A home game for Columbus has been rare in the new year, but they get in one with a first meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins since the preseason.

Pittsburgh is on a roll, being one of the top teams in the league, while not having Crosby or Malkin for most of the season. With them back, they’ve only gotten stronger. The patience of Hextall has worked in the Steel City, and could show one final glimpse of a playoff run with Geno and Letang on expiring contracts. They’re also coming into tonight with a win over the Ottawa Senators last night in their building.

Columbus is coming off a road win in Philadelphia with Laine and Bjorkstrand getting the goals in the matchup last evening. Keeping it up against the other Pennsylvania team will be the question for tonight’s contest.


Projected Lineups

Pittsburgh Penguins

Jake Guentzel—Sidney Crosby—Bryan Rust
Danton Heinen—Evgeni Malkin—Kasperi Kapanen
Dominik Simon—Jeff Carter—Evan Rodrigues
Brian Boyle—Teddy Blueger—Brock McGinn

Brian Dumoulin—Kris Letang
Marcus Petterson—John Marino
Michael Matheson—Chad Ruhwedel

Tristian Jarry
Louis Domingue

Scratched—Zach Aston-Reese, Mark Friedman
Injured— Casey DeSmith, Jason Zucker



Columbus Blue Jackets

Gustav Nyquist—Boone Jenner—Oliver Bjorkstrand
Patrik Laine—Alexandre Texier—Jakub Voracek
Emil Bemstrom—Jack Roslovic—Yegor Chinakov
Eric Robinson—Sean Kuraly—Max Domi

Zach Werenski—Andrew Peeke
Gavin Bayreuther—Jake Bean
Jake Christiansen—Dean Kukan

Elvis Merzlikins
Joonas Korpisalo

Scratched— Gabriel Carlsson
Injured— Justin Danforth, Adam Boqvist, Cole Sillinger, Vladislav Gavrikov, Nathan Gerbe, Daniil Tarasov


Players to Watch

Pittsburgh— C Sidney Crosby — The kid continues his might point per game dominance into 2022 with 27 points on 27 games. His finesse and leadership continue to show why he remains the face of the sport.



Columbus— C Boone Jenner — the team’s leading goal scorer is in the spot that his captains before him come across and it is battling with Crosby as the number one center and the face-off dot, where it’s been known to cut down people’s arms like branches off a tree. Jenner is coming off a two assist night against the Flyers, but now could be called upon to be the physical two way player he used to be more than ever with Pittsburgh in town.


Thoughts?


More to come…


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