Gameday Guide: Feb. 27 vs. Pittsburgh

February looked like it might not be a fun time for the Blue Jackets when the revised NHL schedule came out.
Because of all the December game postponements, Columbus had to begin the month's play with a five-game road trip. Then came a tough stretch against four of the top-10 teams in the league, with two of those away from home.

Yet the Blue Jackets got through the tough stuff intact, boasting an 8-2-0 record during the month heading into
tonight's monthly finale against Pittsburgh at Nationwide Arena
. Not only can Columbus set a franchise record with nine February wins, this game kicks off a stretch of five home games in a row and seven of eight in Nationwide.
And it's fair to expect a lively crowd this evening against one of the team's top rivals, which should help the Jackets get into this one quickly.
"I think for the fans it's great," head coach Brad Larsen said. "I think they love it when Pittsburgh comes to town. They generally bring a little bit of a crew with them and it gets our fans into it. It seems to be a good energy in the building and a buzz in the building. I think that helps our guys, I really do. We have a great building, and when those fans get rolling, it's exciting and it gives our guys energy and juice.
"I think we'll feel that tonight. You have two road games. It's nice to come back now, and if you're a little bit tired, that might give you some wind in your sails."

3 Keys to the Game

Energy: Being a step behind on the second end of a back-to-back in Carolina is understandable; not having it tonight against a rival would be less so. Columbus stood toe-to-toe with the Pens earlier this year in Nationwide and should be able to do it again this year.
Find the net: Pittsburgh has been one of the stingiest teams in the NHL this year while the Jackets were filling the net before Friday's shutout loss in Raleigh. Can the scoring vibes return?
60 minutes: The Penguins, again, are one of those teams that can make you pay for the big mistakes. The Blue Jackets can't take any shifts off.

Notable

Despite Friday's loss at Carolina, Columbus has won nine of 12 overall. … Columbus native Jack Roslovic is set to play in his 100th game with the Blue Jackets. … Patrik Laine's 11-game point streak - the third longest in team history -- ended in the setback, but he still has a 13-8-21 line in the last 12 contests, eight multipoint games and five multigoal games in that span. … Berube has a .924 save percentage and won his first three starts for Columbus, becoming the second goalie in team history to do so (Steve Mason). … Oliver Bjorkstrand is one goal from 100 in his CBJ/NHL career. … CBJ captain Boone Jenner has 22 goals on the season and seven points (3-4-7) in his last five games. Jenner also boasts a 10-11-21 line in the last 20 games, and his 143 goals in a CBJ sweater is now third overall in team history. ... Gustav Nyquist has a 9-12-21 line in the last 24 games. He also has four shorthanded goals on the season, tied for first in the NHL with Florida's Aleksandar Barkov and Anaheim's Isac Lundestrom. … Max Domi is one goal from 100 and one point from 300 in his NHL career. … Jack Roslovic is set to play in his 99th career game with Columbus tonight. … Jakub Voracek's 28 primary assists are tied for third in the NHL. … With his 10th goal of the season Tuesday vs. Toronto, Adam Boqvist became just the sixth CBJ defenseman to reach double digits in goals in a season. … Columbus has killed off 56 of 61 opponent power-play chances over the last 19 games (88.5 percent). … The Blue Jackets have trailed in 17 of their 27 wins this year, tied for the most in the NHL, and have seven wins when trailing after two periods, the most in the NHL. ... Coumbus is an NHL-best 9-1 this year in extra time (6-0 in OT, 3-1 in shootouts). … Pittsburgh won the first meeting of the year by a 5-2 score Jan. 21 in Nationwide Arena, but Columbus is 7-4-1 in the last 12 games at the downtown arena.

Projected Lineup

(Subject to change)
Jakub Voracek - Boone Jenner - Patrik Laine
Gus Nyquist - Jack Roslovic - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Max Domi - Sean Kuraly - Emil Bemstrom
Brendan Gaunce - Cole Sillinger - Justin Danforth
Vladislav Gavrikov - Andrew Peeke
Dean Kukan - Adam Boqvist
Gavin Bayreuther - Gabriel Carlsson
Elvis Merzlikins (confirmed starter)
Jean Francois-Berube
Scratches:Yegor Chinakhov, Zach Werenski (upper body, day to day)
Injured Reserve:Joonas Korpisalo (lower body, day to day); Daniil Tarasov (hip surgery; out for season); Alexandre Texier (fractured finger; out four weeks as of Jan. 27), Jake Bean (groin strain; out four weeks as of Jan. 30); Eric Robinson (knee; out six weeks as of Jan. 31)
Roster Report:Bemstrom returns to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 31 in place of Chinakhov, while Merzlikins will get the net after Berube started each of the past four games.

This Day in CBJ History

Feb. 27, 2003: Ray Whitney scores all three of the Jackets' goals in a 3-1 win vs. Los Angeles in Nationwide Arena. It is his first hat trick in union blue and the sixth in team history.
Feb. 27, 2012: Columbus acquired two fourth-round picks in the 2012 draft and defenseman Taylor Ellington from Vancouver in exchange for center Samuel Pahlsson. One of those picks would go on to become forward Josh Anderson.