The Columbus Blue Jackets are ready to continue their difficult week, this time against the Nashville Predators.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are coming off of a rough loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning and tonight’s game isn’t much easier. The Nashville Predators are on a three game winning streak and are currently on top of their division.
The Predators aren’t on top of the league like the Lightning were, however they have a very respectable 27-15-3 record going into tonight’s match-up.
More from Union and Blue
- Blaming Columbus Blue Jacket Players for Babcock Fallout is Unfair
- The Mike Babcock Experiment in Columbus Has Failed
- Blue Jacket Prospects Win Traverse City Tournament: Who Stood Out?
- Mike Babcock Resigns as CBJ Head Coach: Reaction
- New Claims Bring Higher Level of Concern to Babcock Situation
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without Sergei Bobrovsky tonight, as he was sent away from the team. As a result, Joonas Korpisalo will get the start tonight against Juuse Saros more than likely according to DailyFaceoff.
Former Blue Jacket Ryan Johansen leads the Predators in points with 38 in 45 games, however they are a team who have dealt with quite a few injuries to star players early in the season. Other players to keep an eye on will include Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, PK Subban and Roman Josi.
The Predators are famous for their depth on defense over the years, and while they don’t have Shea Weber or Ryan Suter anymore they still have a phenomenal defense corps with star power up front and strong depth.
The Blue Jackets need to use the recent drama and bad performance against Tampa Bay as a motivator rather than a hindrance if they want to walk out with a win tonight. Nashville is one of the best teams in the NHL annually and as a result, they know how to capitalize on teams who aren’t completely focused on the game at hand.
Tonight won’t be an easy win for either team, but the Blue Jackets can’t afford to drop another two points on this stretch of tough games. After tonight, the Jackets visit Washington in another game that they’ll struggle to win.