Game Day #68: Just win

Thursday, March 20, 2025 – 7:00 PM ET
Nationwide Arena – Columbus, Ohio
TV: FDSNOH – Radio: 97.1FM

Florida Panthers (41-24-3, 85 points, 1st Atlantic, 3rd East)
at
Columbus Blue Jackets (31-28-8, 70 points, 6th Metropolitan, 11th East)

After a strong stretch out of the 4 Nations Faceoff, and a kick-ass Stadium Series, the exciting, high-scoring Columbus Blue Jackets we’ve been treated to this season have completely disappeared. Four straight losses. Only one win in their last seven games. One goal in the first three games of this homestand. The Jackets have gone from the top wildcard to three spots out this month, and now the message for every game for the next 15 games is simple:

Just win.

Players to Watch

Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko

Over the course of an 82-game season, it can be easy as writers to try to get cute with this segment. You can’t pick the stars every game. James van Riemsdyk! Denton Mateychuk! Mathieu Olivier! (Okay that one may actually be fair.) But at the end of the day, when the chips are down, the Jackets need their two biggest stars to step up. Zach Werenski has been the workhorse of this defense this year, averaging 27 minutes a game, and been so instrumental to breakouts and transitions that people much better at analyzing hockey than me have called him our true top center. Shoutout to the Hockey PDOcast.

Kirill Marchenko has been equally critical, netting 25 goals and 62 points so far, and combining with Dmitri Voronkov, Sean Monahan, and Adam Fantilli to wreck havoc in among opposing defenses. But Marchy has been the heart and soul of this line, and the Jackets’ prior stretch of struggles was during his absence prior to the 4 Nations. When the Jackets have needed scoring, these two have stepped up. They’ve combined for just seven points since the Stadium Series. The Jackets need more, and they need their leaders be the ones to pull them out of this recent nosedive.

Jackets Notes

While they’re unlikely to arrive today, reinforcements are on the horizon. Sean Monahan and Cole Sillinger have both been practicing this week, and are likely close to a return. Erik Gudbransson is also close. … Jet Greaves was sent back down to AHL Cleveland after Elvis Merzlikins was on paternity leave for the birth of his second kid. … Everything else more or less doesn’t matter. Just win.

The Other Bench

Standing in the way of Columbus is the Florida Panthers. After making big splashes at the trade deadline, acquiring Seth Jones and Brad Marchand. They’ve since jumped from A3 to A1, though it’s a close race with Tampa Bay and Toronto. … Despite this, the Panthers have been underwhelming. Just 2-3 since the trade deadline. … However, they thrashed the Jackets in their home barn on March 6th, 3-0.

Season Series

10/15/2024 FLA 4 @ CBJ 3
03/06/2025 CBJ 0 @ FLA 3
03/20/2025 FLA @ CBJ

Stats

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets

Florida Panthers