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Despite several key injuries and split squad games, the Blue Jackets are 5-1-0 in the preseason thus far.

They'll look to improve on that record tonight when they take on a divisional opponent in the Hurricanes, who have struggled to date (1-3-0).

In large part due to a few key absences, several young players will be given every opportunity to prove their worth and earn a spot on the roster.

That'll be quite evident tonight as Marko Dano and Alex Wennberg, two first rounders from 2013, will be playing in a top-6 role vs Carolina.

Let's take a look at their projected line combos (via Shawn Mitchell):

Scott Hartnell - Artem Anisimov - Marko Dano
Matt Calvert - Alex Wennberg - Cam Atkinson
Simon Hjalmarsson - Mark Letestu - Nick Foligno
Corey Tropp - Michael Chaput - Jared Boll

Jack Johnson - David Savard
James Wisniewski - Tim Erixon
Fedor Tyutin - Dalton Prout

Sergei Bobrovsky

What to watch:

- Marko Dano and Alex Wennberg have both had impressive preseasons and, as I mentioned above, due to several vacancies in the lineup, they have put themselves in the conversation for roster spots. If they can continue to play well, they'll not only make the team but play an important role on it.

- Michael Chaput has shown the ability to play a 200-foot game throughout camp. If he makes the team he doesn't need to play big minutes to be effective, so that gives him a bit of an edge.

- If Ryan Murray is healthy, only one of Tim Erixon/Dalton Prout will be in the opening night lineup. The next couple games could decide which guy plays.

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Western Conference bold predictions

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