Curtis McEilhinney, after coming on in relief last night in Pittsburgh, will get the start tonight for Columbus. This will be his second start of the season. His first start versus Vancouver resulted in a 3-1 win for the Blue Jackets. Head coach Todd Richards said that he had the idea to start McEilhinney last night. "By the time I got on the plane and thought about it a little more, my decision was made."
Bobrovsky didn't have the greatest of games last night, being yanked in the second period after the Penguins went up 3-0. He let in two soft goals early in the second that he would have stopped cold last season.
"He played at such a high level last year", said Richards of Bobrovsky, "for a real extended time. He really galvanized the team through his play. Right now, his game isn't where it's at. How far away is he? That's tough for me to say."
"One thing i know about Bob", Richards said, "he takes a lot of pride in his game. He takes a lot of pride in how he does things. I know he's not happy with his game and I know he's going to work hard to repair his game."
There are no changes among the forwards for Columbus. Defensively, Nikita Nikitin draws back into the lineup, having been scratched since the 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on October 19th. Todd Richards hasn't decided who will come out of the lineup. Asked if he would go with seven defensemen tonight against Pittsburgh, he said "More than likely not."
Sitting at 5-7-0, the backside of a home-and-home series with the Penguins gives Columbus the opportunity to gain a valuable two points on the Metro Division rivals. "Guys are still positive after yesterday", said D Jack Johnson. "There's no reason to be down and we're playing them at home (tonight)."
"At the end of the day, it's a results-driven business", F Mark Letestu said. "The wins are always important for us. We've got to change the results. That's all that we can do."
The puck drops at 7 p.m. as the Blue Jackets battle the Penguins at Nationwide Arena.
