Columbus Blue Jackets Face New Jersey Devils in Matinee
By William Espy
The Columbus Blue Jackets travel to New Jersey for the final game before the Christmas break.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to play the second half of a matinee back to back. The first game against the Philadelphia Flyers went in the Jackets’ favor, however MacKenzie Blackwood and the New Jersey Devils will be motivated to get payback for the last meeting between Columbus and New Jersey.
The last meeting between the two teams was last Thursday, a game which resulted in a 2-1 Blue Jackets victory.
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Players to Watch for Columbus:
Cam Atkinson: Atkinson has three goals in the last two games and is currently leading the Blue Jackets with 22 goals in 34 games to this point. When Atkinson catches any type of hot streak this season, he’s unstoppable for the Blue Jackets.
Pierre-Luc Dubois: Dubois has a total of 4 assists in the last two games and despite not having a goal for quite a while, he’s been getting quality scoring chances and a single goal could break his scoring slump wide open.
Players to Watch for New Jersey:
Taylor Hall: Taylor Hall is the reigning Hart Trophy winner and is one of the best wingers in the whole NHL. He’s not scoring as many goals as would be expected to this point, however he does have a total of 37 points through 32 games.
MacKenzie Blackwood: There’s no guarantee that Blackwood will be the starter against the Blue Jackets, but if he is then he’s going to be determined to get his first NHL win. The 22-year old rookie had a phenomenal first career start against the Blue Jackets on Thursday.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets will have a tough matchup on their hands when they face the New Jersey Devils in a matinee weekend matchup. It’ll be interesting to see how they do in the second half of a back-to-back.