The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to host current wild card team, the Montreal Canadiens tonight at Nationwide Arena.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have to be ready to take on one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, as Carey Price will more than likely get the start for the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens have won their last three games, including a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
As for the rest of the players on Montreal to keep an eye on, Max Domi is in the midst of a breakout season in his first year with the team after he was traded by the Arizona Coyotes. Jonathan Drouin is also on pace to set a career high in points and Brendan Gallagher leads the team in goals with 19 so far. Shea Weber has also had a hot start to his season since missing the start with an injury, posting a total of 14 points in 24 games from the blue line.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have won the last four games they’ve played, with the most recent being a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. Artemi Panarin is still on fire as he currently has a 4 game goal scoring streak, with a total of 5 goals through those games. Cam Atkinson is doing the same, however he only has a 3 game goal scoring streak.
Joonas Korpisalo has been the hot hand for the Blue Jackets as of late, his stats for the season now almost mimic that of Sergei Bobrovsky. It’s hard to predict who will get the start in any game going forward with the uncertainty surrounding Bobrovsky’s future with the team and Korpisalo’s recent resurgence.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to have to fight for the two points tonight, it won’t be as easy of a game as it seemed like it would be at the beginning of the season.