Columbus Blue Jackets (62 pts) vs. New York Islanders (81 pts) Game Preview
The Blue Jackets will get a desperate New York Islanders team tonight.
The Isles are fighting for their playoff lives at the moment, and are coming in having won their last two games against the slumping Philadelphia Flyers and bad Chicago Blackhawks. At the moment, the NYI is one point back of a wild card spot and two points behind the Metro's third-place Flyers. They're going to be looking to bury the Blue Jackets and take those spots away from the teams in front of them.
They will be playing a Jackets team that has won their last two games also. The CBJ however, have beaten a very good Avalanche team, and a Pittsburgh team that was very desperate and only a few points back of the playoffs themselves. This should be a very good game if both teams decide to show up. Columbus will be looking for some revenge though since they've been beaten twice by the Isles, and soundly.
The Islanders are currently 5th in the Metro, 10th in the East, and 20th in the NHL.
Series History vs. The Islanders
- Columbus is 16-6-5 all-time at home and 24-20-8 in all meetings.
- The Jackets are 1-7-1 in the last 9 games against the Isles.
Who To Watch For The Islanders
- Mathew Barzal has 21 points in 19 career games against the CBJ. He has 76 points this season.
- Bo Horvat has 18 points in 18 games vs. the Jackets. He also has 65 points this season.
- Goalie Ilya Sorokin is 23-19-11 with a save % of .907.
- Semyon Varlamov is 10-8-4 with a save % of .912.
CBJ Player Notes vs. The Islanders
- Johnny Gaudreau has 17 points in 17 games against the Isles.
- Zach Werenski has 12 points in 19 games vs. the Islanders.
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 (26 games)
- Kent Johnson (shoulder injury on Feb. 28); out the rest of the season (17 games)
- Justin Danforth (concussion on Mar. 7); out indefinitely (12 games)
- Yegor Chinakhov (upper-body injury on Mar. 12); is day-to-day (10 games)
- Sean Kuraly (lower-body injury on Mar. 12); is week-to-week (10 games)
- Adam Boqvist (upper-body injury on Mar. 14); out indefinitely (9 games)
- Boone Jenner (Mar. 30); day-to-day (2 games)
- Elvis Merzlikins (lower-body injury on Apr. 1); is day-to-day (1 game)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 272
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.