Game Preview #29 - These Are Not The Flyers
The Jackets need to start stringing wins together if we're to take them seriously at all. It won't be easy tonight. Like, at all.
Blue Jackets vs. Kings - 7:00 PM
Game Faceoff
The Jackets finally put together one of their--if not THE--best games of the season on Saturday. I did not watch that game. I will probably not watch this one either, due to family commitments. Set your "jinx alerts" people.
The Kings are good. Like, really, really good. It amazes me that the Jackets beat them in LA earlier, and it would amaze me if the Jackets beat them tonight. That said, there's something to John Tortorella's comments about respect that come in to play. The Jackets do seem to get up for the good teams, and roll over for the bad ones.
They'll need to get up for this one, no doubt. Since starting 0-3-0, the Kings have been dominant: 17-5-1 (including the loss to Columbus), leading the league in EV possession and second in goals allowed per game. With a struggling offense such as the Jackets have, that makes it even tougher.
No lineup changes expected tonight.
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
(11-16-1, 23 Points; 8th division, 16th conference)
| Ryan Johansen | Brandon Dubinsky | Cam Atkinson |
| Scott Hartnell | Alexander Wennberg | Nick Foligno |
| Boone Jenner | William Karlsson | Matt Calvert |
| Gregory Campbell | Michael Chaput | Brandon Saad |
| Jack Johnson | David Savard |
| Ryan Murray | Andrew Bodnarchuk |
| Fedor Tyutin | Dalton Prout |
| Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Curtis McElhinney |
Los Angeles Kings
(17-8-1, 35 Points; 1st Division, 2nd Conference)
| Tanner Pearson | Anze Kopitar | Marian Gaborik |
| Milan Lucic | Jeff Carter | Tyler Toffoli |
| Andy Andreoff | Nick Shore | Dustin Brown |
| Kyle Clifford | Jordan Weal | Jordan Nolan |
| Brayden McNabb | Drew Doughty |
| Jake Muzzin | Alec Martinez |
| Christian Ehrhoff | Jamie McBain |
| Jonathan Quick |
| Jhonas Enroth |