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The Jackets need to pounce early tonight

The Calgary Flames come into Columbus after having beaten the Buffalo Sabres last night in Buffalo. Jonathan Huberdeau, Walker Duehr, Blake Coleman, and Adam Ruzicka powered the Flames to a 4-3 win over the Sabres.

The Blue Jackets need to attack the Flames aggressively in the opening period. The Flames are playing on a back-to-back, across the country in the middle of a 5 game road trip, they need to take advantage of the tired legs.

The Jackets have played the Flames 65 times in their history. The Jackets boast a winning record at 33-24-8, and at Nationwide Arena, they've been good against the Flames, with a home record of 19-10-4.

Game Notes

  • Elvis Merzlikins returns after a short bout with the flu, he's practiced all week and should be ready to go tonight.
  • Zach Werenski should be taken off of IR today, but to do that, the Jackets will need to make a move to free up a roster spot, meaning someone will need to be sent back to Cleveland. 
  • Could they send David Jiricek back? He was the best player on the ice in the last game against Detroit. 
  • The Jackets, as of now, have the scratches listed as Liam Foudy, Mathieu Olivier, and Andrew Peeke. 
  • Johnny Gaudreau has started slow and looks to get cooking against his former club. The Jackets need Gaudreau to start producing. 

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.