The Columbus Blue Jackets (currently) have the Washington Capitals' number.
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| WASHINGTON CAPITALS |
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26–7–5 (57 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7 P.M. – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27 CAPITAL ONE ARENA WASHINGTON, D.C. |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS GO |
It's a pleasantly surprising development in an unpleasantly bizarre season to date, one in which the Blue Jackets have started strong, fallen off the map, and are now trying to rally and get themselves back into the playoff picture. With each win over the Capitals thus far in 2019-20, the Blue Jackets have taken divergent paths.
After a dominant win on Dec. 9 in D.C., the Blue Jackets bottomed out in a disastrous 1-0 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh (more like Wilkes-Barre) Penguins. Following a shutout win at Nationwide Arena on Dec. 16, the Blue Jackets got their legs underneath them despite enduring a barrage of injuries that's left as many as 10 regulars out of the lineup.
Despite the injuries, the Blue Jackets are hot. They've won five straight games and are within shouting distance of the wild card picture, though they have plenty of work ahead of them. It's not easy to leapfrog teams in this NHL filled with three-point games, but Columbus is doing its part by not letting points slip away as they did earlier in the season.
The latest player to fall victim to injury is Oliver Bjorkstrand, who was off to a flying start and cemented himself as arguably the Blue Jackets' top forward in the early going. He will miss the next 4-to-6 weeks with a rib and oblique injury, which resulted in opportunity for Nathan Gerbe, who scored in the team's 3-2 win over the New York Islanders earlier this week.
Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Texier–Dubois–Robinson
Foligno–Wennberg–Gerbe
Nyquist–Jenner–Stenlund
Lilja–Nash–MacInnis
Defensemen
Werenski–Jones
Gavrikov–Savard
Kukan–Harrington
Goalie: Korpisalo
Scratches: Harrington
Storylines
- Keep On Keepin' On: John Tortorella has officially formed his bunker over the Blue Jackets. They're locked in and not worried about the rash of injuries to many of their top players, and in the process, have racked up some impressive wins–most recently, Monday's win over the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum (a place where the Islanders don't lose often).
- Defend The House: This is one area where the Blue Jackets don't get enough credit: they are one of the NHL's best defensive teams, and it's been that way no matter who's in their lineup. They aren't trapping teams, locking the wings, or stacking the line. They're a hard team to get through in the attacking zone and they use everyone, defense and forwards, to get the puck back and get out of trouble. That's paramount against the Capitals.
- Go Korpi Go: Joonas Korpisalo has made sure the Blue Jackets don't have any goaltending controversy. Recently named the NHL's third star of the week ending Dec. 22, the 25-year-old goaltender has been one of the team's best players over the last month and has kept them in every game. His shutout against the Capitals on Dec. 16 ranks as one of his more impressive performances this season. The Blue Jackets will need him again tonight.
