PREVIEW: Blue Jackets, Lightning meet for 25th Anniversary Game

Rick Bowness came back to coaching for nights like Thursday.

The new Blue Jackets head coach was plenty happy cruising his boat down the Intercoastal Waterway in his retirement, but he truly missed being behind the bench. And what he likely missed most was helping a team grind its way to a victory like the one Columbus earned against Dallas in Nationwide Arena.

It wasn’t the prettiest effort, but the Blue Jackets got a first-period goal from Zach Werenski and were able to defend their way to a 1-0 victory against a Stars team that is one of the best in the NHL.

As the Blue Jackets celebrated the 1,000th NHL game for center Charlie Coyle, the competitive juices were flowing, and Bowness saw the kind of effort that he believes can vault the Blue Jackets into playoff contention in a crowded Eastern Conference.

“That’s how we want to play,” Bowness said. “And that’s fun. For me to be behind the bench, watching that effort, seeing that the guys were blocking shots, that was just a great effort.”

It was just the 15th 1-0 victory in regulation time in CBJ history, and the scoreline belies how competitive and entertaining the game was. Both teams had their chances to add goals to the tally, but each team’s netminder played well, and the Blue Jackets defended well enough to earn a crucial victory.

The victory was their fifth in the last six games – as well as the fourth in five games since Bowness took over – and it showed that the defensive focus that the new head coach has instilled is sinking in. Perhaps most impressive was that the Blue Jackets allowed just one shot on goal in 3:13 of action after the Stars pulled their goalie at the end of the game.

“It’s huge that we pull it out,” Coyle said. “There’s a lot of good teams in this league, and we’re one of them. We have to get comfortable in those games. I think we’ve seen it a little more these days. We’re able to close it out and play solid and just not have doubt when we have a lead in the third period. That's a sign of a mature team and learning from past experiences.”

Tonight will be the fourth 25th Anniversary Celebration Game of the season, with the Blue Jackets recognizing Cam Atkinson, Derek Dorsett, R.J. Umberger and Pascal Leclaire with a pregame luncheon and an autograph session on the concourse before the contest.

Scratches: Zach Aston-Reese, Brendan Gaunce, Dante Fabbro (lower body injury)

Injured Reserve: D Denton Mateychuk (upper body injury, day to day); F Miles Wood (lower body injury, week to week); D Brendan Smith (knee surgery, out three to four months as of Jan. 8)

Roster Report: The Blue Jackets were off Friday so any changes to the lineup will come from the team’s morning skate today.

This Day in CBJ History

Jan. 24, 2002: Espen Knutsen notches the fourth CBJ hat trick in team history and the only one of the 2021-22 season, scoring three goals in a 6-2 victory over San Jose at Nationwide Arena.

Jan. 24, 2008: Pascal Leclaire earns his NHL-best eighth shutout of the season, making 30 saves in a 1-0 victory at Chicago. Jared Boll scores the only goal of the game, tallying at the 7:20 mark of the second period in just the third 1-0 victory in team history at that point.

The Numbers Game

Zach Werenski has a point in 17 of the last 18 home games and has 31 points in that span. After scoring a goal Thursday vs. Dallas, he has points in 14 of the last 16 games (10-13-23) as well as 25 of the last 30 (15-27-42). He is first among NHL defensemen in goals (19), second in points (53), second in average ice time (26:39) and is first in multipoint games (17). With one more goal, he’ll notch his third 20-goal season and become the fourth active NHL defenseman with three-plus 20-goal seasons. ... Kirill Marchenko has six points in the last six games (2-4-6) and points in 11 of the last 15 games (8-7-15). ... Goaltender Jet Greaves has won his last three decisions and has a .922 save percentage in his last 12 appearances. ... Mathieu Olivier has 26 hits in the last five games. ... Blue Jackets defensemen have scored 38 goals this season, the most in the NHL. … After playing in his 1,000th career NHL game Thursday, Charlie Coyle remains one goal shy of 200 for his NHL career, while Danton Heinen is two from 100 in his NHL career. ... Columbus has scored the first goal in 14 of the last 19 contests and is 5-1 in shootouts this year.

Know The Foe: Tampa Bay Lightning

Head coach: John Cooper (14th season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.45 (2nd) | Scoring defense: 2.45 (2nd) | PP: 20.3 percent (16th) | PK: 84.5 percent (2nd)

The narrative: The Lightning has remained one of the elite teams in the league, making the playoffs eight consecutive seasons and 11 of the last 12, but last year marked the third straight first-round exit for the 2020 and ‘21 Stanley Cup champs. Many of the squad’s stalwarts are getting a bit long in the tooth – Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy have all passed 30 – but this year's squad is second in the NHL in points percentage thanks to a hot run of late.

Scoring leaders: The Lightning’s run as one of the best teams in the NHL has been spurred by elite talent, and nothing has changed this season. Nikita Kucherov is third in the league this season with 74 points thanks to 25 goals and 49 assists after scoring last night at Chicago. Jake Guentzel continues to be one of the NHL’s most consistent scorers with a 22-29-51 line, while Brandon Hagel ties Kucherov for the team goals lead with 25 while posting 47 points. On the blue line, Darren Raddysh is having an exceptional season with a 12-30-42 line that places him tied for sixth among NHL defenseman in scoring.

In net: Andrei Vasilevskiy finished second in the Vezina Trophy voting a season ago, and he'll likely be a finalist for the sixth time in his career as he’s second in the NHL with 22 wins while posting a 22-7-3 record, 2.13 GAA and .918 save percentage. He played last night, so the Blue Jackets will likely see backup Jonas Johansson, who is 10-6-1 with a 2.73 GAA and .896 save percentage.

What's new: Tampa Bay enters having won 14 of the last 15, and the Bolts are 14-0-1 in that span while outscoring teams 62-31 after last night’s shootout win at Chicago. A number of players are out injured including CBJ-killing center Brayden Point (lower body) and elite defenseman Victor Hedman (elbow), but it hasn’t stopped the Lightning from being the best team in the NHL over the past month. Kucherov leads the NHL in scoring since Dec. 20 with a 12-20-32 line in 15 games while Raddysh (5-13-18), Guentzel (7-10-17) and Hagel (7-9-16) have topped a point per game during the team’s unbeaten run.

Trending: The Lightning has had the better of the series, as Columbus is just 6-18-4 since 2018-19. The Blue Jackets won the opening game of the season series between the teams, capturing a 3-2 win in Nationwide Arena, and has won two straight at home.

Former CBJ: Oliver Bjorkstrand has landed in Tampa Bay after a deadline deal a season ago, and the now 30-year-old wing has seven goals among 23 points this season.