PREVIEW: Jackets finish season series at Red Wings

The Blue Jackets will never use this as an excuse, but in some ways they were dealt a schedule loss by the NHL on Sunday.

Their reward for a home win over San Jose on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena was another game – and a much bigger challenge – less than 48 hours later.

A big, physical, veteran Winnipeg team near the top of the NHL standings came to town to take on the Blue Jackets, who had some big wins recently but now are currently dressing six players who have spent the majority of the season in the American Hockey League.

Of course it was possible that the Jackets could overcome all that and earn a result against the Jets, and Columbus did play a good first period. But Winnipeg turned on the afterburners – no pun intended – and ran away with the game with four second-period goals in what would become a 6-1 final in favor of the visitors.

While the puck possession stats showed the Jackets hung in there and Winnipeg simply finished its chances, the Blue Jackets were in no mood for moral victories postgame.

“I think the first period wasn’t bad,” captain Boone Jenner said. “We had some jump, and then the second period we just gave it to them by self-inflicting and not competing. They outworked us, and we just let it happen. That’s what happens against that team. They’re going to take advantage of it. We just weren’t skating enough to play with them. It’s on us. We played right into their hands and made it easy on them.”

Head coach Pascal Vincent was also frustrated, but largely because he felt the Blue Jackets got away from their game of speed and pace.

“We faced a pretty good hockey team, but as far as we are concerned, the few things we need to do well in order to be successful is we need to compete and skate,” he said. “And if we just take a deep breath against a team like Winnipeg, you’re going to see what you’re going to see. ... That second period, we just didn’t push the pace like we usually do, and when you face a team like the Jets, it’s a recipe for disaster.”

If Sunday’s game was about facing a team fine-tuning its game for the postseason, tonight’s will be about taking on a foe that’s fighting for its playoff lives.

Know The Foe: Detroit Red Wings

Head coach: Derek Lalonde (Second season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.38 (7th) | Scoring defense: 3.37 (25th) | PP: 23.1 percent (10th) | PK: 80.5 percent (13th)

The narrative: The Red Wings haven’t made the postseason – or really threatened to do so – since the team’s 25-year playoff streak ended with a first-round loss in 2015-16. This year’s squad is right on the borderline, though, battling with a bevy of teams for a wild card spot. Detroit is one point behind Washington with 14 games to go, while the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and New Jersey are right on their heels. It would be a big thing for Hockeytown to return to the postseason; can this team be the one to do it?

Team leaders: Detroit’s recent history of picking in the first round is a bit checkered, but the team got its 2020 selection correct at fourth overall as Lucas Raymond is the team’s top scorer at age 21, posting 22 goals and 35 assists for 57 points. Captain Dylan Larkin has a 26-28-54 line but hasn’t played since March 2 with a lower-body injury, while Alex Debrincat has 23-31-54 in his first season in Detroit. Shayne Gostisbehere leads the defensemen with 10 goals and 45 points in a bounce-back season for the well-traveled veteran. Since joining the Wings, Patrick Kane has 14 goals and 35 points in 37 games.

In net, an injury to Ville Husso has left the team with Alex Lyon and James Reimer as a duo. Lyon has started a team-high 34 games and is 18-15-2 with a 3.10 GAA and .903 save percentage, while Reimer is 7-7-2 with a 2.97 GAA and .906 save percentage.

What's new: Detroit was in a much better playoff position before a recent slump included eight losses in the last nine games, including a seven-game losing skid before Saturday’s crucial win over Buffalo. In the last nine, the Wings have struggled on both sides of the puck, allowing 43 goals and scoring just 19. Something needs to turn around and fast for the Wings to make the postseason.

Trending: The Red Wings have swept the previous two games of the season series, claiming a 4-0 win Oct. 16 in Nationwide Arena and a 5-4 triumph Nov. 11 in the Motor City. Detroit has now won four of the last five in the series after Columbus was 15-4-1 in the previous five seasons.

Former CBJ: The only former CBJ player to skate with the Wings this year is goalie Michael Hutchinson, who has made just one appearance and is currently with the team’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Alex Nylander
Alexandre Texier – Cole Sillinger – Kirill Marchenko
Trey Fix-Wolansky – Dmitri Voronkov – Mikael Pyyhtia
Mathieu Olivier – Brendan Gaunce – Carson Meyer
Zach Werenski – Jake Bean
Ivan Provorov – Damon Severson
Jake Christiansen – Erik Gudbranson
Daniil Tarasov
Elvis Merzlikins

Scratches: Adam Fantilli (calf laceration, out eight weeks as of Jan. 31), Justin Danforth (concussion, out indefinitely), Sean Kuraly (lower-body injury, week to week), Yegor Chinakhov (upper-body injury, day to day), Adam Boqvist (upper body)

Injured reserve: Kent Johnson (torn labrum in left shoulder, out for season)

Roster Report: Tarasov gets the start in net while Columbus sticks with its 18 healthy skaters tonight against the Wings.

3 Stats to Know

• Alex Nylander’s eight goals and 11 since making his Blue Jackets debut Feb. 23 are a franchise record for a player in his first 12 games with the team. He's also tied for seventh in the NHL in goals in that span.
• With his goal Thursday night, Boone Jenner notched his fourth career 20-goal season, making him just the fourth CBJ player to have four such campaigns in team history. He joins Rick Nash (eight), Cam Atkinson (six) and R.J. Umberger (four). He added a 21st goal in Saturday night’s game.
• Milestone watch: With 202 career assists, Zach Werenski is two helpers from tying David Vyborny for second in team history.

Who’s Hot

Daniil Tarasov has posted a .942 save percentage in his last seven appearances, stopping 261 of 277 shots against and allowing just 16 goals. ... Zach Werenski has assists in two of the past three games and has 36 assists on the season, leaving him one helper away from tying a career high. He’s notched his fifth 40-point season (4-36-40) with the club and is one of 24 active defensemen with at least five-plus 40-point campaigns. ... Dmitri Voronkov has 17 goals on the year, tied for third among NHL rookies. His 31 points are also tied for sixth among NHL rookies. ... Johnny Gaudreau has 21 points (4-17-21) in the last 21 games. ... The team’s rookie stat line of 30-37-67 is first in the NHL in goals and third in points.

This Day in CBJ History

March 19, 2001: David Vyborny becomes the first rookie in NHL history to score a pair of penalty shot goals in one season when he beats Nashville’s Tomas Vokoun. He previously scored on Chicago’s Robbie Tallas on Oct. 15.

March 19, 2002: Columbus makes a big trade, acquiring defenseman Jaroslav Spacek and a second-round pick in the 2003 draft from Chicago for captain Lyle Odelein.

March 19, 2016: Head coach John Tortorella becomes the 26th coach in league history to coach in 1,000 games in a 6-3 win over New Jersey.

March 19, 2017: Columbus reaches the 100-point mark on the season and punches its ticket to the 2017 playoffs with a 4-1 win at New Jersey. It’s the only game in franchise history featuring two successful penalty shots, as Lukas Sedlak tallied past Cory Schneider in the first period and Brandon Dubinsky did the same in the second.

March 19, 2022: Patrik Laine notches a goal and an assist in a 5-4 win vs. St. Louis. The two-point night gives him a 19-14-33 line over a 19-game span, a stretch in which he also had an 11-game point streak.