Game Preview #68 - Return Of The Bob
Sergei Bobrovsky has had a rough year with groin injuries. 15 games to go, might as well get some work in.
Blue Jackets vs. Penguins
7:00 PM - Game Faceoff
We've talked about it at length, whether it wouldn't be the best thing to shut Sergei Bobrovsky down for the rest of the season. That's now moot, as Bob has been activated, and is getting the start tonight. There's no denying that, at his best, he's a difference maker. But, he *has* to be rusty.
The upshot is that Joonas Korpisalo heads back to Lake Erie to gear up for their playoff run. That's not a bad thing.
And hey, maybe a rusty Bob helps The TankTM.
The other storyline here continues to be this perceived Sidney Crosby / Brandon Dubinsky thing, carrying over from the post-Thanksgiving game with Dubinsky's cross-check. It was a bad hit. Let's stipulate that right there. However, the continued salty hate coming from the Steel City about Dubinsky makes me chuckle. He got suspended. It's over. Let it go.
They will not, of course, and it didn't help matters when Tom Sestito (yes *that* Tom Sestito) issued a warning of sorts. It doesn't look like he's going to play tonight, but come on.
Just let it go, man.
A win tonight would clinch the season series against Pittsburgh. That's all I need, man.
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
(28-31-8, 64 Points; 8th division, 14th conference)
| Boone Jenner | Brandon Dubinsky | Cam Atkinson |
| Scott Hartnell | Alexander Wennberg | Nick Foligno |
| Matt Calvert | William Karlsson | David Clarkson |
| Rene Bourque | Gregory Campbell | Jared Boll |
| Ryan Murray | Seth Jones |
| Cody Goloubef | David Savard |
| Fedor Tyutin | Dalton Prout |
| Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Curtis McElhinney |
Pittsburgh Penguins
(34-24-8, 76 Points; 4th Division, 8th Conference)
| Chris Kunitz | Sidney Crosby | Patric Hornqvist |
| Carl Hagelin | Evgeni Malkin | Phil Kessel |
| Scott Wilson | Matt Cullen | Eric Fehr |
| Tom Kuhnhackl | Nick Bonino | Bryan Rust |
| Olli Maatta | Kris Letang |
| Trevor Daley | Brian Dumoulin |
| Ian Cole | Justin Schultz |
| Marc-Andre Fleury |
| Matt Murray |