PREVIEW: Blue Jackets get another crack at the Pens at Nationwide

Pascal Vincent gathered his team at the start of morning skate Thursday in Pittsburgh and delivered a message he felt it needed to hear.

Columbus was coming off three straight tough games, losses at Colorado, Vegas and Arizona by a combined 16-5 score. There’s the reality the Blue Jackets are using a makeshift lineup down the stretch because of injuries, but Vincent wanted to see his team play with much more poise against the rival Penguins.

He got his wish, as the Blue Jackets turned in a much better effort. It wasn’t enough to get the win – Pittsburgh scored a pair of power-play goals and then got the winner early in the third in a 3-2 final – but the response was there.

“They showed up today,” Vincents aid postgame. “We played with pace. But most importantly, we talked about adversity this morning. We faced adversity the proper way, and we tried to make the right plays. We tried to play the proper way, the right way for three periods. That’s something we stressed, we talked about this morning, and the guys responded really well.”

Unfortunately, in the end, it was the ninth loss in 10 games for a CBJ team that was playing its best hockey in February and now has hit a rough stretch as the lineup regulars have filled up the injured list. No matter the reality of the situation, the frustration remains for a Jackets team that wants to be able to celebrate some victories down the stretch.

“It’s been a tough road trip, that’s for sure,” said Mathieu Olivier, who had the opening goal for the Jackets. “We wanted to end it on a good note. I thought we competed. They came at us hard in the second after we opened the scoring. (Goaltender Daniil) Tarasov did an unbelievable job standing tall. It’s disappointing. We really wanted to get a win here, but it just didn’t go our way.”

The Blue Jackets get another shot at their Metropolitan Division foes from up the road tonight in Nationwide Arena.

Know The Foe: Pittsburgh Penguins

Head coach: Mike Sullivan (Ninth season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.92 (23rd) | Scoring defense: 2.97 (13th) | PP: 14.9 percent (30th) | PK: 81.1 percent (12th)

The narrative: For the second season in a row, there likely won’t be playoff hockey in the Steel City. The addition of Erik Karlsson was supposed to rejuvenate a Pens squad that saw a 16-season playoff streak that brought three Stanley Cups to Pittsburgh end last season, but new general manager Kyle Dubas’ squad sits seven points adrift from the last wild card spot going into tonight’s game. What happens next will be fascinating, as the Pens still want to make the most of the “big three” core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

Team leaders: It’s no surprise who’s at the top of the scoring chart as the seemingly ageless Crosby has posted team-best totals of 35 goals and 78 points at age 36, both of which are in the top 20 in the league. Malkin’s 21-34-55 line follows, while Karlsson has racked up 46 points (eight goals, 38 assists) in his first season in Pittsburgh. Bryan Rust’s 23 goals are second on the squad, while Letang has an 8-34-42 line from the blue line.

In net, Tristan Jarry has started 48 games and played in 50, posting a 19-24-5 record to go with a 2.90 GAA and .903 save percentage. The backup is Ohio native Alex Nedeljkovic, who is 12-6-5 with a 2.87 GAA and .905 save percentage.

What's new: The Pens were sellers at the trade deadline, sending third-leading scorer Jake Guentzel to Carolina for draft picks and prospects in an effort to boost what has been a lowly rated prospect pipeline. Michael Bunting has gotten off to a solid start since arriving in the deal (3-4-7 in 11 games), but the harsh reality for Pittsburgh is the team is just 5-9-2 in its last 16 games, though they have won two in row including the victory over the Jackets.

Trending: Columbus hasn’t won in Pittsburgh since 2015 but things are more even in Nationwide Arena, with the Blue Jackets 5-6-1 in the last 12 between the teams at home. That includes a 5-3 Pens win in the first game of the season series Nov. 14. The Blue Jackets must clean up the penalty kill; Pittsburgh has scored four power-play goals in the last two games vs. Columbus earlier this month in the Steel City.

Former CBJ: At age 39, the end is near for Jeff Carter, but the former CBJ center still has played in 62 games this year for the Pens with a 9-3-12 line. Emil Bemstrom was traded to Pittsburgh in February and has a 1-2-3 line in 16 games and was a healthy scratch in the last two games.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Alex Nylander
Alexandre Texier – Cole Sillinger – Kirill Marchenko
Mikael Pyyhtia – Dmitri Voronkov – Mathieu Olivier
James Malatesta – Brendan Gaunce – Carson Meyer
Zach Werenski – Damon Severson
Jake Bean – Ivan Provorov
Jake Christiansen – Erik Gudbranson
Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov

Scratches: Adam Fantilli (calf laceration, out eight weeks as of Jan. 31), Justin Danforth (concussion, out indefinitely), Sean Kuraly (lower-body injury, week to week), Yegor Chinakhov (upper-body injury, day to day), Adam Boqvist (upper body)

Injured reserve: Kent Johnson (torn labrum in left shoulder, out for season)

Roster Report: Nylander returns to the lineup in place of Tyler Angle, who was returned to Cleveland on Friday, while Merzlikins gets the start in net. 

3 Stats to Know

• Daniil Tarasov has posted a .930 save percentage in his last 11 appearances, good for fifth in the NHL since Feb. 21 among goalies with at least five appearances. He has made at least 35 saves in six of those 11 games.
• Zach Werenski had a goal and an assist Tuesday, allowing him to reach the 40-assist mark for the first time in his career. He is the third CBJ defenseman to reach that mark following James Wisniewski (44, 2023-14) and Seth Jones (41, 2017-18). He has posted a 2-6-8 line in his last eight games.
• Milestone watch: Johnny Gaudreau is five assists from 500 for his NHL career (242-495-737, 755 GP). ... Boone Jenner is eight goals from 200 for his NHL career (192-172-364, 715 GP). ... Werenski is nine points from 300 for his NHL career (85-206-291, 477 GP).

Who’s Hot

Cole Sillinger had his fourth multipoint game of the season Thursday in Pittsburgh with a goal and an assist. ... Ivan Provorov set a new career high with his 25th assist of the season Thursday. ... Johnny Gaudreau has a 4-21-25 line in the last 26 games and has reached the 40-assist plateau for the second straight season. He has posted two 40-assist seasons in his two campaigns in Columbus, joining Ray Whitney, David Vyborny and Artemi Panarin as the only players with multiple such seasons with the Jackets. ... Alex Nylander’s eight goals since making his Blue Jackets debut Feb. 23 are a franchise record for a player in his first 15 games with the team. ... Boone Jenner has notched his fourth career 20-goal season, making him just the fourth CBJ player to have four such campaigns in team history. He joins Rick Nash (eight), Cam Atkinson (six) and R.J. Umberger (four). ... Dmitri Voronkov has 17 goals on the year, fourth among NHL first-year players and tied for third all-time in CBJ history among rookies (Rick Nash, 2002-03). ... The team’s rookie stat line of 30-37-67 is tied for first in the NHL in goals and fourth in points.

This Day in CBJ History

March 30, 2019: Cam Atkinson scores his 40th and 41st goals of the campaign at Nashville to tie Rick Nash's club record for goals in a season (2003-04) and join the former CBJ captain as the franchise's lone 40-goal scorers. The 5-2 win against the Preds is the team’s fourth straight and moves the squad closer to its third consecutive playoff appearance.