Gameday Guide: March 19 vs. St. Louis

The Blue Jackets missed a big chance Thursday night to make up ground on Washington, and now the team is 13 points back of a playoff spot with 20 games to go.
Head coach Brad Larsen didn't make any bones about putting a lot into that game, but just because the Jackets didn't get the result, that doesn't mean they can let off the gas pedal in
tonight's 5 p.m. game against St. Louis in Nationwide Arena
.

"We need to win," Larsen said pregame. "I don't expect anything different. We've been playing good hockey for six or seven weeks now. We've put a lot of hard work in and I'd hate to see that go away. We can't afford to dial it back 10 percent as far as effort and competitiveness.
"That's going to be our challenge, to keep focusing. I'll be pushing. I will. We've talked about it, our staff. I think we have a good group in there. I think they know what is expected, and I think they enjoy playing for each other and that's what we have to do."
Besides, until the door is closed on a postseason berth, there's still plenty of play for.
"You never know, right?" Larsen said. "You go on a five- or six-game win streak and the other team doesn't, you could be right back in the picture."

3 Keys to the Game

Bring the physical play: St. Louis is a heavy team to play against, so the Jackets have to match that intensity.
Eliminate mistakes: The Blue Jackets made some whoppers on Thursday night, something that should serve as a lesson going forward.
Special teams: It's always key, but the Blues are among the tops in the league in both power play and penalty kill. You just can't lose the game here.

Notable

Patrik Laine has an 18-13-31 line in the last 22 contests, plus 11 multipoint games in that span. His seven game-winning goals are tied for fourth in the NHL. … Jack Roslovic's two-goal game Wednesday in Ottawa was his second of the season. He has a 4-5-9 line in his last 11 games. … Zach Werenski has points in 12 of the last 14 games (4-11-15). … Oliver Bjorkstrand has 10 goals in the last 17 games and a 2-4-6 line in the last four games. … Gustav Nyquist has four shorthanded goals on the season, tied for first in the NHL. … Goalie Elvis Merzlikins is the seventh goalie in franchise history to win 20 games in a season and is 8-4-2 in his last 14 decisions. … Max Domi is one goal from 100 in his career. ... Jakub Voracek has 31 primary assists on the season, tied for fourth in the NHL. … The Blue Jackets have trailed in 21 of their 31 wins this year, the most in the NHL and tied for the most in franchise history. Columbus also has eight wins when trailing after two periods, the most in the NHL and the second most in franchise history. ... The Blue Jackets are 10-3 in overtime/shootouts, the NHL's second-best win percentage in extra time at .769, just behind Dallas (.800). … St. Louis won the first game of the year by a 6-3 score Nov. 27 in the Enterprise Center. Columbus was 1-0-1 against the Blues in 2019-20.

Projected Lineup

(Subject to change)
Gustav Nyquist - Jack Roslovic - Patrik Laine
Max Domi - Cole Sillinger - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Jakub Voracek - Justin Danforth - Yegor Chinakhov
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Emil Bemstrom
Zach Werenski - Andrew Peeke
Vladislav Gavrikov - Jake Bean
Gabriel Carlsson - Dean Kukan
Elvis Merzlikins (confirmed starter)
Joonas Korpisalo
Scratches: Brendan Gaunce, Gavin Bayreuther
Injured Reserve: Boone Jenner (back, week to week); Adam Boqvist (upper body, day to day); Daniil Tarasov (hip surgery; out for season); Alexandre Texier (indefinite leave of absence)
Roster Report: The Blue Jackets will use the same skater lineup as Thursday night against the Caps.

This Day in CBJ History

March 19, 2001: Right wing David Vyborny became the first player in NHL history to score on more than one penalty shot as a rookie when he beat Nashville's Tomas Vokoun at home on Mar. 19. He previous had a penalty shot goal Oct. 15 vs. Chicago's Rob Tallas.
March 19, 2002: The Blue Jackets made a pair of trades, acquiring D Jaroslav Spacek and a second-round pick in the 2003 draft from Chicago for D Lyle Odelein and adding D Jamie Allison from Calgary for RW Blake Sloan.
March 19, 2016: Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his first career goal and added the game winner later in the game in a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. The game was the 1,000th contest behind the bench for head coach John Tortorella in his career.
March 19, 2017: The Blue Jackets scored two penalty shot goals for the only time in team history, with Lukas Sedlak and Brandon Dubinsky beating Cory Schneider for goals in a 4-1 win at New Jersey. The win gave Columbus 100 points on the season and clinched a playoff berth.