Game Preview: Blue Jackets at Blackhawks

GAME 77: BLUE JACKETS VS. BLACKHAWKS
UNITED CENTER, 8:30 P.M.
TV: FOX SPORTS OHIO / FOX SPORTS GO
RADIO: 97.1 & BLUEJACKETS.COM
There are six games left in the regular season, but Friday starts a series of games that have the Jackets facing off against three of the top five teams in the league, as they head to Chicago for a game against the third-place Blackhawks.
The Hawks are just one point behind the Jackets in the overall standings and are coming off a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. They have won 19 of their last 25 games (19-4-2) and are 2-1-2 in their last five.
If the Jackets want to make a final push for the Presidents' Trophy, letting the Blackhawks leapfrog them wouldn't be ideal.

This Chicago team is full of offensive weapons, most notably Patrick Kane who is second overall in the league in total points and, like Cam Atkinson, has 34 goals on his season to date.
Here are five things to watch for:
Find the offense.
There's no two ways about it, the Jackets have to get back to scoring goals. They were held to just one goal in Carolina Thursday, marking the third time in five games that the Jackets have only managed a single tally.
"We're doing a lot of good things," Nick Foligno said. "We have to find our offense, get goals and gain momentum from that. It's contagious and we're not doing it enough."

The best defense is offense.
Jack Johnson was the goal scorer against the Hurricanes, and after the game, he reminded us that having the puck is the best way to keep the other team from scoring. The Jackets were out-attempted in Carolina 68-49 and outshot 31-24.
"Sometimes offense is the best defense," Johnson said. "In that scenario when they have a push, we need to start controlling the puck and quit giving it back to them. I think you have to be calm and cool under pressure. We need guys to settle down and make some plays and put pressure on (our opponents)."
Continue the winning trend.
The Jackets are 4-1-0 against Chicago in their last five games including the 3-2 win in the third game of the season, Oct. 21. That game signaled the Jackets were going to be up to some good things this season, and Friday's game provides a similar opportunity.
Don't panic.
Goals have been hard to come by for the Jackets but they aren't panicking. They are still finding ways to win games or at least get points and are 6-2-2 in their last ten.
"I think every team goes through stretches like this," Scott Hartnell said. "If we lost the last seven games, I think the panic button would be pushed. But we've been blocking shots, our penalty kill has been great for us. I think the positives are we're in these games and we're finding ways to get points. Playoff games are going to be no different."

Rested Bobrovsky.
As we've noted in this space before, John Tortorella has been diligent in his practice of splitting back-to-back games between his two goaltenders. Expect Sergei Bobrovsky to be in net Friday night. A reminder of how good he's been this season? He leads the league in wins (41), goals against average (1.97), and save percentage (.935) among goaltenders with 25 or more games played this season.
PROJECTED CBJ LINEUP:
Saad - Wennberg - Foligno
Jenner - Dubinsky - Atkinson
Hartnell - Sedlak - Gagner
Calvert - Karlsson - Anderson
Werenski - Jones
Johnson - Savard
Quincey - Nutivaara
Bobrovsky