PREVIEW: Blue Jackets take on league-leading Jets

The Blue Jackets did everything but win on Saturday night, but unfortunately they just couldn’t get over the hump yet again.

Paced by Cole Sillinger’s hat trick, Columbus led Minnesota three different times in Nationwide Arena and was an empty-net goal away from putting the game in the win column. But that shot went wide, and a few seconds later the Wild tied the game on a rush. Then in overtime, a similar plot unfolded, as Marc-Andre Fleury’s spectacular save on Yegor Chinakhov kept the game going before Marco Rossi’s game-winning goal allowed Minnesota to escape with the victory.

If any one of those situations goes the other way, the Jackets would have had two points, but in the end, it was another close loss in a season of them. This one felt a little different, though, given the unlikely nature of the events that took place, and head coach Pascal Vincent said the Jackets are starting to get sick of moral victories.

“I think we’re getting more frustrated because we understand more what happens,” he said. “I think we’re getting more mad. Earlier in the season, those things happened, and without the experience, you’re not really sure why. So we’ve grown as a team. We understand what happens. We learn from those moments. Now I feel like they’re close; they can almost touch that win."

Vincent also has praised the Blue Jackets for not letting the close losses get their spirits down throughout the season, and this will be another test considering how difficult Saturday night’s setback was. It appears that’s a message that’s getting through to the locker room.

“You can’t feel sorry for yourself,” Sillinger said. “We’re all in it together. We all go through our highs and lows together. We’re a team. We’re family in there. That’s what we do. It’s obviously not a good feeling when things like this happen, but it just goes to show we’re going to keep fighting.”

The assignment doesn’t get any easier tonight as the Blue Jackets are north of the border to take on a Winnipeg team that is as hot as any in the NHL. For Vincent, it will be a homecoming, as he spent 10 years in Manitoba – five as an assistant with the Jets, five more leading the organization’s AHL team – before joining the Blue Jackets.

“I was with that organization for 10 years,” Vincent said. “My goal has always been to become a head coach, and to go there in Winnipeg as a head coach, it will be different. Going back there as an assistant coach was going back to memory lane, I guess. I have so many good friends within the organization. As a head coach, it will be different. I don’t know how or why, but it feels different.”

Know The Foe: Winnipeg Jets

Head coach: Rick Bowness (second season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.38 (9th) | Scoring defense: 2.38 (1st) | PP: 17.7 percent (23rd) | PK: 75.2 percent (26th)

The narrative: Who would have expected coming into the season that the Winnipeg Jets would be leading the NHL in points percentage as we near the midway point of the season? But that’s exactly where the Jets are, as Bowness’ squad has been dominant defensively, with Winnipeg outscoring teams 91-53 at 5-on-5. Winnipeg has made the playoffs in five of the past six years, but this could be the best edition yet for a franchise that is yet to make it to the Stanley Cup Final in that time span.

Team leaders: Much of Winnipeg’s strength is in its depth, as five players have at least 10 goals and 16 players are in double digits in points. Longtime Jets standout Mark Scheifele leads the team in scoring with 14 goals and 40 points, while Nikolaj Ehlers is next with 14 goals and 31 points. Norris Trophy candidate Josh Morrissey leads the blue line with a 6-24-30 line, while Kyle Connor has a team-best 17 goals but is currently on injured reserve. Cole Perfetti and Nino Niederreiter each have 12 tallies as well.

In net, Connor Hellebuyck is in the mix for a second Vezina Trophy, as the Michigan native is 20-6-3 with a 2.27 GAA, .921 save percentage and a league-best 15.6 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. Backup Lauren Brossoit is 6-3-1 with a 2.30 GAA and .920 save percentage.

What's new: Winnipeg has simply been dominant since a 4-4-2 start, going 22-5-2 since then to claim points in 24 of the last 29 games. The Jets are showing no signs of slowing down, either, coming into this game with a six-game winning streak and a 12-game point streak (10-0-2). In all, Winnipeg is 14-1-2 in its last 17 games while outscoring teams 60-30 in that span. To say this is a defense-first team would be an understatement, as the Jets haven’t allowed more than three goals in a game since Nov. 2.

Trending: Columbus swept the season series a year ago, posting a 4-1 win in Manitoba on Dec. 2, then downing the Jets by a 3-1 score in Nationwide Arena on Feb. 16. In fact, Columbus has points in five straight games in the series, going 4-0-1.

Former CBJ: None

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Adam Fantilli – Justin Danforth
Yegor Chinakhov – Cole Sillinger – Kirill Marchenko
Kent Johnson – Jack Roslovic – Emil Bemstrom
Alexandre Texier – Dmitri Voronkov – Mathieu Olivier
Damon Severson – Adam Boqvist
Ivan Provorov – David Jiricek
Jake Bean – Erik Gudbranson
Daniil Tarasov 
Spencer Martin

Scratches: Brendan Gaunce, Andrew Peeke, Elvis Merzlikins

Injured reserve: Sean Kuraly (abdominal, day to day); Zach Werenski (ankle, out four to six weeks as of Dec. 27); Nick Blankenburg (upper body, day to day); Patrik Laine (fractured clavicle, out six weeks as of Dec. 15); Boone Jenner (fractured jaw, out six weeks as of Dec. 9)

Roster Report: The Blue Jackets appear set to use the same 18-skater lineup tonight as they did in Saturday’s game vs. Minnesota, though which goaltender gets the nod remains a question until morning skate.

3 Stats to Know

• Cole Sillinger became the youngest Blue Jackets player with multiple hat tricks in his career with his three-goal game Saturday vs. Minnesota. He is also now one of just 12 CBJ players with multiple hat tricks, and he became just the sixth to do it in a losing effort.
• The Blue Jackets have points in five straight road games (3-0-2).
• Milestone watch: Johnny Gaudreau is one point from 100 for his Blue Jackets career (28-71-99, 122 GP). … Jack Roslovic is one point from 200 for his NHL career (73-126-199, 405 GP). … Emil Bemstrom is two games from 200 for his NHL career (30-38-68, 198 GP). … Kirill Marchenko is two games from 100 for his NHL career (34-13-47, 98 GP).

Who’s Hot

Cole Sillinger has six goals and eight points in the last nine games. ... Rookie Adam Fantilli has a 7-7-14 line in his last 17 games and is tied for second among NHL rookies in points (24) and placed third in goals (11). ... Dmitri Voronkov also is tied for seventh among NHL rookies in goals (seven) and fifth in points (20). … Adam Boqvist returned to the lineup with a two-assist game Saturday. ... Johnny Gaudreau has a 3-7-10 line in the last 11 contests. … Kent Johnson has notched goals in two of the past five contests and has posted 5-5-10 with three multipoint efforts in his last 14 games overall. ... Yegor Chinakhov has a 7-5-12 line in the last 13 games. ... The team’s rookie stat line of 19-34-53 is second in the NHL in both goals and points. … The Jackets’ 93 goals at 5-on-5 are second in the NHL. ... CBJ defensemen rank third among NHL defensive units in assists and fifth in points with 15-82-97 in 41 games this season.

This Day in CBJ History

Jan. 9, 2009: Steve Mason sets a then-franchise record for most saves in a shutout when he stops 45 shots in a 3-0 win at Washington.

Jan. 9, 2012: The Blue Jackets fire head coach Scott Arniel. Assistant coach Todd Richards is named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.