Columbus Blue Jackets (50 pts) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (73 pts) Game Preview
There's good news and bad news for the Columbus Blue Jackets this week. The good news is the Jackets play 3 home games. The Bad news is that they play the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and the Nashville Predators. All three teams are in the playoffs currently.
The Jackets do however get a slumping Vegas team that could be ripe for the picking. The Knights are 3-6-1 in their last 10 and have lost 5 of their last 6. But, Vegas tends to steamroll lesser opponents, so tonight could be a wild one.
The Jackets come in 4-6-0 in their last 10 games and despite some losses, have played some decent hockey as of late. Elvis Merzlikins, who has been playing extremely well is out day-to-day, which means Daniil Tarasov or Jet Greaves will get the start.
The Golden Knights are currently 3rd in the Pacific, 6th in the West, and 11th in the NHL.
Series History vs. The Golden Knights
- Columbus is 3-1-1 all-time at NWA, and 5-4-1 in all meetings.
- The CBJ are 1-2-1 in the last 4 games.
Who To Watch For The Golden Knights
- William Karlsson has 21 goals and 42 points.
- Jonathan Marchessault has 32 goals and 53 points.
- Goalie Logan Thompson is 17-12-5 with a .903 save %.
- Adin Hill is 15-6-2 with a .923 save %.
CBJ Player Notes vs. Golden Knights
- Johnny Gaudreau has 12 points in 16 games.
- Zach Werenski has 4 points in 8 games.
- Kirill Marchenko has 2 points in his only game.
Injuries
- Patrik Laine (clavicle fracture-Dec. 14; NHL Player Assistance Program-Jan. 28); 17 games (for injury)
- Adam Fantilli (calf laceration on Jan. 28); expected to miss 8 weeks; 10 games
- Kent Johnson (torn Labrum in Shoulder; out for the remainder of the season; 2 games
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 193
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.
More From THN Columbus
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.