Gameday Preview: Blue Jackets at Red Wings

The Details

BLUE JACKETS at RED WINGS
GAME INFO
COLUMBUS: 12-27-2, 8th in Metropolitan
DETROIT: 18-15-7, 4th in Atlantic
LITTLE CAESARS ARENA, 7 p.m. ET
BROADCAST INFO
TV:
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AUDIO:
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BY THE NUMBERS
CBJ Player Statistics
Red Wings Player Statistics
NHL Standings
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What They're Saying

It might feel like the entire first half of the season was one long lesson for the Blue Jackets, but the start of this week particularly drove that home.
The luck of the draw had the Jackets playing Tuesday in Tampa against a team that has been in three straight Stanley Cup Finals and won two of them. Thursday wasn't any easier, as the Blue Jackets came home to take on a Carolina team that ranks second in the NHL in points percentage.
The result was a 6-3 loss to the Bolts and a 6-2 setback against Carolina. In each, the Blue Jackets got behind early, hung around long enough to have a chance, but ultimately saw too many mistakes -- turnovers and penalties -- push the games out of reach.
"The lesson there is you see a team that is tied for second, I believe, in the NHL," CBJ head coach Brad Larsen said of the Hurricanes. "They've lost four in a row. You know they're coming hard. They went for a full 60, right? So being a younger team and a team that's trying to find itself and its identity a little bit, you can't let up.
"I asked a question, why was that team so hard to play against? They check. They are coming. They don't give you any oxygen out there. Yeah, they are skilled. Yeah, they're mobile. They are a deep team, a veteran team. They have Stanley Cup aspirations, but you look at that and you say, OK, that's something you have to try to replicate. No matter what your lineup looks like, you have to raise your desperation level on those things."
It's not that the Blue Jackets can't do it, it's just been a matter of consistency. Columbus came from behind to beat Carolina on Saturday at home and dominated possession a day later at Washington, only to see the 2018 champs score an early goal and hold on to take a 1-0 victory. Finding that game is the key for Columbus to earn more wins in the second half.
"Washington is a great example," Larsen said. "You went in there and the mind-set was right. I had real troubles finding a guy I didn't like in that game. We were in units of five and doing things together and making sure we were hard to play against, the competitiveness at the puck. … There are signs there. You can do it. It's just that consistency. That's something we have to grab ahold of here."

Know The Foe: Detroit Red Wings

Head coach: Derek Lalonde (First season)
Season Stats:Goals per game: 3.10 (20th) | Scoring defense: 3.33 (20th) | PP: 20.6 percent (21st) | PK: 75.6 percent (20th)
The narrative: Detroit hopes its time in the NHL wilderness has come to an end, as the team brought in such veterans as Dominik Kubalik, David Perron, Andrew Copp, Ville Husso and Ben Chiarot to add to a core of Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider and make a giant step forward after six straight non-playoff seasons. Add in the hiring of Lalonde, who was by Jon Cooper's side in Tampa Bay for three straight Stanley Cup Finals runs and two rings, and the Red Wings hope to be entering a phase of contention.
2022-23 leaders:Larkin, the captain, has produced the way Red Wings fans have become used to, leading the way in all three major statistical categories with 14 goals, 23 assists in 37 points. Kubalik's addition has proved important as he has a 13-17-30 line highlighted by six power-play goals. At just age 20, Raymond has proved to be an astute draft pick, totaling a 12-17-29 line, while Hronek leads the defense in scoring this year with seven goals and 22 helpers for 29 points.
In net, the addition of Husso has proved to be crucial as the former Blue has started 28 games, posting a 14-8-5 record, 2.95 GAA and .904 save percentage. The struggles of Alex Nedeljkovic (4.09 GAA) have sent the Ohio native to the AHL, with Magnus Hellberg (2.81 GAA in five games) now backing up Husso.
What's new:Things were off to a solid start to this year's plan as Detroit was 11-5-4 as of a shootout win Nov. 25 vs. Arizona. The Red Wings then fell off, following that start with a 5-10-3 run, though the team has won two games in a row with victories Sunday vs. Winnipeg and Tuesday vs. Toronto. The biggest reason behind the struggles was defensively, as the Wings allowed 3.78 goals per game and let opposing teams score on the power play at a 32.1-percent rate during the 18-game stretch with just five wins.
Trending:Columbus has largely turned around what had been a lopsided series at the start, with Detroit winning 24 of the first 29 games between the teams. The Blue Jackets are 17-6-1 in the last 23, though the Red Wings did claim a 6-1 victory Nov. 19 in Nationwide Arena.
Former CBJ:None

