7 TONIGHT, NATIONWIDE ARENA

• TV: Fox Sports Net
• Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

The series

The Blue Jackets are 4-4-0-0 against Florida, including 1-2-0-0 in Nationwide Arena. This is the only meeting this season.

The setup

Rule of thumb: He who forechecks, wins. The Blue Jackets have struggled against speedy forechecks this season, and they haven't established much of one lately, either. All that's left for the Panthers from three blockbuster trades (Roberto Luongo, Olli Jokinen and Jay Bouwmeester) are defensemen Keith Ballard, Jordan Leopold and Bryan Allen.

-- Aaron Portzline

aportzline@dispatch.com

Columbus Blue Jackets at a glance

• Past 10 games: 2-5-3

• Power play: 23.7 percent (second in NHL)

• Penalty kill: 78.7 percent (20th)

• Player to watch: LW Rick Nash has one goal, four assists and a minus-4 rating during a 1-5-3 slump.

• Injury update: RW Derek Dorsett (concussion) is probable. D Rostislav Klesla (groin/abdomen) and LW Fredrik Modin (knee) are out.

Florida Panthers at a glance

• Past 10 games: 2-4-4

• Power play: 15.6 percent (27th in NHL)

• Penalty kill: 76.0 percent (29th)

• Player to watch: C Stephen Weiss has nine goals and eight assists in the last 13 games.

• Injury update: LW Gregory Campbell (upper body), LW Cory Stillman (knee), LW David Booth (concussion), LW Nick Tarnasky (fractured orbital bone) and RW Kenndal McArdle (shoulder) are out.