Old Friend Joonas Korpisalo Returns To Columbus
The Ottawa Senators come into Columbus and haven't played since Monday when they got blown out by the Florida Panthers. A game that included 167 penalty minutes, 13 power plays, and a Joonas Korpisalo temper tantrum. The Senators currently sit 8th in the Atlantic, 16th in the East, and 29th in the NHL.
Three Keys
- Generate Chances on The Power Play. The Senators are 28th in the league in PIMs (261), compared to Columbus who is 5th in the league with 176 PIM. The Jackets should get plenty of PP chances, and need to score a couple to win.
- Give Korpisalo an Unwarm Welcome. Not literally, everyone loves Korpi. I'm talking about on the scoreboard. He gives up 3.34 goals a game and the Sens are allowing 30.3 shots a game, so the CBJ should do all they can do direct shots in on Korpi.
- Welcome Back, Kent Johnson. He's back from Cleveland after dropping 15 points in 10 games. Everyone is hoping he can now translate that into NHL points. Johnson is uber-talented and should be playing on the 1st line against the Senators, this should be fun to watch.
Series History
- Columbus is 10-7-2 at home vs. Ottawa, and 17-17-4 all-time.
- The Blue Jackets are 1-2-1 in the last four against the Sens.
- The Jackets are 7-2-1 in the last 10 vs. the Senators at NWA.
Who to watch for Ottawa
- Tim Stutzle has 5 goals and 22 points this season.
- Claude Giroux has 5 goals and 16 points.
- Former CBJ goalies Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg are a combined 8-9 on the season.
Player Notes
- Johnny Gaudreau has 23 points in 26 career games against Ottawa.
- Patrik Laine has 13 points in 12 games.
- Zach Werenski has 12 points in 12 games vs. the Sens.
- Elvis Merzlikins is 1-2-1 vs. the Senators.
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on Bally Sports Ohio. As always, the legendary Jeff Rimer will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 THE FAN with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.