Game Preview: Columbus Hosts St. Louis In Saturday Afternoon Affair; Potential Goodbyes For Korpisalo, Domi

ST. LOUIS BLUES

34–17–9 (77 points; .642%) ROSTER / SCHEDULE

5:00 P.M. – SATURDAY, MARCH 19TH NATIONWIDE ARENA  COLUMBUS, OHIO

Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ (Out of Network)

When the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues meet Saturday at Nationwide Arena, it's likely to be the final home game in a Columbus sweater for several Blue Jackets.

Joonas Korpisalo and Max Domi, a pair of unrestricted free agents and the subject of trade chatter throughout the course of the season, are the most likely candidates to be moved. Neither player is likely to net more than draft picks in return (in the case of Korpisalo, a late-round pick), but from an organization standpoint, the team wants to get anything they can in return rather than have either player leave as a free agent when the season ends next month. Gus Nyquist, Dean Kukan, and Jack Roslovic have also been the subject of rumors, among others, but while their departures are possible, the departures of Korpisalo and Domi seem inevitable. 

With Thursday's loss to the Capitals and a subsequent Washington win Friday night, the playoff chances for Columbus are all but mathematically dead. The last 19 games is a chance for players like Yegor Chinakhov and Cole Sillinger to finish strong on their rookie seasons, and could give players like Jake Christiansen, Trey Fix-Wolansky (and potentially Kent Johnson) a chance to get some regular ice time at the highest level.

Before any of that happens, though, St. Louis and Columbus have an earlier-than-normal 5:00 p.m. puck drop, giving the 5th Line a chance to say their goodbyes to at least a couple of tenured Blue Jackets. 

RE: BLUES

St. Louis has been led this season — at least in the points department — by 23-year-old All-Star Jordan Kyrou. His 22 goals and 37 assists are both atop the Blues leaderboard, but neither by too wide of a margin: Vladimir Tarasenko has a stat line of 20-34-54, running second on the team in goals and points. Another youngster, 22-year-old Robert Thomas, is second on the team in helpers with 36.

St. Louis' youth movement since winning the Stanley Cup three seasons ago has been a marvel to see. The team has stayed competitive, with a 99% chance to make the postseason and an 11% to reach the Stanley Cup final according to MoneyPuck. 

Jordan Binnington, the key catalyst behind the Blues first and only Stanley Cup, has been shaky between the pipes this season — but remains the team leader in starts thus far this season. Binnington is 13-12-4 as a starter with a 3.11 goals against average and a .903 save percentage, while Ville Husso is 15-4-4 with a 2.22 GAA and a .930 SV%. Those numbers rank 5th and 2nd, respectively, amongst qualifying NHL goaltenders. 

STORYLINES

• SO LONG, FAREWELL 
  Korpisalo has had a miserable season — but he's also been an All-Star goalie and, in August of 2020, a record-setting goalie. While Elvis Merzlikins is expected to get the start, it would be fantastic if the 5th Line were able to pay a proper respect to Korpisalo. He deserves it, and if in fact this is the end of his time in Columbus, may he find success wherever he ends up. (But not against Columbus.)
  
  Domi, while not with the team nearly as long — including a portion of which saw the team play without fans as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic — deserves a proper sendoff, too. This version of the Blue Jackets have not been overly physical, but Domi has been willing to step up to anyone at any time. 
   
• SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS (ETC)
  Nine times this season have the Blue Jackets put up 38+ shots in a game — including the last three. They had 41 shots on goal against Washington in the lopsided loss, but Caps goalie Vitek Vanecek was outstanding. In the wins over Vegas and Ottawa, Columbus scored ten goals on a combined 77 shots. Shot quality is important, but the shot quantity can sometimes lead to high-quality second chances. This Blue Jackets team is certainly not afraid to shoot the puck, and that's a refreshing change of pace. 

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*SUBJECT TO CHANGE