Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Islanders
October 5, 2013 – 7:00pm EDT
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum – Uniondale, New York
Radio – WWCD 102.5 – TV – Fox Sports Ohio
Opponents Blog: Lighthouse Hockey
SBN’s Flames vs Blue Jackets Coverage
Well, at least we don’t have to wait long.
Let’s face it: last night, largely, sucked. The Jackets were sloppy, they were clearly rusty, and they couldn’t stop committing turnovers long enough on defense to get any sustained offensive pressure going. Part of that may have been that Todd Richards shifted his lines early and often.
With that in mind, I’m leaving the lineups as they were projected to be at the start of last night’s game. Who knows what we’ll actually see?
The Islanders won in New Jersey in a shoot-out last night, so both teams should have their game legs going tonight. The Jackets need to be aware of that top line, as it is a deadly combination. That said, Michael Grabner scored two goals last night, as well.
For the Jackets, though, this game really comes down to one thing: can they get back to the execution from last spring? It seemed clear–and it’s a convenient excuse–to blame it on their week off leading up to last night’s game. There is not that excuse anymore. They need to get back to crisp passes, both out of their zone and in the offensive zone, and they need to get shots on net. They tried–and failed–far too often last night to get cute, and it cost them repeatedly.
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
(0-1-0, 0 Points; 6th division, 12th conference)
| Boone Jenner | Brandon Dubinsky | Marian Gaborik |
| Matt Calvert | Ryan Johansen | Cam Atkinson |
| Mark Letestu | Artem Anisimov | Blake Comeau |
| R.J. Umberger | Derek MacKenzie | Nick Foligno |
| Dalton Prout | Jack Johnson |
| Ryan Murray | James Wisniewski |
| Nikita Nikitin | David Savard |
| Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Curtis McElhinney |
New York Islanders
(1-0-0, 2 Points; 2nd Division, 7th Conference)
| Matt Moulson | John Tavares | Kyle Okposo |
| Michael Grabner | Frans Nielsen | Josh Bailey |
| Brock Nelson | Peter Regin | Pierre-Marc Bouchard |
| Matt Martin | Casey Cizikas | Colin McDonald |
| Travis Hamonic | Andrew MacDonald |
| Thomas Hickey | Lubomir Visnovsky |
| Matt Donovan | Brian Strait |
| Evgeni Nabokov |
| Kevin Poulin |
Season Series
10/05/13 – Columbus at NY Islanders
11/09/13 – NY Islanders at Columbus
03/23/14 – Columbus at NY Islanders
04/06/14 – NY Islanders at Columbus
2012-2013 Head to Head Stats
Islanders Columbus 3.00 (t12) GPG 3.00 (t12) 3.00 (t12) GAPG 4.00 (t22) 0.0% (t17) PP% 33.3% (t5) 100.0% (t1) PK% 100.0% (t1) Michael Grabner, 2 G leader three tied, 1 four tied, 1 A leader six tied, 1 Michael Grabner, 3 Pts leader Jack Johnson / Marian Gaborik, 2 two tied, 2 PIM leader Jack Johnson, 4 0-0-0 Home/Road 0-0-0 10/4 @ New Jersey, W 4-3 (SO) Last Game 10/4 vs. Calgary, L 4-3 1-0-0 Last 10 0-1-0
Game Notes
- Bounce Back – The Jackets looked sloppy, discombobulated, and rusty. Thankfully, they get to get right back at it again tonight. Can they bounce back? Can they play their game, cut down on the turnovers, and just concentrate on getting pucks on net instead of trying to set up the fancy pants play?
- Special Teams – The Jackets did alright on special teams last night, and that will need to continue. The Isles have the potential for a deadly Power Play, so Columbus will need to be disciplined and stay out of the box.
- Goalie Time – It’s an all-Russian goalie matchup tonight. Not sure that Nabakov would be in the discussion for Sochi, but I’m sure these guys know each other well./
Alright, Jackets, let’s get back on track.