| SEA | CBJ | |
|---|---|---|
| 14-14-4 | ROAD / HOME | 19-8-7 |
| 2.81 | GOALS FOR | 3.19 |
| 3.00 | GOALS AGAINST | 3.10 |
| 20.9% | POWER PLAY | 20.7% |
| 73.4% | PENALTY KILL | 77.9% |
| 25.5 | SHOTS FOR | 30.0 |
| 29.3 | SHOTS AGAINST | 29.4 |
| 48.0% | FACEOFF % | 50.6% |
| KRAKEN: LAST THREE GAMES | ||
| SUN, 3/15 | vs. Panthers | W, 6-2 |
| TUE, 3/17 | vs. Lightning | L, 6-2 |
| THU, 3/19 | @ Predators | L, 3-1 |
| KRAKEN: TEAM LEADERS | ||
| GOALS | Jordan Eberle | 22 |
| ASSISTS | Vince Dunn | 36 |
| POINTS | Jordan Eberle | 49 |
| ODDS & PROJECTIONS | ||
| CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: | 62% | |
| CBJ ODDS PER DRAFTKINGS: | -170 | |
Another chance to move up.
The Columbus Blue Jackets (36-21-11) end a three-game homestand Saturday afternoon when the Seattle Kraken (31-28-9) make their only visit of the season to Nationwide Arena.
Columbus has won three straight games and has an 11-game point streak, the longest active streak in the league. Any point Saturday would tie the franchise record for the longest home point streak (2012-13 season) and would bump them into one of the three longest point streaks in franchise history.
A win over the Kraken combined with a Pittsburgh Penguins loss (vs. Winnipeg Jets, 1:00 p.m.) would put Columbus all the way into second place in the Metro division.
Despite that, they're only in a playoff spot as of Saturday as a result of a tiebreaker (one less game played) than the New York Islanders and could find themselves out of a spot entirely with any loss.
It's a battle, and the Blue Jackets know every point matters.
"There's no -x (clinched playoff spot) beside our name, so we're going to keep going," captain Boone Jenner said after Thursday's win.
Here are five things to know before the 5:00 p.m. puck-drop:
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The Blue Jackets are a dozen points ahead of the Kraken in the point column, but while Columbus is only in a playoff spot based on a tiebreaker, Seattle is only one point behind a wild card spot in the Western Conference. They have plenty to fight for, but are just 4-7-0 since the Olympic break. ... The Kraken are in the midst of a season-long, six-game road trip, but were off Friday and have two more days off before their next game, so they should be rested. ... Seattle loves a regulation finish: they've avoided overtime in every game dating back to Jan. 14, a span of 21 games. Longest active streak in the league.
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Elvis Merzlikins is expected to get the start. The Blue Jackets have at least a point in each of his last five starts (3-0-2) and in eight of the last nine. He comes into this game with a 3.40 goals against average and .885 save percentage
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Mason Marchment goes against his former team since they traded him to the Blue Jackets just prior to the holiday break. The Blue Jackets have to be thrilled with that deal so far, as Marchment has piled up 12 goals and nine assists (21 points) in his 26 games with Columbus.
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Plenty of milestones will or could happen today: Adam Fantilli plays his 200th career NHL game, while Danton Heinen will suit up for the 600th time. Additionally, Kirill Marchenko is an assist away from 100 in his career, which would also give him 200 career NHL points.
- No changes to the lineup are expected from Thursday's win with the exception of the change in net, but head coach Rick Bowness will confirm that Saturday afternoon around 2:30 p.m.. Here are the complete projections:
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Mason Marchment | 19 | Adam Fantilli | 86 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 91 | Kent Johnson | 23 | Sean Monahan | 83 | Conor Garland |
| 4 | Cole Sillinger | 3 | Charlie Coyle | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| 21 | Isac Lundeström | 38 | Boone Jenner | 43 | Danton Heinen |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 78 | Damon Severson |
| 9 | Ivan Provorov | 5 | Denton Mateychuk |
| 15 | Dante Fabbro | 44 | Erik Gudbranson |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Elvis Merzlikins | 73 | Jet Greavevs |
