Game Preview #31 - Keep It Going
The Jackets played a great game last night--except for the whole "winning" thing--and get a chance to do it again tonight at home against the Devils.
New Jersey Devils at Columbus Blue Jackets
December 10, 2013 - 7:00 pm EST
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: In Lou We Trust
SBN's Devils vs Blue Jackets Coverage
Tickets
I'm sorry, guys, but I don't have the energy to give this the preview it deserves. Suffice it to say I have a job, and in some rare circumstances it--combined with a loss of internet at home--requires me to be up until 3:00 AM at my office building (i.e., not at home sleeping). Last night was one of those nights.
I had the game on in the background, and I liked what I heard (and occasionally saw). I have a ton of respect for the Devils based on what I thought they'd be this year and what they currently are. That said, if the Jackets play like they've played the last three games, this should be a win.
However, as we saw on Friday, the night after a big game in another city has a way of sapping the legs. The Jackets laid it all on the line last night and weren't rewarded. Can they get back up with the same mojo tonight?
That, more than anything, will be the key.
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
(12-15-3, 27 Points; 7th division, 13th conference)
| Nick Foligno | Ryan Johansen | R.J. Umberger |
| Matt Calvert | Brandon Dubinsky | Cam Atkinson |
| Boone Jenner | Artem Anisimov | Blake Comeau |
| Derek MacKenzie | Mark Letestu | Corey Tropp |
| Fedor Tyutin | Jack Johnson |
| Ryan Murray | David Savard |
| Nikita Nikitin | Dalton Prout |
| Curtis McElhinney |
| Mike McKenna |
New Jersey Devils
(12-13-6, 30 Points; 5th division, 10th conference)
| Reid Boucher | Travis Zajac | Jaromir Jagr |
| Dainius Zubrus | Patrik Elias | Damien Brunner |
| Steve Bernier | Adam Henrique | Michael Ryder |
| Tim Sestito | Andrei Loktionov | Cam Janssen |
| Andy Greene | Mark Fayne |
| Anton Volchenkov | Marek Zidlicky |
| Eric Gelinas | Jon Merrill |
| Martin Brodeur |
| Cory Schneider |
Season Series
10/22/13 - New Jersey 1 at Columbus 4
12/10/13 - New Jersey at Columbus
12/27/13 - Columbus at New Jersey
02/27/14 - Columbus at New Jersey
Head to Head Stats
New Jersey Columbus 2.23 (28) GPG 2.40 (21) 2.32 (8) GAPG 2.70 (18) 18.1% (16) PP% 20.4% (8) 86.4% (4) PK% 80.8% (22) Jaromir Jagr, 11 G leader Ryan Johansen, 10 Jaromir Jagr, 13 A leader James Wisniewski, 16 Jaromir Jagr, 24 Pts leader Ryan Johansen, 23 Marek Zidlicky, 32 PIM leader Brandon Dubinsky, 62 7-8-3 Road/Home 7-7-1 12/7 @ NY Rangers, W 4-3 Last Game 12/9 @ Pittsburgh, L 2-1 4-5-1 Last 10 5-5-0