Game #14 preview, the Blue Jackets look to contain the mighty Quinn in Vancouver

The Blue Jackets continue their Western Canada road trip tonight, visiting the Canucks in Vancouver. They are looking to get back in the win column after losing two straight games.

It's still early in the season, but those two losses are costly. The Jackets are now locked in a three-way tie for the worst record in the Eastern Conference.

This after starting last week in third place in the Metropolitan Division. It looks like the entire conference is set to be competitive this season, so long losing streaks must be avoided at any cost if they want to make a run at a playoff spot.

Maybe the worst part about these losses is the way they came. The Jackets looked listless on Long Island Sunday night, hanging their goaltender out to dry and coughing up a late lead to lose in regulation.

Wednesday night in Calgary was no better, as the team got away from its system and was blown out by a Flames team that has the worst record in the NHL.

Those were both very winnable matchups, and they get another one tonight in Vancouver. The Canucks are off to a slow start themselves, so this will be a similar road test to the last two the Blue Jackets have faced.

The Opponent

The Canucks seem to be trying to figure out what kind of team they are in the early goings of this season. New head coach Adam Foote has gotten improvement out of several players, but others have struggled - including star forward Elias Pettersson.

Overall, the Canucks are 7-8-0 (14 points), which has them just four points ahead of last place in their own conference. They haven't started out as the offensive juggernaut they have been in recent years, having scored just 40 goals in 15 games.

Meanwhile, their defense has allowed 50 the other way, giving them a -10 goal differential. This despite the fact that starting goalie Thatcher Demko has had a pretty solid start, with a .912% save percentage and 2.57 goals against average in his 9 appearances.

Good news for the Jackets: he may be held out of the Vancouver lineup tonight.

Bad news for the Jackets: their backup goaltender is Kevin Lankinen, who has an 8-3-1 career record against Columbus, with a .912% save percentage of his own. This is one of those backups that always seems to stonewall us, at least in my memory.

The Canucks are led in scoring by Conor Garland, who has 3 goals and 11 points in 12 games played. Elias Pettersson (3-7-10), Central Ohio native Kiefer Sherwood (9-0-9), Brock Boeser (6-3-9), Evander Kane (3-5-8) and Quinn Hughes (1-7-8) round out their top-six.

Look for a lot of their offense to flow through Hughes from the back-end. He was one of the runners-up for the Norris Trophy last season, finishing just behind our own Zach Werenski in voting. Containing Hughes is vital for their chances tonight.

The Good Guys

If yesterday's practice lines are to be believed, the Blue Jackets could be in for a big shakeup tonight.

These defense pairings are pretty familiar, and it would certainly be good news if Denton Mateychuk returns to the lineup tonight. Up front, the only line that would stay the same is the third line.

If these hold true, I'm very interested to see if Adam Fantilli can get his offensive game going. This may be just what the doctor ordered for #19. I also wonder how their usage would work, with some added offensive pop to the bottom-six.

This is the first time we have seen a major shake-up like this so far this season. The Jackets need a wake-up call, and these combinations certainly pair up some of the offensive guys better.

In goal, we expect the rotation to continue, which would mean Elvis Merzlikins getting the nod tonight. I'll be interested to see how he looks, especially early on; after his emotions came out at the end of the game Sunday night. We didn't blame him.

One thing I will say: this team owes #90 a better effort tonight. They should be looking to bail him out, if he starts slow.

Three Keys to Success

1. Play the full 60. The Blue Jackets have yet to play their game for a full 60 minutes this season. They have had 55 minute nights, and the results in those have been great. How good will this team be if they play from horn to horn?

2. Find some offensive rhythm. We have been waiting for this team to really dig into its offensive potential this season. With these new lines, I'm hoping to see goals as a result.

3. Win it for Elvis. This is a beatable team, and the Jackets can't rely on their goaltender to carry them tonight. They have to take the game to the Canucks, not sit back and wait for breaks.

This one is on the west coast, so it's a late 10:00PM start if you're in the eastern time zone. You can catch this one via Fan Duel Sports Network, ESPN+, or NHL Radio.