Game Day #16: Desperate To End The Losing Streak, Blue Jackets Return To Nationwide To Face A Familiar Foe

November is halfway over, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are still looking for their first win of the month.

They can get it Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when the Blue Jackets return to Nationwide Arena after a five-game road trip that saw them pick up just a single point.

Typically, Pittsburgh games against Columbus are... not good. The Blue Jackets are 4-15-5 since the 2016-17 season against their division foes, and haven't beat the Penguins in regulation at Nationwide Arena in nearly five years (November 29th, 2019). 

But these aren't those Penguins. Pittsburgh enters this game 6-9-3, just ahead of the Blue Jackets in the standings. If Columbus can end the regulation win drought in Friday's game, they will pass the Pens on point percentage. 

Here's what else to know when the Blue Jackets face off against the Penguins: 

• Dmitri Voronkov is getting better every game for the Blue Jackets since his return from a preseason injury. He was again on the top line with Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko at practice Thursday and will likely be on line one for Friday's game.
   
• The Blue Jackets are getting shots off — 36 or more in four of the five games during the road trip — but scored just a total of nine goals in those five games and never had more than two in a single game. Not only do the Penguins give up a lot of shots (32.7 per game), they give up the second-most goals per game on average (3.83). They'll almost certainly need to get three or four in the net to win.
   
• Jack Johnson and David Jiricek are the healthy scratches on the blue line in Friday's game, with Dante Fabbro in again and Jordan Harris back in the lineup after playing just one of the five games on the road trip. Here are the full lineups: