Game Preview: With Both Teams On Three-Game Point Streaks, The Blue Jackets Welcome The Minnesota Wild To Nationwide Arena Thursday Night

MINNESOTA WILD
31-21-5 (67 points; .588%) ROSTER / SCHEDULE
7:00 P.M. – THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH
TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ (Out of Market)
PROJECTIONS:
ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 36%
ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER THE 538: 41%
CAESAR'S SPORTSBOOK: MIN -190

The Columbus Blue Jackets have played 30 of the other 31 teams in the NHL this season.

They finally make that 31 Thursday night when the Minnesota Wild visit Nationwide Arena.

Both teams enter the game on three-game point streaks. The Wild concluded a seven-game homestand with three one-goal victories, most recently a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. 

The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, came back from two goals down in Arizona on Sunday before losing 3-2 in overtime to put a halt to their brief two-game winning streak.

With at least one team guaranteed to make it four in a row with a point, here's what to know when Columbus and Minnesota drop the puck at Nationwide Arena:

TALKING POINTS: WILD

• If you haven't seen Kirill Kaprizov play, you're in for a treat. After 108 points in his sophomore season last year, Kaprizov is having another monster season. With 33 goals and 34 assists, the 25-year-old is on pace for 96 points in his third season in the NHL. He has 107 goals in the first 193 games of his career. For comparison, Connor McDavid got his 107th goal in game #246. Kaprizov is a huge reason the Wild are in for a third consecutive playoff berth. 
   
• Another youngster to watch for the Wild is Matt Boldy. After finishing 8th in the Calder trophy voting last season for the rookie of the year, Boldy has a 16-23-39 stat line this season in 57 games. Just last month, the Wild inked Boldy to a seven-year extension worth $49 million, signifying their commitment to the 12th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft.
   
• Minnesota is one of those teams that are 'cursed' with a goalie problem: two #1's. Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson have split time, with the veteran Fleury seeing just a little more action. He's been steady, with a 2.98 goals against and .902 save percentage. Gustavsson, though, has been sensational: the 24-year-old in his first season with Minnesota after a brief stint in Ottawa has a goals against average of just 2.11, along with a .928 save percentage.

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• It sounds like Johnny Gaudreau could return to the lineup Thursday after missing the last two with a lower-body injury. If he plays, he'll be one of two Gaudreau's on the ice: Frederick Gaudreau plays for the Wild and has 11 goals and 12 assists this season. (The two are not related.)
   
• Both Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo have been as steady as they've been all season between the pipes. The season won't finish as one to write home about for either player in the stat category, but after some massive early-season jitters (particularly from Merzlikins), the situation in net has seemingly stabilized.
   
• If the Blue Jackets can give up three goals or less, it will be the 7th consecutive game in which they've done so. It would be the first time since February of 2020 that Columbus has accomplished such a feat, a span of 218 games (including postseason).

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