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Game Preview #55 – WTF?

Columbus Blue Jackets at Philadelphia Flyers

February 17th, 2015 – 7:00 PM EST
Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Radio – WBNS 97.1 – TV – Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent’s Blog: Broad Street Hockey

Nick Foligno is out with a “day-to-day” lower body injury. OK, so I lied. The title isn’t just “Where’s The Foligno?”. It’s this, too:

Corey Tropp is on our top line.

This would be where, if this were the comments, I’d allow you all to post 17 pictures of tanks rumbling through various landscape settings.

I don’t know what else to say.

The Flyers continue along on their points streak (seriously, with that defense, how are they doing it??), but if the season ends with them on the outside looking in, they can look back at several of these games against Columbus as a series of lost points, having missed opportunities for additional points in three of the four games played thus far. Friday’s OT loss had to sting a bit, as they blew a 3-1 third period lead and lost in OT. Granted it’s just one point, but ask the 2013 Jackets if one point can make a difference at the end of the season.

So, yeah, after Saturday’s thumping on the Island, it sure looks like the Jackets are shifting into tank mode again. We shall see. Philly seems to bring out their inner “let’s win and wreck our draft status!” every time.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(24-27-3, 51 Points; 6th division, 12th conference)

Scott Hartnell Ryan Johansen Corey Tropp
Matt Calvert Brandon Dubinsky Cam Atkinson
Alexander Wennberg Artem Anisimov Marko Dano
Jack Skille Mark Letestu Jared Boll

Jack Johnson David Savard
Fedor Tyutin Cody Goloubef
Kevin Connauton James Wisniewski

Curtis McElhinney
Anton Forsberg

Philadelphia Flyers
(24-22-10, 58 Points; 5th Division, 10th Conference)

Brayden Schenn Claude Giroux Jakub Voracek
Matt Read Sean Couturier Wayne Simmonds
Ryan White Michael Raffl R.J. Umberger
Chris VandeVelde Pierre-Edouard Bellemare Vincent Lecavalier

Nick Schultz Mark Streit
Nicklas Grossmann Braydon Coburn
Michael Del Zotto Luke Schenn

Ray Emery
Anthony Stolarz

Season Series

PHI – 1-1-2
CBJ – 3-1-0

11/14/14 – Columbus 4 at Philadelphia 3
11/22/14 – Columbus 2 at Philadelphia 4
12/09/14 – Philadelphia 2 at Columbus 3 (OT)
02/13/15 – Philadelphia 3 at Columbus 4 (OT)
02/17/15 – Columbus at Philadelphia

Head to Head Stats

Philadelphia Columbus
2.66 (20) GPG 2.56 (23)
2.79 (23) GAPG 3.13 (26)
23.5% (3) PP% 22.1% (6)
75.7% (28) PK% 80.4% (20)
Wayne Simmonds, 21 G leader Nick Foligno, 22
Jakub Voracek, 42 A leader Nick Foligno / Ryan Johansen, 30
Jakub Voracek, 60 Pts leader Nick Foligno, 52
Zac Rinaldo, 75 PIM leader Scott Hartnell, 78
15-7-4 Home/Road 12-13-1
6-1-3 Last 10 4-6-0
2/15 @ Buffalo, W 2-1 Last Game 2/14 @ NY Islanders, L 6-3