Saturday, March 19, 2022 – 7:00 EDT
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
TV: Bally Sports Ohio; Radio: 97.1 FM
Opponent’s Blog: St. Louis Game Time
Columbus Blue Jackets (31-28-3, 65 points, 5th Metro, 9th East)
vs.
St. Louis Blues (33-18-10, 76 points, 4th Metro, 3rd West)
If you hadn’t come to accept that the Blue Jackets aren’t and won’t be a playoff team this year, perhaps Thursday night’s 7-2 thumping from the Capitals helped with that realization. The Blue Jackets look to bounce back and show the hometown fans a good time. It won’t get any easier, as the Blues on paper are very similar to Washington and sit comfortably in a playoff position in the Western Conference. I’d expect Elvis back in net, and the lineup to largely remain the same given there aren’t any last minute injuries or healthy scratches for an impending trade.
Player to Watch
Max Domi
Assuming he is not held out of the game for precautionary reasons, Max Domi is the player to watch considering it may be the last time he wears the Blue Jackets sweater. Max has been inconsistent in his time with the Jackets, but there was never any doubt about the passion he brought to the ice.
He’s the player to watch tonight if for no other reason than to say one’s goodbyes. Max brought a little bit of the old school hockey style he undoubtedly learned from his father, and that grit and sandpaper will be missed on this roster. I hope Max goes out with a bang. Let’s say a Gordie Howe Hatty for Domes in his last CBJ appearance.
Jackets Notes
The Jackets will hope to make the lopsided loss on Thursday just look like a speedbump. The team largely wrote off the game due to some unfortunate bounces and overall weirdness. They have another test tonight that they can use as a measuring stick as to where their game is at. This being the last game before the trade deadline, this could be the last time we see some players wear the CBJ sweater. Tonight’s game will be the last time we see this team as constructed. Enjoy it I guess?
The Other Bench
The Blues are looking to get back on track themselves, having lost their last two games and six of their last eight. They have ran with a goalie tandem of former Stanley Cup winner Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso. Husso has been the better player by far and may have made Binnington expendable. They are just a very solid team this year, but defense has been a struggle recently, as mentioned here. If nothing else, we can hope for a high scoring entertaining game.
Season Series
11/27/21 CBJ 3 @ Blues 6
3/19/22 Blues @ CBJ
Stats
| St. Louis | Columbus | |
|---|---|---|
| 3.52 (5) | GPG | 3.24 (11) |
| 2.75 (7) | GAPG | 3.68 (30) |
| 25.6% (3) | PP% | 18.1% (24) |
| 83.1% (6) | PK% | 78.9% (17) |
| 47.3% (23) | 5v5 Shot Attempt % | 47.1% (25) |
| 46.8% (26) | 5v5 Unblocked shot attempt % | 46.4% (27) |
| 9.8 (3) | 5v5 Shooting % | 9.3 (5) |
| .927 (5) | 5v5 Save % | .906 (30) |
| Jordan Kyrou, 22 | G Leader | Patrik Laine, 24 |
| Jordan Kyrou, 37 | A Leader | Jakub Voracek, 40 |
| Jordan Kyrou, 59 | P Leader | Oliver BJORKSTRAND and Patrik Laine, 46 |
| Niko Mikkola, 49 | PIM Leader | Sean Kuraly, 47 |
| 14-10-5 | Home / Road | 17-13-3 |
| 4-3-3 | Last 10 | 4-4-2 |
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
| Gus Nyquist | Jack Roslovic | Patrik Laine |
| Max Domi | Cole Sillinger | Oliver BJORKSTRAND |
| Jake Voracek | Justin Danforth | Yegor Chinakhov |
| Eric Robinson | Sean Kuraly | Emil Bemstrom |
| Zach Werenski | Andrew Peeke |
| Vladislav Gavrikov | Jake Bean |
| Gabriel Carlsson | Dean Kukan |
| Elvis Merzlikins |
| Joonas Korpisalo |
St. Louis Blues
| Brandon Saad | Ryan O’Reilly | David Perron |
| Jordan Kyrou | Brayden Schenn | Vladimir Tarasenko |
| Pavel Buchnevich | Logan Brown | Ivan Barbashev |
| MacKenzie MacEachern | Oskar Sundqvist | Alexei Toropchenko |
| Marco Scandella | Colton Parayko |
| Torey Krug | Justin Faulk |
| Niko Mikkola | Robert Bortuzzo |
| Ville Husso |
| Jordan Binnington |