Blue Jackets vs. Capitals Preview
The Blue Jackets take on the Washington Capitals on Saturday night and look to replicate the way they played for a majority of the game against Tampa Bay.
The Jackets played a game with the Lightning that included three periods that had completely separate identities. In the end, it worked out with a 4-2 win, and it's much better than playing a game where all three periods go against them, which seems to happen a lot. Against the Caps, the CBJ need to play three solid periods to beat Washington at home.
The Caps are coming in having been shut out by the New York Islanders on Thursday night. They had won the previous three games before the loss to NYI against a wide variety of teams. They beat the high-flying Devils, the Wild, and the lowly Sharks.
Three Keys
- Limit Alex Ovechkin's Chances. Ovi leads the Caps in scoring with 8 points, but he only has 2 goals. He's on a mission to score the most goals in NHL history, and his teammates will feed him any chance they get. The CBJ must limit the Cap's PP opportunities.
- Merzlikins Needs To Stay Calm Against The Caps. Elvis played great against the Bolts on Thursday, only giving up 2 goals on deflections. That play must continue against the Caps. The Caps will crash the net and be around him all night, so he has to stay cool and collected. He took a few slashes against the Bolts, he retaliated, and accidentally slashed his own teammate. So, stay calm, and play your game.
- Welcome Back Yegor Chinakhov. Chinakhov was called up yesterday after going down to Cleveland to rehab after a back injury. He scored a few goals, so the CBJ wanted him back. He'll play with Cole Sillinger and Emil Bemstrom.
Series History
- Columbus is 19-23-9 all-time vs. Washington and 9-11-5 in D.C. It can be a hard place to play, especially when the crowd is into it. Score early, which Columbus likes to do, and they could quiet the building quickly.
- The Jackets PP is running at 50% against the Caps in the last three games. The Washington PK is 18th in the league, take advantage of that. The Caps don't give up many PP chances though.
Who to watch for Washington
- Alex Ovechkin. He's chasing The Great One but in many people's minds, including my own, he's already the greatest goal-scorer of all time, he's just not there yet in terms of the number of goals scored.
- Tom Wilson. Always watch out for Tom Wilson. Look for him to take a run at Adam Fantilli. Dmitri Voronkov will be the player in white who will be the one to step up to Wilson. We could be in for some fireworks tonight.
- Charlie Lindgren will get his second start of the year against the CBJ. He's 0-1 with a 4 GAA and a sub .900 save %. The Jackets need to jump on him early. This will be the second game in a row where the Jackets get a backup goalie.
Roster Notes
- Yegor Chinakhov makes his season debut tonight.
- Mathieu Olivier is scratched with Chinakhov coming back.
- Dmitri Voronkov has 3 points in four games. He'll most likely need to step up to Tom Wilson at some point tonight. This will be a big test for him.
- Adam Fantilli will be playing with Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko. This line seems very exciting. The Marchenko-Voronkov-Sillinger line was flying the other night, so this line could do some serious damage.
- Elvis Merzlikins gets a shot to beat the Caps. He played outstanding against the Bolts, and tonight will be a test as well. Stopping Ovechkin and Oshie is job #1 for Elvis.
- With David Jiricek playing in his 10th game tonight, his Entry Level Contract is officially in play. He's here to stay.
- Andrew Peeke and Adam Boqvist are scratched again.
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 with his partner Jody Shelley. 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.