The Blue Jackets are back in action tonight against the Flames at home after a tough loss to the the Blues last night.
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| CALGARY FLAMES |
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7–6–2 (16 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7 P.M. – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS GO |
The Flames are coming off a day of rest and an overtime victory against the Predators on Thursday, but know the Blue Jackets will be coming into tonight's game hungry.
Joonas Korpisalo will likely receive the start tonight for the Jackets after a solid showing from Elvis Merzlikins – who is still looking for his first NHL victory – last night against the Blues. But a strong performance on the back-end by the defense and offense will be required against a Flames team with plenty of depth and offensive ability.
The Jackets' power play has struck two games in a row, which is a much-needed positive for the team, but staying out of the box is just as important and should be a focus tonight.
Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Nyquist–Dubois–Atkinson
Foligno–Jenner–Anderson
Milano–Wennberg–Bjorkstrand
Lilja–Nash–Bemstrom
Defenseman
Werenski–Jones
Harrington–Savard
Gavrikov–Kukan
Goalie: Korpisalo
Extra: Nutivaara, Hannikainen
Storylines
- Discipline. The amount of penalties in the last few games has been a concern for John Tortorella. The Jackets penalty kill is not strong enough to weather multiple storms each game, and their power play is not strong enough to make up for any mistakes on the penalty kill.
- Defense. The defense has struggled this season with breakdowns and because of that, whoever is in net has been left out to dry on multiple occasions, which either leads to a key save or a goal against. Something needs to give on defense and it all beings with communication between the pairs, but if they aren't communicating properly, then the pairs may need to be mixed up.
- Energy. After two straight losses, the Jackets were severely lacking in energy on both sides of the puck. Tortorella said they "played better" last night in St. Louis, but they need to find a way to kick-start themselves early in this one as the Flames had last night off. If the Jackets can jump in head-first and get going in the first 10 minutes, they can disrupt the Flames.
