Columbus Blue Jackets Play Penguins Without Zach Werenski Due to Injury
Columbus Blue Jackets’ defenseman Zach Werenski suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals after Alex Ovechkin crushed him into the boards.That injury will keep him out of Tuesday’s date with the Penguins and most likely longer.
During Sunday’s game against the Washington Capitals, Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets suffered an injury. After Werenski quickly passed the puck away, Alex Ovechkin hit the 19 year-old at top speed against the boards. The rookie’s shoulder took the brunt of the collision and his head bounced off of the glass due to Ovechkin’s mini leap upward.
After laying on the ice for a few seconds, Werenski got to his feet and slowly skated to the bench. No penalty was called regarding the hit yet the NHL Department of Player Safety did tag the play for review. The hit seemed to fire up both sides as a line brawl broke out ten minutes later. Ovechkin was a major player in that as well, bloodying Josh Anderson during the scrum.
The injury will force Werenski to miss at least Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins and most likely more. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch has been reporting that Werenski may sit out until the playoffs. The Blue Jackets are scheduled to face the Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Toronto Maple Leafs to round out the season after the Penguins matchup.
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Pittsburgh Preview
The Pittsburgh and Columbus Blue Jackets meet for the final time of the 2016-2017 regular season Tuesday evening. With the teams just one point apart in the standings, the game is a must-win for both sides. Both teams are great home teams and a higher seed will give them the home ice advantage for their first round series.
Pittsburgh is led by Sidney Crosby as usual on the offensive end while Cam Atkinson is the Blue Jackets’ go-to scorer. The offense has been heating up for the Penguins while the CBJ’s offense has fallen flat. Pittsburgh’s goal scoring has been in the top 10 in the league over the last month. The Blue Jackets’ has not. Columbus’ 37 goals over the past 30 days puts them in 21st in the league.
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Playoff Implications
Through 78 games, the teams are separated by only one point. The Pens sit in second in the Metropolitan Division with 107 points while the Jackets have 106 points. The teams are basically locked in to play one another so Tuesday’s game will be a preview of what to expect in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The crowd will also be rocking just as it will be in the playoffs. The Blue Jackets’ Sunday game against the Capitals felt like a playoff atmosphere and the Pittsburgh fans will bring the same intensity. Pittsburgh will also try to continue their home ice dominance that they’ve had this season. The Pens and Washington are the only two clubs to have won 30 games at home this season.
Predictions
Jackets win. The CBJ offense is looking horrible and Bob can’t stand on his head every night (or can he?) but Oliver Bjorkstrand is back! Yeah, that’s right! BJORK IS BACK! The Jackets’ power play is playing at their absolute worst but Bjork is a great goal scorer and it will be enough to push them to a win despite Werenski’s absence.
Go Jackets!