Match-up - Columbus Blue Jackets (25-27-3) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (32-16-9) Road/Home records - 13-13-1 -------------- 15-7-4 TV - NBCSN, SN360, SNO, SNW, ROOT Puck drop - 7:00 p.m. ET Season series - 1-0 Blue Jackets Last 10 - Blue Jackets: 5-5-0 ------------ Pens: 5-4-1 Projected starting goalies - Curtis McElhinney vs Marc-Andre Fleury
Projected lines for the Penguins via DailyFaceoff.com:
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - David Perron Blake Comeau - Evgeni Malkin - Patric Hornqvist Nick Spaling - Brandon Sutter - Beau Bennett Craig Adams - Maxim Lapierre - Steve Downie
Paul Martin - Kris Letang Rob Scuderi - Simon Despres Derrick Pouliot - Robert Bortuzzo
Projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Scott Hartnell - Ryan Johansen - Corey Tropp Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Cam Atkinson Alex Wennberg - Artem Anisimov - Marko Dano Jack Skille - Mark Letestu - Jared Boll
Jack Johnson - David Savard Kevin Connauton - James Wisniewski Fedor Tyutin - Cody Goloubef
Injured: Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner, Jeremy Morin, Nathan Horton, Ryan Murray, Sergei Bobrovsky.
What to watch:
1) When Columbus and Pittsburgh meet it never seems to disappoint. Obviously last year's playoff series was exceptional hockey, and in their only meeting this season was a 4-3 shootout win by the Blue Jackets. Columbus has been scoring more of late and, though Pittsburgh is struggling to find twine right now, the Jackets allow more than three goals against per game, so I expect this to be a high-scoring, high-event game.
2) I still think the Jackets would be smart to hold onto Cam Atkinson, but if they want to move him he's certainly picking the right time to up his play. Atkinson has three goals, five points and 15 shots in his last five games.
3) Jack Johnson has been less than spectacular defensively this season, in part because he plays over his head, and is regularly matched up against top competition. He'll get no break tonight, as he'll likely spend almost every second he's on the ice against either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. He'll need to be a lot better than usual.
4) One thing the Jackets have going for them is a lot of offense from the back end. Johnson, James Wisniewski, and David Savard all have at least 20 points this season, and they can all wire a puck. Offense from the defense is something to watch out for tonight, especially if this turns into a track meet.
5) If Curtis McElhinney's future in the NHL was ever in doubt, it certainly isn't now. He's won eight of his last 11 starts, and has posted a .900SV% or better in six of his last seven starts. He now has a very respectable .916SV% on the season, and surely has played himself into a contract for next season.
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