WPG CBJ 1.22 preview

JETS (25-21-4) at BLUE JACKETS (26-16-8)
7:30 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, FS-O, NHL.TV

Columbus, which is 15-2-4 since Dec. 9, also won five in a row from Dec. 16-23. They last won six straight as part of a 10-game winning streak from March 4-22, 2018.
The Jets have been outscored 16-4 in losing three straight including 4-1 at the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
Winnipeg is 1-5-0 in its past six games and 4-8-2 in its past 14.

Players to watch

Jets center Mark Scheifele has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in his past 11 games.
Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins is 4-0-0 with three shutouts, a 0.50 goals-against average and a .985 save percentage in his past four starts.

They said it

"We've just got to play good hockey tomorrow, battle and grind it out again have everyone going and leave it all on the ice before the [All-Star] break." -- Jets center Mark Scheifele after the loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday
"The most enjoyable part of coaching is when you're developing people, and you're pushing and you're tugging and kicking and hugging and you're doing all the things trying to help people to perform, to see them start getting it and start feeling good about themselves." -- Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella

Jets projected lineup
Blue Jackets projected lineup
Status report

Neither team held a morning skate.

Stat pack

Winnipeg has been outscored 8-1 in the past three first periods. … Laine has a goal in two straight games. … Atkinson has five points (three goals, two assists) in three games since returning after missing 12 games with an ankle sprain. He needs two goals for 200 in the NHL. … Wennberg is one point from 200 in the NHL. … Tortorella is one win from tying Montreal Canadiens coach Claude Julien for 13th in NHL history (649).