Columbus Blue Jackets (42 pts) vs. Seattle Kraken (37 pts) Game Preview
The Blue Jackets and Kraken play for the final time this season tonight at NWA.
The Seattle Kraken are in Columbus tonight to face the Blue Jackets for the second and final time of the season. The Kraken beat the Jackets on November 12th by a score of 5-2.
The Kraken are limping into Columbus with a three-game losing streak and losers of 8 of the last 10 games. They're also just 8-11 on the road, so the advantage in this one should go to Columbus.
The Jackets are on a bit of a hot streak. The CBJ are 6-3-1 in the last 10, which is the best record of any Metro team in the stretch. Columbus also boasts the third most home wins of any Eastern Conference team with 13. They also have scored the sixth most goals in the NHL with 138, and are the most prolific goal-scoring team at home.
Over the last nine games, the Jackets lead the league in PP% at 47.6%, and goals per game at 3.89. They're also third in the league with 96 5-on-5 goals, trailing only Vegas and Washington by three.
This is a very winnable game for the Jackets, who will play Seattle, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and San Jose in the next four. They must take advantage of these games.
Seattle currently sits 7th in the Pacific, 13th in the West, and 28th in the NHL.
Series History vs. The Kraken
- Columbus is 1-2-0 at home and 2-5-0 in seven all-time meetings vs. Seattle.
- The Blue Jackets have lost the last five games against the Kraken.
Who To Watch For The Kraken
- Jared McCann leads the Kraken with 13 goals and 29 points.
- Chandler Stephenson leads the team with 21 assists.
- Joey Daccord is 12-9-2 with a .912 SV%.
- Philipp Grubauer is 5-12-1 with a .880 SV%.
CBJ Player Notes vs. The Kraken
- Ivan Provorov has 5 points in 7 games vs. Seattle.
- James van Riemsdyk has 4 points in 6 games.
- Kevin Labanc has 3 assists in 5 games vs. the Kraken.
Injuries
- Boone Jenner (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 7; (41 Games)
- Erik Gudbranson (upper body) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 16; (38 Games)
- Yegor Chinakhov (upper body) is on Injured Reserve (20 Games)
- Justin Danforth (lower body) is on Injured Reserve on Dec.10; (14 Games)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 161
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 93.3 The Bus with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
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