This week the Columbus Blue Jackets have beaten the best and worst of the NHL.
Monday, the Blue Jackets thrashed the league-leading Capitals 3-0, backstopped by a strong performance from Joonas Korpisalo. Tuesday they traveled to Detroit and defeated the last-placed Red Wings 5-3.
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| LOS ANGELES KINGS |
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15–18–3 (33 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7 P.M. – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19th NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS GO |
Tonight, the Blue Jackets look to extend their 5-game point streak at home against the Los Angeles Kings.
While both the Kings and Blue Jackets differ in roster construction, both teams have had fairly similar seasons.
The Los Angeles Kings (like the Blue Jackets) sit at second to last in their division. While boasting a veteran roster, the Kings have struggled to score this season, currently sitting at a -20 goal differential.
As the Blue Jackets have struggled to score at times as well, tonight's match-up provides a strong challenge. Though the Kings are not the powerhouse of old, the Columbus club will have to retain the consistency found in their wins Monday and Tuesday to gain some critical points.
Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Texier-Dubois-Robinson
Nyquist–Jenner–Bjorkstrand
Foligno-Wennberg-Atkinson
Dano–Nash–Stenlund
Defenseman
Werenski–Jones
Gavrikov–Savard
Harrington–Kukan
Projected Starter: Korpisalo
Storylines
- Bjorkstrand Blazing. Oliver Bjorkstrand has three goals in two games. After struggling to convert high-danger chances at times this season, the Danish winger appears to be finding his finishing touch. He'll no doubt look to add to this goal-scoring streak against the Kings.
- 5-Game Point Streak. As mentioned above, the Blue Jackets have acquired points in each of their last five games. Their season-high point streak is 6 games, coming from a 4-0-2 stretch in the middle of October. The team will look to tie the season-high streak tonight.
- Korpi's Finding His Game. After an inconsistent start to the season, Joonas Korpisalo has shown that he can be an NHL starter. Since November 1st, Korpisalo has a .921 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average. While this save percentage over this time period is 18th among NHL goaltenders, his GAA in the span is good enough to crack the top ten in the league.
