The Blue Jackets' depth on defense (which was bolstered at the trade deadline) has been a blessing. Unless, of course, your name is Scott Harrington.
Harrington last saw game action on Feb. 28 in Montreal, a dramatic 1-0 overtime loss for the Blue Jackets, and has not been in the lineup since. That will change today in Brooklyn as John Tortorella looks to keep his players fresh for the final month of the season, something he has mentioned he would do as the season grows older.
Harrington's appearance today will be his 15th of the season, a number that has been impacted by the acquisition of Kyle Quincey and the emergence of Markus Nutivaara, though Tortorella told Aaron Portzline today that Nutivaara's game has been slipping.
Scott Harrington back in for the #CBJ today!@BlueTech_Inc projected lineup pic.twitter.com/vXhynW3myh
— ColumbusBlueJackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 18, 2017
Look for assistant coach Brad Shaw to tactfully deploy his defensemen today, particularly the third pairing of Harrington and Quincey. Harrington has been a below-average possession player in limited action this season (45.95% Corsi at 5-on-5) and Quincey is in the same boat. For context: that means when Harrington is on the ice at even strength, the Blue Jackets spent ~54% of those minutes without the puck.
Joonas Korpisalo is the Blue Jackets' starting goaltender today, which would lead one to assume that Sergei Bobrovsky will get the call tomorrow afternoon in Newark.
Data/analytics courtesy of Corsica.hockey
Follow 1st Ohio BatteryFacebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
