PREVIEW: Blue Jackets host Avalanche on Monday night

At the end of the day, what the Blue Jackets do down the stretch of the 2023-24 season is largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

Columbus won’t make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive seasons, and with the team in last place in the Metropolitan Division by a wide margin, each individual result at this point won’t have a major impact on the story of the season.

But let’s also be honest – winning is a lot more fun than losing. And after losing six in a row and nine of 10, Saturday night’s comeback, 4-3 win over Pittsburgh in a shootout was a good result for the Blue Jackets.

“It feels pretty good,” head coach Pascal Vincent acknowledged after the game with a smile on his face. “We played a good game in Pittsburgh. We were in a position to compete for the win. We didn’t, but tonight, coming back from behind, winning in a shootout, it feels good. (It’s) especially good for the players. I know we feel good about it, but for them to keep pushing, keep working and keep trying do the right things over and over, to get rewarded, it was good.”

It looked for a second – well, nine of them – like it would be another setback for the Blue Jackets as Columbus faced a 3-1 deficit early in the third period. But Kirill Marchenko’s superb individual effort cut the deficit in half just nine seconds after Pittsburgh’s third goal, then Zach Werenski tied things in regulation and Damon Severson had the shootout winner.

On a night that featured a sellout crowd in Nationwide Arena and a pregame celebration honoring longtime broadcaster Jeff Rimer, it was a great way to send the fans home happy.

“I’m happy for our group tonight,” Werenski said. “I thought we played hard. We probably deserved the win to be honest. I’m happy we got the win for our group, for Rims, for our fans. That’s a successful night for us.”

Things don’t get much easier, though, for the Blue Jackets. Each of the last eight foes on the schedule are either in a playoff spot or battling for one, so nothing will come easy down the stretch.

“It’s gonna be intense,” Vincent said. “But having said that, what the team has done really well this year is staying focused in the moment and keeping the energy and the spirit and the mind-set in a good place.”

Know The Foe: Colorado Avalanche

Head coach: Jared Bednar (Eighth season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.74 (1st) | Scoring defense: 2.96 (12th) | PP: 24.9 percent (6th) | PK: 82.3 percent (6th)

The narrative: After winning the 2022 Stanley Cup, Colorado had a disappointing end a season ago when it lost to Seattle in the opening round of the postseason. This year’s Avs squad appears determined to not let that happened again, as superstars Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar are leading a group that is once again a bona fide contender to lift the crown that loaded up at the trade deadline

Team leaders: Nathan MacKinnon is neck-and-neck with Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid in the scoring race, sitting just a point ahead of the Bolts star and two ahead of McDavid with a 47-80-127 line on the year. A three-time Hart Trophy finalist, MacKinnon appears to be in the race again as he’s fourth in the league in goals and third in assists. Rantanen isn’t that far behind, as the Finnish center is sixth in the league with 100 points, including 39 goals. Meanwhile, Makar’s 19-62-81 line has him tied for first among NHL defensemen in goals and points. Wing Valeri Nichushkin also has added 26-24-50 in 48 games.

Alexandar Georgiev was an All-Star in net this season for the Avs, and the Bulgarian’s 57 starts are second in the league this year. He’s 37-15-4 on the campaign with a 2.85 GAA and .901 save percentage. Backup Justus Annunen has just 10 appearances and is 6-3-1 with a 2.18 GAA and .932 save percentage.

What's new: Colorado was active at the trade deadline, adding perhaps the perfect middle-six center in Casey Mitteldstadt in exchange for young defenseman Bowan Byram, nabbing defenseman Sean Walker from Philadelphia, and adding some gritty depth forwards in Brandon Duhaime (Minnesota) and Yakov Trenin (Nashville). The Avs are 10-1-1 in the last 12 games, outscoring teams 52-26, but injuries are starting to mount with Nicushkin, Walker, and forwards Logan O’Connor and Joel Kiviranta joining captain Gabriel Landeskog on the injured list.

