The Blue Jackets will have a much different look tonight, as they try to snap a 4-game losing skid at home against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The same 20 players will be dressed, but the entire lineup has been thrown into a blender by head coach Dean Evason. More on that in a moment.
On paper, this is a very tough matchup. Especially considering the adjustments made to the Blue Jackets lineup; I'm pessimistic, but hopeful for a surprise.
The Opponent
Vegas rolls into town sitting atop the NHL's Pacific Division, with 5 wins in their last 6 games. They sit at 15-6-9 (39 points), which is tied for 5th in the entire league.
As they have been since their inception, the Golden Knights are once again a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. They have talent and depth at every position.
Up front, they're led in scoring by one of the game's most elite two-way centers: Jack Eichel. He has 12 goals and 40 points in 30 games; sitting 11 points clear of his next closest teammate, Mitch Marner.
Their big offseason acquisition has 6 goals and 29 points. The Knights also have four other players with more than 20 points, and another sitting at 19.
They will be without four key players tonight: forward William Karlsson, goaltender Adin Hill; and defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Jeremy Lauzon.
Despite the injuries, there aren't many weaknesses within their roster. In fact, if the Jackets are going to target anything as a weakness, it may be their goaltending. Vegas is missing their usual starter (Hill), but they dove into the Hockey Canada scandal pool of free agents to nab Carter Hart.
Hart missed two years of hockey while going through his legal battle, but has re-emerged with a starting job in the NHL. He's gotten into 3 games for the Knights, earning a 2-0-1 record.
For his career, he's 4-4-1 against the Jackets, with a .901% save percentage and 2.89 goals against average. Hopefully he's rusty.
The Good Guys
As mentioned, the Blue Jackets saw their entire lineup thrown into the blender on Friday. I suppose when you lose four games in a row, something has to give.
Evason broke up both of his top two forward lines, leaving us with some serious questions regarding what he's thinking. But, there is good news: his defense pairings look to be returning to what has worked best. Finally.
En garde! ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/hYNwds89XB
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 13, 2025
I'm not sure what Kent Johnson did to upset Evason and earn a demotion to the fourth line. In fact, I thought he had arguably his best game of the season on Thursday. Head scratcher.
On paper, this team looks like it's going to have to scratch and claw for offense tonight. Maybe they can find some with the power-play. Though, playing against one of the league's darling teams means that finding those extra man opportunities may be rare.
In goal, Jet Greaves will get the start. As he should.
Three Keys to Success
1. Match their pace. Vegas is going to come out flying. They always do. The Jackets have to be on their toes right away, to avoid being hit with a big first period deficit again.
2. Win the 5 on 5 battle. I mentioned power-play opportunites above, but the Jackets might be better off playing this whole game at even strength. Vegas has the 7th ranked power-play and 13th ranked penalty kill in the NHL. Special teams play would directly feed into the weakness of the Jackets.
3. Shoot the puck. Again on Thursday night, we saw this team pass up chances in the slot. Don't overthink it, just fire the puck on goal and figure it out later.
Puck drop is scheduled for shortly after 7:00 at Nationwide. You can catch this one in person, or via all of the usual methods. With the snow rolling through Central Ohio, pay attention to any potential delays via the team's social media feeds. Let's go Jackets.