Tonight at 7:30 (not 7, take note) is the start of a three game road trip for the Columbus Blue Jackets. First up is the Florida Panthers. Like their cross-state rivals in Tampa Bay, the Panthers are led by a lethal top line featuring Evgenii Dadonov, Aleksander Barkov, and Jonthan Huberdeau. That trio has accounted for 15 of Florida’s 40 goals. They were on the ice for 4 goals in Monday’s 8-5 loss to the Lightning.
Good news for Columbus: For as many goals as they’ve scored, the Panthers have not excelled at STOPPING goals. With one of the league’s worst penalty kills, this opponent may be the cure for what ails the woeful CBJ power play.
Cam Atkinson remains day-to-day as he recovers from a hip injury. Tyler Motte excelled in his debut on Monday and will take Cam’s spot on the second line. It appears Sonny Milano and Zac Dalpe will return to the lineup after being healthy scratches on Monday.
Projected Lineups
| Artemi Panarin |
Nick Foligno |
Josh Anderson |
| Boone Jenner |
Brandon Dubinsky |
Tyler Motte |
| Matt Calvert |
Alexander Wennberg |
Oliver BJORKSTRAND |
| Sonny Milano |
Zac Dalpe |
Pierre-Luc Dubois |
| Zach Werenski |
Seth Jones |
| Jack Johnson |
David Savard |
| Ryan Murray |
Markus Nutivaara |
| Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Joonas Korpisalo |
| Evgenii Dadonov |
Aleksander Barkov |
Jonathan Huberdeau |
| Jamie McGinn |
Vincent Trocheck |
Radim Vrbata
|
| Derek MacKenzie |
Nick Bjugstad |
Owen Tippett |
| Chase Balisy |
Denis Malgin |
Micheal Haley |
| Keith Yandle |
Aaron Ekblad |
| Mike Matheson |
MacKenzie Weegar |
| Ian McCoshen |
Mark Pysyk |
