Game #13 Preview: Blue Jackets look to rebound against Red Wings

Monday, November 15, 2021 – 7:00 EST
Nationwide Arena – Columbus, Ohio
TV: Bally Sports Ohio; Radio: 97.1 FM
Opponent’s Blog: Winging It In Motown

Detroit Red Wings (8-6-2, 18 points, 3rd Atlantic, 6th East)

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Columbus Blue Jackets (7-5-0, 14 points, 6th Metro, 11th East)

Tonight, the Columbus Blue Jackets play their third game in four nights and wrap up a four game homestand. That stretch started with a big win over the Colorado Avalanche, but they dropped two regulation games against division opponents on Friday and Saturday. Can they get a win against the Detroit Red Wings before heading west?

Player to Watch

Jack Roslovic

After being traded to Columbus last season, the hometown product set a career high in points (34) in just 48 games. He has fallen waaaaaay off that pace this year, with just three points in 12 games. He’s lost the confidence of his coaches, too; the 12:17 average time on ice is his lowest since his first full NHL season in 2018-19. He has not played over 12 minutes a game since the game in New Jersey, and has played less than ten minutes in two of the last four games.

It’s not all bad news, however. He’s been part of the team-wide success in the faceoff circle, winning 50.5%. That’s up from 39.1% last season. His possession numbers are the best of his career (56.0% CF and 54.3% FF), though he has been deployed with a heavy dose of offensive zone starts (71.1%). He’s actually shooting at a higher rate than last year (7.54 shots on goal per 60 minutes at 5v5, vs. 6.28 last year; 13.19 shot attempts per 60 at 5v5, vs. 9.64 last year). The shot quality is down (0.42, as opposed to 0.54 ixG/60 last season), but it still suggests that he has been somewhat unlucky.

Now would be as good a time as any for his luck to turn.

Jackets Notes

The Jackets made a roster move on Sunday, recalling Justin Danforth from Cleveland. Expect him to make his NHL debut tonight … The Jackets are scheduled to wear their third jerseys tonight, which means we could see Elvis Merzlikins wear his new pads:

The aforementioned pads of #CBJ G Elvis Merzlikins: pic.twitter.com/IItOVdhyhs

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) November 8, 2021

The Other Bench

In their most recent game, the Wings blew a lead in the third period but beat the Canadiens in overtime … Goaltenders Alex Nedeljkovic and Thomas Greiss have been splitting starts this year, so tonight should be Greiss’s turn. Both goalies have four wins in eight starts, though Ned has the better stats … WIIM wrote about which players are due for reversion to the mean … The Yzerplan appears to be ahead of schedule. The Red Wings are playing well enough this season to hang around in a playoff spot. The top draft picks of former GM Ken Holland during the rebuild haven’t been paying off, like Joe Veleno or Filip “Funky Cold” Zadina. Yzerman’s first two first rounders, however, have made an immediate impact this year. Forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider are second and third on the team in points, with Seider leading in assists.

Lucas Raymond has been a somewhat useful addition to the Red Wings so far this season. pic.twitter.com/oEFtMXsmXj

— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) November 8, 2021

Season Series

10/19/2021 CBJ 1 @ DET 4
11/15/2021 DET @ CBJ
04/09/2022 CB @ DET

Stats

Projected Lineups