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SAN JOSE SHARKS THURSDAY, JAN. 16 7:00 P.M. NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
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It hasn't been this way in years.
The Columbus Blue Jackets put a five-game winning streak on the line Thursday night when they face Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks at Nationwide Arena.
If they can win their sixth straight tonight, it will tie Columbus' longest winning streak of the current decade: the Blue Jackets won six in a row between Jan. 11th and 20th, 2020. Inside of that streak was the last time the club won five in a row.
They're in the perfect place to pick up another two points: Columbus is 15-5-3 at home lead the NHL with 94 home goals. The Sharks, meanwhile, have won just six road games in 23 tries.
Here's what else to know Columbus and San Jose conclude their season series:
| SJ | SEASON STATS | CBJ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-12-5 | ROAD / HOME | 15-5-3 | ||
| 28th | 2.61 | GOALS FOR | 3.36 | 5th |
| 28th | 3.41 | GOALS AGAINST | 3.48 | 31st |
| 24th | 18.5% | POWER PLAY | 23.9% | t-9th |
| t-19th | 78.6% | PENALTY KILL | 73.8% | 27th |
| t-25th | 27.0 | SHOTS FOR | 30.0 | t-6th |
| Last | 32.2 | SHOTS AGAINST | 29.0 | 21st |
| 24th | 48.6% | FACE-OFFS | 48.2% | 27th |
| SAN JOSE: LAST THREE GAMES | ||||
| FRI, 1/10 | @ Utah H.C. | L, 2-1 | ||
| SAT, 1/11 | vs. Wild | L, 3-1 | ||
| TUE, 1/14 | @ Red Wings | W, 6-3 | ||
| SAN JOSE: TEAM LEADERS | ||||
| GOALS | Tyler Toffoli | 16 | ||
| ASSISTS | Mikael Granlund | 25 | ||
| POINTS | Mikael Granlund | 37 | ||
| ODDS & PROJECTIONS | ||||
| CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: | 61% | |||
| CBJ ODDS PER ESPNBET: | -175 | |||
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RE: SHARKS
This will be Celebrini's first visit to Nationwide Arena. The top pick in the NHL draft over the summer missed a little bit of time, but is still putting up nearly a point a game with a stat line of 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points through 34 games. ... After losing their last eight games in December, the Sharks are 3-3-0 in January with impressive wins over Tampa Bay and New Jersey to start 2025 and Tuesday night in Detroit. They don't win a lot, but they're capable of beating anyone in the league. ... Shots have been a problem this season for San Jose. They give up more than anyone in the league and are tied for 25th in generating shots, at 25 per game. That number is on the decline, as over their last ten games they're averaging just 24.8 per contest.
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18 STRAIGHT FOR Z?
The hockey community has taken notice of Zach Werenski. With a point in tonight's game, the Norris-candidate defenseman will have a point in 18 straight games. That would tie Brian Leetch for the 6th-longest streak of all time for consecutive home games with a point from a defenseman. The all-time record is Bobby Orr, who had 25 straight at home for the Bruins in the 1974-75 season. Z is currently tied with Ray Bourque at 17 games, a feat the Hall of Famer accomplished in the 1992-93 season.
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LINEUPS & PROJECTIONS
Elvis is in net, but the players in the lineup remain the same. One change on the forward groupings: Luca Del Bel Belluz moves up a spot in the middle six and he will play with James van Riemsdyk and Kent Johnson. Cole Sillinger will center Zach Aston-Reese and Mathieu Olivier in the other middle line.
Here are the complete projections:
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Dmitri Voronkov | 19 | Adam Fantilli | 86 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 21 | James van Riemsdyk | 65 | Luca Del Bel Belluz | 91 | Kent Johnson |
| 27 | Zach Aston-Reese | 4 | Cole Sillinger | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| 82 | Mikael Pyyhtia | 7 | Sean Kuraly | 62 | Kevin Labanc |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 15 | Dante Fabbro |
| 5 | Denton Mateychuk | 9 | Ivan Provorov |
| 2 | Jake Christiansen | 78 | Damon Severson |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Elvis Merzlikins | 40 | Daniil Tarasov |
