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Game Preview 2: Redemption

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Rangers

Saturday, October 10, 2015 – 7:00 PM EDT
Madison Square Garden New York, New York
Radio: 97.1 FM — The Fan TV: Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent’s Blog – Blueshirt Banter

Redemption is the only possible word for this one, the back half of a home-and-home-back-to-back to start the season. The vagaries of that awful 1:17 of the third are recounted elsewhere, so we won’t dwell on it here. Lots of good things were to be found in the Blue Jackets game on Friday night, not the least of which was their ability to keep pace with the Rangers, one of the fastest teams in the league.

The Blue Jackets will be looking to avoid the adrenaline overload that they suffered through in the first period on Friday, and the tendency to be too cute that they displayed in the second. Ironically, for 18:43 of the third period, they played a far more fundamentally sound game. Messrs. Savard, Connauton, Campbell and, to a bit of a lesser extent, Johnson, must find their focus. We’ll just leave that there for now.

The shoe will be on the other foot tonight in Madison Square Garden, where they will have the home town adrenaline rush, which can work against you, as Columbus showed a bit on Friday. After two high-paced, intense games in three nights, the Rangers might be vulnerable early, and the Blue Jackets will need to use measured play and cash in on opportunities. With Alexander Wennberg likely on the sidelines, we’re figuring Karlsson will draw in on the fourth line, with Campbell on the third. However, it wouldn’t be shocking to see those roles switched.

Columbus simply needs to focus on the good things they did on Friday, and improve the execution. Todd Richards will have them ready.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(0-1-0 0 points 4th Division, 8th Conference)

Brandon Saad Ryan Johansen Nick Foligno
Boone Jenner Brandon Dubinsky Rene Bourque
Scott Hartnell Gregory Campbell Cam Atkinson
Matt Calvert William Karlsson Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin Jack Johnson
Ryan Murray David Savard
Kevin Connauton Dalton Prout/Cody Goloubef

Sergei Bobrovsky
Curtis McElhinney

New York Rangers
(2 -0 -0 4 points; 1st Division, 1st Conference)

Rick Nash Derrick Brassard Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider Derek Stepan Kevin Hayes
J.T. Miller Oscar Lindberg Victor Stalberg
Dominic Moore Jarret Stoll Jesper Fast

Ryan McDonagh Dan Girardi
Marc Staal Dan Boyle
Keith Yandle Kevin Klein

Henrik Lundqvist
Antti Raanta