Game Preview: Greaves Starts, Werenski Aims To Stay Hot When Blue Jackets Face Golden Knights

Losers of four straight, the Columbus Blue Jackets will continue a three-game homestand with a Saturday night battle against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Here are five things to know before the 7:00 p.m. puck-drop:

• Carter Hart will start for Vegas. He's been in net three times for the Knights since being added to their roster, giving up nine goals and going 2-0-1 in those starts. ... Vegas has just two regulation losses in their 15 road games, and are 8-2-5 overall away from the desert. ... This is the final game of a five-game road trip for Vegas, who have also went into overtime in four of their last five games. 
   
• After entering the game in the first period for a pulled Elvis Merzlikins, the Blue Jackets are giving Jet Greaves the start. He stopped 21 of 23 shots in 43+ minutes of action after head coach Dean Evason made the change in net, but got the "L" in the game despite Merzlikins giving up three goals on five shots and putting Columbus in a 3-0 hole early. The loss put Greaves at 7-7-5 on the season despite a 2.74 goals against average and .907 save percentage.
   
• Zach Werenski had a pair of assists in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators, ending a brief stretch of two games without a point. Werenski is still hot, though: he has registered multiple points in four of his last seven games. His 32 points are second in the NHL amongst defensemen and he's on pace for what would be a career-high 85 points.
   
• The Blue Jackets power play continues to improve, connecting in five of their last six games after converting on their only chance Thursday. They're now at 20% for the season, which ranks 14th in the NHL. 
   
• Evason has plenty of line changes in store for this game. Boone Jenner, Adam Fantilli, and Kirill Marchenko will make up the top line. Isac Lundestrom has been elevated to a top-six role, while Kent Johnson and Yegor Chinakhov are on the bottom line. Defensively, Denton Mateychuk is with Zach Werenski on the top line and Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson will again be paired up. Here are the complete projections: