Columbus Travels to Detroit
The Jackets will face the Detroit Red Wings tonight in Detroit. Both teams come in slumping.
The Jackets played Thursday against the Dallas Stars at home, which saw them take a 2-0 lead and then lose the game 5-2. Columbus had plenty of chances in that game, but couldn't get the puck in the net. Now they leave Ohio for the second of four weekends this month where they will play two road games in the same weekend. Today they're in Detroit. Tomorrow will be at Madison Square Garden in NYC.
Detroit has lost 3 of the last 4 games coming into this game with Columbus. The Wings are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games, including losing 3 of the last 4. The Red Wings are 4-2-2 at home.
Three Keys
Take Advantage of Detroit's Goals Against Average. The Red Wings have given up 45 goals on the season, which is 26th in the NHL. Ville Husso has a save % of .890 and a GAA of 3.57. James Reimer has been much better with a 1.80 GAA and a .933 save %. Reimer played Thursday against Montreal and took a loss.
Get The Powerplay Going. The Red Wings have committed 161 minutes' worth of penalties this season, which is 27th in the league. Luckily for them, their PK is sitting 17th in the league. That PK could be much worse considering all the PPs they give up. The Jackets PP has fallen to 25th in the league after having some success early in the year. Perfect time for Johnny Gaudreau to break out.
Get The Lead, Keep The Lead. Columbus has been going through some struggles keeping leads this season, which is fairly normal for a young team. When they do get a lead, they have to know that their opponent is going to make a strong push at some point. They must keep playing hard and creating chances to extend any lead they may have. The first thing they have to do is score, however. They were shut out 4-0 in the first meeting in Columbus. The CBJ usually don't have issues scoring in Detroit. They have hat tricks in back-to-back seasons playing in Little Caesars, one by Jack Roslovic in 2022, and another by Patrik Laine in 2023.
Series History
- Columbus is 20-27-6 on the road all-time in Detroit.
- The Jackets are 46-50-14 in 110 all-time games.
- The Blue Jackets are 27-11-3 against the Red Wings since the start of the 2012-13 season.
Who to watch for Detroit
- Dylan Larkin has 17 points on the season, with 11 of those being PP points.
- Alex DeBrincat has 9 goals and 14 points.
- Goalie Ville Husso is 5-3 on the year and is allowing 3.57 goals per game.
Roster Notes
- Elvis Merzlikins missed practice on Friday due to personal reasons, but traveled with the team and is expected to play this weekend.
- Patrik Laine practiced with the team on Friday before leaving for Detroit. Laine mentioned that if he felt ok on Saturday, he would play. Laine hasn't played since October 20th.
- Erik Gudbranson practiced Friday after not practicing for a couple of weeks. He hasn't missed a game though.
- Mathieu Olivier and Yegor Chinakhov were missing from the practice lines. Usually means they will be scratched.
- The Jackets, should they activate Patrik Laine, will need to send someone to Cleveland. They have several options, including Chinakhov, Sillinger, and Jiricek.
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on ESPN+ and Hulu with John Buccigross and Ryan Callahan. The radio broadcast will be on 105.7 FM 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.