Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Vancouver Canucks Preview
The Blue Jackets will get yet another red-hot Western Conference team, but this time it's the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks come into Columbus riding a four-game winning streak. A five-game streak seems weak compared to the Jets and Kraken streaks the CBJ just ran into.
The Canucks score a lot, to the tune of 3.84 goals a game with a total of 165. Conversely, the Jackets are giving up 3.74. Not a good recipe for success. Vancouver also doesn't give up many either at 2.53. The Jackets score 3.00 a game.
The Canucks are currently 1st in the Pacific, 2nd in the West, and 2nd in the NHL.
Three Keys
- Shake Off The Rust Elvis. Elvis hasn't played since December 29th, and even then he only played 20 minutes. His last full game played was on December 27th, which seems like an eternity ago.
- Welcome Back Sean Kuraly. This team desperately needed Kuraly and his leadership. The PK has been suffering and there's been hardly any physicality in the most recent games. He will be a welcome sight back into the lineup.
- Limit Vancouver's Shot Attempts. The Canucks only average 28.2 shots per game, which is weird considering they score so many goals. That means their shot % is sky-high. The Jackets also block a ton of shots, so if they can block the shots they need to, and limit the high-danger chances, they have a chance to outscore the Canucks. Merzlikins has been very good at stopping high-danger chances this season as well.
Series History
- Columbus is 13-15-5 all-time at home vs. the Canucks, including going 24-31-10 all-time.
- The Jackets have won 5 of the last 7 against Vancouver.
- The home team has won 4 straight games in the series.
Who to watch for Vancouver
- J.T. Miller has 19 goals and 58 points on the season.
- Elias Pettersson has 22 goals and 57 points.
- Brock Boeser has 27 goals and 46 points.
- Goalie Thatcher Demko is 22-8-1 with a save % of .919. He last played on Saturday night in a 1-0 shutout against the Buffalo Sabres.
- Goalie Casey DeSmith is 7-3-2 with a save % of .913. He last played on January 9th and beat the New York Islanders 5-2.
CBJ Player Notes vs. Vancouver
- Adam Boqvist has 3 points in 5 career games vs. the Canucks.
- Johnny Gaudreau has 45 points in 43 career games.
- Kirill Marchenko has 2 goals in one career game.
- Elvis Merzlikins is 4-1 with a save % of .930 against Vancouver.
Injuries
- Boone Jenner (fractured jaw) is on Injured Reserve retroactive to Dec. 9 (Approx. 6 Weeks); 14 games - Jenner is skating and looks to return before the All-Star Game.
- Patrik Laine (clavicle fracture) is on Injured Reserve retroactive to Dec. 14 (Approx. 6 Weeks); 12 games
- Nick Blankenburg (upper body) is on Injured Reserve retroactive to Dec. 19 (day-to-day); 10 games
- Zach Werenski (ankle); is on Injured Reserve on Dec. 29 (Approx. 4-to-6 Weeks); 7 games
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 165
Related
- From The Archive: "Muscle Men"
- Is Elvis Merzlikins time in Columbus coming to an end?
- From The Archive: "Maclean Knows Pressure's On"
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 105.7 FM 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.