The Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks will face each other for the first time this season in San Jose tonight.
The Blue Jackets are in San Jose to play the San Jose Sharks tonight. And if you can stay up until 1 am Eastern to finish this game - Hats off to you!
The Jackets are coming off of a dreadful weekend which saw them get beat by the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals by a combined score of 13-4. To be fair to the Jackets, the Jets and Caps are two of the hottest teams in the league and have been destroying everyone.
So now Columbus is off to another dreaded place - California. They don't win too many games out there, but tonight they'll get a chance to rebound against the upstart Sharks.
San Jose has been playing well of late by winning three of their last four. The loss came to Vancouver after winning three straight. Tonight though, they will get their prized rookie Macklin Celebrini back in the lineup after missing the last 12 games due to injury.
The Sharks are 25th in the league in scoring per game, and 29th in goals against per game. Their power play and penalty kill are surprising at 15th and 14th respectively. If anyone thinks the Jackets are just going to roll over the Sharks, they may want to stay up and watch this one. This won't be an easy game for the CBJ.
The Sharks are currently 8th in the Pacific, 16th in the West, and 32nd in the league.
Series History vs. The Sharks
- Columbus is 10-21-0-2 all-time in San Jose, and 28-34-0-5 in all meetings.
- The Jackets are 4-0-0 in the last four games against the Sharks and have won four of the last five overall.
- The CBJ are 7-4-0 in the last 11 games inside SAP Center.
Who To Watch For The Sharks
- Mikael Granlund has 6 goals and 14 points in 13 games this season.
- Tyler Toffoli has 6 goals and 11 points.
- Mackenzie Blackwood is 2-4 with a .893 save %.
- Vitek Vanecek is 1-4 with an .879 save %.
CBJ Player Notes vs. The Sharks
- Sean Monahan has 20 points in 37 career games against the Sharks.
- Zach Werenski has 6 points in 11 games.
- Yegor Chinakhov has 2 points in the only game he's played against San Jose.
Injuries
- Boone Jenner (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 7; (11 Games)
- Gavin Brindley (broken finger) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 3; (11 Games)
- Erik Gudbranson (upper body) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 16; (8 Games)
- Kent Johnson (upper body); (7 Games)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 51
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears 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.
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