Game #7 Preview: California Love
The Jackets look to wrap up the West Coast road trip with a win.
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Anaheim Ducks
Honda Center - 10:00 PM EDT
TV: Fox Sports Ohio – Radio: 97.1 WBNS FM
Game Six Recap
The Jackets will finally, after tonight, have the dreaded California road trip behind them.
The worst part of the schedule every year (from a viewing standpoint and, typically, a results standpoint) is almost in the rear view mirror. After three straight on the road, the Blue Jackets close out the trip tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Blue Jackets close up the west coast excursion with the second night of a back to back against the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks, 3-3-2 on the season, are coming into the game after a big win against the Nashville Predators to the tune of 6-1. The Blue Jackets, with a point tonight, will have earned 4 points in 4 games on the trip, which is more than I could have asked for at the outset. Going .500 through Dallas and California would be huge.
Tonight’s lineup will likely remain very similar. Sergei Bobrovsky has played well in all six starts this year, and I would expect to see him between the pipes again, especially as the team is off until Tuesday after tonight. Perhaps one of Scott Harrington (please) or Sonny Milano (double please) draws into the lineup, but no major changes otherwise.
Oh hey, and Jared Boll is on the other side tonight. Wonder if he’ll pick a fight with someone.
Go Jackets.
STATISTICS AND LINEUPS
(I’m swapping in Milano because I want to see it. I will fix it if need be, but I refuse to believe we called him up to sit for four games)
Columbus Blue Jackets – 2-3-1, 5 points, 7th Metro, 14th East
Vs.
Anaheim Ducks – 3-3-2, 8 points, 5th Pacific, 7th West
| Anaheim | Columbus | |
|---|---|---|
| 2.63 (20) | GPG | 2.33 (28) |
| 2.38 (7) | GAPG | 2.83 (13) |
| 22.2% (14) | PP% | 38.5% (1) |
| 83.8% (14) | PK% | 84.2% (11) |
| 51.1 (13) | EV CF% | 48.4 (20) |
| 1.008 (9) | EV PDO | 1.003 (11) |
| Corey Perry, 4 | G Leader | Zach Werenski, 2 |
| Ryan Getzlaf, 7 | A Leader | Nick Foligno, 4 |
| Ryan Getzlaf, 8 | P Leader | Zach Werenski, 5 |
| Corey Perry, 10 | PIM Leader | Brandon Dubinsky, 11 |
| 0-3-2 | Road / Home | 1-1-1 |
| 3-3-2 | Last 10 | 2-3-1 |
Blue Jackets probable lineup
| Boone Jenner | Brandon Dubinsky | Cam Atkinson |
| Brandon Saad | Alexander Wennberg | Nick Foligno |
| Matt Calvert | William Karlsson | Josh Anderson |
| Scott Hartnell | Lukas Sedlak | Sonny Milano |
| Zach Werenski | Seth Jones |
| Jack Johnson | David Savard |
| Dalton Prout | Markus Nutivaara |
| Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Curtis McElhinney |
Ducks probable lineup
| Nick Ritchie | Antoine Vermette | Corey Perry |
| Andrew Cogliano | Ryan Kesler | Jakob Silfverberg |
| Ryan Garbutt | Chris Wagner | Emerson Etem |
| Joseph Cramarossa | Michael Sgarbossa | Jared Boll |
| Cam Fowler | Josh Manson |
| Shea Theodore | Kevin Bieksa |
| Clayton Stoner | Sami Vatanen |
| John Gibson |
| Jonathan Bernier |