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| FLORIDA PANTHERS |
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13–12–4 (30 points; .517%) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7:00 P.M. – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13 BB&T CENTER SUNRISE, FL |
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| TV: Bally Sports Ohio, ESPN |
The Columbus Blue Jackets won three straight games in March — their 59th, 60th, and 61st of the 2021-22 season.
They haven't done it since.
But a win Tuesday over the Florida Panthers would put an end to that streak and make it three straight in the win column after last Wednesday's debacle against the Buffalo Sabres.
Here's what to know before the Blue Jackets and Panthers do battle for the second time this season:
| CBJ | SEASON STATS | FLA |
|---|---|---|
| 2.96 | GOALS FOR | 3.34 |
| 4.07 | GOALS AGAINST | 3.34 |
| 14.7% | POWER PLAY | 19.3% |
| 77.5% | PENALTY KILL | 77.7% |
| 29.6 | SHOTS FOR | 37.3 |
| 35.9 | SHOTS AGAINST | 31.7 |
| 45.0% | CF% (EVEN) | 55.6% |
| 51.0% | FACEOFF % | 48.3% |
| PROJECTIONS | ||
| ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK | 25% | |
| ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER THE 538 | 31% | |
| CAESAR'S SPORTSBOOK BETTING | FLA -320 | |
| PANTHERS: LAST THREE GAMES | ||
| SUN, 12/11 | vs. KRAKEN | L, 5-2 |
| SAT, 12/10 | @ LIGHTNING | L, 4-1 |
| THU, 12/8 | vs. RED WINGS | W, 5-1 |
| PANTHERS: TEAM LEADERS | ||
| GOALS | CARTER VERHAEGHE | 15 |
| ASSISTS | MATTHEW TKACHUK | 24 |
| POINTS | MATTHEW TKACHUK | 37 |
TALKING POINTS: FLA
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The Blue Jackets won the season opener between the two teams, a 5-3 victory in November at Nationwide Arena. This is the only trip to Sunrise for the Blue Jackets, but the two teams will meet again in Columbus in April.
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The Panthers were the best team in the regular season last year, winning 58 games and finishing with 122 points. But their 13-12-4 record this year makes them one of the biggest disappointments in the league through two months.
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After winning three of four to start the month of December, it looked like Florida was turning the corner on their slow start. But they've been outscored 9-3 in their last two games, undoing progress made in catching up to a wildcard spot.
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Coming over in an offseason trade for Jonathan Huberdeau, forward Matthew Tkachuk has been a one-man band for the Panthers. He has 37 points in 27 games — no other Florida player has more than 24. Tkachuk leads the team in assists (24) and is second in goals (13), trailing only Carter Verhaeghe (15).
- Florida's 37.3 shots on goal per game leads the league by more than one full shot. But they have just 25 shots in each of their last two games, which is fewer than any team's season average.
CBJ
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FINDING THEIR WAY ON OFFENSE
Columbus has 13 goals in their last three games, which is their second-highest rolling three-game total of the season — and just one shy of the 14 goals scored against New York (Islanders), Philadelphia, and Montreal in the middle of November. The Blue Jackets would need six against the Panthers to equal their highest four-game total of the season.
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STILL NOT GREAT, BUT...
After scoring on two out of three power plays in Sunday's overtime win, the Jackets enter Tuesday with a 30th-ranked 14.7% connection rate on the power play. That's bad, but considering they were 0-for-October (25), it's not that bad. Columbus is 22% on the man-advantage since November 1st, which is right in the middle of the league. Baby steps, yes, but steps nonetheless.
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KIRILL'S THRILL
Kirill Marchenko scored the first goal of his NHL career Sunday, joining Kent Johnson and Marcus Bjork as the three Blue Jackets to do so this season. The 22-year-old has looked comfortable through four games and there's no reason to think Marchenko isn't in Columbus for good.
PROJECTED LINES
Updated: 7:05 a.m. // Subject to Change
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Johnny Gaudreau | 38 | Boone Jenner | 14 | Gus Nyquist |
| 59 | Yegor Chinakhov | 96 | Jack Roslovic | 29 | Patrik Laine |
| 91 | Kent Johnson | 34 | Cole Sillinger | 86 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 50 | Eric Robinson | 7 | Sean Kuraly | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Vladislav Gavrikov | 47 | Marcus Bjork |
| 75 | Tim Berni | 44 | Eric Gudbranson |
| 23 | Jake Christiansen | 2 | Andrew Peeke |
| Starting Goalie | Backup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Elvis Merzlikins | 40 | Daniil Tarasov |
