Game Preview #44 – Things. Stuff. A Game.

Blue Jackets at Islanders – 7:00 PM
Game Faceoff

I don’t have much to write in terms of the hockey-ness of this game. The Islanders are a good team that’s struggling right now, having lost seven of 11 and (4-7-0) and without their top two right-handed defensemen in Johnny Boychuk and Travis Hamonic. Columbus is… a hockey team.

Instead, let’s talk about the roster. Kevin Connauton was placed on waivers today, in an effort to get him back to Lake Erie. I expect him to clear waivers, but then again, I expected Andrew Bodnarchuk to clear waivers, too. If this is the end of the Connauton era in Columbus, it can be summed up thusly: a nice December of 2014, not much else to speak of. In 81 games in Columbus, he has 10 goals and 17 assists, and on this crapfest he somehow managed to be +11 over that span. However, five of his goals–so, half of them–and nine of his points–so, one third of them–came in December of last season, a span of 11 games. Which means for the other 70 games…

Connauton shot a comically absurd 26.3% in those 11 games (five goals on 19 shots). He had five total goals on his other 111 shots in a CBJ uniform. For a guy who was thought of as a third pairing guy who could chip in some offense and play on the PP, he did next to nothing beyond that one hot month.

If this is the end, all the best Kevin. You were a player on this team, and for that, we thank you.

For tonight, The lineup remains the same with the exception of Anton Forsberg getting the start in net. Let’s see if they can build off of the third period from Saturday and catch a slumping team, well, slumping.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(15-24-4, 34 Points; 8th division, 16th conference)

New York Islanders
(22-15-5, 49 Points; 3rd Division, 5th Conference)