PREVIEW: Blue Jackets go north of the border to take on Leafs

When the Blue Jackets finished Sunday’s game against Florida, they finally had a chance to catch their breath.

The game was the Jackets’ third in less than 72 hours, and it capped a 15-day stretch in which the team played nine times. Columbus was the first team to 30 games in the NHL, and the legs looked a little weary during Sunday’s 5-2 loss at home to Florida.

“Absolutely, 100 percent – the energy was not very high today,” head coach Pascal Vincent said afterward. “We had the eighth most intense schedule as far as the quality of opponents, and quantity, we had the worst. We knew until Dec. 10, it was going to be hard. But moving forward, practices, video, meetings with the players, all of that – we're going to be about to catch up.”

Columbus took Monday off then staged a hard practice Tuesday that ended with battle drills and a conditioning skate. Wednesday’s skate was an up-tempo affair before the team crossed the border for tonight’s game vs. Toronto.

It will be a challenge for the Blue Jackets to take on the Maple Leafs without captain Boone Jenner, who will miss his second game with a fractured jaw suffered last Friday. Toronto’s top two centers in Auston Matthews and John Tavares are two of the best in the game, with Matthews coming in among the NHL’s top scorers and Tavares ranking fourth in the league in faceoff percentage.

“It’s going to be an interesting game for us,” Vincent acknowledged.

Vincent said Tuesday that the injury to Jenner could result in more opportunity for Adam Fantilli, and the rookie center skated beside Johnny Gaudreau and Justin Danforth on the team’s top line.

Know The Foe: Toronto Maple Leafs

Head coach: Sheldon Keefe (Fifth season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.46 (7th) | Scoring defense: 3.19 (16th) | PP: 25.0 percent (6th) | PK: 80.0 percent (16th)

The narrative: It’s hard not to know where things stand with the Maple Leafs, as one of the biggest stories in hockey every year is the squad’s quest for its first Stanley Cup since 1967. Toronto finally won its first playoff series since 2004 – and first for its current core – last year, and the hope is to make another step this season. With a new general manager in Brad Treliving, that might be a prerequisite to avoid major changes.

Team leaders: Maybe the least talked about of the Maple Leafs’ stars, William Nylander has broken out the past two seasons, following last year’s 40-goal campaign with a team-best mark of 13-23-36 that ties him for 10th in the league in scoring. Auston Matthews’ 21 goals tie him with Brock Boeser for first in the league, while Mitch Marner adds an 11-18-29 line and John Tavares has eight goals among his 26 points after notching his 1,000th career point earlier this week.

Joseph Woll has become the team’s top goalie this year with a 2.80 GAA and .916 save percentage but is out with an ankle sprain. Ilya Samsonov now appears set to take over as the starter, and in 12 games, he’s 5-1-4 with a 3.29 GAA and .884 save percentage.

What's new: Woll joins a large group of defenders (Mark Giordano, John Klingberg, Timothy Liljegren and Jake Muzzin) on injured reserve, but that hasn’t slowed down the Leafs, who enter on a seven-game point streak (5-0-2). In all, Toronto is 10-2-3 in the past 15 contests and has scored at least three goals in 13 of those contests, all while moving into third in the Atlantic Division.

Trending: Columbus went 1-2-0 against the Maple Leafs last season, posting a 4-3 win in Toronto on Feb. 11. Overall, the Leafs have won seven of the last 11 games in the series. Interestingly, just five of 36 games in the series have gone to overtime, with the Blue Jackets winning four of them (and one tie).

Former CBJ: Max Domi signed with the squad in the offseason and is seventh in points (1-13-14) and first in penalty minutes (47) on the roster.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Adam Fantilli – Justin Danforth
Yegor Chinakhov – Dmitri Voronkov – Kirill Marchenko
Patrik Laine – Cole Sillinger – Kent Johnson
Alexandre Texier – Sean Kuraly – Emil Bemstrom
Zach Werenski – Nick Blankenburg
Ivan Provorov – David Jiricek
Jake Bean – Andrew Peeke
Elvis Merzlikins
Spencer Martin

Scratches: Mathieu Olivier, Erik Gudbranson (suspension), Daniil Tarasov

Injured reserve: Boone Jenner (fractured jaw, out six weeks as of Dec. 9); Adam Boqvist (shoulder strain, out approximately four weeks as of Dec. 6); Damon Severson (oblique, out approximately six weeks as of Nov. 19); Jack Roslovic (fractured ankle, out four to six weeks as of Nov. 13)

Roster Report: With Gudbranson out, Peeke will re-enter the lineup, while Merzlikins is expected to return from illness and get the start.

3 Stats to Know

• Kirill Marchenko scored his 30th career goal in his 86th career game with the Jackets on Friday, making him the fastest CBJ player to the milestone in team history, passing Rick Nash’s previous mark of 96 contests.
• With three goals and an assist in the last three games, Adam Fantilli is third among NHL rookies with eight goals and tied for second with 16 points.
• Milestone watch: Gaudreau is two points from 700 for his NHL career (235-463-698, 712 GP).

Who’s Hot

Yegor Chinakhov has scored three goals in the last two games. … With two assists Friday, Dmitri Voronkov is now tied for fifth among NHL rookies with 14 points. … Since being placed on a line together, Kirill Marchenko, Chinkahov and Voronkov have combined for seven goals and 12 points. … Kent Johnson (0-3-3) and Emil Bemstrom (1-2-3) have three points in the last three games. … With 20 assists, Zach Werenski is seventh among NHL defensemen in helpers. … The team’s rookie stat line of 15-21-36 is tied for first in the NHL in goals and second in points. … Columbus has allowed power-play goals in just six of the past 23 games, killing off 53 of 60 (88.3 percent) opponent power-play chances since Oct. 28. … Columbus is fourth in the NHL in even-strength goals with 64.

This Day in CBJ History

Dec. 14, 2014: The Blue Jackets trade defenseman Tim Erixon to Chicago for forward Jeremy Morin.