COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When I asked Justin Schultz if he'd be able to recognize tonight's opponent, the defenseman was able to laugh about it. Having missed 53 games earlier this season, including the Penguins' 4-2 home win over Columbus on Nov. 24, he does have a valid excuse.
But he might have had a hard time recognizing the Blue Jackets if the Penguins had played them last week.
The Penguins will get their first look at the new, improved Blue Jackets tonight at Nationwide Arena in a crucial game for both teams. The Blue Jackets hold a one-point lead over the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division. Columbus is in third place in the division while the Penguins are ninth in the conference and out of a playoff position for now. That just adds a little more fuel to the fire of a rivalry that's as combustible as any.
"We had the playoff series a few years ago against them, it's heated," Schultz said. "Anyone in our division, it's a rivalry. It's fun. It's that time of year again."
Indeed, it is.
While some teams -- like the Penguins -- made some tweaks to their roster before the NHL trade deadline, the Blue Jackets went for an extreme makeover. While it's way too early to say that the Blue Jackets "won" the deadline, they certainly improved their playoff stock by acquiring forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel from the Senators over the weekend and then added bruising defenseman Adam McQuaid from the Rangers and backup goaltender Keith Kinkaid from the Devils on Monday.
"They've got a lot of firepower now," Schultz said. "It's going to be a good challenge for us."
Tonight's game will be just the first of three games against the Penguins and Blue Jackets in a 12-day span. They also face each other Mar. 7 at PPG Paints Arena, and Mar. 9 back at Nationwide. That sets up, in effect, a little bit of a playoff series.
"We're going to be seeing a lot of these guys, so it should be fun," Bryan Rust was saying. "It's always fun against those guys."
It will also be the first game the Penguins will be without Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin. Both were injured late in the first period Saturday night against the Flyers. The good news is that Letang is day to day and could return to the lineup soon. Sullivan said on Tuesday that both players are "status quo." In the meantime, the Penguins will have to try to compensate without their top defense pair.
"If we don't have those guys, we'll have to simplify things and play hard," Schultz said. "It's a tough building to play in, so we have to be ready."
THE ESSENTIALS
THE SESSION
• Erik Gudbranson, the Penguins' big trade deadline acquisition, is still waiting to clear immigration and will not play tonight.
• Jack Johnson will be making his return to Columbus, the city he played in for seven seasons before signing with the Penguins in free agency last summer. His tenure there did not end well as he was a healthy scratch for all of the Blue Jackets' first-round playoff series against Washington last spring. Clearly, that still does not sit well with him. Asked about the Blue Jackets' deadline moves, his response was "I don't care, it's not my team." That said, he does have a soft spot for Columbus and its fans. "I love the city," he said. "I started a family — everyone from my neighbors to the wonderful teammates that I've had. Those are the greatest things I take away. I had a great relationship with the fans, the city, the people."
• The Penguins held an optional skate Tuesday at Nationwide. Among those not to take the ice were Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel and Schultz.
• Matt Murray will be back in net after allowing three goals over the final six minutes of Saturday night's outdoor game against the Flyers. Murray is 6-1-1 with a .904 save percentage and 3.01 goals-against average against Columbus in his career. With upcoming back-to-back games at Buffalo and Montreal, Casey DeSmith will likely get one of the starts.
• With Dumoulin and Letang recovering back in Pittsburgh, Zach Trotman will see his first NHL game action since October 2018. "I'm excited to be here," Trotman told reporters Tuesday. "It's unfortunate circumstances with Letang and Dumo. Hopefully they're back soon. I had an injury and missed some games, but I've been back in the flow. Body feels good. I feel like I played well in WBS. I'm just looking to help the team."
THE OTHER SIDE
• The Blue Jackets didn’t skate. They never do on game days.
• John Tortorella said that Sergei Bobrovsky will be in goal tonight. Columbus currently has three goalies on its roster with Bobrovsky, Kinkaid and Joonas Korpisalo. Bobrovsky is 11-7-5 with a .909 save percentage and 2.88 goals-against average.
• Tortorella confirmed that McQuaid will be in the lineup. As one could imagine, the Blue Jackets' coach was effusive in his praise for the physical defenseman. He said McQuaid "plays the game the right way" and a "throwback."
• At least for now, the plan is to have Dzingel as Pierre-Luc Dubois' left winger. Tortorella said he wanted all of his new players to keep it simple and he'll make adjustments as need be.
"We're not going to overthink it," Torts said.
• Tortorella said that this might be the most complete team that he's coached in Columbus but that it will mean nothing if the Blue Jackets don't make the playoffs.
THE INJURIES
• Kris Letang, defenseman, has an upper body injury and is day to day.
• Brian Dumoulin, defenseman, has a concussion and is day to day.
• Olli Maatta, defenseman, has a separated left shoulder and is expected to miss a month. He’s on IR.
THE COMBINATIONS
• Here's a stab at the lines/pairings:
Guentzel–Crosby–Hornqvist
Aston-Reese–Malkin–Kessel
McCann–Bjugstad–Rust
Wilson–Cullen–Simon
Johnson–Schultz
Petterson–Ruhwedel
Riikola—Trotman
• And for the Blue Jackets:
Panarin—Duchene—Atkinson
Dzingel—Dubois—Bjorkstrand
Foligno—Jenner—Anderson
Dubinsky-Nash-Robinson
Nuutivaara—Jones
Werenski—Savard
Harrington—McQuaid
THE SCHEDULE
Faceoff tonight is 7:08 at Nationwide Arena. The Penguins are scheduled to practice tomorrow at noon in Cranberry. DK will have your coverage from the Lemieux Complex.
THE COVERAGE
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