Here's the relevant part of Porty's post, this morning:
Richards constructed the lines specifically because of the Johansen situation. Newly acquired Adam Cracknell and former Sabre Corey Tropp are the healthy scratches, and Jack Skille and Alexander Wennberg have been placed on high alert.
If Johansen lags, Wennberg will give him a blow by taking shifts between Foligno and Atkinson. In that scenario, Skille then would move up a line into Wennberg's spot next to Calvert and Letestu.
"(It'll be) shift to shift, watching (Johansen), and seeing how he's reacting when he gets back to the bench," Richards said. "You can tell a lot about guys when they get back and they're huffing and puffing. You can see where they're at, and we'll be talking as coaches."
Johansen acknowledged that tonight could be a struggle. On Wednesday, the Blue Jackets put him through fitness testing, a tough practice and more work after the practice. He's pedaling up hill for the short term.
"The thinking and the skill of the game should be there," Johansen said. "It's just how fast my legs can adapt. You can practice and train as much as you'd like off the ice, but when you're in a game situation, it's always different.
"I've been telling everybody that I'll be out there doing the best I can, whether that means me taking shorter shifts, or the coaches monitoring me ... that's what it is."
