The Blue Jackets will take their talents to Vegas tonight, for a matchup against the Golden Knights. They will have a different lineup than any other we have seen this season.
After a series of roster moves yesterday, two players will make their season debuts tonight: newly signed defenseman Egor Zamula, and recently recalled forward Mikael Pyyhtia.
Another vital two points are up for grabs tonight. Unfortunately, they'll face a hungry Vegas team that only has one win in their last six games.
The Opponent
The Knights are banged up, with one key player at each position out of their lineup. They're missing goaltender Adin Hill, top defenseman Shea Theodore, and former Blue Jackets center William Karlsson. This is on top of defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who will miss the entire season.
Even without those players, this is still one of the best teams in the entire NHL. They're led in scoring by Jack Eichel, who has 43 points (12 goals) in 34 games. He's one of three players with better than a point-per-game average so far.
They sit at 18-11-12 (48 points), which is good enough for first place in the Pacific Division. These two teams met at Nationwide less than a month ago, with the Knights winning 3-2 thanks to-you guessed it-a late third period comeback.
They have a big, talented, experienced team that is extremely well coached. In short, you have to bring your "A game" to each and every shift, if you want to have any chance of winning. Just what we need.
Tonight, the Jackets will face Carter Hart for the second time this season. He's 5-3-3 on the season, with a 2.73 GAA and .873% save percentage.
The Good Guys
The Blue Jackets are, and continue to be, a hot mess this season. They come into this game having lost two in a row, surrendering 10 goals in the process.
Tonight, Dean Evason gets a couple of new ingredients to toss into the line blender. Egor Zamula replaces Jake Christiansen on the blue line, while Mikael Pyyhtia replaces Danton Heinen up front.
I'm interested to see what these guys can bring to the mix. We know what we're getting in Pyyhtia, but the hope here is that there will be an extra spark of energy from him getting his first look in the NHL this season.
Zamula brings some much-needed traits to the back-end, and he should also be well motivated to be a difference maker. If he can give this team reliable third pairing minutes, it's something they desperately need.
In goal, Jet Greaves gets the start for the 8th consecutive game. The starting baton has clearly been passed on, and he's earned it. He has given this team a chance to win on most nights.
Three Keys to Success
1. Wake up. The time to figure things out has passed. For this team to have any chance at getting back into the race this season, they need to start winning games. Like, now.
If they go 0 for this road trip, which is entirely conceivable, I don't see how they can turn it around.
— Union and Blue (@UnionAndBlue) January 7, 2026
In fact, they kinda need to find at least 5 points in the next 3 games. #CBJ https://t.co/cJKffHG6Ry
2. Play road hockey. Make this a boring game in Vegas. Avoid odd man rushes, don't take penalties, and for the love of the 5th Line, find a way to win it.
3. Win the third period. Yep, still here.
It's another late start out west, with puck drop scheduled for just after 10:00 Eastern. The realist in me says do not stay up late and watch. I doubt it will be worth it, but with this team, who knows?
Let's go Jackets.