Game Preview: Desperate To Stop The Bleeding, Blue Jackets Face Jets In Huge Saturday Night Showdown

Mathematically, the Columbus Blue Jackets (38-26-12, 88 points) will be very much alive in the playoff race win or lose Saturday in their game against the Winnipeg Jets (32-31-12, 76 points).

But it sure does feel like a must-win game.

After losses in five straight games and a record of 1-5-1 in their last seven, the Blue Jackets have fallen below the line in the playoff race with just six games left in the regular season.

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There's still time, but it's running out.

A win Saturday has the chance to rejuvenate the club and give them a desperately-needed two points in the Eastern Conference race. 

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

• Like the Blue Jackets, the Jets are also fighting for their playoff lives. Despite sitting at just 76 points, they're only three points out of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. This game means as much to them as it does to Columbus. ... This is the fourth and final game of the Jets' four-game road trip. They're 2-1-0 so far, but included in that is a 4-2 win in Colorado last Saturday night. ... Connor Hellebuyck will start. Don't let the sub-.900 save percentage (.898%) and losing record (20-21-11) fool you; Hellebuyck, who has a 2.81 goals against average, has game-stealing potential at a moment's notice. 
   
• How will Columbus respond to the comments of head coach Rick Bowness? He was quite pointed in his comments after Thursday night's 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. “We had some guys out there (that) poured their whole heart and soul into that game. We really did," Bowness said. "And then we had some guys give us absolutely nothing. If we want to make a serious effort to get in, it’s going to take a whole lot more than some of those guys gave us tonight."
   
• Jet Greaves makes the pivotal start for the Blue Jackets here. His .909 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average are both above the league average, but the young netminder has allowed seven goals in his last two starts and is 1-3-1 in his last five decisions.
   
• Werenski Watch: Held off the scoreboard Thursday, Zach Werenski now has just one point in his last five games. He's at 78 for the season and over the last six games will need nine points to tie and ten points to break Artemi Panarin's club record of 87 points in a single season. Werenski also needs four points to tie his career high of 82, set last season.
   
• Marchment skated Saturday morning and appears to be set to return but will be a game-time decision. could be set to return. Isac Lundeström was not on the ice but is also a game-time decision per Bowness. Zach Aston-Reese, recalled from Cleveland this week, is expected to be in the lineup in place of Kent Johnson or Luca Del Bel Belluz, who are both on track to be a healthy scratch. That could change based on the game-time decisions of both Marchment and Lundeström however. Defensively, it appears that Jake Christiansen will come in for Egor Zamula. Here are the complete projections: