The Columbus Blue Jackets play the Rangers in a 5 p.m. game Sunday. Jackets are coming off a dominant win against the Islander’s on Friday. The Rangers beat the Devils on Friday 4-3 in overtime.
The Columbus Blue Jackets hit the road for the first time in over two weeks as they take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Jackets will look to take the season series against the Rangers as both teams have won two games and lost two games.
The game Sunday is the last of a back to back for both teams. The game carries heavy playoff implications as these two teams are separated in the Metropolitan division by a single point.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Bobrovsky Back in Net
Joonas Korpisalo was in net Saturday night for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Korpisalo earned his first NHL shutout in the 7-0 victory over the Islander’s. Korpisalo also started in net Wednesday for the Cleveland Monsters while the rest of the team had the full bye week off.
With the back to back games and early start time Sunday, Sergei Bobrovsky will be back in net this evening. Bobrovsky has 31 wins on the season which puts him one behind league leader Devan Dubnyk.
Shake up of Lines Yields Points
Last night with Matt Calvert and Lukas Sedlak still out, coach John Tortorella adjusted the lines and the team responded well. Nick Foligno moved to the left wing in the line with Alexander Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Foligno put away two very impressive goals, and Wennberg assisted on both. Brandon Saad moved into the left side of the line with Sam Gagner and Scott Hartnell. Saad assisted on two goals and Gagner got back on the score sheet with an assist to David Savard.
Savard’s Steady Presence
While the forwards have recently experience a run of injuries, the blue line is seemingly back to their old selves. During January and earlier this month David Savard missed eight games with back spasms. It is impossible to speculate how sever his condition was or still is, but having Savard back patrolling the blue line has added a bit of reassurance in front of the goal crease.
Last night Savard came up big in preventing a goal from Alan Quine in front of a wide open net. The stop by Savard was followed quickly by Josh Anderson’s first goal of the night.
Related Story: Blue Jackets Destroy Islander's
Jenner-Dubinsky-Atkinson Line Continues run of Success
The line of Boone Jenner, Brandon Dubinsky, and Cam Atkinson has been red hot of late. Going into the game Saturday night the line had tallied 19 points as a group in the previous nine games. Last night Boone Jenner scored his 12th goal of the year. A goal that was sprung by Dubinsky on the break to Atkinson who fired one on net that Boone was there to put away.
The goal was a full line effort and is an example of how well this line fits together. Earlier in the year Jenner and Dubinsky did not get off to the start either would have liked. Fortunately, both have come on strong as of late. As the season changes to spring their run of form could be an indicator to how well this team plays in April.
The puck drops at five in New York this evening. The winner of the game will take the season series, and continue to cement their place near the top of the standings. With both the Rangers and Penguins winning last night, the Blue Jackets will need this win just to keep pace and regain the positioning they lost during the bye week.