Trending: Colorado swept the two games a season ago in Finland as part of the NHL Global Series and made the Blue Jackets one of their victims in the current streak, winning a 6-1 decision March 22.

Former CBJ: Defenseman Jack Johnson has found a regular shift back in Colorado, where he won the 2022 Cup, posting a 3-12-15 line in 72 games. Former CBJ center Ryan Johansen was with the squad to start the season and had 13-10-23 in 63 games before going to Philly in the Walker trade.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Dmitri Voronkov – Alex Nylander
Alexandre Texier – Cole Sillinger – Kirill Marchenko
Mikael Pyyhtia – Brendan Gaunce – Mathieu Olivier
James Malatesta – Justin Danforth – Carson Meyer
Zach Werenski – Damon Severson
Ivan Provorov – Jake Bean
Jake Christiansen – Erik Gudbranson
Daniil Tarasov
Jet Greaves

Scratches: Adam Fantilli (calf laceration, out eight weeks as of Jan. 31), Sean Kuraly (lower-body injury, week to week), Yegor Chinakhov (upper-body injury, day to day), Adam Boqvist (upper body), Boone Jenner (illness), Elvis Merzlikins (lower body injury, day to day)

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

Roster Report: Jenner and Merzlikins are out, while Danforth (concussion) plays for the first time since March 7. Greaves will back up Tarasov after being recalled Sunday.

3 Stats to Know

• Daniil Tarasov has posted a .930 save percentage in his last 11 appearances, good for sixth in the NHL since Feb. 21 among goalies with at least five appearances. He has made at least 35 saves in six of those 11 games.
• Zach Werenski had a goal and an assist Saturday for his third multipoint game in the last six contests. He has a 3-7-10 line in the last nine games, and his six goals since Feb. 17 are tied for third among NHL defensemen.
• Milestone watch: Johnny Gaudreau is four assists from 500 for his NHL career (242-496-738, 756 GP). ... Werenski is seven points from 300 for his NHL career (86-207-293, 478 GP). ... Jake Bean is five games from 200 for his NHL career (13-42-55, 195 GP).

Who’s Hot

Mathieu Olivier has goals in consecutive games for the first time as a Blue Jacket. ... Cole Sillinger has a 2-1-3 line and played 23:47 on Saturday, the second most ice time in his career. ... Werenski has tied a career high with 48 points on the season, good for third in franchise history among defensemen. His 41 assists tie Seth Jones (2017-18) for the second most in a season in team history (James Wisniewski, 44, 2023-14). ... Johnny Gaudreau has a 4-22-26 line in the last 27 games and has reached the 40-assist plateau for the second straight season. He has posted two 40-assist seasons in his two campaigns in Columbus, joining Ray Whitney, David Vyborny and Artemi Panarin as the only players with multiple such seasons with the Jackets. ... Alex Nylander’s eight goals since making his Blue Jackets debut Feb. 23 have tied a franchise record for a player in his first 16 games with the team (Kirill Marchenko, 2022-23). ... Dmitri Voronkov has 17 goals on the year, tied for fourth among NHL first-year players and tied for third all-time in CBJ history among rookies (Rick Nash, 2002-03). ... The team’s rookie stat line of 30-37-67 is tied for first in the NHL in goals and fourth in points.

This Day in CBJ History

April 1, 2001: Columbus wins the first April Fools’ Day game in team history, capturing a 2-1 win over St. Louis in Nationwide Arena. Petteri Nummelin scores in the first period and Bruce Gardiner gets the winner in the second, while Ron Tugnutt made 29 saves.

April 1, 2006: The Blue Jackets rally from a 2-1 deficit early in the third period to take a 5-2 win vs. Chicago. After Kyle Calder’s goal gives the Blackhawks the lead, Mark Hartigan tallies twice, Jaroslav Balastik gets the winning goal, and David Vyborny adds an empty-netter to seal the deal.