wennberg – Bjorkstrand
Hannikainen – Nash – Dubinsky
DEFENSEMEN:
Werenski – Jones
Nutivaara – Savard
Harrington – Kukan
GOALTENDER:
Bobrovsky/Korpisalo
STORYLINES
- The Ottawa Senators are at the bottom of the standings and because of it this is a complete and utter trap game. The Blue Jackets could easily overlook them but it would be to the detriment of themselves. If they're going to be buyers, they need a win here, badly.
- Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin, Mark Stone, Ryan Dzingel and Matt Duchene are all on the chopping block during the trade deadline. This could be one of the last games for Bobrovsky and Panarin, which makes this an odd game to take in. A lot of implications can be made after this game.
- The Blue Jackets are fighting for their collective lives trying to ensure that they stay in the playoffs. If they don't win this game against the Senators, should that flip how Columbus approaches this deadline? It feels that pivotal but against a team with minimal NHL experience the Blue Jackets should win. The implications if they don't could be damaging.
