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BLUE JACKETS (23-19-7) vs. KINGS (26-14-5), 7 PM, NATIONWIDE ARENA

COLUMBUS, 4th in Metropolitan
LOS ANGELES, 3rd in Pacific

The reality is the task that greeted the Blue Jackets on Thursday night was about as tough as it gets in the NHL.

Carolina has developed a reputation as one of the hardest teams to play against in the NHL because of their speed, constant pressure and dedication to creating the type of chaos that can leave an opposing team’s head spinning.

Facing the Hurricanes in the best of times is a tall order, but doing so on the second half of a back-to-back makes the ask even harder.

Columbus handled the storm, so to speak, by taking a 2-0 lead through one period in Raleigh, but eventually the surge overwhelmed the Blue Jackets. Carolina scored five times in the second period and pulled away to a 7-4 win that was not very emblematic of the way the Blue Jackets have played of late.

They had given up just 10 goals in the previous seven games, but Carolina’s pressure in a tough situation at the end of a road trip that featured four games in six days was too much.

“They don’t allow you to make a lot of plays in the offensive zone and even the neutral zone,” Jack Johnson said afterward. “We managed it well in the first and third, but you can’t have a second period like that and expect good things against a good team.”

But as a wise man (Jedi?) once said, "Do or do not. There is no try." The result at the end of the night was the Blue Jackets left North Carolina with zero points, and there are certain ares of their game they can clean up. If there was any particular frustration with the effort, it was that the Blue Jackets lost their structure a bit at times and allowed Carolina to create in transition, a no-no against a team as fast and talented as the Hurricanes.

If there was a saving grace, though, it was that the Blue Jackets didn’t go down without a fight, scoring two goals of their own to turn a 5-2 deficit into a 5-4 game though two periods. Columbus couldn’t get over the hump in the third period, but the team at least showed the fighting spirit that has been common throughout the season.

“We were reeling a little bit, but the group hung in there, and obviously we kept plugging away,” head coach Dean Evason said. “We just couldn’t find a way at the end.”

The good news is the team got a little rest Friday with an off day, and the Blue Jackets return to Nationwide Arena tonight to face the Kings. The comforts of home have been evident throughout this season but particularly as the campaign has gone on, as Columbus has earned points in 18 of the last 21 games (15-3-3) in their own barn.

Know The Dark Side: Los Angeles Kings

Head coach: Jim Hiller (Second season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.91 (18th) | Scoring defense: 2.44 (2nd) | PP: 16.2 percent (28th) | PK: 82.1 percent (8th)

The narrative: Stanley Cup champions in 2012 and '14, Los Angeles hasn’t won a playoff series since the latter victory, including three straight first-round exits. A rebuild after the last title has brought the team a bevy of young talent, and the hope is mixing it with some solid veterans can vault the team back into the stratosphere of the NHL’s elite. Los Angeles has finished third in the Pacific Division each of the past three seasons and occupies that same spot coming into tonight’s game.

Team leaders: Adrian Kempe might be the most underrated player in the league, averaging just shy of 35 goals each of the past three seasons and leading the Kings this year with 24 tallies among 44 points. The 28-year-old Swedish wing has scored in eight of the last 10 games. Now in his 19th season, the seemingly ageless Anze Kopitar is still a great player at age 37, placing second on the team with a 12-31-43 line. Alex Laferriere (13-13-26) and Kevin Fiala (15-11-26) follow, while 21-year-old Brandt Clarke leads the defensemen with 24 points.

Playing behind one of the best defensive teams in the league, 2022 Cup winner Darcy Kuemper has had a career renaissance, posting a 14-4-5 record, 2.06 GAA and a .922 save percentage. He’s split time with David Rittich (20 starts, 11-10-0, 2.65 GAA, .884 save percentage).

What's new: The return of likely Hall of Fame defenseman Drew Doughty is imminent, as the 16-year veteran has not played this season with an ankle injury. Laferriere also has been on the shelf with an upper-body injury, not a good development for a team that has consistently struggled to score goals, including just 11 in the last six games as Los Angeles has posted a 2-4-0 record. On the other side of things, the defense has been strong all season, with the Kings leading the NHL in expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 according to MoneyPuck.com.

