After much speculation, the Columbus Blue Jackets have announced the lineup for Tuesday’s preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Hockey is back, and so are the Columbus Blue Jackets. The CBJ will kick off the 2017-2018 preseason with a prime time meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationwide Arena Tuesday.
As is the case with preseason games, not all the regular season starters will play. The preseason isn’t really there to win; it’s there for coaches like John Tortorella to test his guys’ stamina, play styles and line combinations.
That’s pretty evident by Torts’ lineup choices for Tuesday’s matchup.
Forwards
Panarin – Dubois – Foligno
Broadhurst – Camper – Abramov
Motte – Vigneault – Moutrey
Hannikainen – Sedlak – Koules
Defensemen
Carlsson – Jones
Werenski – Siebenaler
Kukan – Savard
Goaltenders
Korpisalo
Kivlenieks
Notable scratches include the likes of Alexander Wennberg, Cam Atkinson, Jack Johnson and Sergei Bobrovsky. But those scratches will give room for players such as Pierre-Luc Dubois and Vitaly Abramov, who are desperately trying to find a way on to the Blue Jackets’ opening night roster.
Dubois will get a huge opportunity to showcase himself as he will play on the same line as captain Nick Foligno and newly acquired superstar Artemi Panarin. His playmaking ability will be put to the test after an impressive Traverse City showing.
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Another player that has a big chance to prove himself is Gabriel Carlsson. Currently projected for the first defensive pairing alongside Seth Jones is a spot that he needs to flourish in if he wants to solidify himself as a NHL defenseman. He’s been discussed as a third pairing defenseman for the CBJ that could find himself as a healthy scratch if he slips up, so he needs a strong performance Tuesday.
Overall, the game is not very important in the result. The most important things to come out of Tuesday’s matchup against the Blackhawks is how the young players perform in this NHL environment. Even if they fail though, at least hockey is back.