Panthers at Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have stumbled during a road-heavy stretch of their schedule but hope to get back on track when they make a brief stop at home to face the Florida Panthers on Sunday. Columbus is 3-5-2 over its last 10 as it resumes a 13-game stretch in which it plays only four times at Nationwide Arena.
The Blue Jackets are missing three of their top forwards because of injury and it is taking a toll after they were shut out for the second time in three games Thursday at Colorado. “It is what it is. We have so many guys out," coach John Tortorella told reporters, referring to the extended absences of Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg and Brandon Dubinsky. The Panthers were going in the right direction following a perfect homestand that ran their winning streak to five, but have lost the first two games on their road trip sandwiched around a snow postponement in Boston. "Right now, we have to think positive," center Aleksander Barkov told reporters after Florida poured 40 shots on goal in a 4-2 loss at Detroit. "We had a lot of chances. We played the right way. We just need to continue to do that and good things will happen."
TV: 5 p.m. ET, FS Florida, FS Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (17-18-5): Barkov was a force against Detroit, ending a seven-game drought with his 12th goal and notching a career-best 10 shots on net. He has peppered the opposition with 32 shots on goal in the past five games. Defenseman Mike Matheson also is heating up after failing to find the net in the first 28 games of the season, collecting his fourth goal in the past 11 games - a highlight-reel tally that just beat the second-period buzzer in Detroit.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (23-16-3): Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice in a 7-3 victory at Florida on Nov. 2, but is among many players slumping badly with three goals in the past 27 games. Matt Calvert and captain Nick Foligno have gone 15 and 10 games, respectively, without a goal while Boone Jenner has scored once in 21 games. “It’s not about digging down into Cleveland and bringing people from there," Tortorella said. "We just have to hope that they get going."
OVERTIME
1. Columbus owns a nine-game point streak at home (8-0-1) versus Florida.
2. The Panthers are 0-for-16 on the power play over the past seven games.
3. Blue Jackets G Sergei Bobrovsky is 10-1-2 with a 2.02 goals-against average and .937 save percentage versus the Panthers.