Gameday Preview: Blue Jackets at Blackhawks

The Details

BLUE JACKETS at BLACKHAWKS
GAME INFO
COLUMBUS: 10-20-2, 8th in Metropolitan
CHICAGO: 7-20-4, 8th in Central
UNITED CENTER, 8:30 p.m. ET
BROADCAST INFO
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What They're Saying

There's a key word as the Blue Jackets head into tonight's game with the Blackhawks, and it is frustration.
Columbus hasn't played bad hockey over the last five games but is yet to be able to celebrate a win. And the result of that is those small breakdowns that have led to wins for the other team have led to disappointment on the Blue Jackets' side
"There was frustration there for sure," defenseman Erik Gudbranson said after the loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday. "We have played a heck of a lot better than we were beforehand and doing lots of good things. There's little mistakes we make that end up in the back of our net right now. It's frustrating, but it's part of the growth process for this group. I think it's valuable experience that we're not going to forget."
Everything that is happening is natural for a team that dresses a lineup that is half rookies, and it is tough to deal with the results. Yet Columbus knows if it keeps putting together good minutes, it'll end up on the right side of the coin at some point.
"It's right there toward the end of the game," wing Johnny Gaudreau said. "It's difficult and frustrating sometimes, but we have to learn from this each day and get better as a team."
The Blue Jackets will get some good injury news tonight, as Adam Boqvist will return to the lineup to face his former team.

Know The Foe: Chicago Blackhawks

Head coach: Luke Richardson (1st season)
Season Stats:Goals per game: 2.26 (32nd) | Scoring defense: 3.81 (29th) | PP: 21.9 percent (17th) | PK: 70.8 percent (29th)
The narrative:The Blackhawks knew it would be rough this year after stripping essentially everything to the studs with the offseason trades of Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach as well as the departures of Brandon Hagel and Dominik Kubalik. While Jonathan Toews and Patrik Kane remain -- for now -- the Blackhawks dynasty that produced Stanley Cups in 2010, '13 and '15 is now cycling into what appears to be a long rebuild.
2022-23 leaders: A CBJ killer, Kane still remains a player who can change the game with the puck on his stick -- and on the power play, where he has 12 assists -- and leads the way with a 4-18-22 line. Former Blue Jacket Max Domi is tied with Toews for the team lead with 10 goals and is second with 21 points, while Toews has 17 points. They are the only three Blackhawks with more than 13 points.
In net, four different goalies have seen time already this season, with Arvid Soderblom leading the way with 15 starts. He was recently sent to AHL Rockford, though, and the current goalies on the roster are veterans Petr Mrazek (2-8-1, 4.23, .874 in 12 games) and Alex Stalock (3-2-1, 2.93, .914 in seven games).
What's new:Things are simply not fun in Chicago right now, as the Blackhawks come into the game having lost eight in a row. In all, Chicago is 1-15-1 in its last 17 games and has been outscored 77-32 in that span, an average of 4.53-1.88 per game.
Trending:Chicago has had the upper hand the last three seasons, as Columbus is 3-4-5 in the series since 2019-20. The Blue Jackets did win in their last visit to the United Center, a 7-4 victory Feb. 17
Former CBJ:There are plenty of familiar faces there, including Seth Jones, who has played in 21 games and posted a 1-8-9 line and minus-21 rating this season. Domi spent the last two seasons with the Blue Jackets before being traded at the deadline last year, while Richardson played three seasons with the Jackets and was a team captain. Jack Johnson is also on the squad, having posted four assists in 31 games.

3 Keys to the Game

Stay out of the box: Chicago's best attribute is its power play, as Kane can still pull plenty of strings on the man advantage. The quickest way to lose this game is to parade to the box.
Get to the net: Columbus finally got some goals on the board in Philadelphia, and the Blackhawks have struggled to keep the puck out of the net. Get to the blue and good things will happen.
Finish strong: The team will head its separate ways after the game for the Christmas holiday, so you might as well finish with a solid effort on the way out.

3 Stats to Know

• With two goals in as many games since moving to the center position, Kent Johnson is now fourth among NHL rookies with eight goals and tied for sixth with 16 points.
• Johnny Gaudreau ranks fifth in the NHL in assists since Nov. 10 with 5-20-25 in 20 contests. He is three assists shy of tying the franchise record for most assists in the month of December (Artemi Panarin, 13 in 2017).
• Milestone watch: With eight assists in the last 10 games, Jack Roslovic is one helper from 100 for his NHL career (63-99-162, 338 GP) as well as five points from 100 for his CBJ career (37-58-95, 158 GP).

Who's Hot

Goalie Daniil Tarasov has a .926 save percentage in his last seven appearances. ... Gaudreau has a 4-15-19 line in his last 15 games. … Patrik Laine has seven goals in 11 games since his return from injury, plus four multipoint games in that span (7-5-12). He is tied for fifth in the NHL with seven goals in December. … CBJ rookies have a 15-19-34 line this year, the most goals and fourth in points among rookies on NHL teams. … Kirill Marchenko's second goal of the season last Thursday gives the Jackets 19 players with multiple goals this season. ... Columbus has three wins in overtime this year, and Vladislav Gavrikov has scored two of the winning goals and assisted on the other.

This Day in CBJ History

Dec. 23, 2000: Espen Knutsen records the first four-point game in CBJ history, posting a goal and three assists in a 7-5 win at the New York Islanders. Serge Aubin also scores the first road empty-net goal in team history.
Dec. 23, 2008: Rookie goalie Steve Mason begins a shutout streak that would reach a franchise-record 199:19 and include three straight shutouts.
Dec. 23, 2018: Sergei Bobrovsky stops all 38 shots he sees in a 3-0 shutout win at New Jersey. It was Bobrovsky's second shutout in a week's time.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)
Johnny Gaudreau - Kent Johnson - Patrik Laine
Kirill Marchenko - Jack Roslovic - Gus Nyquist
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Mathieu Olivier
Liam Foudy - Josh Dunne - Carson Meyer
Vladislav Gavrikov - Marcus Bjork
Tim Berni - Erik Gudbranson
Adam Boqvist - Andrew Peeke
Daniil Tarasov
Joonas Korpisalo
Scratches:Gavin Bayreuther, Jake Christiansen, Elvis Merzlikins (illness)
Injured reserve:Cole Sillinger (upper body injury, day to day); Nick Blankenburg (ankle, out six to eight weeks as of Nov. 11); Boone Jenner (thumb surgery, out four weeks as of Dec. 19); Yegor Chinakhov (high ankle sprain, out six weeks as of Dec. 21); Jake Bean (shoulder, out four to six months after surgery in November); Jakub Voracek (upper body, out indefinitely); Zach Werenski (shoulder surgery, out for season); Justin Danforth (shoulder surgery, out for season)
Roster Report:Boqvist has not played since Oct. 25 with a broken foot but will go in, while Tarasov will make his fifth straight start.