Gameday Guide: Dec. 5 vs. San Jose

Sometimes when you're struggling, you just need a spark - any spark - to get things going.
Perhaps for the Blue Jackets tonight against San Jose, that will be returning home to Nationwide Arena after an 0-4 road trip. Things have been pretty rosy for Columbus at home, as the team's 8-3-0 record in Nationwide Arena is the franchise's best-ever start at the downtown barn.

"We've played well at home for the most part this year," head coach Brad Larsen said. "We're on a tough back-to-back here at the end of a road trip, but we've done well here at home and I'm expecting our guys to have some energy tonight."
If there's any positive to come out of the trip, it's that the last period in Washington gave the team something to build on. Columbus got a goal from Eric Robinson and started to establish a forecheck, just falling short in a 3-1 setback.
"I thought we found our legs," Larsen said of the third in D.C. "We arrived together, we were doing things in fives, and it helped us a lot. We were able to back them off a bit. We didn't generate a ton, but we didn't give up much, which is a good sign. It's something to build off of."
Santa Stinger will be in Nationwide Arena for the second time this year, with fans able to take pictures with the CBJ mascot before the game and during intermissions, with donations going to the CBJ Foundation.

3 Keys to the Game

Ride the energy: Coming off a four-game road trip, the Blue Jackets could use a pick me up from the Nationwide Arena crowd.
Find the offense: Columbus had just six goals in four games on the road trip, a downturn for a team that has scored three or more goals in 14 of the first 19 games. San Jose also is a defense-first team, so the Jackets will have to...
Grind it out: When the chips are down, it doesn't matter how ugly the win is, you just need to find a way to get one.

Notable

After scoring his 11th goal of the year Thursday at Dallas, Boone Jenner leads the team in tallies and is the only player in double digits. … Oliver Bjorkstrand is four points from 200 in his NHL career (89-107-196) … Jakub Voracek is tied for the NHL lead with 15 primary assists (Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary). … Alexandre Texier set a career high with his seventh goal of the year Thursday. … Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is 8-1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .941 save percentage in nine home contests this year. … Columbus is ranked second in the NHL in penalty kill percentage since Oct. 31 (89.7 percent). … Twenty of the 24 skaters to play this year for Columbus have scored a goal and 22 have at least one point. … San Jose swept the season series in 2019-20, posting a 3-2 win in Columbus on Jan. 4 then beating the Jackets 3-1 at home five days later. … Both teams have six shutouts and three hat tricks in the all-time series.

Projected Lineup

(Subject to change)
Oliver Bjorkstrand - Boone Jenner - Jakub Voracek
Gustav Nyquist - Cole Sillinger - Max Domi
Justin Danforth - Jack Roslovic - Gregory Hofmann
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Alexandre Texier
Zach Werenski - Jake Bean
Vladislav Gavrikov - Andrew Peeke
Gabriel Carlsson - Adam Boqvist
Elvis Merzlikins (confirmed starter)
Daniil Tarasov
Scratches: Yegor Chinakhov, Gavin Bayreuther, Scott Harrington, Joonas Korpisalo (illness)
Injured Reserve:Dean Kukan (wrist; eight weeks as of Oct. 26); Patrik Laine (oblique; four to six weeks as of Nov. 5); Joonas Korpisalo (illness)
Roster Report: Larsen said the Jackets will mix and match lines again, so everything above is a bit of a guess. The head coach did confirm that Roslovic and Carlsson go into the lineup while Chinakhov and Bayreuther sit; Merzlikins will start for the first time since falling ill in Dallas this past week.

This Day in CBJ History

Dec. 5, 2006: Goalie Fredrik Norrena earned his second shutout in four days, making 42 saves in a 3-0 win at Colorado.