Game Preview #39 - David and Goliath etc.
Stars are in first place, the Jackets are in 30th. Any questions?
Blue Jackets vs. Stars - 7:00 PM
Game Faceoff
The good news?
Nick Foligno is back in action for the Jackets.
The bad news?
The Jackets play host to the best team in the league. The Stars are very, very good. They score at will, and play a fun, energetic style. The Jackets will have to smarten up from a discipline standpoint: the recent run of penalties has killed them, and against Dallas it would be a shooting gallery.
Curtis McElhinney is in net tonight, and he'll likely be facing Kari Lehtonen.
Though they say that trades in the NHL are going the way of the dodo, the Stars are a shining example of how a team can be built through wheeling and dealing.
At the end of the day, let's hope our boys can steal one and end the calendar year on a positive note.
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
(13-22-3, 29 Points; 8th division, 16th conference)
| Boone Jenner | Brandon Dubinsky | Cam Atkinson |
| Matt Calvert | William Karlsson | Nick Foligno |
| Scott Hartnell | Alexander Wennberg | Brandon Saad |
| Gregory Campbell | Ryan Johansen | Rene Bourque |
| Jack Johnson | Ryan Murray |
| Fedor Tyutin | Dalton Prout |
| Kevin Connauton | Justin Falk |
| Curtis McElhinney |
| Joonas Korpisalo |
Dallas Stars
(27-7-3, 57 Points; 1st Division, 1st Conference)
| Jamie Benn | Tyler Seguin | Patrick Sharp |
| Mattias Janmark | Jason Spezza | Ales Hemsky |
| Antoine Roussel | Cody Eakin | Colton Sceviour |
| Travis Moen | Vernon Fiddler | Valeri Nichushkin |
| Alex Goligoski | John Klingberg |
| Johnny Oduya | Jason Demers |
| Jyrki Jokipakka | Jordie Benn |
| Kari Lehtonen |
| Antti Niemi |