Gameday Guide: Feb. 22 vs. Toronto

With the Blue Jackets set to
begin a key stretch of games at Nationwide Arena tonight vs. Toronto
, one of the most excited people in the building will have one of the best seats in the house.
CBJ backup goalie Jet Greaves will dress for his second NHL game, following him serving as the backup to Jean-Francois Berube in Sunday night's win vs. Buffalo. A native of Cambridge, Ontario, which is just over an hour from Toronto, the 20-year-old Greaves will have a chance to be on the bench against a team he surely has watched plenty over the years.

Considering he has split this season with Cleveland of the AHL as well as Kalamazoo of the ECHL, this is a unique opportunity afforded to him.
"It's awesome," he said. "I'm really enjoying it. A month and a half ago, I was preparing for four in five in four different cities in the Coast.
"You just kind of take it all in. There's obviously so many emotions. It's really great to be in that position. At the same time, you want to prove yourself and play well. It's still a business. Just balancing that and really enjoying it and also taking care of what you have to take care of."
Greaves, of course, certainly could play against the Leafs or any of the games he dresses should Berube get hurt or a goalie change be needed. But the odds are he'll just add experience to his resume, something he's done all season after signing with the Monsters this offseason.
He played two seasons with Barrie of the OHL but his 2020 campaign was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic. The good news is he practices with some high-level players, including NHLers, in his hometown so he was used seeing some pretty good opposition even amid the time off.
This year, he has 15 appearances with Kalamazoo (3.05 GAA/.907 save percentage) and 13 with Cleveland (3.10/.898) in his first pro campaign. He's flashed enough promise that the Blue Jackets inked him to a three-year entry level deal to be able to add him to the roster with Elvis Merzlikins, Joonas Korpisalo and Danill Tarasov all out of commission.
He's also able to share the experience with Berube, who served as a mentor during Greaves' time in Cleveland. Berube gets the net again tonight after winning his first NHL start in nearly four years against the Sabres.
"He's been great with me, helped me adjust to playing pro hockey," Greaves said of Berube. "It's great having him for me and Tarry when we were in Cleveland because we're both younger players still learning the game, learning pro hockey. We can always lean on J-F and he'll give us really good advice.
"I'm sure he probably gets a little annoyed sometimes. I've asked him so many questions about every little thing. Anything that is on my mind, I pick his brain, but he's great about it."

3 Keys to the Game

Limit mistakes: Hockey is a game of mistakes, but the Blue Jackets have gotten into trouble against good teams this year when they shoot themselves in the foot after playing long stretches of good hockey.
A good start: Toronto will likely be ready to go after taking a 5-2 thumping from Montreal on Monday night. The Jackets can't let them feel good right off the bat.
Protect the goalie: It's the same as the last game, but with Berube making his second start of the year, the Blue Jackets won't want to make him face too many point-blank opportunities.

Notable

Columbus has won seven of nine overall. With 42 goals in that span, the Blue Jackets have set a franchise record for tallies in an nine-game stretch. … Defenseman Dean Kukan is coming off the first two-goal game in his career and his first three-point night as well, while forward Brendan Gaunce (1-2-3) notched his first three-goal game ever in the NHL vs. Buffalo. … Patrik Laine has stayed red hot, extending his point streak to nine games (his most in Columbus) with two more assists against the Sabres. He has a 10-8-18 line in those contests and seven multipoint games in that span. … Oliver Bjorkstrand is two goals from 100 in his CBJ/NHL career. … CBJ captain Boone Jenner has 21 goals on the season and five points (2-3-5) in his last two games. Jenner also boasts an 9-10-19 line in the last 17 games, and his 142 goals in a CBJ sweater are tied with former captain Nick Foligno for third-most in team history. ... Gustav Nyquist has a 9-12-21 line in the last 22 games. He also has four shorthanded goals on the season, tied for first in the NHL with Florida's Aleksandar Barkov and Anaheim's Isac Lundestrom. … Defenseman Zach Werenski has a five-game point streak (2-4-6). … After notching his 200th career assist Sunday night, Max Domi is one goal from 100 and one point from 300 in his NHL career. … Columbus has killed off 44 of 50 opponent power-play chances over the last 17 games (88.0 percent). The club ranks fourth in the NHL in penalty kill percentage since Jan. 8. … The Blue Jackets have trailed in 15 of their 25 wins this year and have six wins when trailing after two periods, tied with Florida for most in the NHL. ... Toronto won the first matchup of the season by a 5-4 score Dec. 8 in Scotiabank Arena.

Projected Lineup

(Subject to change)
Patrik Laine - Boone Jenner - Jakub Voracek
Gus Nyquist - Cole Sillinger - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Max Domi - Sean Kuraly - Yegor Chinakhov
Brendan Gaunce - Jack Roslovic - Justin Danforth
Zach Werenski - Andrew Peeke
Vladislav Gavrikov - Adam Boqvist
Gavin Bayreuther - Dean Kukan
Jean Francois-Berube (confirmed starter)
Jet Greaves
Scratches: Gabriel Carlsson, Elvis Merzlikins (LBI, day-to-day), Joonas Korpisalo (LBI, day-to-day)
Injured Reserve: Daniil Tarasov (lower body; out indefinitely as of Jan. 4); Alexandre Texier (fractured finger; out four weeks as of Jan. 27), Jake Bean (groin strain; out four weeks as of Jan. 30); Eric Robinson (knee; out six weeks as of Jan. 31)
COVID protocol:Emil Bemstrom
Roster Report: Columbus will use the same lineup tonight as it did against Buffalo in Sunday night's win, with Berube making his second straight start.

This Day in CBJ History

Feb. 22, 2011: Steve Mason made 20 saves in a 4-0 win at Nashville, earning his third shutout of the season.
Feb. 22, 2012: The Blue Jackets acquired goaltender Curtis McElhinney from Phoenix as well as two draft picks for center Antoine Vermette.
Feb. 22, 2019: In a blockbuster trade, the Blue Jackets acquired forward Matt Duchene from Ottawa for a package that included a first-round pick and prospects. Later that evening, with Duchene making his debut in union blue, Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 22 shots in a 3-0 win against the Senators to post his fourth shutout of the campaign.