Blue Jackets (11-5-3 25P) vs Panthers (10-9-1 21P)
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- WHEN: 7:00 p.m. ET – LBC GameThread right here at 6:30ish
- WHERE: BB&T Center – Sunrise, FL
- ON THE TUBE: FOX Sports Florida, FOX Sports Ohio
- ON THE DIAL: 560 WQAM, 640 WMEN
- TICKETS: Single-game via the club
- GOODIES: Panthers Holiday Plan deal now on sale (more)
- SOCIALS: #FlaPanthers, #BlueJacketsNHL, #CBJvsFLA, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook
- ENEMY INTEL: The Cannon (This is a fabulous name, BTW)
- SB NATION: Game Feature Hub
- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 1 of 3 (0-0)
- ALL-TIME vs CBJ (RS): 7W-8L-0T 3OTL 3SOL 49GF 62GA
- ALL-TIME at FLA (RS): 4W-2L-0T 3OTL 1SOL 27GF 29GA
- LAST FIVE vs CBJ (RS): 3-0-2 14GF 13GA
- LAST MEETING: CBJ 4, FLA 3 (SOL) at ‘Lumbus (Todd’s Recap) – 02/27/2016
- NEXT MEETING: Saturday 01/14/2017 in Sunrise
- PROJECTED STARTERS: Luongo (7-6-0 .921/2.31 0SO), McElhinney (0-0-2 .925/2.09 0SO)
- JAGR WATCH: All-time vs CBJ (RS): 20GP 7G-10A 17P +3 0GWG
- IN & OUT: Coach Gerard Gallant was absent for Friday’s off-day practice (ill); F Greg McKegg cleared waivers, assigned to AHL Springfield mid-week.
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / Columbus/
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Scouting Report:
(Zach) Werenski, a 6-2, 220-pounder who has great vision and elite puck-moving skills, is steering the NHL’s top power-play unit. Columbus relies heavily on Werenski, who averages 22 minutes per game and has five goals and 11 assists in 19 games. He added another power-play assist in Friday’s 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s no wonder that the former Michigan Wolverines star was the eighth overall selection in the 2015 draft. “Zach is ready to handle anything we throw at him,” Columbus coach John Tortorella told the media. “He has that demeanor — I don’t think he’s afraid to make a mistake. If he does make a mistake, he comes right back. He’s a talented player with his hands and legs but also with his mind.” (Yahoo! Sports)
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Last game for the Cats: 3-1 home loss vs Philly Tuesday. Past five: 3-2-0 (streak: 1L)
Last game for the Jackets: 5-3 victory in Tampa Bay Friday. Past five: 3-1-1 (streak: 1W)
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Saturday in the Atlantic Division (Standings / Panthers Playoff Chances):
- Washington (13-5-2 28P) at TORONTO (8-8-4 20P), 7:00 NHLN
- Carolina (8-7-4 20P) at OTTAWA (12-7-1 25P), 7:00
- MONTREAL (15-4-2 32P) at DETROIT (10-10-1 21P), 7:00
- Idle: TBL (27P), BOS (22P), BUF (19P)/
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