Game Preview #31 - What Should the Sideshow Be?
I'm done trying to provide "hockey analysis". Let's pick a distraction!
Blue Jackets vs. Islanders - 7:00 PM
Game Faceoff
Back in 2011-2012, we thought the Jackets would be good. They were not. It got to a point for us writers where we would try anything to make covering a shitty team interesting. For me, it was two things: The Bizarro Jackets, and using song lyrics to recap games I was recapping.
It didn't change anything on the ice, but it helped me cope (so did having my first child be born in December of that crap-tacular season, because I was able to check out and not watch most of the back half of the season).
So, we need to find a way to cope this season. I'm not going to try to provide hockey analysis for this preview (other than, oh God, we suck and the Islanders assuredly do not suck). Instead, I'm opening it up to you all. What should be the new method for coping and feeling better about the lot in life we have of following this shit-stained franchise?
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
(11-17-2, 24 Points; 8th division, 16th conference)
| Boone Jenner | Ryan Johansen | Brandon Saad |
| Scott Hartnell | Brandon Dubinsky | Nick Foligno |
| Matt Calvert | Alexander Wennberg | Cam Atkinson |
| Gregory Campbell | William Karlsson | David Clarkson |
| Jack Johnson | David Savard |
| Ryan Murray | Andrew Bodnarchuk |
| Fedor Tyutin | Kevin Connauton |
| Curtis McElhinney |
| Joonas Korpisalo |
New York Islanders
(16-8-5, 37 Points; 3rd Division, 5th Conference)
| Brock Nelson | John Tavares | Kyle Okposo |
| Anders Lee | Franz Nielsen | Josh Bailey |
| Nikolay Kulemin | Mikhail Grabovski | Ryan Strome |
| Matt Martin | Casey Cizikas | Cal Clutterbuck |
| Nick Leddy | Travis Hamonic |
| Calvin de Haan | Johnny Boychuk |
| Thomas Hickey | Brian Strait |
| Jaroslav Halak |
| Thomas Greiss |