Game #11 Preview: Struggling Red Wings and a Date With Columbus

Tuesday, October 30, 2018 – 7:00 EST
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
TV: Fox Sports Ohio; Radio: 97.1 FM
Opponent’s Blog: Winging It In Motown

Columbus Blue Jackets (6-4-0, 12 points, t-3rd Metro, t-8th East)

vs.

Detroit Red Wings (2-7-2, 6 points, 8th Atlantic, 16th East)

Tuesday night from Columbus, the Blue Jackets face the Red Wings for the second time this season. In both team’s season opener Oct. 4 from Little Caesars Arena, Joonas Korpisalo made the rare start, making 20 saves in the 3-2 overtime win. Artemi Panarin scored the over time winner. Korpisalo has made the last two starts for Columbus, a 7-4 win over the Blues last Thursday and 5-4 win at home versus the Sabres Saturday night. Detroit picked up their second win of the season Sunday, 4-2, over the Stars.

Player to Watch

Sergei Bobrovsky is 12-4-1 (.936, 1.98) in his career against the Red Wings. Cam Atkinson has 13 goals, seven assists against the Wings in 22 career games. His 13 goals versus Detroit ties a career-high against any one team — Atkinson also has 13 career goals against the Islanders.

Jackets Notes

The Blue Jackets have won their last seven meetings with Detroit, with the streak extending back to 2016-17. … Brandon Dubinsky, recovering from a partial oblique tear, continues to skate as he participated in a full practice Monday. With his recovery in week three of the anticipated 4-6 weeks, Dubinsky is said to be hopeful to make his return to the Blue Jackets lineup in the upcoming California trip this week. … Artemi Panarin celebrates his 27th birthday today. … (I happen to turn 30 today).

Hey happy early birthday @9Artemi.

(Tomorrow is my birthday too 🤫)

— 𝔚𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔞𝔪 ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔰𝔢 (@WillChase_) October 30, 2018

The Other Bench

The Red Wings nearly ran the table in the preseason going 7-1. But that’s preseason where the games don’t count and the wins don’t matter. Since the clock struck midnight and the regular season started, the Wings have gotten off to a dreadful 2-7-2 start. Yet it wasn’t entirely unexpected as the Winged Wheel has hit the rebuild portion of their years these days.

Perhaps what was unexpected was the sudden retirement of legendary captain Henrik Zetterberg, who was forced to hang up the skates just prior to the season as the result of a career-ending back injury. Even at 36-years-old, last season, the future Hall of Famer put together a 56 point campaign (11 goals, 45 assists). Though the team struggled on the ice, that’s still a big vacancy for the lineup these days, both offensively and especially from a leadership perspective in the dressing room.

Red Wings alternate captains for this season include Dylan Larkin, Frans Nielsen, Justin Abdelkader and Niklas Kronwall.

So far in 2018, Detroit has struggled to score goals (2.27, 29th) and keep pucks out of the net (3.82, 28th). Their special teams have been fairly constant so far, with the power play good for 15th (22.9%), and the penalty kill 11th (81.0%). Former Blue Jacket Thomas Vanek, making his first return to Nationwide Arena since his acquisition last spring, has two goals, two assists in 11 games for Detroit.

Danny DeKeyser (hand), Andreas Athanasiou (undisclosed), and Frans Nielsen (undisclosed) are out for Detroit. Athanasiou and Nielsen were hurt in the game Sunday against the Stars. This will pave the way for rookie Michael Rasmussen to garner more playing time.

Season Series

10/4/2018 CBJ @ DET 3-2 OTW
10/30/2018 DET @ CBJ
11/26/2018 CBJ @ DET

Stats

Projected Lineups