After going to extra time twice on Sunday versus the Penguins, Columbus will turn around to face their former Central Division rivals in St. Louis in an almost-completely meaningless preseason game. As of 7:00 PM Monday, neither team has announced their roster for the game. We’ll update this post once we hear something concrete.
Until then, here’s who I want to see play, based on lineup intrigue:
Kirill Marchenko – Marchy returned to the ice on Sunday after dealing with some back problems, but didn’t play in either game. If he’s ready to go Tuesday, I’d want to see him play and challenge for a Top 6 spot.
Alexandre Texier – On the flip side, Alexandre Texier has returned on the top line after a year and a half in Europe. While he’s played well with Adam Fantilli and Patrik Laine, an individual look may help to determine if he can stay with them.
Cole Sillinger/Dmitri Voronkov – *insert “C’mon do something” meme here*
Brendan Gaunce – Gaunce impressed me Sunday night. Can he push for a 4th line role out of camp?
Ivan Provorov – The new defenseman was absent from both Pittsburgh games, and the graphic-maker in me would like some on-ice pictures. I also would like to see him play.
Fringe Defensemen – Presumably, three of the six spots on the D-core have been locked down: Provorov, Zach Werenski, and Damon Severson. Adam Boqvist is likely safe until he gets injured again. So that means Nick Blankenburg, David Jiricek, Andrew Peeke, and Erik Gudbranson will battle for the two remaining slots. Can someone separate themselves from the pack? Will Erik Gudbranson play poorly enough to bury that albatross of a contract in Cleveland? Let’s hope so.
Elvis Merzlikins – Did Elvis look much better Sunday than he did most of last season? Yes. Does he need to look much better than Sunday for this team to have a shot at the playoffs? Also yes.
Puck drops at 8:00 PM from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Talk about the game in the comments, and let’s go Jackets!
Update: Roster is in!
What will you be looking for tonight?