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Match-up - Columbus Blue Jackets (6-11-2) @ Philadelphia Flyers (7-9-2)
Road/Home records - 3-5-1 -------------- 5-3-1
TV - CSN-Philly, FS-O
Puck drop - 7:00 p.m. ET
Season series - 1-0 Jackets
Last 10 - Blue Jackets: 2-6-2 ------------ Flyers: 4-6-0
Projected starting goalies - Sergei Bobrovsky vs Steve Mason
Projected lines for the Flyers via DailyFaceoff.com:
Brayden Schenn - Claude Giroux - Jakub Voracek
Matt Read - Sean Couturier - Wayne Simmonds
R.J. Umberger - Scott Laughton - Vincent Lecavalier
Zac Rinaldo - Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - Chris VandeVelde
Nicklas Grossman - Mark Streit
Luke Schenn/Michael Del Zotto - Andrew MacDonald
Nick Schultz - Braydon Coburn
Injured: Kimmo Timonen, Michael Raffl.
Projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Boone Jenner - Ryan Johansen - Nick Foligno
Scott Hartnell - Artem Anisimov - Cam Atkinson
Matt Calvert - Alex Wennberg - Jack Skille
Brian Gibbons - Adam Cracknell - Jared Boll
Jack Johnson - Dalton Prout
Kevin Connauton - James Wisniewski
Jordan Leopold - David Savard
Injured: Brandon Dubinsky, Nathan Horton, Mark Letestu, Ryan Murray, Fedor Tyutin, Cody Goloubef.
Game notes:
- Ryan Johansen had three points last night and was one of the best players on the ice. When he gets going he tends to stay really hot for a while so hopefully that is the case for a Blue Jackets team that really needs to start winning some games.
- Jakub Voracek is playing against his former team and every time he does so it's a story. I think his play this year is a story more than anything else, though. He's the NHL's leading scorer and if you don't take his time/space away in a hurry he'll burn you. The Jackets need to be all over him.
- The Flyers defense is something I think the Jackets can take advantage of. Not a lot of offense comes from back there and they aren't the most mobile group going, so the Jackets can probably play the forwards a little tighter than they normally would. Besides Streit and Del Zotto (if he plays) I'm not sure anyone from the backend can burn you if you give them some extra space at the point.
- A quick start is key tonight. Sergei Bobrovsky allowed a weak one last night to let the Bruins back in it, but generally that's not going to happen. He's one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and if the Jackets give him some early support he should be able to hang on.
- Columbus needs to stay disciplined tonight as the Flyers have one of the best power play units in hockey. With Giroux, Voracek, Simmonds and co. on their top unit that's not something you want to play around with, especially with a struggling penalty kill.
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