At this point, they're all becoming "must-win" games.
The Columbus Blue Jackets may not be in panic mode yet, but with the season coming down to the wire and a brutal schedule ahead, they need points wherever they can get them.
Now losers of two in a row and three of their last four games, Columbus finds themselves out of a playoff spot and in desperate need of some good bounces. They'll get their chance tonight against a Metropolitan opponent in the New Jersey Devils.
The Devils, unlike most teams remaining on the Blue Jackets' schedule, aren't a playoff threat. In a way, though, that makes this even more of a must-win game, considering that the next seven (!) games that the Blue Jackets will play come against current playoff teams.
Projected Lines
Atkinson - Dubois - Panarin
Foligno - Duchene - Bjorkstrand
Dzingel - Wennberg - Anderson
Robinson - Jenner - Nash
Defensemen
Werenski - Jones
Nutivaara - Savard
Harrington - Kukan
Goaltenders
Bobrovsky
Storylines
- What will the Blue Jackets lines look like? The above projection is a rough approximation of what John Tortorella deployed last time out, but with a few guys (including newly-acquired Ryan Dzingel) struggling to get going, what will we see tonight?
- Columbus cannot afford to leave more points on the table tonight – as they did with a flat effort against a bad Edmonton team on Saturday – so will they come out with some fire this time? They've been far better on the road than at home this season.
