Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Islanders Game Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets are ready to start their season tonight against the New York Islanders. The home opener in Nationwide Arena is going to be a hard-fought and entertaining game.

The New York Islanders and their elite center John Tavares are in town to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight in both teams’ season openers. The Islanders and Blue Jackets had very different seasons last year, yet both teams have a high expectation for success this upcoming year. The Islanders missed out on a wild card spot by one point while Columbus finished third in the division.

Pressure is at an all-time high for Islanders management as John Tavares will be leaving in the offseason if they’re unable to reach a deal. As a result, Tavares may end up on the trading block after New Year’s Day. The Blue Jackets are on the opposite end of the spectrum as they will likely try to add players all season long to help them push toward a Stanley Cup.

New Faces

Both teams made big acquisitions this offseason with the Artemi Panarin trade being the biggest story for the Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, the Islanders strengthened their forward corps by adding goal-scorer Jordan Eberle from the Edmonton Oilers.

Both teams are also going to have a significant impact from young players joining the lineup. The Blue Jackets have added Pierre-Luc Dubois, Sonny Milano and Gabriel Carlsson to the NHL roster, who are all expected to have a big contribution this season.

The Islanders on the other hand have added top prospects Mathew Barzal, Joshua Ho-Sang, and Anthony Beauvillier. Barzal was seen as the steal of the first round in the 2015 draft after he inexplicably dropped to the middle of the first round. Both him and Ho-Sang are predicted to be Calder Trophy candidates by EyesOnIsles.com expert Michel Anderson. However, Ho-Sang will be a healthy scratch in the season opener; Jason Chimera will take his spot.

The following lines for tonight’s game are projected by RosterResource.com.

Interview: Michel Anderson (EyesOnIsles.com)

New York Islanders

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 18: Anders Lee #27 of the New York Islanders skates against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Barclays Center on March 18, 2017 in Brooklyn borough of New York City. Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the New York Islanders 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Lee — Tavares (C) — Eberle

Ladd (A) — Barzal — Bailey

Beauvillier — Nelson — Chimera

Kulemin — Cizikas — Clutterbuck (A)

Leddy — Boychuk

De Haan — Seidenberg

Hickey — Pelech

Greiss

Halak

Columbus Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS, OH – FEBRUARY 25: Alexander Wennberg #10 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates against the New York Islanders on February 25, 2017 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Panarin — Wennberg — Atkinson

Milano — Foligno — Bjorkstrand

Dubois — Dubinsky — Calvert

Hannikainen — Sedlak — Dalpe

Werenski — Jones

Johnson — Savard

Murray — Carlsson

Bobrovsky

Korpisalo

The Islanders are trying to improve on a good, but not great last season. The Blue Jackets are trying to reclaim the success they found in December and early March. Only one team will walk away from tonight’s game with a victory (obviously) and we all know how important these Metro games can turn out to be.

The puck will drop at approximately 7 p.m. EST. The game will be available on FOX Sports Ohio and MSG+.

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