BLUE JACKETS (6-11-4) at HURRICANES (11-8-0), 5 PM, PNC ARENA
COLUMBUS, 8th in Metropolitan | CAROLINA, 2nd in Metropolitan |
TV: Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports app, NHL Network |
PREVIEW: Blue Jackets look to keep it going in Carolina
Columbus has won two in a row as it heads into this Metropolitan matchup
Pascal Vincent admitted he was sweating by the end, but by and large, the Blue Jackets head coach was pleased with his team’s 2-1 victory at New Jersey on Friday.
The Blue Jackets scored twice in the first period, frustrated the Devils’ high-powered attack through 40 minutes and then held on in the third period behind 20 saves from Elvis Merzlikins in the final frame.
The team’s second win in a row was a team effort, and Vincent was happy to see his team dial it in defensively and get the victory.
“It was good,” he said. “We had a real good first period. I thought we came out the right way, and then we were learning to play the right way in the second period and managing the lead. Elvis was solid when we needed him. There’s still a few moments where we can show a little bit of poise in the third period. I know they're pushing, but we can make some plays.
"But they're buying in. It’s a full team effort, blocking shots and doing the right things defensively. It was a real good win for us.”
Merzlikins was the man of the hour as he calmly kept the Devils at bay in the third, but afterward, he said his view from the goal crease was of a team that did what it had to do to win.
"The first two periods, we put the pressure and the third period, they put the pressure on us,” Merzlikins said. "The good part, we were blocking the shots, we were doing everything perfectly in the defensive zone. That was huge, and that's why we got this win.”
Now Columbus tries to keep it going as it completes this short two-game road trip in Carolina. The Blue Jackets will now have played everyone in the Metropolitan Division after taking on the Canes, who have had an up-and-down season to this point.
"We need wins right now, and these points are huge for us,” Johnny Gaudreau said “We're hungry, we want them. We are really hungry, and we're gonna go for them.”
Know The Foe: Carolina Hurricanes
Head coach: Rod Brind’Amour (Sixth season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 3.32 (13th) | Scoring defense: 3.42 (22nd) | PP: 22.2 percent (11th) | PK: 74.6 percent (25th)
The narrative: Carolina has built a reputation as a smothering unit that is one of the hardest teams in the league to play against, using its pace and aggressive play to five straight playoff appearances. The Canes made the conference final a season ago for the second time in that span, but Carolina hasn’t been able to get over the hump and make it to the Stanley Cup Final. It’s been an uneven start to the season, but many think this could be the team to do it.
Team leaders: The Canes have a very similar roster to a season ago, and as usual, Sebastian Aho leads the way with five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 16 games. Young standout Seth Jarvis has become a consistent producer and has five power-play goals among his eight tallies, plus seven assists for 15 points, whiel Teuvo Teravainen has a team-best 10 goals. Jesperi Kotkaniemi (6-7-13), Martin Necas (6-7-13) and Brady Skjei (2-11-13) are next on the scoring chart.
Top goalie Frederik Andersen is out with a blood clotting issue, so Antti Raanta has become the top goalie, playing in 10 games with a 6-3-0 record, 3.47 GAA and .854 save percentage. Pyotr Kochetkov has played in six games, going 1-4-0 with a 3.09 GAA and .875 save percentage.
What's new: The Canes have been one of the top defensive teams in the league under Brind’Amour, but the numbers aren’t quite as good this season through 19 games. Carolina played in one of the weirdest games of the season on Black Friday, giving up eight goals to Tampa Bay despite the fact the Lightning had just 14 shots on goal. Before that, the Canes had won eight of 11 games and given up just 24 goals (2.18 per game) in that span.
Trending: Carolina has won 11 of 16 games over the past three seasons after the Blue Jackets were a perfect 3-0 in the series in 2019-20. The Blue Jackets were 1-2-0 in the series last year, with the win coming in a shootout Jan. 7.
Former CBJ: None
Roster Report
Projected Lineup (subject to change)
Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Kirill Marchenko
Dmitri Voronkov – Adam Fantilli – Patrik Laine
Alexandre Texier – Cole Sillinger – Yegor Chinakhov
Eric Robinson – Sean Kuraly – Justin Danforth
Zach Werenski – Adam Boqvist
Ivan Provorov – David Jiricek
Jake Bean – Erik Gudbranson
Elvis Merzlikins
Spencer Martin
Scratches: Mathieu Olivier, Andrew Peeke, Damon Severson (out approximately six weeks with an oblique injury as of Nov. 21)
Injured reserve/Injured Non-Roster: Jack Roslovic (fractured ankle, out four to six weeks as of Nov. 13); Daniil Tarasov (knee, week to week)
Roster Report: The Blue Jackets have used the same lineup for two straight games, but Texier is healthy after missing two games with injury and is expected to re-enter the lineup. It looks like to come at the expense of Olivier, but Pascal Vincent said it will be a tough decision. Merzlikins will get the start in net.
3 Stats to Know
- Boone Jenner has scored in three straight games, notching four goals in that time span. Now with 11 on the season, he is tied for 14th in the NHL on the season. It’s just the fourth time in his career he has four goals in four games.
- After notching four assists in Wednesday’s win vs. Chicago, Zach Werenski has 10 assists this month, tied for the most ever for a Blue Jackets defenseman in a month. He’s now tied for seventh among NHL blueliners with 14 assists on the season.
- Milestone watch: Gaudreau is eight points from 700 for his NHL career (233-459-692, 703 GP).
Who’s Hot
Elvis Merzlikins has a .915 save percentage over his last six appearances. … Zach Werenski has nine assists in the last eight games, and his four-assist game Wednesday was just the third in the NHL this season for a defenseman. … Boone Jenner has 11 goals in the first 21 games of the season for the second time in three years. … Ivan Provorov saw a career high-tying four-game point streak (1-3-4) end Friday. … Both Adam Fantilli (10 points, tied for seventh) and Dmitri Voronkov (nine points, tied for 10th) are among the top 10 rookies in the NHL in scoring. … Fantilli is also tied for fifth among NHL rookies in goals (four). … Columbus ranks first in the NHL penalty kill percentage since Oct. 20, killing off 46 of 50 (92.0 percent) power-play chances over the last 18 games.
This Day in CBJ History
Nov. 26, 2021: The Blue Jackets post a 4-2 win over Vancouver at Nationwide Arena to improve to 12-6-0 on the season. Gus Nyquist, Adam Boqvist, Jack Roslovic and Max Domi score for Columbus.
