Blue Jackets host Minnesota in second half of home-and-home

BLUE JACKETS (31-20-14) at WILD (31-25-7)

Add in Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss at Nashville in which Columbus was down 2-0 after a period and that's three straight games where the Blue Jackets didn't feel they had the necessary energy to start things off.
"We put ourselves in that hole and we climb out of it and we have a great chance to tie it," Foligno said after the game in St. Paul, "but we just can't expect that to be the story every time, every game here. I want to see us dictate play. I want to see us get going on teams and jump on them, and guys have to understand that's a simple mind-set of getting pucks behind their defense, willing our game onto them and playing that three-quarter game they seemed to play against us.
"That's the disappointing part. We can't play one period and expect to win. That's gotta go by the wayside here."
Columbus will get a chance to atone for that Friday in a return match vs. the Wild, and the hope for the Blue Jackets is that the team will be ready to go from the beginning.
In fact, head coach John Tortorella has said he spends little time at this time of year worrying about the strategy of the game. Right now, much of his focus is on the team's energy level and compete level, with the coach purposely limiting practices this time of year, especially as minute totals climb for everyone on the squad from veterans playing big minutes to youngsters filling roles they never expected to.
"I don't talk a lot about strategy, period," Tortorella said. "I think the X's and O's, I think it's overrated compared to how hard you have to play. That hasn't changed from the beginning of the year to now. But we're playing a lot of games here, and that's who we are in this situation and where we've been the past few months. That's a big part of our success is just our energy level."
It will be a focus for the team from the very beginning, something the captain will have his eye on.
"They came out and wanted it more than us," Foligno said about Tuesday's game vs. the Wild. "That can't happen -- not in the situation we're in. We're running out of games here to say we'll get the next one. We have a huge one coming up against them when we get back to try to return the favor."
Know the Foe
The Wild are fighting for their playoff lives, currently sitting three points behind a logjam of teams tied for the final wild card spot on the Western Conference. A 11-5-1 run has rekindled what had been faint playoff hopes, and interim head coach Dean Evason is 4-2-0 since taking over for Bruce Boudreau including last night's 7-1 win vs. Detroit.
Oddly, Tuesday night's matchup between two of the best defensive teams in hockey turned into a wild 5-4 affair. Still, the Wild are one of the top teams in the NHL in expected goals share per Natural Stat Trick, with the team fourth overall in expected goals percentage at 5-on-5 with 53.0 percent. Defense has been the calling card, with the team's 1.93 expected goals allowed at 5-on-5 per 60 minutes the best mark in the NHL, though the team is 26th in expected goals for at 2.17.
In the world of conventional stats, Minnesota is right in the middle of the pack, placing 15th in goal scoring with 3.11 goals per game, but defensively the team actually allows 3.16, 24th overall, showing the team has likely received substandard goaltending throughout the year.
Alex Stalock has taken over as the team's No. 1 and has made 30 starts, going is 17-9-4 with a 2.68 GAA and .908 save percentage. Devan Dubnyk is 11-15-1 record with a 3.34 goals-against average and .892 save percentage, all while dealing with a medical issue facing his wife.
Eric Staal leads the way with 19 goals and 26 assists for 45 points while Kevin Fiala also has 45 with a 18-27 line. From the blue line, Ryan Suter adds a 7-35-42 line, while Parise has a team-high 21 goals as well as 38 points, and Mats Zuccarello has a 14-20-34 line. Staal and Fiala each had two-point games Tuesday along with captain Mikko Koivu (two goals), Ryan Donato (goal, assist) and Ryan Hartman (two assists).
3 Keys to the Game
Find the defense: If the Blue Jackets are going to win, the defensive identity has to return. The Blue Jackets haven't been bad at times, but inconsistent while allowing 4.0 goals per game in the last eight.
Start the forecheck: The Blue Jackets' goals in Minnesota were borne of hard work and winning battles, another hallmark of the team.
Right from the start: We posted about it above, but Columbus has to start fast. Chasing the game is difficult for a team without so many regulars.
Of Note
Columbus has points in 30 of 36 games (20-6-10). … The team's 14 overtime losses lead the NHL. … Werenski leads all NHL defensemen with a CBJ-record 19 goals from the blue line this season. … Stefan Matteau has two goals and an assist in four games since his callup from AHL Cleveland, while Emil Bemstrom has scored in three straight. … Boone Jenner has a 1-3-4 line in the past four games. ... The Blue Jackets have played in one-goal contests (excluding empty-net goals) in 15 of the last 16 games and 41 one-goal games overall this season. … Columbus is 4-1-1 in its last six home games vs. Minnesota.
Projected Lineup
(Subject to change)
Nick Foligno - Boone Jenner - Nathan Gerbe
Gustav Nyquist - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Stefan Matteau
Kevin Stenlund - Alex Wennberg - Emil Bemstrom
Devin Shore - Riley Nash - Eric Robinson
Zach Werenski - Markus Nutivaara
Vladislav Gavrikov - David Savard
Scott Harrington - Andrew Peeke
Joonas Korpisalo
Matiss Kivlenieks
Scratches:Oliver Bjorkstrand (injury), Jakob Lilja, Gabriel Carlsson, Elvis Merzlikins (injury)
Roster Report: Columbus gets two injured forwards back as Wennberg and Nash enter the lineup in place of Calvin Thurkauf and Lilja.
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