Game Preview: Bloody but Unbowed

Just six days ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets fell in a shootout to the Pittsburgh Penguins and now they’ll do it all over again. That first matchup removed any doubt that these teams do NOT care for each other, and consider this a rivalry. It was a physical, hard-fought battle even if it got chippy too often. Look for more of the same tonight. Can the Blue Jackets survive another battle like that? The last few weeks have proven costly.

We get a break in that Kris Letang will not play tonight due to a lower body injury. Letang has always played well against Columbus.

The big news for Columbus is that we received coal in our stocking on Boxing Day with the revelation that both Cam Atkinson (foot) and Alexander Wennberg (back) will miss 4-6 weeks. This is concerning for a team that is already missing Brandon Dubinsky for an extended period (Defensemen Zach Werenski and Ryan Murray are also still out at this point, but should be back sooner. Werenski skated this morning at practice). The good news:

The injuries #CBJ must deal with now come at the least busy time in their schedule. If you’re looking for a positive.

— Dave Maetzold (@DMaetzMedia) December 26, 2017

Thanks, Maetz. Now what will the lineup look like in their absence? A large batch of reinforcements arrived from Cleveland yesterday, with Jordan Schroeder, Sonny Milano, Tyler Motte, and Dean Kukan getting the call. The first three have grown very familiar with I-71 this season (watch out for the speed traps in Richland County!) while Dean Kukan has not played for the Jackets since late in the 2016 season. These were how the lines shook out at morning practice today:

Projected Lineups