Trending: Los Angeles won a 5-2 final between the teams Nov. 9, Columbus’ fourth straight loss in the series, but the Blue Jackets have points in the last five matchups (3-0-2) in Nationwide Arena.

Former CBJ: Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov is in his third season with the Kings and has a 2-14-16 line and plus-11 rating thus far while playing almost 24 minutes a night with Doughty out. His last goal came 29 games ago vs. Columbus.

The Jedi Order (Projected CBJ Lineup; Subject to change)

LW 10 Dmitri Voronkov
C 19 Adam Fantilli
RW 86 Kirill Marchenko
LW 21 James van Riemsdyk
C 65 Luca Del Bel Belluz
RW 91 Kent Johnson
LW 27 Zach Aston-Reese
C 17 Justin Danforth
RW 24 Mathieu Olivier
LW 82 Mikael Pyyhtia
C 7 Sean Kuraly
LD 8 Zach Werenski
RD 15 Dante Fabbro
G 90 Elvis Merzlikins (starter)
LD 5 Denton Mateychuk
RD 9 Ivan Provorov
G 40 Daniil Tarasov
LD 2 Jake Christiansen
RD 78 Damon Severson
LD 3 Jack Johnson

Scratches: Cole Sillinger (upper body injury), Kevin Labanc, Jordan Harris

Injured reserve, Injured/Non-Roster list: Sean Monahan (upper body), Yegor Chinakhov (upper body), Erik Gudbranson (upper body), Boone Jenner (upper body)

Roster Report: Merzlikins will get the start, while Mateychuk returns to the lineup after missing three games with illness. Jenner took morning skate as the captain continues to move closer to a return.

Lightsaber Leaders

Since Dec. 19, the Blue Jackets are fourth in the NHL in wins (11), fourth in points percentage (.706), second in goals per game (3.47) and second in power-play percentage (34.3). ... Zach Werenski has a 12-31-43 line in the last 34 games and has 21 points (4-17-21) in the past 15, not to mention an 18-game home point streak (12-23-35), the longest for an NHL defenseman since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. His average ice time of 26:46 leads all NHL players, and he’s second among league defensemen in goals (15) and tied for first in points (53) with Colorado’s Cale Makar on the season. ... Marchenko has a 9-16-25 line in the last 20 games and 36 points in the last 30 (13-23-36). He leads the NHL with a plus-28 rating. ... Dmitri Voronkov has 21 points (11-10-21) in the last 19 games and broke a seven-game scoreless streak Thursday. ... Adam Fantilli has a 7-6-13 line in the last 11 games, while James van Riemsdyk has notched a 6-5-11 line in that span. ... Kent Johnson has six points (3-3-6) in the past five games. … Columbus is first in the NHL with 114 goals at 5-on-5 and 98 goals at home, and their 3.31 goals per game are seventh in the league. In addition, Columbus has scored at least six goals 10 times in just 49 games this season, one shy of a franchise record (2018-19). ... Columbus has scored on 17 of 56 power plays (30.3 percent) in the last 23 games and is now 11th in the NHL for the season in power-play percentage at 22.8. ... Blue Jackets defensemen have 30 goals this season, most in the NHL. ... Cole Sillinger is three points from 100 in his NHL career, while Fantiill is set to play in his 99th career NHL game.

This Day in CBJ History

Jan. 25, 2015: The Blue Jackets host the NHL All-Star Game for the first time, with Team Toews pulling away from Team Foligno, captained by CBJ forward Nick Foligno, to take a 17-12 victory. With two goals and two assists, CBJ forward Ryan Johansen was named the game’s MVP, while the 29 combined goals set an All-Star Game record.

Jan. 25, 2016: Cam Atkinson nets his third career hat trick in a 5-2 victory against Montreal at Nationwide Arena. Brandon Saad also scores twice as the Blue Jackets break a 2-2 tie after 40 minutes with three goals in the third period.

Jan. 25, 2023: Kent Johnson scores in overtime as the Blue Jackets claim a 3-2 victory at Edmonton. Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko also tally for Columbus.

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