Columbus Blue Jackets (6–3–0) vs Winnipeg Jets (4–3–1)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017, 7 p.m. (Nationwide Arena)
Well this certainly seems familiar.
It's been 10 days since the last matchup between the Jets and the Blue Jackets. Unless both squads make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, they won't face off until the 2018-19 season.
What's changed with Winnipeg? Not a lot. They've played just two games since – including last night's overtime loss in Pittsburgh – and they shuffled the first two lines a bit. Rookie Kyle Connor – a Michigan alum – is now on the top line with star forwards Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Nikolaj Ehlers, who was featured in the "You Oughta Know" section last time around, is now skating with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine.
Old friend Marko Dano is out of the lineup now, too. Brendan Lemeiux and Matt Hendricks draw into the lineup after missing the last game between these two teams.
This team still has a lot of size (10 skaters above 6-foot-3) and some serious skill (you've watched Laine and Ehlers, right?) – so Columbus can't take them lightly after a dominant road win in their building.
Oh, yeah, that road win. Joonas Korpisalo played his best game of the season (to be fair, his only other game wasn't so great) and the Jackets lit up their former Calder Trophy winner, Steve Mason, to the tune of five goals.
Starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck played in last night's overtime loss, so Steve Mason may get the start between the pipes once again. Buckle up.
You Oughta Know: Mark Scheifele
Lovingly called "Bambi" by Winnipeg fans due to his propensity for stumbling on his skates as a lanky youngster a few years back, Scheifele has filled out his frame and become a bona fide superstar. He's a skilled playmaker – one of the best in the league – and is coming off of a stellar season with a 32-50-82 line in 79 games for the Jets.
He's still just 24, locked up long-term, and is on a team with a few other young star forwards. Keep your eyes on number 55, because he's a good one.
Five Fast Facts
- Scheifele signed a big contract extension before last season – seven years, $49 million – which is a bargain given his production.
- Despite playing a road game last night, Winnipeg comes into tonight's game fairly well-rested. They had two nights off between their last meeting with the Jackets and their next game – a 4-3 win over Minnesota – and then had four full days off before last night's game.
- If Mason gets the start again, it'll mean that the Jackets dodge Connor Hellebuyck. Last night's starter is off to a good start, and still hasn't lost a game in regulation.
- That game 10 days ago was Connor's first game of the season. He scored in that game – naturally – and has since been bumped up to that top line.
- The Blue Jackets won't face him tonight – or this year – but future games against the Jets could pit Columbus against a home-grown talent; Jack Roslovic, a product of the AAA Blue Jackets program, was a first-round pick in 2015 for Winnipeg and is currently with their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
Previous Matchups
THIS YEAR: Blue Jackets lead, 1-0-0.
LAST MEETING: Blue Jackets won 5-2 in Winnipeg on Oct. 17.
Keys to the Game
ONE: Shut down the top two lines. Okay, so this is the same story as the last game, but it still rings true. That top six forwards form one of the truly elite groups in the league – and their bottom-six is near the bottom – so the Blue Jackets can't have any more breakdowns in coverage like at the end of the game against the Kings last week.
TWO: Jump on Steve Mason again. Despite the final stat line, Mason wasn't *that* bad for most of the last meeting, but when Columbus got rolling, Mason struggled mightily. We've seen Good Steve Mason and Bad Steve Mason over the years. This is the most talented offensive group in Blue Jackets history, so it may not matter which Steve Mason shows up, but it'd help if they could rattle him early.
THREE: Don't give Laine any space to work. Laine was prolific as a rookie last season, scoring 36 goals in 73 games. He possesses one of the best shots in the game – heavy and with a quick release. Ehlers adds a ton of speed and scoring punch to the Laine line (ha ha, get it?) and that kind of talent can open up some space for Laine.
Team Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | Kyle Connor | 4 GP, 1-1-2 | 55 | Mark Scheifele | 9 GP, 3-5-8 | 26 | Blake Wheeler | 9 GP, 1-7-8 |
| 27 | Nikolaj Ehlers | 9 GP, 6-2-8 | 18 | Bryan Little | 9 GP, 1-5-6 | 29 | Patrik Laine | 6 GP, 2-2-4 |
| 16 | Shawn Matthias | 9 GP, 0-0-0 | 9 | Andrew Copp | 9 GP, 0-1-1 | 13 | Brandon Tanev | 9 GP, 1-0-1 |
| 48 | Brendan Lemieux | 3 GP, 0-0-0 | 15 | Matt Hendricks | 5 GP, 0-0-0 | 40 | Joel Armia | 7 GP, 1-0-1 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | Josh Morrissey | 9 GP, 3-1-4 | 9 | Jacob Trouba | 9 GP, 0-3-3 |
| 39 | Toby Enstrom | 9 GP, 0-1-1 | 33 | Dustin Byfuglien | 7 GP, 0-5-5 |
| 5 | Dmitry Kulikov | 7 GP, 1-2-3 | 57 | Tyler Myers | 9 GP, 1-0-1 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Connor Hellebuyck | 6 | 4-0-2 | 2.25 | .931 | 0 |
| 35 | Steve Mason | 3 | 0-3-0 | 2.11 | .846 | 0 |
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