Gameday Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Sharks

The Details

BLUE JACKETS vs. SHARKS
GAME INFO
COLUMBUS: 13-30-2, 8th in Metropolitan
SAN JOSE: 14-23-9, 7th in Pacific
NATIONWIDE ARENA, 7 p.m. ET
BUY TICKETS
First Responders Night pres. by Jet's Pizza
BROADCAST INFO
TV:
Bally Sports Ohio
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AUDIO:
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BY THE NUMBERS
CBJ Player Statistics
Sharks Player Statistics
NHL Standings
RECENT ARTICLES
SvoNotes: Bayreuther's battle
Prospect Report: David Jiricek
Laine's 'Pat trick'

What They're Saying

One common theme for this season is that the Blue Jackets just can't seem to stand prosperity.
Winning streaks have been few and far between, with Columbus yet to post anything longer than a two-game winning run. And on Thursday night, the Jackets took a 3-0 lead through 20 minutes of play for just the second time this year only to watch the Ducks come back and score five unanswered times to get the win.
It's a young CBJ team that hasn't much go its way this year, and one of the lessons the squad is getting a crash course in learning is figuring out how to handle success both in a game and in a season.
"That was a situation we haven't been in much this year, a lead early," said Mathieu Olivier, who had a goal and a fight in the contest. "With that big of a lead, we just stepped off the gas pedal from what I can tell. That's something we're going to have to address as a team and learn from it. We're a young team. We're learning how to win in this league and it's part of the process, but it's unacceptable."
The proof was in the pudding, as the Blue Jackets had an edge in shots on goal of 15-9 in the first before being outshot 24-18 the rest of the way. The advanced stats were even more pronounced, as Natural Stat Trick had Columbus with a 6-3 edge in high-danger chances at 5-on-5 in the first only to see the Ducks have a 10-2 advantage in the final two periods.
Anaheim scored on an odd-man rush just 22 seconds into the second to make it a 3-1 game and then got rolling from there, leaving head coach Brad Larsen disappointed with how the game got away from his squad.
"Just the way you give up that first goal, nothing is going on," he said. "It's a rim out, it's a bad chip, they come back and it's a 2-on-1 and it's in your net. You don't want to give other teams life is the big thing. (It's about) managing the game and continuing what you were doing.
"You don't get many first periods like that where it seems like all four lines were rolling. We weren't even matching them. We had a good rhythm. We got rewarded for the good work you're putting in, so now they get one and you have to find a way to get it back.
"That's the learning process. Keep it at 3-1, that's fine, and really push for the fourth goal and do it the right way, do it how you're doing it."

Know The Foe: San Jose Sharks

Head coach:David Quinn (First season)
Season Stats:Goals per game: 3.07 (21st) | Scoring defense: 3.70 (29th) | PP: 20.6 percent (20th) | PK: 84.2 percent (3rd)
The narrative: Much like Anaheim, the Sharks are a California team with a proud history -- San Jose had 19 playoff appearances in 21 seasons through 2018-19 -- but a recent lack of success. The squad has missed the postseason for three years running and appears set for a fourth year without a battle for the Stanley Cup. Even worse, each of the top 10 players on scoring on the squad are over the age of 25, so it might be a prolonged trek back to contention for the squad.
2022-23 leaders: At age 32, Erik Karlsson is having a career season, as the defenseman leads all NHL defensemen in goals (15), assists (47) and points (62), with the latter mark good for sixth among all players in scoring. Timo Meier has 26 goals, good for a tie for 11th in the NHL, among his 46 points, while Tomas Hertl boasts a 14-27-41 line and Logan Couture has 16 goals and 36 points.
In net, San Jose is going with a duo of James Reimer and Kaapo Kahkonen, with Reimer starting a team-best 25 games and posting an 8-13-4 record, 3.23 GAA and .897 save percentage.
What's new:San Jose lost its first five games and has continued to struggle, going 3-5-3 in its last 11 and giving up 46 goals in that span. Despite a penalty kill that has been among the league's best, San Jose has struggled to keep the puck out of its net, giving up 121 goals at 5-on-5 to place 31st in the league.
Trending:The teams have split the last 14 games going back to 2014-15, with each holding a 7-7-0 record. Both teams won at home a season ago, with Columbus capturing a 6-4 victory Dec. 5 before the Sharks won a 3-2 final April 19.
Former CBJ: Defenseman Scott Harrington spent six years with the Blue Jackets before heading to San Jose this season. In 17 games, the blueliner has a 1-5-6 line this season. Markus Nutivaara has been on injured reserve all season as well with a lower-body injury.

3 Keys to the Game

Play 60: It's been a constant refrain all year, but many of the Blue Jackets' biggest issues stem from too many ups and downs throughout a game. Consistency throughout an entire contest is big for the Jackets.
Score at 5-on-5: The Sharks have one of the best penalty kills in the league but have struggled at even strength, meaning it's big to get goals without waiting for the power play.
Use the energy: It should be a big weekend crowd in Nationwide Arena, something the Jackets can hopefully use to their advantage.

3 Stats to Know

• With one more point, Kent Johnson (8-11-19) will become the 17th first-year player in CBJ history to notch at least 20 points in a season.
• With nine goals, Kirill Marchenko has the second most tallies ever by a CBJ player in the first 22 games of his career (Matt Calvert, 10).
• Milestone watch: Laine notched 100 points for his CBJ career (48-52-100, 131 GP). … Gustav Nyquist is three games from 700 for his NHL career (173-248-421, 697 GP).

Who's Hot

Johnny Gaudreau ranks tied for eighth in the NHL in assists since Nov. 10 with 7-26-33 in 33 contests. … Jack Roslovic has a 3-14-17 line in the last 21 games. … Marchenko has seven tallies in the last 14 games, while his nine goals are tied for fourth among NHL rookies with Anaheim's Mason McTavish. … Johnson's line puts him sixth in the NHL among rookies in goals and in points. ... Joonas Korpisalo has a .924 save percentage in his last seven appearances. … CBJ rookies lead all NHL teams in goals and rank tied for third in points with 24-26-50 in 45 games.

This Day in CBJ History

Jan. 21, 2001: Geoff Sanderson becomes the first player in CBJ history to hit the 20-goal plateau with a tally vs. Tampa Bay. He'd finish the team's inaugural season as the squad's goals leader with 30.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)
Johnny Gaudreau - Boone Jenner - Kirill Marchenko
Gus Nyquist - Jack Roslovic - Patrik Laine
Kent Johnson - Cole Sillinger - Emil Bemstrom
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Mathieu Olivier
Vladislav Gavrikov - Adam Boqvist
Tim Berni - Erik Gudbranson
Nick Blankenburg - Andrew Peeke
Elvis Merzlikins OR Joonas Korpisalo
Scratches:Liam Foudy, Gavin Bayreuther
Injured reserve:Yegor Chinakhov (high ankle sprain, out six weeks as of Dec. 21); Carson Meyer (oblique, out six to eight weeks as of Jan. 11); 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:Korpisalo gets the start in net while the skater lineup will remain the same against the Sharks.