Game Preview: Blue Jackets Seek Back-To-Back Wins For The First Time In Two Months; Face Canucks In Vancouver On Saturday Night

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

32-11-5 (69 pts; .631%) 1st, Pacific Division ROSTER SCHEDULE

10:00 P.M. – SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 ROGERS ARENA VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA

TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ Power Play (Out of Market)

Following a 5-2 win Thursday night in Calgary against the Flames, the Columbus Blue Jackets hit the midpoint of a five-game road trip Saturday night when they face the Vancouver Canucks for the second time in as many weeks.

The Blue Jackets won the first meeting, a 4-3 shootout victory last Monday in Columbus. Since that game, the Canucks are 3-0-1 — all at home. Saturday will mark the fifth and final game of Vancouver's homestand. 

Meanwhile, Columbus has continued their inconsistent and unpredictable play: a pair of 4-1 losses preceded the Blue Jackets win in Calgary, the only three games the team had played since their first clash with the Canucks. It was also Columbus' first regulation victory since December 19th, although the club had points in more than half of the 13 games (4-6-3) that came between the two regulation wins. The Blue Jackets remain without back-to-back victories since November, when they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils the day before and after Thanksgiving, respectively.

Here's what else to know when the puck drops Saturday night:

TALKING POINTS: VAN

• The Canucks remain the best team in the NHL thanks to the tiebreaker. They're all square with the Boston Bruins in points and in point percentage, but have two more regulation/overtime wins — the tiebreaker for league-wide standings. They're on a ten-game point streak (8-0-2), a streak they'll assuredly look to continue Saturday night before beginning a five-game road trip of their own.
   
• Is Quinn Hughes the best defensive player in the league? Vegas (the city, not the Golden Knights) thinks so: Hughes currently has +135 odds of winning the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best defenseman in the NHL. He has a slight edge over Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, who is at +160. No one else is even in triple digits, so if both players stay healthy, all signs are pointing to a two-man race to take home the Norris.
   
• Hughes leads the team in assists, with 47. He's third on the club in points at 59, behind JT Miller (64) and Elias Pettersson (61). Both players have at least twice as many points as Johnny Gaudreau, who leads Columbus with 29 points. 

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• Five different Blue Jackets scored in Thursday's win, with rookie Adam Fantilli burying the empty-netter to seal the deal on Columbus' victory. It had to feel good for Fantilli, who hadn't scored a goal in the last eight games and whose14:01 of ice time against the Flames was the fewest minutes he'd seen in 16 games, dating back to a December 10th loss against the Florida Panthers.
   
• For the 4th straight game, the Blue Jackets allowed fewer shots than their season average, which is now at 33.7. It was also Columbus' 7th straight game where they exceeded their season average in 5-on-5 puck possession (CF%). These are little signs that the Blue Jackets, despite the season fairly being labeled as "off the rails", are making strides in the right direction.
   
• Projected lineups are below and are as of early Saturday morning. Adam Boqvist and Jack Roslovic both left the game Thursday with injuries and no determination was made Friday for their status in Vancouver. This will be updated following Saturday's media availability.