Game Preview: Raise the Curtain
Welcome to Opening Night!
It has been five months and sixteen days since the Blue Jackets skated off the ice at the PPG Paints Arena and entered the long, hard offseason. Have you missed hockey? I’ve missed hockey. Last season was the most successful in franchise history, and it was a LOT of fun, but it’s disappointing that it ended after just five extra games. I am ready to watch this team build on that. I know the management, coaches, and players are ready too.
The last couple openers have been disappointing in the face of high expectations. A last minute lost to the Rangers in 2015 started an 8 game losing streak from which the team never recovered. Last year, it was a third period collapse against Boston, but the team quickly recovered and steadily climbed up the standings.
Yesterday, I went over the new look lineup. Also yesterday, Josh Anderson and Markus Nutivaara were assigned to the Cleveland Monsters. Anderson is there for conditioning, while Nuti will stay there long term to get regular playing time.
Another thing to watch: Bob skated this morning, which suggests that Joonas Korpisalo will start tonight. This saves Bob for Chicago tomorrow. Confirmation will come closer to gametime. Stay tuned.
UPDATE AT 4:58 P.M.: Bob is the confirmed starter.
Tonight’s opponent is the Metro Division rival New York Islanders. The Islanders started poorly last season before firing coach Jack Capuano. Under new coach Doug Weight, the Isles went on a 24-12-4 run and missed the playoffs by one point. After an offseason trade with Edmonton, captain John Tavares now has Jordan Eberle as another top winger opposite 34-goal scorer Anders Lee.
Before I go too far in praising Weight, I should point his head-scratching decision to scratch young star Josh Ho-Sang for elderly ex-Jacket Jason Chimera. That’s good news for the Columbus defense.
Who else will be at the game? As is tradition, I’ll be waiting next to the cannon in the second intermission and I hope to see some of you there.
Projected Lineups
| Artemi Panarin | Alexander Wennberg | Cam Atkinson |
| Sonny Milano | Nick Foligno | Oliver BJORKSTRAND |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | Brandon Dubinsky | Matt Calvert |
| Zac Dalpe | Lukas Sedlak | Markus Hannikainen |
| Zach Werenski | Seth Jones |
| Jack Johnson | David Savard |
| Ryan Murray | Gabriel Carlsson |
| Joonas Korpisalo |
| Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Anders Lee | John Tavares | Jordan Eberle |
| Andrew Ladd | Mathew Barzal | Josh Bailey |
| Anthony Beauvillier | Brock Nelson | Jason Chimera |
| Nikolay Kulemin | Casey Cizikas | Cal Clutterbuck |
| Nick Leddy | Johnny Boychuk |
| Calvin De Haan | Dennis Seidenberg |
| Thomas Hickey | Scott Mayfield |
| Thomas Greiss |
| Jaroslav Halak |