Game Preview: Blue Jackets Look For Third Straight Win, Face Penguins Tuesday Night In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

27-24-8 (62 pts; .525%) 7th, Metro Division ROSTER SCHEDULE

7:00 P.M. – TUESDAY, MARCH 5 PPG PAINTS ARENA  PITTSBURGH, PA

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

It only took 103 days and the Columbus Blue Jackets have themselves back-to-back wins.

After soundly defeating the Chicago Blackhawks on the road Saturday night, the Blue Jackets (also) soundly defeated the Vegas Golden Knights by a 6-3 score Monday night at Nationwide Arena.

Now they'll aim for three in a row — a winning streak, according to Lou Brown in the 1989 iconic flick Major League — as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road Tuesday night. 

A victory would end a long streak that goes back to mid-March — of 2022. That's a span of 163 games, which is just one game shy of two full, 82-game seasons.

No pressure, right? Here's what else to know when the Blue Jackets travel to Pittsburgh for the first time this season:

TALKING POINTS: PIT

• After an overtime win in Vancouver, the Penguins finished a four-game road trip 1-3-0. Most recently, they were absolutely shellacked by the Edmonton Oilers in a 6-1 game where the final actually made it seem closer than it was.
   
• Sitting in 7th place in the Metro division, ten points out of a playoff spot, and just an 18% chance at the postseason according to MoneyPuck, the Penguins likely will find themselves selling pieces away between now and Friday's trade deadline. Jake Guentzel is a pending free agent and has 52 points in 50 games with the Pens this season — his name has surfaced in trade talks over recent weeks. Tuesday is Pittsburgh's second-to-last game before the deadline, so plenty of eyes will be on the game.

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• Have the Blue Jackets found a diamond in the rough in Alex Nylander? Monday night's hat trick set the mark for the fewest games with a hatty in franchise history, and he has six points through his first five games with the team. There's no reason to think that his playing time won't increase if he continues to produce at even a fraction of this level, especially with Friday's trade deadline looming. 
   
• Two of the best wins of the season have come in the last five games for Columbus. They looked great in a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers last week, and followed that up with Monday's performance. We've seen late-season, no-pressure hot streaks before but those teams weren't as talented as this team appears to be. With the worst (and second worst) record out of the question and no Connor Bedard on the board, there's not nearly as much incentive for a tank this season as there was this time last year. Get some wins, get some confidence for the young players.
   
• With back-to-back games, the expectation is that Jet Greaves will start between the pipes Tuesday night for the Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins remains out of the lineup with "minor bumps and bruises", according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Shrug emoji. But after a 6-3 win over the Stanley Cup champs, no other lineup changes are expected. Here are Tuesday's projected lines: