The Jackets take on the NYR at MSG
Columbus make their way to NYC to take on the Rangers on Sunday night.
Three Keys
Find a Way To Slow Down The Rangers. The Rangers are good in every aspect of the game. They're 2nd in PP %, 6th in PK%, 1st in goals against, and 17th in goals scored. It's going to be an uphill battle, but they found a way to score five goals in a game vs. the Rangers back in October.
The Penalty Kill Must Stand Up To The NYR Power Play. Chris Kreider is the power play "King of New York." He leads the team with 6 PP goals but can also score seemingly at any time at 5v5 as well. This PP is very good, but the CBJ PK has proven to be very good too. This will be a good test for the slumping Blue Jackets. To slow down the NYR power play, the Jackets must stay out of the box.
Tune Out The Bright Lights Of MSG. Historically the Jackets have played well in NYC, and own a winning record at MSG. The late Matiss Kivlenieks made his NHL debut at MSG and beat the Rangers back in January of 2020. Today, Elvis must do the same thing. He hasn't played since last Monday when he gave up three goals to Florida in a 6-minute blitz by the Panthers. He was pulled in that game, so he hasn't played a full game since November 4th against Washington. Stay calm and tune out the crowd.
Series History
- The Jackets are 10-7-4 at MSG all-time.
- The CBJ have won 7 of the last 10 in NYC.
Who to watch for NYR
- Artemi Panarin has 22 points in 13 games this season, with one power-play goal.
- Chris Kreider leads the Rangers with 9 goals, with 6 of those being power-play goals.
- Goalie Johnathan Quick who is the confirmed starter tonight, is 3-0-1 with a 1.77 GAA and a save % of .935.
Roster Notes
- Kirill Marchenko has a 5-game point streak he'll be looking to continue. He has 3 goals and 2 assists in this active point streak.
- Adam Fantilli has a modest two-game points streak. He also has points in 3 of the last 5 games.
- Zach Werenski needs two assists to pass Seth Jones for the all-time lead for assists by a defenseman.
- Alex Texier is starting to find his way. He has scored in 2 of the last 3 games and has 3 points in that span.
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.