SETTING THE STAGE: If there's any team ready to get back on the ice and get back to work, it's the Blue Jackets.
As in any season, there are quirks in the schedule and they are in the middle of one: after their Saturday night game against the Sharks, the Blue Jackets did not have another game scheduled until tonight's showdown with the Blackhawks.
That's almost a week without games, and they've only played two.
Needless to say, this is an important game for Columbus (0-2-0) as it looks to break out and get in the win column. Not aiding the matter is having to sit on its winless record all week long, while some teams have played two games in the time they've held three practices. But regardless of the schedule and how it's set up, the onus is on the players to go out and do their job.
Could there be lineup changes? It certainly seems that way, at least for the home team.
For one, Ryan Murray will draw back into the lineup after missing Saturday's game with a lower body injury - the result of blocking a shot in the third period of Columbus' season opener. He is likely to pair with Seth Jones, while Zach Werenski will be slotted on the left side of a pairing with David Savard on the right.
NOTEWORTHY NEWS: Columbus placed defenseman Cody Goloubef on waivers Thursday, meaning the plan is to get him to Cleveland (AHL) if he clears at noon Friday. The Blue Jackets currently have eight healthy defensemen on the roster, so there wasn't an opportunity to get Goloubef into the lineup - and as he tries to get back into game shape following an oblique injury, playing games is exactly what he needs to do. John Tortorella said the team would make a decision on Saturday's starting goalie in Dallas following tonight's game against Chicago, which will be started by Sergei Bobrovsky.
PROJECTED CBJ LINEUP:
Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Cam Atkinson
Brandon Saad - Alex Wennberg - Nick Foligno
Scott Hartnell - William Karlsson - Josh Anderson
Boone Jenner - Lukas Sedlak/Sam Gagner - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Ryan Murray - Seth Jones
Zach Werenski - David Savard
Jack Johnson - Markus Nutivaara
