Good morning, CBJ fans! It’s gameday with our Columbus Blue Jackets taking on the Winnipeg Jets at Nationwide Arena at 7 p.m. EDT tonight. Let’s hope that our losing streak can end after that horrible loss to the Pens.
The Columbus Blue Jackets had the day off yesterday. They even had practice cancelled in a stunt to give the guys a break from the ice. This came after a 4-1 shellacking by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. Brandon Dubinsky was the only one on the team to put the puck in the net.
#CBJ were scheduled to practice, but that practice has been canceled. Maybe they need to get away from the rink and reset their minds.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 5, 2017
The loss gave CBJ fans a lot to be worried about. For starters, the offense still looks horrible. Despite getting nearly 40 shots on Matthew Murray, only one snuck past him. On the other end, Sergei Bobrovsky allowed four goals on only 27 shots. The defense is also to blame for the poor showing, allowing clean shots against Bobrovsky.
A reason the defense may have played so poorly was the absence of defenseman Zach Werenski. Werenski is most likely going to sit out the rest of the regular season due to a shoulder injury. He hurt his shoulder in Sunday’s loss to the Washington Capitals due to an Alexander Ovechkin hit.
Moving past Tuesday’s game, the Columbus Blue Jackets are back in action tonight. They go up against the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are 38-35-7 this season but are coming into Nationwide Arena riding a five-game win streak. The Jackets are on the other end with a four-game losing streak.
Forget the coffee! Kick off your day with some CBJ links.
Penguins fan flips Blue Jackets’ Boone Jenner the double bird (Bleacher Report)
Columbus Blue Jackets
How Nick Foligno and John Tortorella found a way to turn the Blue Jackets into a contender (ESPN The Magazine)
CBJ prospect Vitaly Abramov wins QMJHL MVP (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Decision to platoon depth defensemen a wise one in light of Werenski injury (The Columbus Dispatch)
Zach Werenski among top 10 fantasy defensemen for next season (NHL)
Stanley Cup Playoffs: Blues, Bruins and Blue Jackets poised to play spoiler (CBS Sports)
Penguins lose Kris Letang for season after neck surgery (FanSided)
NHL point projections: Why I was so wrong about Blue Jackets, others (USA TODAY)