Game Day #48: Blue Jackets Look To Right The Ship When They Head North Of The Border To Face Matthews, Maple Leafs

After winning six straight games, the Columbus Blue Jackets will look to avoid a third straight loss when they face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night from the Scotiabank Arena.

It's the first leg of a back-to-back for the Blue Jackets that will conclude a four-game road trip. Columbus played the first games of that trip in New York, losing to the Rangers in a shootout Saturday night before a regulation loss Monday night to the Islanders.

The road trip will conclude Thursday with a visit to Carolina to face the Hurricanes.

It's a tough stretch at a key time for Columbus: the consecutive losses have bumped the Blue Jackets out of the wild card positions in the Eastern Conference. They enter Wednesday's game one point behind the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, and Boston Bruins and one point ahead of both the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers.

The Sens, Canadiens, and Bruins are in a three-way tie for the two wild card spots.

Here's what else to know as Columbus looks to get a huge two points north of the border:

• RE: LEAFS
  Toronto appears set to start Dennis Hildeby in net. It will be just his sixth start of the season. Through the first five, he's got a goals against average of 3.18 and a save percentage of .884. It will be his first start since January 11th. ... The Maple Leafs have scored four power play goals over their last three games, all wins. They've also allowed four power play goals in that stretch. ... Toronto is without John Tavares, who went on Injured Reserve last week. He had 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points through the team's first 44 games.
   
• GET OUT OF THE MUD
  Head coach Dean Evason said his team played slow and as if they were "stuck in the mud" after Monday's 3-1 loss to the Isles. New York's style of play can easily lull teams into that type of game, but not Toronto. The Leafs are the perfect opponent for the Blue Jackets to wipe the mud off, and have allowed at least three goals in each of their last six games.
   
• DROPPING GAA
  While Toronto has allowed at least three in six straight, the Blue Jackets have allowed three or less in seven straight. At the beginning of that stretch, the team goals against average sat at 3.63. That was tied for last in the NHL. They're not at 3.34 (a reduction of 9.2%) and at 28th in the league. Columbus' defense will have a tall order limiting the Leafs offense, but this proves to be a good litmus test to see where they're at defensively. 
   
• LINEUPS & PROJECTIONS
  According to team reporter Jeff Svoboda, the Blue Jackets will be without Denton Mateychuk (illness) tonight and Thursday, and Jordan Harris will be the one taking his spot against the Maple Leafs. Here are tonight's subject-to-change projected lines: