Gameday Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Lightning

BLUE JACKETS (0-1-0) vs. LIGHTNING (0-1-0)

Get ready, Blue Jackets fans -- hockey is back in Nationwide Arena. The bunting has been hung with care and the ice is ready for the home opener tonight against Tampa Bay. The three-time defending Eastern Conference champs will be another tough test as the Blue Jackets -- who will be without Patrik Laine
thanks to an elbow strain
-- look to rebound from Wednesday night's 4-1 loss at Carolina to open the campaign.

What They're Saying

Game one of 82 ended in disappointment, but for the Blue Jackets, the goal is to build on the strong points of the team's setback in Raleigh.
That would be the first 35 to 40 minutes of hockey, as Columbus head coach Brad Larsen said he saw his team go toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the NHL.
"You come out of that second period, we had chances even at about 13-13," Larsen said after practice Thursday. "Shots were even. We're in good shape. We were fine until the 15-minute mark of the third, and then it got away from us. They came at us and we didn't have an answer."
The critical moments of the game included the injury to Laine that ended his night after he scored the opening goal of the contest and season; an goal off the stick of Cole Sillinger that was deemed offside upon a Carolina challenge and taken off the board; and a segment of the second period in which Frederik Andersen made an excellent stop on Justin Danforth, then the Canes took the puck the length of the ice and scored to take a 2-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The next step for Columbus, then, is working to be able to handle those shifts of momentum against the game's best. They'll get another chance tonight against a battle-tested Tampa Bay team coming off those Stanley Cup Final appearances.
"That first game, it's obviously nice to get it out of the way, but we wanted to get off on the right foot and get a win," Johnny Gaudreau said after his CBJ debut. "We didn't do that, so going back home, it's an important game for us. We don't want to start the season off 0-2."

Gameday Update

When one person goes out of the lineup, someone has to come in, and for the Blue Jackets that means rookie Kent Johnson will take Laine's spot in the lineup and play tonight.
It won't be the 2021 first-round pick's debut -- he skated in nine games a season ago, posting three assists -- but he's still excited to show off his game after a strong camp that allowed him to make the opening roster.
"I'm so excited," Johnson said. "I just can't wait for tonight. It's been a great camp for me and just getting used to the pro game, it's been awesome."
Johnson had an excellent season last year at the University of Michigan, posting eight goals and 37 points in 32 games, and saw plenty of action in the past eight months with Team Canada when he skated at the Winter Olympics, World Championships and World Junior Championship. He scored the tournament-winning overtime goal in the latter of those this August, and it seems that international work did his game well as he impressed Larsen throughout training camp.
"Kent is here because he deserves to be here, period." Larsen said as the team set its opening roster. "From where he was last year to where he was in camp, I saw him competitiveness, his pace of play, his ability to execute as a high speed. He deserves to still be here."

Know The Foe: Tampa Bay Lightning

Head coach:Jon Cooper (11th season)
2021-22 stats: Goals per game: 3.48 (T-7th) | Scoring defense: 2.78 (6th) | PP: 23.9 percent (8th) | PK: 80.6 percent (11th)
The narrative: It's another season in which one of the NHL's most consistent winners is supposed to compete for a Stanley Cup. While some of the complimentary pieces have changed, the core of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy returns after winning it all in 2020 and '21 and coming up short in the Final a season ago. The Bolts did fall in the opener, however, losing a 3-1 final Tuesday at the Rangers; Stamkos had the lone goal.
2021-22 leaders: After a few years battling injuries, Stamkos had an incredible bounce-back campaign at age 31, scoring 42 goals and adding 64 assists to finish with 106 points, good enough to tie for sixth in the league with Auston Matthews. Kucherov played just 47 games but posted a ridiculous 25-44-69 line, while Hedman was a point-per-game player with 20 goals and 65 assists for 85 points. Point (28), Alex Killorn (25) and Ross Colton (22) also scored 20-plus goals.
In net, Vasilevskiy (39-18-5/2.49 GAA/.916 save percentage) finished fifth in the Vezina voting, his fifth straight season placing in the top five.
What's new:Such names as Ondrej Palat, Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman have moved on from the back-to-back Cup winners, and the Lightning didn't go big-game hunting this offseason to replace Palat. Forwards Nick Paul and Brandon Hagel, added at the deadline a season ago, will play bigger roles while defensemen Haydn Fleury and Philippe Myers were added to shore up the back end.
Trending: The Blue Jackets won the last home game of the season in 2021-22 when they posted a 5-2 victory against the Bolts. Tampa Bay had won the first two meetings of the year, and Columbus is 4-5-2 in the last two seasons against the squad after sharing the Central Division with the team in 2021.

3 Keys to the Game

Protect pucks: Two of Carolina's goals in the opening loss came off CBJ turnovers in the defensive zone, "frustrating" mistakes in the words of Larsen that the team will look to eliminate as it settles into a new defensive-focused structure.
Rally around the flag: Without Laine, Columbus will need to look to an approach of scoring by committee. It won't be up to one player or one line but a team effort, with everyone stepping up.
Play 60: The Jackets are still one of the youngest teams in the league, and sometimes the details of the game take some time to iron out. Wednesday, the Jackets lost momentum in the second period and couldn't get it back, but to win in the NHL, you have to be on your game for the whole 60 minutes.

3 Stats to Know

• Columbus is 8-9-4 all-time in home openers after last year's victory against Arizona to start the season. The Blue Jackets' home opener in 2021 also was against Tampa Bay, with the Lightning earning a 3-2 overtime win.
• The Blue Jackets' fourth line of Eric Robinson, Sean Kuraly and Mathieu Oliver registered 12 hits in the opener, with Robinson leading the way with six.
• Gaudreau is one assist away from 400 in his NHL career, while Kuraly is two points from 100.

Who's Hot

Gaudreau, finished tied for second in the NHL a year ago with 115 points, has a career 5-10-15 line in 13 games agaisnt Tampa Bay. … Goalie Daniil Tarasov made a career-high 39 saves in the opener. … Yegor Chinakhov led the NHL with six preseason goals. … Five returning CBJ veterans set career highs in points last year -- Zach Werenski (48), Jack Roslovic (45), Vladislav Gavrikov (33), Sean Kuraly (30) and Eric Robinson (27).

This Day in CBJ History

Oct. 14, 1999: The team unveils its home and road jerseys with Mike Emrick, television voice of the New Jersey Devils, presiding over the event. Over 4,000 enthusiastic fans attended the unveiling at the Easton Town Center.
Oct. 14, 2017: Alexander Wennberg's overtime goal gave the Blue Jackets a 5-4 win at Minnesota and gave Columbus its fourth win in five games to start the campaign.
Oct. 14, 2021: The Blue Jackets opened the season at Nationwide Arena with an 8-2 romp over Arizona. Oliver Bjorkstrand led the way with two goals and four points to lead six players with multiple points.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)
Johnny Gaudreau - Boone Jenner - Justin Danforth
Yegor Chinakhov - Jack Roslovic - Jakub Voracek
Gustav Nyquist - Cole Sillinger - Kent Johnson
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Mathieu Olivier
Zach Werenski - Adam Boqvist
Vladislav Gavrikov - Andrew Peeke
Jake Bean - Erik Gudbranson
Daniil Tarasov (confirmed starter)
Elvis Merzlikins
Scratches:Liam Foudy, Nick Blankenburg
Injured reserve: Patrik Laine (sprained elbow; three to four weeks as of Oct. 13); Joonas Korpisalo (hip, day to day); Joona Luoto (lower body, day to day)
Roster Report: With Laine out, Danforth skated on the top line Thursday in practice and in Friday's morning skate, while Johnson goes into the lineup after being recalled Thursday. Merzlikins is also set to return after missing the opener with illness, but he will back up Tarasov.