Game #33 preview, Blue Jackets will try to ground the Ducks

The Blue Jackets will look to snap a 5-game losing skid tonight at home, as they host the upstart Anaheim Ducks.

It has been a tough early season for the 5th Line. The Jackets have stumbled out of the gate, with just one regulation win in the last calendar month. They currently sit dead last in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, we're seeing a team who was in a similar rebuild begin to really take off. The Ducks have been one of the NHL's most pleasant surprises so far this season. Good for them.

The Opponent

The Ducks entered their rebuild a little bit sooner than the Blue Jackets. They haven't made the playoffs since 2017-18, but have been stockpiling young talent all the while.

It's starting to pay off. Anaheim sits tied with Vegas for first place in the Pacific, with a 20-12-1 record. They have the second most prolific offense in the NHL, with 114 goals in 33 games (3.45 average).

This is a team that finished last season with 80 points, but went out and hired the right head coach over the summer. Joel Quenneville came with baggage, but is one of the most successful bench bosses in NHL history.

As a result, their young players have come together and started to lead the way. Up front, the player taken one spot ahead of Adam Fantilli at the 2023 Draft leads the way. Leo Carlsson has 17 goals and 41 points so far-good enough for 9th in the NHL in scoring.

Cutter Gauthier (18-18-36) and Troy Terry (10-24-34) are also better than a point-per-game. And, they have a formidable second line led by Beckett Sennecke-taken one spot ahead of Cayden Lindstrom at the 2024 draft.

Defensively, this is still a team trying to find its way. They have the 24th-ranked goals against average in the NHL. They will be on the second half of a back-to-back tonight, which means the Blue Jackets should get to face backup goaltender Ville Husso.

Husso is 7-5-3 this season, with a .888% save percentage, 3.16 goals against average, and 0 shutouts. For his career, he's 4-2-0 against the Jackets, with a .883% save percentage and 3.21 GAA.

The Ducks are healthy, confident, and well coached. This isn't going to be an easy matchup.

The Good Guys

Where do we even begin? The Blue Jackets are a mess, with five straight losses leaving them at 13-13-6 (32 points). They're four points behind the next closest team in the Metro, and the team they are tied with in the conference just fired their general manager-and replaced him with our old one.

The Jackets have the 23rd ranked offense and 27th ranked defense in the NHL. Nothing is going right for this team, particularly over the last month or so. They have just one regulation win since November 13th.

The time for them to find their game and start seeing results is quickly running out. This next four game stretch is all against Western Conference opponents, and it's hard to see this team making any kind of push unless they can win three of these games. It's best if they can start tonight.

They were better on Saturday night than they have been in recent games. It's a step in the right direction, but still nowhere near good enough to compete with the elite teams in this league. As the results would indicate.

We'll see another different lineup tonight, if yesterday's practice lines hold true:

Update: indeed, those look to be the forward lines. Jet Greaves in goal.

Three Keys to Success

1. Compete in the defensive zone. This is where they lost the game on Saturday night. For about 45 minutes, they worked hard and were able to get the lead. Then, that damned prevent defense cost them again. They have to have cleaner gaps in their own end. It comes down to competing.

2. Score first. The Ducks are 11-2-0 when they get the game's first goal. They are 9-10-1 when they do not. Enough said.

3. Fight back. We called this team out a couple of times since their loss on Saturday night. We're tired of the carefree attitude around the room. Someone needs to show the 5th Line that we matter tonight. Enough is enough. Bring some emotion to this game.

Puck drop is scheduled for shortly after 7:00 Eastern. You can catch this one via Fan Duel Sports Network if you're in the CBJ market, or ESPN+ if you are out of market. Or, tune into Bob McElligott via NHL Radio. Let's go Jackets.