PREVIEW: Blue Jackets welcome Golden Knights to Columbus

A couple of times in recent games, the Blue Jackets have gotten contributions from up and down the lineup to win hockey games.

That’s how it is in this sport, as when everyone does their job and chips in, it’s a lot easier to string together wins. And the Blue Jackets had a lot of people on their game in Saturday’s 5-2 win at Chicago, including getting two goals from the third line and another from the fourth line.

Add in two tallies from the team’s top line, a solid goaltending performance from Elvis Merzlikins, and a good defensive effort, and the Blue Jackets were able to get the job done in the Windy City two nights ago.

“I thought we started strong, good start obviously (scoring on) the first shift of the game, and then I thought we battled hard those first two periods,” Zach Werenski said postgame. “They had a push in the third there, which was to be expected, obviously being down a couple of goals. But coming on the road in a tough stretch right now – five (games) in seven (nights) for us – I actually liked our game tonight.

“I think the guys worked hard. It wasn't perfect by any means, but I think our whole team played well.”

Head coach Pascal Vincent couldn’t help but agree as the Blue Jackets have now split the last eight contests.

“It’s a good win for us,” he said. “Good start. I thought we got better in the second period. We were a little bit more physical. That’s a good game for us.”

The challenge gets a little tougher tonight, though, as the defending champions come to town. It will be an opportunity for the Blue Jackets to win consecutive games for the first time since November.

"That's a team composed of men, and there's a reason why they've won the Stanley Cup," Vincent said of the Golden Knights. "That's a team that can play the game any style you want. ... They make big plays at key times. That's a team that doesn't make key mistakes at key times. They just know how to manage the game, manage the score. They've been in the playoffs for years They've won the Stanley Cup. Those things don't happen by accident."

Know The Foe: Vegas Golden Knights

Head coach: Bruce Cassidy (Second season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.18 (14th) | Scoring defense: 2.90 (10th) | PP: 19.6 percent (20th) | PK: 80.4 percent (11th)

The narrative: The 2023 Stanley Cup champs will again have the chance to lift the trophy, as the Golden Knights are again solidly in the playoffs. It won’t be easy to escape a Pacific Division that includes Vancouver, Edmonton and Los Angeles in the postseason, but it’s a battle-tested squad that used its size and transition skills to beat all comers a season ago. Many of the same names are back, too, as only Reilly Smith and Phil Kessel are no longer on the squad from the top 10 scorers a season ago.

Team leaders: Jonathan Marchessault has continued to be one of the most effective forwards in the league, just as he has been since the franchise’s inception, as his 32 goals among 53 points are tied for 10th in the NHL. Mark Stone’s 16-37-53 line ties Marchessault for the team lead, but he’s currently on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Jack Eichel has been on IR since January with a lower-body injury, but he could return tonight and is third on the team in scoring at 19-25-44. William Karlsson has 21 goals and 21 helpers to place fourth on the squad.

Goalie injuries last year led to Adin Hill’s postseason star turn, and he currently has a 15-6-2 record with a 2.38 GAA and .923 save percentage. Logan Thompson has started a team-best 32 games and is 17-12-5 with a 2.87 GAA and .903 save percentage.

What's new: The absences of Eichel and Stone have loomed large of late. Perhaps it’s not a surprise with those two top players out, but Vegas is on a bit of a skid, coming to Columbus with a 2-6-1 record in the last nine games after suffering a 7-2 drubbing at Buffalo on Saturday. Defense has been the biggest culprit, with Vegas allowing 37 goals in that octet of contests.

Trending: This is the first meeting between the squads this season, with the Blue Jackets set to return to Vegas on March 23. Last year was the first time the Jackets didn’t beat the Golden Knights in a season, as Columbus was 0-1-1. In all, the Jackets are 5-4-1 all-time against Vegas, including 3-1-1 at home.

Former CBJ: Marchessault and Karlsson are the only two Golden Knights to play in an NHL game for the Union Blue, though checking line forward Keegan Kolesar was a CBJ draft pick and has 5-6-11 in 57 games.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Jack Roslovic
Yegor Chinakhov – Dmitri Voronkov – Kirill Marchenko
Alexandre Texier – Cole Sillinger – Alex Nylander
Justin Danforth – Sean Kuraly – Mathieu Olivier
Zach Werenski – Adam Boqvist
Ivan Provorov – Damon Severson
Jake Bean – Erik Gudbranson
Daniil Tarasov
Jet Greaves

Scratches: Adam Fantilli (calf laceration, out eight weeks as of Jan. 31), Andrew Peeke, Elvis Merzlikins (upper body, day to day)

Injured reserve: Kent Johnson (torn labrum in left shoulder, out for season)

Roster Report: Greaves was added Sunday on an emergency recall, while Johnson was placed on injured reserve. There won't be any changes to the skater lineup vs. Vegas, but Tarasov plays tonight and Greaves will get the call Tuesday in Pittsburgh. 

3 Stats to Know

• Cole Sillinger has scored in three straight games for the first time in his career and notched his 30th career goal Saturday, becoming just the third CBJ player in team history to score that many goals before his 21st birthday (Rick Nash, 58; Pierre-Luc Dubois, 47).
• Blue Jackets goalies Daniil Tarasov and Elvis Merzlikins have combined to post a .923 save percentage in the last five games, stopping 181 of 196 shots against.
• Milestone watch: Cole Sillinger is two games from 200 for his NHL career (30-35-65, 198 GP). ... Zach Werenski is two assists from 200 for his NHL career (83-198-281, 463 GP).

Who’s Hot

Alex Nylander has three points in the last two games (1-2-3). ... Johnny Gaudreau has four multipoint games in the last 10 contests (2-9-11). He now has 28 points in the last 30 games (5-23-28), 18 points in the last 18 (2-16-18) and 14 in the last 13 (2-12-14). ... Dmitri Voronkov has nine goals in the last 17 games and is among NHL rookie leaders in goals (15, third) and points (30, fifth). ... Boone Jenner has six goals and four assists in 10 games since returning from the NHL All-Star Game and leads the Blue Jackets with 19 goals. ... Jack Roslovic has 10 points (2-8-10) in the last nine games. ... The team’s rookie stat line of 29-37-66 is first in the NHL in goals and third in points.

This Day in CBJ History

March 4, 2009: Columbus acquires center Antoine Vermette from Ottawa for goalie Pascal Leclaire and a second-round draft pick. Vermette would notch 7-6-13 in 17 games down the stretch to help the Jackets to their first playoff appearance.

March 4, 2018: The Blue Jackets notch a 4-2 win at San Jose, the first of 10 straight victories. The run would go down as the second-longest winning streak in club history and tied for the longest in the league in the 2017-18 season. Eight of the wins came in regulation and two were achieved in overtime as the Jackets outscored opponents 42-22.

March 4, 2020: The Blue Jackets sign high-scoring defenseman Jake Christiansen from Everett of the Western Hockey League.

March 4, 2022: Patrik Laine, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Justin Danforth score three times in 46 seconds late in the second period to notch the three fastest goals in CBJ history. Unfortunately, Los Angeles scores twice in the third period and gets the OT winner to take a 4-3 victory in Nationwide Arena.