The Columbus Blue Jackets continue their road trip through Western Canada tonight in Edmonton against the Oilers - and it won't be an easy two points by any means.
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| EDMONTON OILERS |
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36–24–8 (80 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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10 P.M. – SATURDAY, MARCH 7 ROGERS PLACE EDMONTON, AB |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS GO |
After coming from behind to defeat the Vancouver Canucks on March. 1, the Blue Jackets found themselves on the wrong side of a comeback, when the Calgary Flames overcame Columbus' two-goal lead to win in overtime on Wednesday night.
The good news? The Blue Jackets were able to secure one point in the loss to the Flames, meaning the club can still leave Canada with five out of six possible points - keeping their wild-card playoff spot secure.
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers find themselves in the hunt for the first seed in the Pacific and with a recent loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, a win tonight would put them back on track.
The Oilers brought in a few new faces at the deadline and both Tyler Ennis and Andreas Athanasiou have found some success with their new teammates. But the main focus for the Blue Jackets will be Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl - two of the most dangerous forwards night in and night out in the NHL.
Additionally, Edmonton will be coming into tonight's game with plenty of confidence as they have won three of their last four games.
They're all big games from here on out. Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Nyquist–Jenner–Foligno
Wennberg–Dubois–Bemstrom
Stenlund–Nash–Robinson
Lilja–Shore–Matteau
Defenseman
Murray–Werenski
Gavrikov–Savard
Harrington–Peeke
Goaltender: Korpisalo (expected)
Storylines
- Wild Card. The Jackets still sit in a Wild Card spot with 79 points, but the New York Islanders have two games in hand and the Carolina Hurricanes have three games in hand, meaning every point is important for them to hold onto their spot. They were able to pick up one against the Flames, but need to pick up two tonight.
- Foligno and Bemstrom produce. Nick Foligno has seven points in his last seven games, while Emil Bemstrom has put up four goals in his last six games. With Cam Atkinson still out and Oliver Bjorkstrand not coming back anytime soon, any consistent scorers the Jackets need them to continue producing on a consistent basis.
- Elvis in the building? Elvis Merzlikins traveled with the team and was slated to backup Joonas Korpisalo in Calgary, but it was Matiss Kivlenieks who ended up getting the call. Elvis' return to the ice, would be important as it gives the Jackets a one-two punch in net and with back-to-back games, it allows them both to be fresh in the race to the playoffs.
