Match-up - Ottawa Senators (4-2-1) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (4-4-0) Road/Home records - 2-2-0 -------------- 2-1-0 TV - RDS2, TSN5, FSO Puck drop - 7:00 p.m. ET Season series - 0-0 Projected starting goalies - Robin Lehner vs Curtis McElhinney
Projected lines for the Senators via DailyFaceoff.com:
Clarke MacArthur - Kyle Turris - Bobby Ryan Milan Michalek - Mika Zibanejad - Alex Chiasson Zack Smith - David Legwand - Chris Neil Erik Condra - Curtis Lazar - Mark Stone
Chris Phillips - Erik Karlsson Jared Cowen - Cody Ceci Mark Borowiecki - Eric Gryba
Projected lines for the Blue Jackets via DailyFaceoff:
Scott Hartnell - Ryan Johansen - Cam Atkinson Corey Tropp - Artem Anisimov - Marko Dano Alexander Wennberg - Mark Letestu - Jack Skille Adam Cracknell - Michael Chaput - Jared Boll
Jack Johnson - Dalton Prout David Savard - Fedor Tyutin Ryan Murray - James Wisniewski
Injured: Brandon Dubinsky, Nathan Horton, Boone Jenner, Nick Foligno, Matt Calvert, Cam Atkinson, Sergei Bobrovsky.
Game notes:
- While Columbus is feeling the injuries up front, their defense is still quite potent and includes plenty of puck movers that should be able to contribute offensively. Ottawa is allowing 36 shots per game, which is only .7 ahead of last place Buffalo, so the Jackets should have plenty of opportunities even while undermanned. They'll need to make the most of those.
- Erik Karlsson is more influential to the team's offense than any other defenseman in hockey. He's Ottawa's leading scorer and the team seems to go as he does. If Columbus can limit his impact, they'll be in good shape.
- With Sergei Bobrovsky expected to miss at least the next few games, it's Curtis McElhinney's job for now. The Jackets will likely allow more chances than they normally would with all these injuries, so McElhinney may need to bail them out at times to keep them afloat.
- Marko Dano has played very well this season, in my opinion, and has done a nice job of creating chances regardless of who he's been playing with. He should get plenty of opportunities tonight as he's expected to play top-6 minutes.
- A good start is absolutely key. The Blue Jackets don't have the firepower to battle back from a couple early goals, especially with the way Robin Lehner's been playing.
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