PREVIEW: Blue Jackets host Predators to complete back-to-back

Everyone agreed that the Blue Jackets made Monday night much more interesting than it could or should have been. 

Columbus looked well on its way to a stress-free victory when it held a 4-0 lead through two periods against the Rangers, but as Wall Street or the Garment District fashion houses can tell you, things can move pretty quickly in New York City. 

The Rangers rallied with four third-period goals to force overtime, where Kirill Marchenko’s goal gave the Blue Jackets a 5-4 victory that had more twists and turns than a roller coaster. But in the end, everyone also agreed that the Blue Jackets left Maidson Square Garden with what they came for – two key points in the playoff race. 

“When we came into the rink, that was the focus obviously – let’s get the two points,” head coach Rick Bowness said. 

“It’s exactly how we drew it up – two points,” Mathieu Olivier added with a knowing smile. 

Of course, the Blue Jackets also know that nearly letting Monday night’s game get away was less than ideal. It was a stunning turn of events, as a Rangers team that was booed off the ice after the second period nearly delivered a crushing blow to the team’s playoff hopes. It also brought back some bad memories from earlier in the season, when disappearing leads became a theme. 

“I thought we fell back on our heels a little bit and got back in some bad habits, but at the end of the day, we got a point (getting it) to overtime and then we ended up getting the two points, which was our main mission,” Olivier said. “The last two games, we felt like we’ve played good enough to win those, and sometimes the hockey gods will give you one back, so we’ll take that one.” 

The victory moved the Blue Jackets to just three points behind Boston for the Eastern Conference’s final wild card spot, and another chance to gain ground in the standings comes tonight when Nashville visits Nationwide Arena. 

Monday’s contest against the Rangers kicked off a stretch in which the Blue Jackets will play six times in nine days, and while the performance was far from perfect, it did allow the team to start off that run with a crucial victory. The games are about to come fast and furious, and while the Blue Jackets will look to take some lessons from Monday night, there’s little time to worry about what went wrong. 

“You have no choice; you have to move on,” Bowness said. “The players know. Listen, this is a good bunch of guys. They care an awful lot. They come to play, and give the Rangers credit. We knew they were going to come out hard. … You just take the two points and dissect it a little bit. You have no choice to move on because we’re playing tomorrow night. We have an awful lot of games in March, and we’re not going to dwell on one game. We just have to keep moving on.”

Scratches: Kent Johnson, Jake Christiansen, Egor Zamula   

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

Roster Report: Werenski missed Monday's game with illness and may again be a game-time decision, with Zamula going into the lineup in his place against the Rangers. Greaves will likely get the start in the second half of the back-to-back.  

This Day in CBJ History   

March 3, 2010: On a busy day of deadline deals, Columbus sends forward Raffi Torres to Buffalo, forward Fredrik Modin to Los Angeles, forward Alexandre Picard to Phoenix, defenseman Milan Jurcina to Washington and defenseman Mathieu Roy to Florida. The Blue Jackets add three draft picks as well as forward Chad Kolarik, defenseman Nathan Paetsch and the rights to forward Matt Rust in the deals.  

March 3, 2013: Artem Anisimov scores a power-play goal in overtime and the Blue Jackets capture a 2-1 win vs. Colorado at Nationwide Arena. Vinny Prospal scores the other CBJ goal in what would be the first victory in a five-game winning streak. 

The Numbers Game  

Zach Werenski is the only NHL defenseman with at least 20 goals (20) and 60 points (65) on the season, placing second among league blueliners in both categories. Werenski has a career-best nine-game point streak (2-11-13), and points in 22 of the last 24 games (11-24-35) as well as 33 of the last 38 (16-38-54). He leads NHL defensemen in multipoint games (21, ninth in NHL) and is the fourth active NHL defenseman with three-plus 20-goal seasons. His current point streak is a record for a CBJ defenseman. … Kirill Marchenko had his fourth multigoal game of the season and the 13th of his career Monday against the Rangers. He’s also one of four Blue Jackets in team history (Rick Nash, 8; Cam Atkinson, 6; R.J. Umberger, 4) with four 20-goal seasons. ... Charlie Coyle has nine goals and 20 points in the past 15 games as well as a 5-10-15 line in the last nine contests, tying him for sixth in the NHL in points in that span. ... Adam Fantilli has scored in three straight games for the third time in his career, as well as posting a 4-7-11 line in the last nine games. ... Blue Jackets defensemen have scored 44 goals this season, the most in the NHL. … Columbus has scored the first goal in 22 of the last 28 contests and 37 of 59 games overall. ... The Blue Jackets are 5-1 in shootouts this year. ... Miles Wood and Danton Heinen are each one goal away from 100 in their NHL careers. ... Boone Jenner has 203 career assists, one behind David Vyborny for third most in team history. 

Know The Foe: Nashville Predators 

Head coach: Andrew Brunette (Third season)     

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.90 (22nd) | Scoring defense: 3.45 (T-28th) | PP: 22.6 percent (10th) | PK: 80.0 percent (13th)      

The narrative: Nashville made the Stanley Cup Playoffs nine of 10 years from 2015-24, but a disastrous season a year ago ended with just 30 wins and a seventh-place finish in the Central Division. Things were on the same path this year when the Predators started 6-12-4, but Nashville won 17 of the next 25 to get back into the race. The team is just 4-5-4 since and is four points on the wrong side of the playoff bar, and general manager Barry Trotz announced last month he would be stepping down but staying on until the team finds a replacement. 

Scoring leaders: The names at the top of the chart are familiar, as 17-year veteran Ryan O’Reilly tops the squad with 57 points on the year including 21 goals. Now in his 14th season in Nashville, Filip Forsberg follows with a 25-23-48 line, while 18-year veteran Steven Stamkos has a team-best 30 goals among his 46 points. At age 23, Luke Evangelista is the youngest player among the team’s leaders, posting an 8-36-44 line, while Roman Josi leads the blue line with 11 goals and 40 points in his 15th year.  

In net: Sticking with the veteran theme, Juuse Saros is in his 11th season in Nashville and has started 46 games, second in the league. He played yesterday in a 4-2 loss to Detroit and is 21-18-6 on the year with a 3.19 GAA and .892 save percentage. Justus Annunen (6-7-2, 3.16, .885) is the backup. 

What's new: The Predators played an afternoon game in Detroit yesterday, losing for the ninth time in the last 13 games. Defense has been the biggest issue during that span as the Predators have allowed 53 goals, an average of 4.1 per game. With an older roster, the Predators could be an intriguing team to watch at the trade deadline, and they’re 1-1-1 since returning from the Olympic break. 

Trending: The teams met in the season opener for both squads back on Oct. 9, with Nashville taking a 2-1 win in the Music City. Columbus has had recent success against the Predators in Nationwide Arena, going 7-2-1 in the last 10.  

Former CBJ: Nick Blankenburg has settled into a regular role in Nashville, scoring six goals among his 21 points in 48 games this year, while Jonathan Marchessault has 11 goals and 18 points in 41 games.