Columbus Blue Jackets (42 pts) vs. San Jose Sharks (35 pts) Game Preview
Welcome to "The Chase." What chase you ask? The chase for Macklin Celebrini of course.
Celebrini is the consensus number-one pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft and teams could start posturing themselves to have the best chance for that pick. I do not believe however that now is the time for that kind of play, with 30 or so games to go.
Despite the two teams' records, this should be an exciting game. Both teams have similar stats in terms of PP%, PK%, Goals for, and Goals against. The Jackets leading scorer has 35 points, and the Sharks Hertl has 34, Hertl however is on IR and won't be playing.
San Jose is currently 8th in the Pacific, 15th in the West, and 31st in the NHL.
Keys To The Game
- Make The Sharks Take Penalties. The Sharks take a lot of penalty minutes, 514 to be exact and that's 21st in the league. Their PK is sitting at 30th in the league at 74.1 PK%. It would be wise for the Jackets to keep their feet moving and get the Sharks to the box.
- Welcome Back Yegor Chinakhov. Yes, I know he only missed one game, but he does have 19 points in his last 23 games, including 12 goals. His lethal shot and ability to score in any situation are needed on this team. He could have a big night tonight and he'll be back with Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov.
Series History vs. San Jose
- Columbus is 9-21-2 on the road vs. San Jose, and 26-34-5 all-time.
- The Jackets are 10-8-3 in the last 21 games.
- The CBJ have won 5 of the last 8 games in San Jose.
Who To Watch For San Jose
- Mikael Granlund has 6 goals and 30 points this season.
- William Eklund has 8 goals and 25 points.
- Fabian Zetterlund has 14 goals and 21 points.
- Mackenzie Blackwood is 9-17-3 with a save % of .899.
- Kaapo Kahkonen is 6-15-2 with a save % of .905
CBJ Player Notes vs. the Sharks
- Johnny Gaudreau has 30 points in 32 games vs. the Sharks.
- Boone Jenner has 12 points in 16 games against San Jose.
- Kent Johnson has 4 points in 3 games.
Injuries
- Patrik Laine (clavicle fracture-Dec. 14; NHL Player Assistance Program-Jan. 28); 17 games
- Adam Fantilli (calf laceration on Jan. 28); expected to miss 8 weeks; 3 games
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 183
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.