PREVIEW: Blue Jackets take on Ducks at Nationwide Arena

BLUE JACKETS (13-11-0) vs. DUCKS (14-8-5)

"No quit," Larsen said postgame. "We shot ourselves in the foot on four of the five goals, really. It's tough. You play a team like that and you know they're dangerous, and when you gift them some, it's tough. And we did that, so you get behind 3-0, then you have to chase it. But there's no quit. They went right to the final buzzer there, which was great to see."
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In the end, the Blue Jackets did turn in a number of good minutes, particularly in the last two periods, but it wasn't enough to overcome the mistakes Larsen referred to. In some ways, it's been a microcosm of the team's play of late as Columbus has allowed at least three goals in six straight games and 12 of the last 14 contests.
It's hard to win in the National Hockey League when you're giving up that many goals, as the Blue Jackets are 6-8-0 in the last 14 while giving up 3.71 goals per contest; in the last six, the CBJ is 1-5-0 and allowed 4.50 goals per game.
Good minutes are good, but in the end, the Blue Jackets are looking for a way to find more of them.
"There were pockets of the game I think we played the way we wanted to," Sean Kuraly said after the loss in Toronto. "And that's what you have to stick with, I guess. Results is the name of the game, which is the hard part, but when you are doing the right things you just have to put your head down and realize those are the things you need to do and stick with them and not get off our game."
One silver lining for the Blue Jackets is this contest is at Nationwide Arena, where Columbus has been much better this season. The team's record of 9-3-0 is its best start ever in the downtown barn, and the Jackets have won four straight at home.
"Obviously we like playing at home in front of The Fifth Line," Oliver Bjorkstrand said. "They give us some energy."

Know the Foe

Anaheim spent a decade and a half as a consistent playoff presence, making 12 playoff appearances in 15 seasons from 2003-18, winning the Stanley Cup in 2007 and making another Final in 2003. But the Ducks haven't been to the playoffs in the four seasons since then, but with the team in second place in the Pacific Division, Anaheim could make it back this season.
And the main reason is an infusion of talented youth that is turning heads across the league, in particular Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras. In fact, the latter was the talk of the NHL on Tuesday night with his lacrosse-style assist, flipping the puck over the net with his blade for Sonny Milano to bat home in what might be the goal of the year in the NHL.
The Ducks have been patient with Terry and are reaping the benefits, as the 24-year-old former Denver University standout placing tied for seventh in the NHL with 15 goals and leading the Ducks with 26 points. Zegras, the ninth overall pick in the 2019 draft and the 2021 World Juniors standout with the gold medal-winning Team USA, looks like a star in the making at age 20 with a 6-16-22 line and eight assists in the last four games.
Milano is still just 25, and the 2014 first-round pick of the Blue Jackets seems to finally have found a home on a line with Zegras, notching eight goals and 20 points on the season. Other youngsters to watch include 2018 first-round pick Isac Lundestrom, who has a 6-8-14 line, and 2020 sixth overall pick Jamie Drysdale, a defenseman with three goals and 13 points at age 19.
There are also some veterans of note, including Ryan Getzlaf, as the 17th-year Duck with 1,124 games under his belt is still a solid playmaker with a 1-19-20 line. Adam Henrique adds 6-10-16 and Kevin Shattenkirk has a 5-11-16 line.
It feels like John Gibson has been around forever, but the 28-year-old in his ninth season has started 20 games for the Ducks, going 10-6-4 this season with a 2.69 GAA and .914 save percentage. Backup Anthony Stolarz has a 2.42 GAA and .928 save percentage in seven games.
Anaheim comes to Columbus having earned points in five straight games (3-0-2) and six of seven (4-1-2). Special teams have been impressive with the team fourth in the NHL in both power play (26.7 percent) and penalty kill (85.9 percent), while the Ducks are 10th in the league in scoring (3.26 goals per game) and 13th in team defense (2.78 goals allowed).