Match-up - Columbus Blue Jackets (10-15-2) @ Washington Capitals (13-10-4) Road/Home records - 5-7-1 -------------- 5-5-3 TV - CSN-DC, FS-O Puck drop - 7:00 p.m. ET Season series - 1-0 Capitals Last 10 - Blue Jackets: 4-5-1 ------------ Capitals: 6-3-1 Projected starting goalies - Sergei Bobrovsky vs Braden Holtby
Projected lines for the Capitals via DailyFaceoff.com:
Alex Ovechkin - Nicklas Backstrom - Tom Wilson Marcus Johansson - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Troy Brouwer Brooks Laich - Eric Fehr - Joel Ward Jason Chimera - Michael Latta - Jay Beagle
Brooks Orpik - John Carlson Karl Alzner - Matt Niskanen Jack Hillen - Nate Schmidt
Injured: Mike Green, John Erskine, Dmirty Orlov.
Projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Boone Jenner - Ryan Johansen - Jack Skille Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Cam Atkinson Brian Gibbons - Nick Foligno - Scott Hartnell Corey Tropp - Michael Chaput - Jared Boll
Jack Johnson - David Savard Kevin Connauton - James Wisniewski Jordan Leopold - Dalton Prout
Injured: Artem Anisimov, Nathan Horton, Mark Letestu, Ryan Murray, Fedor Tyutin.
Game notes:
- After an exceptional start to the season Ryan Johansen has really cooled off offensively. He has recorded a point in just four of his last 11 games and has not recorded points in consecutive games since his 10-game point streak to start the year. Columbus is still finding ways to win games, but that's not going to continue if he doesn't step up offensively.
- I stress this often, but the Jackets must stay disciplined in this game. The Caps are above average 5 vs 5, but they're absolutely lethal and only rivalled by Pittsburgh on the man advantage. If Columbus parades to the penalty box this isn't going to be a game.
- Brandon Dubinsky may have just returned from injury but he's being thrown right into the fire early. He drew a tough matchup against Claude Giroux's line last game, and you can bet Todd Richards will be looking to match him against Nicklas Backstrom's line tonight. Backstrom is one of the most underrated two-way players in the NHL and has 11 points in his last nine games so Dubinsky will have his work cut out for him.
- Boone Jenner has scored in four consecutive games and has 12 shots in that span. If he scores in his 5th straight there's a good chance the Jackets will win their 5th in a row.
- Columbus is eight points back of Washington for 3rd in the Metro Division. A win shrinks that to a very manageable six, while a loss puts them 10 back. I don't want to say a game before the 30 mark is a must-win, but this is as close as it gets to one at this point.
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