Folks, the Columbus Blue Jackets are hot.
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| BOSTON BRUINS |
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47-23-9 (103 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7 P.M. – APRIL 2, 2019 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OHIO |
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NBCSN NBC SPORTS |
Winners of their last five in a row, Columbus has gone from being in danger of missing the playoffs to having a chance to jump into the third Metropolitan spot, but nothing's set in stone just yet.
Tonight's game against the Boston Bruins could put them one step closer to clinching – although in order to clinch a spot in the playoffs tonight, they'd need a win plus a Montreal Canadiens loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Blue Jackets and Bruins have met twice this season with Columbus taking the first game, 7-4 – thanks to a Boone Jenner hat trick – on March 12, and Boston getting a bit of revenge with a 2-1 overtime win a few days later in Beantown.
Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Panarin–Duchene–Atkinson
Dzingel–Dubois–Anderson
Jenner–Wennberg–Bjorkstrand
Foligno–Dubinsky–Nash
Defenseman
Werenski–Jones
Nutivaara–Savard
Kukan–Harrington
Storylines
- Sergei Bobrovsky has gone nuclear over the last few weeks, and now leads the league with nine shutouts this year. His efforts over the last week (4-0-0 with two shutouts) got him NHL First Star of the Week honors, too.
- Speaking of Bobrovsky, there's a better than average chance tonight will be he and Artemi Panarin's final regular season home game in a Blue Jackets uniform. It will be interesting to see how the crowd reacts during roster introductions.
- Cam Atkinson has three more games to break his tie with Rick Nash and take sole possession of the franchise's single-season goals record. Is tonight the night? It's the final home game of the season, so scoring number 42 would be special for the former sixth-round pick.
- Oliver Bjorkstrand is on a five game goal scoring streak, and has seven goals in his last seven games. He's been playing with confidence and utilizing his all-world shot – can he carry that streak through tonight?
