Friday, March 11, 2022 – 7:00 ET
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
TV: Bally’s Sports Ohio – Radio: 105.7FM
Opponent’s Blog: Hockey Wilderness
Columbus Blue Jackets (28-27-3, 59 points, 5th Metro, 9th East)
vs.
Minnesota Wild (34-19-3, 71 points, 3rd Central, 5th West)
Well, I shan’t be dwelling on last night’s 6-0 loss to the Islanders, and I suggest you don’t either. The Jackets have a chance to right the ship (which has been slowly sinking over their four-game losing streak) tonight at home against the Minnesota Wild.
Player to Watch
I’m going to paint with a broad brush here and say I’ll be on the lookout for any one single Blue Jackets player who can score a goal! Any one of you! I would love to see it.
Eric Robinson is back in the lineup as of this week, so I’ll keep an eye on him for his first home game since he’s been back on the roster. He wasn’t impactful last night but he’s got to shake the rust off, right?
Jackets’ Notes
There was an issue with the Jackets’ airplane last night, so they were not able to return to Columbus until this morning, leaving some uncertainty around the lineup. Elvis had a night off last night so I bet we’ll see him in net tonight, but I’ve been wrong before. Justin Danforth left the game last night with a lower-body injury and did not return.
The Other Bench
Despite having a strong season so far, the Wild have lost six of their last ten, but are currently on a two-game win streak. With 71 points, the Wild are solidly in third place as playoff contenders in the Central Division. Kirill Kaprizov is one of the most impactful scorers on the team, known as “Kirill the Thrill,” which is one of the most amazing nicknames I’ve personally ever heard. He’s currently got 72 points on the season, tied for sixth in the NHL, with 29 goals and 43 assists. Not too shabby! Look out for him tonight.
Season Series
3/11/22 CBJ VS. MIN
3/26/22 CBJ @ MIN
Stats
| Minnesota | Columbus | |
|---|---|---|
| 3.73 (3) | GPG | 3.28 (10) |
| 3.23 (23) | GAPG | 3.69 (30) |
| 20.2% (17) | PP% | 17.8% (24) |
| 76.2% (23) | PK% | 79.3% (18) |
| 50.8% (13) | 5v5 Shot Attempt % | 47.1% (25) |
| 50.7% (14) | 5v5 Unblocked shot attempt % | 46.3% (30) |
| 10.3% (1) | 5v5 Shooting % | 9.4% (6) |
| .913 (23) | 5v5 Save % | .906 (30) |
| Kirill “The Thrill” Kaprizov, 29 | G Leader | Boone Jenner, 23 |
| Kirill Kaprizov, 43 | A Leader | Jakub Voracek, 40 |
| Kirill Kaprizov, 72 | P Leader | Boone Jenner, 44 |
| Marcus Foligno, 93 | PIM Leader | Vladislav Gavrikov, 42 |
| 17-13-2 | Home / Road | 15-12-3 |
| 4-6-0 | Last 10 | 4-4-2 |
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
| Gus Nyquist | Boone Jenner | Patrik Laine |
| Jakub Voracek | Jack Roslovic | Oliver Bjorkstrand |
| Max Domi | Cole Sillinger | Justin Danforth |
| Yegor Chinakhov | Sean Kuraly | Eric Robinson |
| Zach Werenski | Andrew Peeke |
| Dean Kukan | Vladislav Gavrikov |
| Gabriel Carlsson | Jake Bean |
| Elvis Merzlikins |
| Joonas Korpisalo |
Minnesota Wild
| Kirill Kaprizov | Ryan Hartman | Mats Zuccarello |
| Kevin Fiala | Frederick Gaudreau | Matthew Boldy |
| Jordan Greenway | Joel Eriksson Ek | Marcus Foligno |
| Brandon Duhaime | Nico Sturm | Nick Bjugstad |
| Jonas Brodin | Mathew Dumba |
| Alex Goligoski | Jared Spurgeon |
| Jon Merrill | Dmitry Kulikov |
| Kaapo Kahkonen |
| Cam Talbot |