Game #24 preview, new look Blue Jackets host the Leafs at Nationwide

The Blue Jackets are at home tonight, playing a game at Nationwide Arena for the first time in 9 days. They will face the Toronto Maple Leafs for the third and final time this season.

Through the first two matchups, the Jackets are 2-0-0 against the Leafs. They won the first game at home by a 6-3 margin back on October 29th; then beat them in Toronto six days ago, 3-2 in overtime.

The Jackets will look to make it a clean sweep of the season series tonight, but it will be no easy task. They are going to be missing some very key pieces of the lineup, with two new faces making their CBJ debuts.

The Opponent

The Leafs come into this one having lost two in a row, including last Thursday's game against the Jackets. They fell 5-2 in Montreal on Saturday night, and have not played since.

Currently, they sit dead last in the Eastern Conference with a record of 9-10-3 (21 points). They have also missing some very key players due to injury, but will get a huge boost tonight as three forwards return to their lineup.

The Jackets should expect a much different challenge than what they faced when they last played the Leafs. That's two thirds of their top line, and an important center returning to the ice.

With all of this time off and Anthony Stolarz still out of the lineup, expect to see Joseph Woll in goal for Toronto tonight.

The Good Guys

Suddenly, the season has started to crumble underneath the feet of the Blue Jackets. As Erik Gudbranson and Boone Jenner continue to rehab from injuries, the team lost two more important players this week.

Mathieu Olivier and Kirill Marchenko will both miss tonight's game with upper-body injuries. Neither has been offered a timeline from the team at the moment, so we are in standby mode. The only good news: Zach Werenski will play, after missing the third period in Washington.

Suffice to say, finding offense is going to be very difficult for the Blue Jackets for however long Marchenko is out. Yegor Chinakhov was given a chance in his spot on Monday night and failed miserably.

Tonight, it's Kent Johnson's turn:

The Jackets will also look for a boost from two new faces entering the lineup tonight. Up front, prospect Luca Pinelli will make his NHL debut, stepping right into a makeshift second line alongside veterans Sean Monahan and Cole Sillinger.

Pinelli has 5 goals and 10 points in his first 13 games with the Cleveland Monsters this season. Though undersized, he's a feisty kid who should bring some energy and a touch of skill to the lineup.

On the back-end, veteran defenseman Brendan Smith is set to make his Blue Jackets debut. Smith was signed by the Jackets to a one-year contract on Monday.

A veteran of 726 career NHL games, he will bring some much welcomed grit and experience to the third defense pairing alongside Dante Fabbro tonight. With both Olivier and Gudbranson out of the mix at the moment, it's good to see Don Waddell add more toughness to the roster.

In goal tonight, Jet Greaves will get the nod for the home team.

Three Keys to Success

1. Find some offense. Marchenko drives a lot for the Blue Jackets. They sorely missed his impact on Monday night. Hopefully Kent Johnson can find his game tonight and at least fill in the gap, because beyond that top line, things look pretty bleak.

2. Shut them down. The Leafs are going to be much harder to contain with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies returning to the lineup tonight. Playing above the puck is going to be vital.

3. Feed off of the crowd. It's Thanksgiving Eve, so hopefully the 5th Line brings it tonight, knowing tomorrow is a holiday. Get loud if you're in attendance, and help cheer this team to victory.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 from Nationwide. Let's go Jackets!