Gameday Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Canadiens

The Details

BLUE JACKETS vs. CANADIENS
GAME INFO
COLUMBUS: 7-10-1, 8th in Metropolitan
MONTREAL: 9-9-1, 6th in Atlantic
NATIONWIDE ARENA, 7 p.m. ET
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Throwback Night presented by Safelite
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TV:
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What They're Saying

It won't go down as a masterpiece, but the Blue Jackets were able to keep the good vibes going with Sunday night's 5-3 victory over Florida.
By the end of the game, the Blue Jackets were outshot 50-23 and out-attempted 96-38, yet Columbus got a sterling outing from goalie Daniil Tarasov and enough offense to take down the Panthers.
Yet things weren't quite as lopsided as it may have seemed, head coach Brad Larsen said Tuesday. While the Panthers had the puck a lot in the offensive zone, particularly in the first period and the latter half of the second, Columbus stuck to its plan and was largely able to keep Florida to the outside.
"You look at the chances and as far as the grade-A's, we actually had more grade-A's than them, believe it or not," Larsen said. "The volume, though, the B's and C's, they were there. They're a big-bodied team. We knew we were going to play in (the defensive) zone. The longer they're in there, the more dangerous they get. But Tarasov was outstanding. He was a big reason we won."
The challenge will be different tonight against Montreal, a younger team that is trying to build itself into a contender. Whereas Florida is coming off two straight Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances and considers itself a team with a real chance to make noise in the postseason, the Canadiens are led by a bevy of youngsters after finishing last in the NHL in points a season ago.
Columbus should have momentum, though, after Sunday's win, especially with how the Blue Jackets responded from Saturday night's loss at the hands of Detroit.
"It's about time that we win a game that maybe wasn't going our away all night," Sean Kuraly said after the win over the Panthers. "We found a way to be mature about it, stick in the game and continue to make the right plays. Credit to us, I think we showed some maturity in a lot of situations."

Know The Foe: Montreal Canadiens

Head coach: Martin St. Louis (Second season)
Season Stats:Goals per game: 3.00 (19th) | Scoring defense: 3.68 (29th) | PP: 16.1 percent (28th) | PK: 79.4 percent (13th)
The narrative:After making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in the shortened 2021 season, the Habs were the worst team in hockey a season ago. The hiring of Martin St. Louis did help turn the team's fortunes a bit in the second half of last season, but this is still a rebuilding effort with the squad led by such youngsters as captain Nick Suzuki (23 years old), Cole Caufield (21), Kirby Dach (21), Kaiden Guhle (20) and 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky (18). The Canadiens come to Columbus having lost three of four, including a 7-2 setback at home last night vs. Buffalo.
2022-23 leaders: That group leads the way as Suzuki, Caufield and Dach are the team's top three scorers while Guhle is the leader among defensemen in points. Caufield's 12 goals among his 20 points are good for a tie for sixth in the NHL, while Suzuki's 11 goals are tied for eighth in the league and his 23 points lead the squad. Dach -- acquired this offseason from Chicago -- has a 4-12-16 line, and Guhle leads the defensemen with a 1-6-7 line.
In net, Jake Allen has made 13 starts including last night's game vs. Buffalo, so Sam Montembeault (3-2-1/2.83/.915) will likely get the nod tonight after starting in Nationwide last week.
What's new: Montreal turned over much of its roster from a season ago, bringing in Dach, Slafkovsky, Sean Monahan from Calgary and Evgenii Dadonov from Vegas while rebuilding the blue line with the debut of Guhle and the additions of Arber Xhekaj and Mike Matheson. Unfortunately, legendary goalie Carey Price is unlikely to play this year because of injury, while notable names Joel Armia, Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron are also out. Slafkovsky has had a decent start, scoring three goals in 13 games.
Trending: Columbus has points in eight games in a row in the series, posting a 7-0-1 mark in that span and sweeping last year's three-game series in addition to winning last week. In all, the Blue Jackets hold a 13-4-2 mark in the last 19 contests.
Former CBJ: St. Louis spent part of the 2018-19 season with the Blue Jackets as a special teams consultant. In his third season with Montreal, Josh Anderson has five goals and seven points, while David Savard is now healthy after an injury-plagued first year with the Habs and has played in all 18 games with six helpers.

3 Keys to the Game

Keep scoring: The Blue Jackets have found their offensive touch of late, scoring 25 goals in the last six games. Columbus had six in the previous meeting with Montreal.
Special teams: It's always a key, but the Jackets had two power-play goals and a shorthanded goal in Sunday's win. Columbus' power play is now 6 for its last 18 in the last eight games.
Bring energy: Montreal played last night while the Blue Jackets have been off since Sunday's game. Columbus has played a lot of hockey but the Jackets should have the edge in this one.

3 Stats to Know

• All seven of Johnny Gaudreau's goals this season have not only come in Nationwide Arena, they've come in the net at the east side of the ice.
• Jenner has points in six straight home games, posting a 7-2-9 line in that span, while Kuraly has four goals in the last four games.
• Milestone watch: Erik Gudbranson is one point from 100 for his NHL career (27-72-99, 658 GP). … Jenner is two points from 300 for his NHL career (152-146-298, 607 GP). … Cole Sillinger is set to play in his 98th career NHL game.

Who's Hot

Tarasov's 47 saves in Sunday's win tied him for the sixth most saves in CBJ history. … Kent Johnson is tied for third among NHL rookies with four goals this season and also tied for third with nine points. ... Twenty different Blue Jackets have scored goals on the season, tied for the second most in the NHL with Boston. Fifteen of those players have multiple goals. ... Johnny Gaudreau has a four-game point streak and a 2-8-10 line in the last eight games. … With the CBJ's two overtime winners, Vladislav Gavrikov is just the fourth Blue Jackets defenseman to have multiple overtime goals in a season, joining Seth Jones (2016-17 and 2018-19), Zach Werenski (2019-20) and Jake Bean (2021). … With 11 goals by defensemen, the Jackets are tied for fifth in the NHL.

This Day in CBJ History

Nov. 23, 2007: Pascal Leclaire makes 32 saves in a 4-0 victory at Minnesota, giving the CBJ goalie his team-record sixth shutout of the young season.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)
Johnny Gaudreau - Boone Jenner - Gustav Nyquist
Trey Fix-Wolansky - Jack Roslovic - Kent Johnson
Liam Foudy - Cole Sillinger - Emil Bemstrom
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Mathieu Olivier
Vladislav Gavrikov - Marcus Bjork
Jake Christiansen - Erik Gudbranson
Gavin Bayreuther - Andrew Peeke
Joonas Korpisalo
Daniil Tarasov
Scratches:Yegor Chinakhov, Brendan Gaunce, Billy Sweezey
Injured reserve: Elvis Merzlikins (hip, out 1-2 weeks as of Nov. 17); Patrik Laine (ankle sprain, out three to four weeks as of Nov. 14); Nick Blankenburg (ankle, out six to eight weeks as of Nov. 11); Adam Boqvist (broken foot, out six weeks as of Oct. 26); Jake Bean (shoulder, out indefinitely); Jakub Voracek (upper body, out indefinitely); Zach Werenski (shoulder, out for season); Justin Danforth (shoulder surgery, out six months as of Oct. 25)
Roster Report:Roslovic returns after missing two games with illness, while Foudy also is in. Gaunce and Chinakhov (injury) are out, while Korpisalo starts in net.