The Columbus Blue Jackets are hobbled.
For a team sputtering below the .500 mark, this is not the position they want to be in health-wise right now.
Three defensemen and four forwards are out of the lineup due to injury - and the timing could've been a little better, considering the Blue Jackets play the league-best Washington Capitals tonight.
The silver lining is that Columbus downed the same Capitals a week prior on the road. Throw away all your expectations for this club, folks. Whatever you think is going to happen is just going to cause the opposite to take place.
With Josh Anderson and Sonny Milano both taking upper-body injuries on Saturday afternoon, the club recalled Kevin Stenlund and Marko Dano on Sunday who both make their season debut tonight for Columbus. For Stenlund, it'll be the first regular-season game of his career.
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| WASHINGTON CAPITALS |
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24–5–5 (53 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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1 P.M. – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS GO |
Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Nyquist–Texier–Atkinson
Foligno–Jenner–Bjorkstrand
Wennberg–Dubois–Robinson
Dano–Nash–Stenlund
Defensemen
Kukan–Jones
Harrington–Savard
Gavrikov–Peeke
Projected Starter: Korpisalo
Storylines
- Motivation. The Blue Jackets are currently riding a three-game point streak, but the last two games haven't been pretty. The first was a shut out overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the second was a failed comeback against the lowly Ottawa Senators that saw former teammate Anthony Duclair record a hat trick. Get pissed off, boys! Let's hope to see veterans Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson come out flying and set the pace.
- Stay Disciplined. The Capitals have the fifth-best power play in the NHL and are clicking at a 23.53% conversion rate. Alexander Ovechkin already has 21 goals on the year with eight of them being on the man-advantage, it's just best to keep them out of that situation in the first place.
- Use The Home Ice Advantage. After a four-game road trip, what better than settling in in front of your Nationwide Arena fans to give you a boost against the league's best team? The club is 8-8-1 at home this season and should use the arena they haven't played in since Dec. 5 for an advantage.
