The Blue Jackets are back on the road tonight, for an earlier than usual start against the Buffalo Sabres. This game is part of the NHL's Frozen Frenzy, with all 32 teams in action.
The Jackets are looking to build off of an emotional 5-4 shootout win in Pittsburgh on Saturday night. They will be trying to win two games in a row for the second time this season.
The Sabres also last played on Saturday night, when they also played the second half of a back-to-back. They also went to overtime, but lost 4-3 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The comparisons do not stop there. The Sabres have a near identical record to the Blue Jackets, sitting at 4-4-1 (9 points) through 9 games. They have 27 goals for and 27 goals against, while the Jackets have 25 and 25. I'm interested to see what this game looks like.
The Opponent
No matter how deep we dig, this team stacks up nearly equal to the Blue Jackets in every way. The Sabres have gotten solid goaltending to start their year, with Alex Lyon carrying the bulk of the weight thus far.
He has a .923% save percentage and a 2-3-0 record through 7 starts. They also now have their starter back to full health, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen getting the start on Saturday night. He gave up 4 goals on 23 shots in his first game of the season.
In front of the net, they boast a talented, but unheralded and yet unproven team. Tage Thompson leads the way with 8 points, and is tied with Jason Zucker for the lead in goals (4). Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin and Zach Benson (only 6gp) each have 7 points.
There are some familiar faces on the other side, with former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen now employed as a senior advisor. The Sabres have former Jarmo pickups Josh Dunne and Justin Danforth on their roster; though the latter is out with a long-term injury.
All four Sabres wins have come at home so far this season, so this should be a tough matchup for the Blue Jackets.
The Good Guys
It doesn't sound like we will see any changes to the CBJ lineup from Saturday night, aside from in goal. The Jackets did not play a perfect game by any means, but they rallied and found a way to get it done in a tough environment. Why not give it another go?
That's good news for Yegor Chinakhov, who has spent the early part of this season on the lineup bubble. He has gotten better in each of his 5 games this season, and looked very dangerous in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
Secondary scoring has held this team back a bit, so it stands to reason that Dean Evason would keep the talented Russian sniper in the lineup while he's playing so well. The only question I have here is, at what point does he get his chance higher in the lineup? He's at least earned a shot.
The Jackets are (surprisingly?) led in scoring Dmitri Voronkov, who has 5 goals and 9 points through 8 games. Kirill Marchenko (5-3-8), Boone Jenner (2-4-6) and Adam Fantilli (2-3-5) are next in line; then there are three players with 4 points apiece.
Expect the goaltending rotation to continue, which means Jet Greaves should get the start tonight in Buffalo.
Three Keys to Success
1. Run support. Jet Greaves has 4 starts on the season. The team has scored a total of 7 goals in those games, leaving him with just 1 win so far. Can we get this man some offense?
2. Structure. The Sabres are a talented team that can score on you quickly, but they are still a young team that can be rattled. If the Jackets can get to their game early and stick to it, their game will be made easier.
3. Special teams. One area where the Sabres are dangerous is special teams. Their power-play (23.3%, 10th in the NHL) and penalty kill (93.9%, 1st) are where they have earned wins so far. The Jackets need to try to come out at least even tonight.
Since the NHL is showcasing all 32 teams, this one has a weird start time. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:45 from Buffalo. You can catch the game via Fan Duel Sports Network, ESPN+, or tune in via NHL Radio. You can also give us a follow on X for live reactions during the game.