The Blue Jackets will attempt to go for the season series sweep tonight at Nationwide Arena against the Montreal Canadiens.
Tonight's game will be Montreal's first visit to Columbus this season after the first two meetings took place in Montreal. Columbus doubled up the Canadiens in their first meeting, a 6-3 win at Bell Centre on Jan. 30. The second meeting took place Feb. 12, with Columbus squeaking out a 2-1 victory on a late Patrik Laine goal.
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| MONTREAL CANADIENS |
| 20–42–11 (51 points) |
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7 P.M. – WEDNEDAY, APRIL 13 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH. |
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BALLY SPORTS OHIO ESPN+ (Out of Network) |
Wednesday night's big story is the expected debut of Kent Johnson, who Columbus selected fifth overall in 2021. Johnson took part in his first practice as a Blue Jacket and was introduced to media on Monday at Nationwide Arena.
The Canadiens enter Wednesday night's matchup on a two-game skid, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Maple Leafs on Saturday and 4-2 to the Jets on Monday.
The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, enter Wednesday night's matchup fresh off a physical 5-4 overtime victory over the Red Wings in Detroit Saturday night.
Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Nyquist–Roslovic–Laine
Johnson–Danforth–Bjorkstrand
Voracek–Sillinger–Bemstrom
Robinson–Gaunce–Meyer
Defenseman
Werenski–Peeke
Gavrikov–Boqvist
Christiansen–Bean
Goaltender: Merzlikins
The Blue Jackets practiced with these lines on Tuesday, but of course, they are subject to change. Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen will address the game lineup when he meets with reporters on Wednesday morning.
Given those lines, it'll be interesting to see how the lines do with the addition of Johnson and shuffling lines around a little to fit him in.
Storylines
- Former Blue Jacket Josh Anderson may be returning to play his first game back at Nationwide Arena since being traded to the Canadiens. However, Anderson left practice Tuesday with an injury and is listed as questionable for tonight's game. Anderson spent roughly six seasons with the Blue Jackets from 2014-2020.
- David Savard spent parts of 10 seasons with the Blue Jackets from 2011-2021. He was part of the team's first-ever playoff series victory in 2019, when they upset the Tampa Bay Lightning in a four-game sweep. Savard was then traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he won a Stanley Cup with in 2021. Tonight, will be his first game back as an opposing player after signing a four-year deal with Montreal last summer.
- A game like this where Columbus is taking on a team like Montreal, who is last in their division with nothing to play for, is a perfect game for Johnson to get his feet wet in his first NHL game. Brad Larsen will be able to see what kind of impact Johnson can make, and potentially move him around the lineup based on how the game unfolds.