3 Keys to the Game

Limit (the big) mistakes: It's easier said than done, as hockey is a game of mistakes, but turnovers and penalties have been among the biggest issues facing the Jackets of late.
Stay connected: The Blue Jackets have been at their best this year when they've played compact and supported one another on the ice. It's the challenge of any game, but especially with this young group.
At home on the road: Columbus has struggled away from home this year and is without a victory on the road since early December. It's about coming together and rising to overcome.

3 Stats to Know

• With nine goals, Kirill Marchenko has the most goals ever by a CBJ player in the first 18 games of his career. His 2.41 goals per 60 minutes in all situations is second in the NHL behind Buffalo's Tage Thompson (2.42) among the 641 skaters with at least 200 minutes of action per MoneyPuck.com.
• CBJ rookies lead all NHL teams in goals and rank third in points with 23-24-47 in 40 games.
• Milestone watch: Jack Roslovic is one point from 100 for his CBJ career (37-62-99, 166 GP). … Joonas Korpisalo played in his 200th NHL game Thursday. (81-75-22).

Who's Hot

Johnny Gaudreau ranks tied for ninth in the NHL in assists since Nov. 10 with 7-23-30 in 29 contests. … Marchenko has seven tallies in the last 10 games, while his nine goals are tied for fourth among NHL rookies. … Kent Johnson's 8-10-18 line puts him sixth in the NHL among rookies in both goals and points. … Tim Berni scored his first career goal Tuesday, giving the Jackets four players with initial NHL tallies this year.

This Day in CBJ History

Jan. 14, 2002: Tyler Wright scores an extra attacker goal with 1:09 to play and the Blue Jackets are able to earn a 2-2 tie against the Rangers in Madison Square Garden. CBJ goalie Marc Denis also stops Manny Malhotra on a penalty shot against, the third in CBJ history, in the second period.
Jan. 14, 2006: David Vyborny's power-play goal against Roberto Luongo with assists from Jan Hrdina and Duvie Westcott at 4:48 of overtime gives the Blue Jackets a 5-4 win at Florida.
Jan. 14, 2009: Columbus acquires center Jason Williams to bolster its roster for an upcoming playoff run, sending defenseman Clay Wilson and a draft pick to Atlanta for the veteran pivot who would go on to notch 12 goals and 29 points in the last 39 games of the season.
Jan. 14, 2020: Elvis Merzlikins turns aside 34 shots in a 3-0 victory against Boston in Nationwide Arena to earn his second career shutout and his second in four days. He'd go on to post five in an eight-game span.
Jan. 14, 2021: The Blue Jackets began their 20th anniversary season with a road game at Nashville. The season was shortened to 56 games by the pandemic and ran from mid-January through early May.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)
Johnny Gaudreau - Jack Roslovic - Patrik Laine
Eric Robinson - Boone Jenner - Gus Nyquist
Liam Foudy - Sean Kuraly - Mathieu Olivier
Kirill Marchenko - Kent Johnson - Emil Bemstrom
Vladislav Gavrikov - Andrew Peeke
Tim Berni - Erik Gudbranson
Nick Blankenburg - Adam Boqvist
Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov
Scratches:Cole Sillinger, Gavin Bayreuther, Joonas Korpisalo (personal)
Injured reserve: Yegor Chinakhov (high ankle sprain, out six weeks as of Dec. 21); Carson Meyer (oblique, out six to weight weeks as of Jan. 11); Jake Bean (shoulder, out four to six months after surgery in November); Jakub Voracek (upper body, out indefinitely); Zach Werenski (shoulder surgery, out for season); Justin Danforth (shoulder surgery, out for season)
Roster Report: Larsen said at morning skate that Jenner (thumb) and Robinson (upper body) return to the lineup, while Sillinger and Bayreuther will be scratched. Merzlikins makes the start with Korpisalo out; Tarasov also has been activated from injured reserve.