CBJ vs. Devils Preview
The Jackets are back on home ice to play the New Jersey Devils tonight. The Devils come in winners of 4 out of their last 5 games while averaging 3 goals a game. The Jackets, on the other hand, are giving up 4.8 goals a game in the last 5. The Devils boast the league's top power play at 31.8%, while the CBJ PK has slipped lately, falling to 7th in the league.
The Devils currently sit 6th in the Metro, 11th in the East, and 18th in the NHL.
Three Keys
Find a Way To Keep The Lead. Something changes with this team when they get a lead. If you're good enough to score goals and get the lead, you should be good enough to keep the lead. Although I don't believe they back down on purpose, it seems like they are backing down, so don't do that.
Get Rough With Jack Hughes. If you let him do whatever he wants, he's going to burn you. He leads the team in shots and points, so put a body on him and don't be afraid to hit him. Get physical with him and knock him off of the puck.
Activate the Nationwide Arena Crowd. Give the fans something to cheer about. The Jackets are 2-2 in their last four at home, scoring 3.25 goals a game, so the cannon is firing. But a segment of the fanbase is teetering on the edge with the blown leads and losses. They're much better at home than on the road and play very well against the Devils inside NWA, so this should be a fun game.
Series History
- The Jackets are 16-8-0 all-time at home vs. Jersey, and 28-17-3 all-time in the series.
- The CBJ are 16-5-1 in the last 22 games against the Devils.
- Columbus beat New Jersey in the most recent game on November 24th, 2-1.
Who to watch for New Jersey
- Jack Hughes has 11 goals and 34 points, including 15 power play points.
- Jesper Bratt has 12 goals and 33 points, with 16 power play points.
- Goalie Vitek Vanecek is 11-5-0 with a save % of .883. Akira Schmid is 4-6-1 with a .901 save %. Vanecek started and won the Devil's most recent game on Wednesday.
Player Notes
- Yegor Chinakhov has 2 goals in four games against New Jersey. He also has 4 goals in the last three CBJ games.
- Johnny Gaudreau has 24 points in 17 career games against the Devils. He needs one point for 700 in his career.
- Ivan Provorov has 20 points in 32 career games against New Jersey.
- Zach Werenski leads the CBJ with 22 assists and 23 total points.
Injuries
- Jack Roslovic has a broken ankle and is expected to miss 6 weeks. (11/13)
- Damon Severson has an oblique injury and will miss 6 weeks. (11/21)
- Adam Boqvist will miss 4 weeks due to a shoulder strain. (12/6)
- Boone Jenner has a broken jaw and will be gone for 6 weeks. (12/9)
- Patrik Laine broke his collarbone and will be out for 6 Weeks. (12/14)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 98
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on Bally Sports Ohio. As always, the legendary Jeff Rimer will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.