Game Day Edition: Columbus Blue Jackets @ Winnipeg Jets
By Mike Majeski
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Winnipeg Jets
Saturday, January 11th, 2014, 7:00PM
MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Dec 16, 2013; Columbus, OH, USA; Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
After playing one of their best games of the season last night against Carolina (a 3-0 shutout win), Columbus has a quick turn up to Winnipeg so they can take on the Jets tonight at 7. The last time the Jets and Jackets met, it was December 16th and Evander Kane made his return to the lineup for Winnipeg. He would go on to score the game winning goal, in a 3-2 Jets victory. The Jackets struggled in that game and never really figured out goalie Al Montoya. Kane is once again out with a hand injury, so Columbus will not see him tonight in the Jets lineup.
Columbus has a home heavy schedule going forward, and tonight is just one of three road games in their next eleven. It is also only one of two games that is not against an Eastern Conference opponent. Columbus meets a desperate Winnipeg team, as the Jets have lost their last four, and have yet to win in the new year.
Coach Todd Richards kept the possibility of Curtis McElhinney getting the start tonight open, however, it is expected that Sergei Bobrovsky will once again be in net. Columbus is not scheduled to make a morning skate today, so pay close attention to @UnionAndBlue as well as the Blue Jackets official twitter for the latest game day news.
Update: Curtis McElhinney will be in net tonight, as was just confirmed by the Columbus Blue Jackets twitter
Stats
- In their last 10, the Columbus Blue Jackets are now 6-4-0, whereas the Jets are 4-6-0. Things have really started to turn for the Jackets since the Christmas break. [ NHL.com ]
- When examining CorsiFor%, Winnipeg has a slight edge over Columbus, their 49.8% puts them 18th overall, whereas the Jackets 48.6% is good for 22nd in the league. [ Extra Skater.com ]
- With the help of Sporting Charts.com’s Chart Builder, here is a quick look at the Blue Jackets Sh% for the 2013-14 season. Since the Christmas break, you can see that the Jackets have settled into a nice groove with a Sh% that stays relatively close to .1%
Courtesy of SportingCharts.com
Noteable Noteables:
- Derek MacKenzie is eligible to return to the lineup tonight after serving his three game suspension for a hit on Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He will swap into the lineup for Ryan Craig. [ BlueJackets.com ]
- The Jets may opt to start defenseman Dustin Byfuglien at Right Wing tonight to try to generate some offense. Byfuglien started at wing for his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks on occasion. [ BlueJackets.com ]
The Union and Blue Song For the Game:
The Weakerthans – “One Great City”
I’ve been saving this one for this game for awhile now. The Weakerthans wrote one of my favorite songs of all time and it is all about their home town, Winnipeg.