Game Preview: On Another Heater, The Edmonton Oilers Visit The Columbus Blue Jackets On Eve Of Trade Deadline

EDMONTON OILERS

38-20-2 (78 pts; .650%) 2nd, Pacific Division ROSTER SCHEDULE

7:00 P.M. – THURSDAY, MARCH 7 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH

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

The Columbus Blue Jackets are set for their final game before Friday's trade deadline when they face Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena. 

The Oilers enter the game on a five-game winning streak, allowing no more than two goals in any of those five contests. The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, had a brief two-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night in their 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With the Blue Jackets likely to make at least one move before the Friday afternoon deadline, this could be the final game in a Columbus sweater for the likes of Jack Roslovic, Ivan Provorov, and others. There are sure to be plenty of scouts in the building as teams look to solidify their unit before the deadline passes.

Here's what else to know when the Blue Jackets host the Oilers for the only time this season:

TALKING POINTS: EDM

• The Oilers were 5-12-1 on November 24th when they defeated the Washington Capitals 5-0 in D.C., which can be traced back to the day they figured it all out. That was the beginning of eight straight victories and — including that streak — the Oilers have a record of 33-8-1 since Thanksgiving.
   
• McDavid is, to no surprise, leading the way for Edmonton with 99 points. That's 3rd in the NHL. But he has just 23 goals this season, trailing Zach Hyman (42) and Leon Draisaitl (32) on the Oilers and trailing a total of 39 players across the NHL. McDavid doesn't need to put the puck in the net to be a difference-maker.

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• They lost, but the Blue Jackets three goals Tuesday night marked the third consecutive game in which they've scored three or more times. That's something they've done only two other times this season. Columbus is yet to score 3+ in four straight games this season and have not done so since January of 2023. 
   
• After signs of improvement over the last couple of weeks, the Blue Jackets penalty killers gave up two goals on three Pittsburgh power plays last game. Edmonton has a strong power play unit that ranks 4th in the NHL at 26.6%, so staying out of the box will be imperative if Columbus is to have a chance.
   
• Kirill Marchenko was a healthy scratch Tuesday night, but is expected back in the lineup Thursday night. The Blue Jackets have also announced they won't be sitting any players in advance of the deadline. Here are Thursday's projected (and very subject to change) lines: