The Columbus Blue Jackets close out their Western road trip against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Jackets have found success in California by picking up 4 out of 6 points and now head the the desert to dig up some more gold.
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| VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS |
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24–17–6 (54 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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10 P.M. – SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 T-MOBILE ARENA LAS VEGAS, NV |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS GO |
Vegas is came into the new year with five straight home games and in that time they have won two and lost two, with the deciding game being tonight against the Jackets.
In those games, the Knights have picked up 15 goals and have proven this season that their offense can dominate games with their stars and unlike the Jackets, the Knights are able to rest their goalie, meaning he Fleury will be fresh tonight.
The Jackets meanwhile will once again be riding Merzlikins and counting on the entire line-up to find a way to put the puck in the net.
A victory tonight for the Jackets would allow the team to fly home on a high note and give them a 6 out of a total 8 points, which will be crucial towards the end of the season as the club has played more games than any other team in the Metro except for Washington.
Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Nyquist–Dubois–Gerbe
Foligno–Jenner–Milano
Bemstrom–Wennberg–Stenlund
Robinson–Nash–Lilja
Defenseman
Werenski–Jones
Gavrikov–Savard
Nutivaara–Harrington
Goalie: Merzlikins
Storylines
- Elvis in Vegas. Elvis mad a few show-stopping saves in San Jose and in Vegas he will need to do the same. Elvises have found success in Vegas and the Jackets will count on Merzlikins to put on a show in net.
- Size doesn't matter. Whether we are talking about Atkinson's 41 goals last season or Gerbe - a player who was no longer seen as NHL caliber - picking up ... in ... games. It goes to show that smaller players can not only forge a path in the game, but be trailblazers for a younger generation of talent, one that is already apart of the CBJ organization in TFW.
- Finding offense. The Blue Jackets have found goals from players up and down their lineup, which is crucial for a team without a twenty goal scorer on it and one that looks like their first twenty goal scorer of the season will be a defenseman. While continuing to count on the entire team to step up is risky, it does not allow the other team to create a game plan around a certain player.
