Game Day #68: In Desperate Need Of Points, Blue Jackets Wrap Up Homestand Thursday Night With Battle Against Panthers

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers meet for the third and final time this season Thursday night, with the Blue Jackets in dire need of points to stay afloat in the playoff race.

The first two meetings went Florida's way: a 4-3 victory in Columbus' home opener in October, and a 3-0 shutout in the Sunshine State two weeks ago. 

The loss on March 6th was part of a cold streak from the Blue Jackets that has given them a 1-6-0 record in their last seven games, including three shutouts.

With the streak, they've tumbled from in a wild card spot by several points to out of one by several: entering Thursday, the Blue Jackets are three points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild spot, with four other teams within two points of Columbus' 70.

As the broken records will tell you again: valuable points are on the line Thursday night.

Here's what to know when Columbus wraps up their four-game homestand:

• RE: CATS
  Sergei Bobrovsky is in net. He's having another impressive season, going 28-15-2 int he starters net with a 2.51 goals against and .906 save percentage. He's also beatable, having lost two of his last three starts over the last ten days while allowing eight goals in 64 shots (.875 save percentage).  ... This is the fifth game in a season-long six game road trip for the Panthers. They're 1-3-0 so far, but coming off three days off and should be well-rested. ... Bad news for the already-cold Columbus power play: Florida has stopped 30 out of 32 opposition man-advantages over its last ten games.  
   
• THEY PLAYED WELL MONDAY...
  In their 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Monday, the Blue Jackets managed to get 46 shots on goal and had an unheard of 50-7 advantage in shot attempts in the third period. But they could get only one puck past Devils tender Jake Allen, who was on fire all night. Head coach Dean Evason said after the team "played (their) asses off", and it's true. If Columbus can match their play from three nights ago, they'll be in good position to get back in the win column.
   
• ELVIS RETURNS TO THE ICE
  After missing the last two games for the birth of his second child, Elvis Merzlikins is back in the starter's net for the Blue Jackets. He's lost his last four starts but has been under siege lately, facing an average of 33 shots per game in those starts. That does not include the Stadium Series matchup — his last win — when the Detroit Red Wings peppered him for 46 shots. 
   
• LINEUPS CHANGES & PROJECTIONS:
  The third period saw Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, and Kirill Marchenko together, with Boone Jenner centering a line that featured Dmitri Voronkov and Yegor Chinakhov. Neither line put one in the net, but both played really well. Those are the lines Evason will roll with Thursday as the offense looks to get going. No defensive changes are expected. Here are the complete lineup projections: