PREVIEW: Blue Jackets face another crucial test in Montreal

Colten Ellis was the No. 1 star of Thursday’s game, and the Buffalo goaltender certainly deserved it. 

Ellis stopped all 37 shots by the Blue Jackets in the Sabres’ 5-0 victory, frustrating a CBJ team that seemingly did everything but score. Per Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, the Blue Jackets had major edges in shot attempts (57-40), high-danger chances (13-6) and expected goals (2.47-1.43), yet Ellis shut the door. 

The setback dealt a major blow to the Blue Jackets’ playoff hopes, with the last three games – including tonight’s visit to Montreal – now feeling like must-wins. But head coach Rick Bowness saw a lot to like in the way the Blue Jackets generated chances and carried play Thursday night, with the hope they can bring that into tonight’s game vs. the Canadiens with better results. 

“Listen, if we play like that again on Saturday, we’ll be fine,” Bowness said. “Their goalie stole the game for them tonight. That was all us in the second period. You hit a couple goal posts, you get that many chances, you think the puck is going to go in. It didn’t go in for us. 

“They’re a great hockey club over there. They didn’t need many chances to score, but again, give their goalie all the credit in the world. That second period is one of the best periods we played all year, and we came out of it with nothing to show for it. So if we play like that again on Saturday, we’ll be fine.” 

With just three games to go, the Blue Jackets (90 points) sit two points behind Philadelphia (92) for third in the Metropolitan Division, with the Islanders (91) between the two clubs. Columbus also retains an outside shot at the final wild card, as Ottawa holds the spot with 94 points going into its game today at the Islanders. 

That’s what made Thursday night so frustrating, as a victory would have moved the Blue Jackets into the third spot in the Metropolitan. It also highlights just how tight the race is as Columbus heads into tonight’s game. 

“We look at the game as a whole and how much we put into that and invested into it,” Jenner said. “We worked really hard for all those chances, and it didn’t go our way tonight. We were a little snake-bitten, a couple of bounces, whatever it is. Obviously we want to bear down and bury those chances, so we’ll look at it, but right back at it. There’s a ton of belief in here.” 

The Blue Jackets also can’t afford to look too much at the big picture, as worrying about winning three in a row at this point in the year is a fool’s errand. Bowness said the key is to just focus on the task at hand, and that starts tonight against the Canadiens. 

“It’s just taking care of that next shift, the next period,” Bowness said after the game in Buffalo. “Just play like we did tonight. That’s what I want us focused on. It’s all gonna be mind-set Saturday night. That’s all it is. It’s not gonna be about X’s and O’s. It’s about how hungry we are, and I know we’ll answer the bell. We’ll be there Saturday.”

Scratches: Zach Aston-Reese, Luca Del Bel Belluz, Mathieu Olivier (upper body injury), Dmitri Voronkov (upper body injury), Jake Christiansen, Damon Severson (shoulder surgery, out for season) 

Injured Reserve: D Brendan Smith (knee surgery, out three to four months as of Jan. 8)      

Roster Report: The Blue Jackets were off Friday so we’ll have to see at the team’s morning skate if any changes to the lineup are coming.  

This Day in CBJ History  

April 11, 2015: Cam Atkinson scores the deciding goal in a shootout as the Blue Jackets take a 5-4 win at the New York Islanders in what was to be the final regular season game played at Nassau Coliseum to extend their then-club record regulation unbeaten streak to 13 games. Columbus rallies from third-period deficits of 3-1 and 4-3, with Scott Hartnell tying the game with 1:35 to go. 

April 11, 2021: The Blue Jackets acquire a 2021 first-round selection and 2022 fourth-round pick from Toronto in exchange for captain Nick Foligno. 

The Numbers Game  

Zach Werenski has moved into fourth place in CBJ single-season annals with 80 points this year. With 22 goals and 58 assists – one short of tying the franchise record – he is tied for third among NHL defensemen in goals and second in points. He is just the third American-born defensemen to have consecutive 80-point seasons, joining Hall of Famers Brian Leetch and Phil Housley, and just the second active blueliner (Cale Makar) to reach 80 points in back-to-back years. He leads NHL defensemen with a CBJ-record 26 multipoint games. ... With 13 goals, Denton Mateychuk is sixth all-time among CBJ defensemen in a single season. He is just the third CBJ D to reach that mark (Werenski, four times; Seth Jones, once). ... Adam Fantilli has 10 goals in the last 23 games and posted an 11-15-26 line in the last 29 contests. He has set a new career high in points with 56. ... Kirill Marchenko is second in the NHL with six shootout goals and has six points in the last six games (1-5-6). He is the fifth CBJ player with consecutive 25-goal seasons. ... Charlie Coyle has 12 goals and 31 points in the past 35 games, while Mason Marchment has six points in his last five contests (1-5-6). ... Jet Greaves is 13-5-3 in his last 21 appearances with a 2.44 GAA, as well as a .913 save percentage in his last 11 games. ... Blue Jackets defensemen have scored 58 goals this season, the most in the NHL and a new franchise record. … Columbus has scored first in 47 of 79 games overall, tied for second behind Washington for the most in the NHL. ... Jenner has 210 career goals, three behind Cam Atkinson for second in team history. ... Coyle (fourth, 408) and Provorov (seventh, 372) are both in the top 10 among active NHLers in consecutive games played. Provorov is set to play in his 244th consecutive game with the Blue Jackets, which would pass Jason Chimera for second in franchise history. ... Miles Wood is one goal from 100 and four points from 200 in his NHL career. 

Know The Foe: Montreal Canadiens 

Head coach: Martin St. Louis (Fifth season)  

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.43 (7th) | Scoring defense: 3.06 (16th) | PP: 23.2 percent (11th) | PK: 78.1 percent (20th)  

The narrative: Boosted by an underrated captain in Nick Suzuki and stocked with young offensive talents like Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, Montreal followed three straight last-place finishes in the Atlantic Division by edging out the Blue Jackets for the final Eastern Conference wild card spot a year ago. They’ve been even better this season, rising to second in the Atlantic Division and clinching a playoff spot, much to the delight of one of the most passionate cities in the NHL.   

Scoring leaders: Suzuki has set a career high in scoring, posting a 28-70-98 line that places him tied for seventh in the league in points and tied for third in assists. Caufield has had a magical season, placing second in the league with a career-high 50 goals among his 87 points. Just 22, Hutson won the Calder Trophy a year ago and is tied for fifth this year among league defensemen in scoring with 75 points (12 goals, 63 assists). Slafkovsky, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, has a 30-41-71 line, while rookie Ivan Demidov leads league rookies with 61 points (18 goals, 43 assists). 

In net: With the struggles of Sam Montembeault, Montreal has turned to a pair of youngsters in net in Ohio State product Jakub Dobeš and rookie Jacob Fowler. Dobeš leads the team with 40 starts and is 29-8-4 with a 2.69 GAA and .904 save percentage, while the 21-year-old Fowler is 8-6-2 with a 2.52 GAA and .904 save percentage. 

What's new: For much of the season, the Canadiens were one of the top-scoring teams in the league but one of the worst defensively, but the young squad has figured out how to keep the puck out of the net of late. Montreal has won 10 of the last 11, allowing just 21 goals (1.91 per game) in that span, while Dobeš has won seven straight starts and allowed two goals or less in eight of his last 11 starts. Montreal is rounding into form heading into the postseason, and Centre Bell should be rocking when the playoffs begin.  

Trending: The teams have split the previous two games, with the Blue Jackets winning a 4-3 final in a shootout Nov. 17 before Montreal took a 2-1 win at home March 26. Columbus has lost five straight in Centre Bell over the last three seasons. 

Former CBJ: Now in his sixth season in Montreal, Josh Anderson has a 13-9-22 line in 70 games, while Alexandre Texier joined the team midseason and has eight goals and 19 points in 40 contests. Patrik Laine has played just five games, none since October since suffering an injury early in the campaign, while St. Louis served as a CBJ coaching consultant during the 2018-19 season.