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| FLORIDA PANTHERS |
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3–0–0 (6 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7:00 P.M. – THURSDAY, JAN. 28 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS GO |
The Columbus Blue Jackets fell to the Florida Panthers in a shootout that was only made more painful after the Panthers tied the game up with less than three seconds left in regulation on a Patric Hornqvist goal.
The meltdown leading up to the goal was the exact play that teams fear. The goalie was pulled, players are surrounding your netminder, a player gets a puck on a stick and after that you have a tie game. Understandably, John Tortorella wasn't too pleased with how the game unfolded.
"Take the point," said Tortorella. "And sprint out of the building the way we played tonight. Sprint. Run."
While they would accept the point, it doesn't change the fact that they had an opportunity for another. Panthers goaltender (still weird to type out) Sergei Bobrovsky let in a couple of early goals but even then, the team couldn't put any more pressure on Bobrovsky to test his resolve. The team was getting skated around and it couldn't have been more unlike prior iterations of the team.
Having already been in Columbus training, newly acquired forward Jack Roslovic is set to make his debut with the team. His inclusion moves the lineup around and could be the much-needed spark the team needs. This will be the first game that Roslovic plays this season after holding out before then.
Columbus has points in their last five games if you want to find a silver lining for the team. They are continuing to stack points but when you're playing division rivals the entire season, you're giving them points too.
Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Lines
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | Nick Foligno | 42 | Alexandre Texier | 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand |
| 25 | Mikhail Grigorenko | 16 | Max Domi | 19 | Liam Foudy |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 96 | Jack Roslovic | 13 | Cam Atkinson |
| 50 | Eric Robinson | 9 | Mikko Koivu | 20 | Riley Nash |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 3 | Seth Jones |
| 44 | Vladislav Gavrikov | 58 | David Savard |
| 15 | Michael Del Zotto | 46 | Dean Kukan |
| Goalie | Backup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Elvis Merzlikins | 70 | Joonas Korpisalo |
Storylines
- HOMETOWN BOY: The Blue Jackets are going to be welcoming forward Jack Roslovic into the lineup. Immediately they are giving him two players that are going to make his transition into the lineup that much more special by playing with Boone Jenner and Cam Atkinson. If there is ever going to be a bump for a player it is surely going to happen for Roslovic. This is going to be a big night for him. Let's see what he can do.
- ON AND OFF: Not sure that an explanation has been given but the Blue Jackets have not been able to put back-to-back games together thus far and it is only growing increasingly frustrating given their position in their division. They have been giving out points like candy and the team needs to find consistency sooner rather than later. One win isn't a pattern but it would be the start of a good trend.
- THREE PERIODS OF HOCKEY: It hasn't happened yet unless you want to count the win against the Tampa Bay Lightning but the Blue Jackets have yet to string together three periods of solid hockey. While wins would be nice as stated in the previous bullet, it may be even easier for wins to stack up if they take it period by period.
