The Blue Jackets have to get their groove back.
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| NEW JERSEY DEVILS |
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21–26–10 (52 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7 P.M. – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16 PRUDENTIAL CENTER NEWARK, NEW JERSEY |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS GO |
Against a Rangers team that was easily beatable, the Blue Jackets couldn't muster up enough offense to keep them in the game. It became their fourth straight loss.
Now the Blue Jackets are heading to Newark to take on a New Jersey Devils team that is at the bottom of the division. This team isn't devoid of stars, it just can't get it done anymore. Players like PK Subban and Andy Greene are showing signs of slowing down making it that much more problematic.
They looked like a well-oiled machine and now they are trying to decide how to handle the stars.
For the Blue Jackets, they'll need to find some way to make the game their own. They have controlled the pace but not really the play. They need their hands on a stick early and often. They have to mix up lines which could make this next paragraph completely useless by days end.
Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Foligno–Dubois–Bjorkstrand
Nyquist–Jenner–Gerbe
Lilja–Nash–Robinson
Milano–Stenlund–Bemstrom
Defenseman
Werenski–Nutivaara
Gavrikov–Savard
Harrington–Peeke
Goaltender: Merzlikins
Storylines
- Subban Struggles. The New Jersey Devils were expecting a lot from PK Subban when he came over in a trade from the Nashville Predators. Now at this point they Devils are just hoping that they can maintain a strong level of play during the course of his contract. Subban is on track for low, low stats and it is a main reason why the predictions for the Devils were out of whack this year.
- Stop The Slide. The Blue Jackets' have not been able to score with any regularity over the past four games, all of which have been losses for the Blue Jackets. They have left it unaddressed for a while but then it becomes more and more of an issue with each passing game. The puck needs to go in the net and the Blue Jackets aren't doing it enough.
- Goalie Normalization. The Blue Jackets were always going to have to maintain on the PDO bell curve. If they were getting saves, it was mostly in low scoring games. They aren't blowing anyone out and that is becoming an issue for the team. Especially as it looks like the Blue Jackets aren't getting the saves they were getting before from their goalies.
