Man, was the last game fun or what? Aside from a trio of Columbus forwards getting banged up (not to mention the Blues’ T.J. Oshie is out three months after falling awkwardly in a scrum) the “game” was a good tonic for a Jackets team that to that point struggled to score goals.
They put up an eight-spot on St.Louis, and will look to continue their high-scoring ways tonight against the Avs. I’m not asking for eight goals again, but continuing to put the puck in the net is crucial to the team’s success. Making this difficult tonight however is the fact that Huselius remains out, and Rick Nash is listed as doubtful. Kyle Wilson has been practicing with Jake and Brass since last game, it will be very interesting to see how he does when given prime ice time. He reminds me a lot of Jason Williams from two seasons ago.
Nikita Filatov was another forward who was dinged up last game, but he’s expected to play. Personal fave Derek MacKenzie was the third Columbus forward who was hurt after last game, it remains to be seen whether he will play. Mike Blunden was called up from Springfield, and he will likely slide into the lineup if D-Mac can’t go. Andrew Murray is healthy and will be in the lineup. Murr-dog must be chomping at the bit, and I’ve missed his speed.
Check out the game preview for the lines and other essentials, in the meantime it’s FRIDAY and I hope everybody enjoys the game!