Game #70 Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets look to salvage road trip with visit to Vancouver Canucks

Columbus Blue Jackets at Vancouver Canucks
Sunday, March 8, 2020 – 10:00 EST
Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
TV: Fox Sports Ohio – Radio: WBNS FM
Opponent’s blog: Nucks Misconduct

Columbus Blue Jackets, 32-22-15, 79 points, 5th Metro, 8th East
@
Vancouver Canucks, 35-26-6, 76 points, 4th Pacific, 7th West

If the Columbus Blue Jackets want to salvage anything from this trip to western Canada, the team should probably find a way to salvage third periods.

Against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night, the Jackets gave up two goals in the third period before falling in overtime. Last night, after playing well and dominating the Edmonton Oilers everywhere but the scoreboard for the first forty minutes, the Oilers put three past Joonas Korpisalo to blow the game open in the final twenty and send the Jackets to their eleventh loss in thirteen games.

Thankfully for the Jackets, no one else in the Metropolitan Division seems to want to win right now either. If the Jackets are going to make the postseason, however, they cannot simply rely on others to lose (especially when all of the other teams have games in hand).

After a comeback win in the third period last Sunday against these same Canucks, now would be an excellent chance to put together a complete game and come home with two much needed points in the bag. Time is running out and the Jackets don’t have many games left – they cannot afford to let more points slip away.

Player to Watch

Elvis Merzlikins

He’s back! After backing up Korpisalo last night, Elvis is expected to get the start against the Canucks tonight. Elvis was playing well before he was hurt on a play in which he was run over by Anthony Duclair and missed about two weeks with what is officially being called an upper body injury. Elvis has been a rock behind the Blue Jackets defense and, if this team is going to make a run at the playoffs, he will have to do so again tonight.

Jackets Notes

With Elvis’ return, the Jackets have assigned Matiss Kivlenieks to Cleveland … With his goal last week against the Canucks, Werenski became the first Blue Jackets defenseman to hit 20 goals in franchise history … Tonight will be Werenski’s 300th professional game for the Jackets … oh, and Ryan Murray is out again

The Other Bench

JT Miller has 27-44-71 since joining the Canucks from the Tampa Bay Lightning this past summer … The Canucks are coming into this game on the heels of a 6-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche with two points each from Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon … The Canucks are expected to be without Brock Boeser, Jay Beagle, and Jacob Markstrom (among others) tonight

Season Series

03/01/2020 VAN 3 @ CBJ 5
03/08/2020 CBJ @ VAN

Stats

Projected Lineups