Game Preview: Blue Jackets Face Coyotes; Go For Season-Long Third Straight Win

ARIZONA COYOTES
19-28-9 (47 points; .420%) ROSTER / SCHEDULE
8:30 P.M. – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 MULLETT ARENA TEMPE, AZ
TELEVISION: NHL Network
PROJECTIONS:
ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 40%
ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER THE 538: 43%
CAESAR'S SPORTSBOOK: ARI -120

Don't look now, but the Columbus Blue Jackets might be on a heater.

The Blue Jackets picked up their second win in three nights Saturday with a 4-1 win over the western-conference leading Dallas Stars. 

A win Sunday against Arizona Coyotes would make it three straight for Columbus for the first time this season and for the first time in a 76-game stretch dating back to March of 2022. It was also give the Blue Jackets a measure of revenge: the Coyotes came to Columbus in October and had a 5-0 lead in the final period en route to a 6-3 win.

Here's what to know when Columbus battles Arizona from the campus of the Arizona State Sun Devils: 

TALKING POINTS: YOTES

• Arizona nearly pulled off the comeback of the season Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings. After falling behind 5-1 after the first period on the road, Arizona would score four unanswered goals before ultimately losing 6-5 in a shootout. At the end of the first, the Kings had a 99.98% chance to win the game, per MoneyPuck. As the old saying goes, though: Never count the... Coyotoes... out?
   
• Even though they came up short, this was another step in the right direction for the Yotes. They've picked up points in exactly half of their games this season, which is a marked improvement from last season dismal 25-50-7 record.
   
• Clayton Keller is a big part of the future in Arizona. The 24-year-old forward leads the team in goals (23), assists (29), and points (52). And as he goes, so go the Yotes: In his 13 multi-point games this season, Arizona is 9-1-3. In his 22 games without one, they're 4-14-4. 

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• Elephant in the room: are the Blue Jackets on the cusp of playing their way out of the best odds to draft Connor Bedard? They're still tied for the lowest point percentage in the NHL (.357), but a regulation win puts them five points away from checking in at 28th in the league, which would give them just an 8.5% chance at the future NHL star. The wins are nice, but the losses shouldn't be too upsetting, either. 
   
• Johnny Gaudreau missed Saturday's game with a lower-body injury. He was the last Blue Jacket to suit up in every game of the season. His status for Sunday's game is to be determined. (Note: Follow our own Coby Maier for updates on the lineup, including Gaudreau's status.) 
   
• A bit of love for Mathieu Olivier. The first-year Blue Jacket had three points (one goal, two assists) in Saturday's win over Dallas. In his 99th game, it was the Mississippi native's first multi-point game of his NHL career. And yes, Olivier is the first and only NHL player in league history born in Mississippi.

PROJECTED CBJ LINES
Updated: 7:05 a.m. // Subject to Change