PREVIEW: Blue Jackets play one last late game at Arizona

No one feels sorry for you at the highest level when things are going wrong, and the Blue Jackets got a big dose of that reality over the weekend.

Facing the two most recent Stanley Cup winners in Colorado and Vegas, the Blue Jackets dropped 6-1 and 4-2 results, respectively, against a pair of teams gearing up to try to add more hardware to their trophy cases.

The games spotlighted teams going in opposite directions; the Avalanche and Golden Knights are preparing for what they hope will be long postseason runs, while the Blue Jackets are limping to the end of the campaign with seven injured regulars out of the lineup.

It’s a patchwork roster taking the ice right now, but that doesn’t mean the frustration doesn’t set in when the Jackets can’t get things going against the top teams in the league. There are pockets of strong play – Columbus outshot the Golden Knights in the first period and led 1-0 after 20 minutes – but it’s been hard to sustain, leaving captain Boone Jenner frustrated after the loss in Sin City.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” he said postgame. “We had a good first, and we all stopped playing after that, except for (goaltender Daniil Tarasov). But the rest of us stopped playing from the second on. I think it’s between the ears for us, staying engaged and doing what it takes to get wins in this league and being competitive against good teams.”

The sixth loss in seven games was clearly tough to swallow for the CBJ captain, but the Blue Jackets also have to face the reality that they’re missing several difference makers in the lineup. For head coach Pascal Vincent, that means right now is a chance to evaluate the young players who have entered the lineup, and while the coach wants to win, he also understands the reality of the team’s situation at the moment.

“I think we need to consider that we have seven NHL players out of the lineup,” he said. “We’re playing against teams that are gearing up for the playoffs. They're creating their momentum, their mind-set to get ready for the playoffs. It’s a combination of a lot of things.”

While the Blue Jackets will face some more of the top teams in the league down the stretch in the last 11 games, tonight’s game is a different story as the Blue Jackets take on an Arizona team that is also on the outside of the playoff bubble.

Know The Foe: Arizona Coyotes

Head coach: Andre Tourigny (Third season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.89 (23rd) | Scoring defense: 3.30 (22nd) | PP: 21.7 percent (14th) | PK: 76.9 percent (22nd)

The narrative: Much of the story with the Coyotes right now is about what’s happening off the ice, as the team continues to search for a long-term arena deal. In the meantime, the Blue Jackets will be playing at Arizona State’s Mullett Arena for the second time tonight, though the close confines should make for quite an atmosphere. On the ice, Arizona remains in a rebuild and will miss the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons, but some of the young pieces are already in place for what should be the next good Coyotes team.

Team leaders: Clayton Keller leads the way for the Coyotes and is one of the faces of the rebuild, as the 25-year-old wing has team-high totals of 29 goals and 61 points. Nick Schmaltz is next with a 19-31-50 line, while Matias Maccelli has followed up a strong rookie season with 11 goals among his 46 points. Lawson Crouse has 20 goals, while rookie Logan Cooley at age 19 has posted a 13-20-33 line in 70 games.

Defense has been a struggle at times this season for Arizona, though goalie Connor Ingram seems to have found a home in the desert with a 19-18-3 record, 2.87 GAA and .908 save percentage. Czech goalie Karel Vejmelka is 10-17-2 with a 3.28 GAA and .899 save percentage.

What's new: Unlike a season ago when a late-season hot streak took the Coyotes out of the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, the Coyotes are struggling down the stretch, going 6-18-2 in their last 26 games after a 23-19-3 start that actually had those in the desert thinking of playoff hockey. The major culprit was a 14-game losing skid that started in January and encompassed the entire month of February, though the Yotes have won six of 11 since that streak ended.

Trending: Arizona won the opening game of the season series in Nationwide Arena, taking a 3-2 decision Nov. 16. Columbus has lost three in a row in the series after going 10-2-0 from 2015-16 through 2021-22.

Former CBJ: None

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Alexandre Texier
Mikael Pyyhtia – Cole Sillinger – Kirill Marchenko
Dmitri Voronkov – Brendan Gaunce – Mathieu Olivier
James Malatesta – Tyler Angle – 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), Alex Nylander (upper body, day to day)

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

Roster Report: Malatesta and Angle go in for Nylander and Trey Fix-Wolansky, with Malatesta making his NHL debut. Merzlikins will get the start in net. 

3 Stats to Know

• Daniil Tarasov has posted a .931 save percentage in his last 10 appearances, stopping 326 of 350 shots against and allowing just 24 goals. He has made at least 35 saves in five of those 10 games.
• Zach Werenski moved into second all-time in CBJ history with his 205th career assist Saturday, breaking a tie with David Vyborny. He has set a new career high with 39 helpers, leaving him one short of his first 40-assist season, and is third all-time in CBJ history for assists in a season among defensemen.
• Milestone watch: Johnny Gaudreau is seven assists from 500 for his NHL career (242-493-735, 753 GP). ... Boone Jenner is nine goals from 200 for his NHL career (191-171-362, 713 GP).

Who’s Hot

Johnny Gaudreau has a 4-19-23 line in the last 34 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). His 31 points are also seventh among NHL rookies. ... 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 26, 2008: Fredrik Norrena makes his second sub 20-save shutout in nine days, stopping 17 shots against as the Blue Jackets blank Chicago by a 4-0 score at Nationwide Arena.

March 26, 2009: Columbus makes it two shutouts on this date in a row, as Steve Mason turns aside 33 shots and the Blue Jackets march closer to clinching a playoff spot with a 5-0 win vs. Calgary at Nationwide Arena.

March 26, 2019: Sergei Bobrovsky earns a second consecutive shutout with 26 saves and the Blue Jackets gain some life as they scramble to get back in the playoff race with a 4-0 win over the New York Islanders at Nationwide Arena.