Game Preview: Merzlikins, Blue Jackets Look To Keep Good Vibes Flowing Friday Night In Matchup Versus Bedard, Blackhawks

The only game on the NHL schedule Friday night is a big one for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

They'll look to make it eight wins in nine games and keep pace in a stingy Metropolitan division when Columbus faces the Chicago Blackhawks in the Windy City.

Elvis Merzlikins will get his second straight start. He's 9-8-1 this season with a 3.76 goals against average and .882 save percentage, but has won three of his last four starts.

Here are five things to know before the 8:30 p.m. puck-drop:

• This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Blackhawks, who lost 6-2 in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. ... Spencer Knight gets the start for Chicago. He's allowed three or more goals in three straight starts but has been solid on the season, posting a 2.59 goals against average and .910 save percentage. ... Blackhawks' special teams have been on polar opposites recently: they're 0-for-24 on the power play in their last nine games, but are 13-for-13 on the penalty kill in their last sex.
   
• The Blue Jackets continue to stack up wins, but so do many other Metropolitan division foes. The Blue Jackets sit eight points behind a guaranteed playoff spot for finishing top three in the Metro, though have two games in hand against the New York Islanders, who have the final spot as of Friday. It's only January, but every game matters when there's ground to be made up. This is a game that Columbus very much needs two points in.
   
• Zach Werenski has 27 points in his last 18 games, including a pair of assists Wednesday night in the 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. He leads all NHL defensemen in goals (19), is second in points (59) and in average ice time (26:34), and is first in multipoint games (19). Betting odds currently have Werenski trailing only Cale Makar in the race for the Norris Trophy.
   
• In the 1,001st and 1,002nd games of his NHL career (Saturday and Wednesday), Charlie Coyle had two goals and three assists for five points. The soon-to-be 34-year-old has fit like a glove in Columbus' middle six, and with his next point, will eclipse his point total from the 2024-25 season when he had 35 points in a rare 83 games played.
   
• Just one change to the lineup is expected, and that's Jake Christiansen stepping into the third pairing on defense. Egor Zamula will be a healthy scratch. Here are the complete lineup projections: