The Blue Jackets need their captain to bounce back and lead the way tonight

As the Blue Jackets look to climb out of a 3-game losing streak tonight, one thing has become abundantly clear: it's not going to be easy. There is also a secondary storyline here. They need their captain to play one of the best games of his career.

They're taking on the Carolina Hurricanes, who currently sit in a three-way tie atop the Eastern Conference standings. That's not to say that they can't be beaten, but it's worth pointing out that they have only lost 27 games this season-6 of them in overtime.

It is going to take all hands on deck tonight. This is not an easy team to score against, and offense has been a big part of the problem for the Blue Jackets of late.

As they skated this morning, I could not help but notice on eye opening decision: Boone Jenner is slated to play on the second line tonight, despite Kent Johnson coming back into the lineup. From the outside, this is a peculiar decision.

First off, this article isn't about knocking Boone Jenner. He is a leader on this team, and he is very valuable in his role. He's not coming out of the lineup, nor should he. But there are two problems here. The first issue is, his role is best suited within this team's bottom-six. He's a grinder on this team.

Obviously, having him in the top-six is a curious way for them to try to generate more offense. I would argue that placing Jenner line up alongside Sean Monahan and Conor Garland, gives this team another third line, as opposed to a second line.

All of them are reliable two-way players. Of course, they can chip in some secondary offense, but it's clear that there is no real play driver on this line. More likely, they're going to have to score off of a turnover or a hard-working forecheck. This is perfectly fine, because as they say, they don't ask how.

But, adding to my confusion is the fact that it doesn't make much sense to bury Kent Johnson on a fourth line. Especially not alongside a defensive minded center and a grinding straight-lines guy. He's not going to generate much (any) offense in this role, so even having him in the lineup seems moot.

The other reason this lineup doesn't make sense? Well, it's a bit of an elephant in the room.

Boone cost the team dearly on Sunday.

With the Jackets still in control against the Boston Bruins, their captain made a big mistake. He was called for tripping Charlie McAvoy in the neutral zone, with less than 10 minutes left in a one goal game.

Now, for clarity, I will admit that I didn't like the call. I thought McAvoy sold it. But, facts are facts, and Boone does get caught reaching while not moving his feet. That's basically asking for a penalty. You can't have that from your captain late in a meaningful game.

The good news is, the Jackets were able to kill that off. But the bad (worse) news is, he did it again. With 42 seconds left in the game, with a critical two points on the line, he got caught standing still and took another tripping penalty. That one was definitely a penalty. That led to a 6-on-4 advantage for the Bruins, and we all know how that turned out.

So, the simple facts here are this. The Blue Jackets need their captain to not only bounce back, but also step up and fill the role he's being provided tonight. They need him to play on the second line, and they need him to turn in one of the best games of his entire career.

That's what it's going to take for them to beat the Carolina Hurricanes. It's a make or break kind of game for the Blue Jackets, and they need their captain to lead the way.