The Columbus Blue Jackets host the Western Conference leading Minnesota Wild in the final match up of the year. The two teams last faced off in a historic game on New Years Eve.
The Columbus Blue Jackets host the Minnesota Wild tonight in a contest for an important two points as the season barrels down the final stretch. The last time out, these two teams were both on franchise record winning streaks. Columbus had won 14 in a row, Minnesota 12. It was the first time in the history of the four major sports that two teams of win streaks of 12 or more games would meet.
Columbus took that game 4-2 and extended the streak once more after that. This game is certainly not that historic, but it is more important. The Blue Jackets (39-16-4) currently sit second in the Metropolitan division, tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Minnesota (41-14-6) resides at the top of the Western conference, with just a three-point lead over the streaking Chicago Blackhawks.
Last Time Out
The Columbus Blue Jackets, with one day’s rest, are coming off a tough 1-0 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Penalties were the name of the game. Though some calls were questionable, the Jackets had four penalties called against them. Including the Seth Jones penalty in overtime that the Canadiens would eventually win on.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| Canadiens | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Blue Jackets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Minnesota Wild currently rank third in the league for power play percentage at 22.6%. The Jackets will have to focus on staying out of the box tonight.
The Wild are coming into Columbus also on one day’s rest after beating the Winnipeg Jets 6-5 in a hard fought game on Tuesday. The Jets landed 21 hits in that contest. Look for physical play from Columbus to wear down the Wild early.
Who’s Hot
Despite giving up the overtime winner, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 29 of 30 in an All-Star caliber performance. He has been dominant since the rest week, beating the New York Rangers before falling short to the Canadiens. He stopped 28 of 30 against New York.
Alex Wennberg recorded two points in the first two games back from the break. He has 52 points on the season and is in sixth place for assists in the NHL. Expect him to make some plays and drive the offense.
Wild center Mikael Granlund is coming off a three-point game against Winnipeg with one goal and two assists. He holds the eleventh spot in points in the NHL with 59. He has 21 goals and 38 assists.
Closing Thoughts
The Jackets are going to come out firing on all cylinders tonight. They’re angry after the Canadiens loss and know these points are crucial. Expect physical play to come early and drive counter attacks.
If Columbus can stay out of the box and keep the puck deep in Minnesota territory, they should have a good chance of winning. Minnesota of course is a very good team this year with an explosive offense. I give Columbus the advantage at home, say, 4-3.