© Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
CBJ
DET
18-16-4
ROAD / HOME
20-15-3
3.05
GOALS FOR
2.90
3.06
GOALS AGAINST
3.00
19.5%
POWER PLAY
22.0%
76.3%
PENALTY KILL
77.3%
29.1
SHOTS FOR
28.2
29.1
SHOTS AGAINST
27.7
50.4%
FACEOFF %
50.8%
RED WINGS: LAST THREE GAMES
THU, 4/2
@ Flyers
W, 4-2
SAT, 4/4
@ Rangers
L, 4-1
SUN, 4/5
vs. Wild
L, 5-4
RED WINGS: TEAM LEADERS
GOALS
Alex DeBrincat
39
ASSISTS
Lucas Raymond
48
POINTS
Alex DeBrincat
81
ODDS & PROJECTIONS
CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK:
49%
CBJ ODDS PER DRAFTKINGS:
-105
Tuesday night’s winner between the Columbus Blue Jackets (38-27-12, 88 points) and Detroit Red Wings (40-29-8, 88 points) will bank a much-needed, gotta-have-it two points in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
For the loser, things will look bleak — at best.
Both teams are struggling as of late. The Blue Jackets are on a league-worst, six-game losing streak, while the Red Wings have lost four of their last five and six of their last eight.
The cold streaks have put each team on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
One of them will turn things around Tuesday.
Here are five things to know before the crucial 7:00 p.m. puck-drop:
While the Blue Jackets have had trouble scoring, the Red Wings have had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net. In the last five games, they’ve allowed five goals three times, four goals once, and two in the other game (their only win of the stretch). … John Gibson has been the started in four of those games and will get the start Tuesday night, too. For the season, Gibson is 28-20-3 with a 2.62 goals against average and .904 save percentage.
The Blue Jackets have to find a way to score goals, and that comes with generating chances. After scoring 16 goals in a three-game stretch from March 17-21, the Blue Jackets’ scoring has fallen off a cliff. They’ve scored just 13 goals in the eight games since March 21 and just ten over the last six games. Their shots on goal per period in the last two games: 2, 4, 4, 5, 3, 8. Abysmal, and if it doesn’t change, the season is over.
Jet Greaves will start for the fourth time in the last five games. He’s kept the Blue Jackets in many of these games with his good goaltending, boasting a save percentage over .900 in three of the last four (.920, .875, .923, .900). For the season, Greaves is 24-16-9 with a 2.59 goals against average and .909 save percentage. Among goalies with 30+ games, the goals against average ranks tied for 9th (out of 45) and the save percentage is tied for 6th.
Michigan native Zach Werenski has just one point (an assist) in his last six games. That’s tied for his worst stretch of the entire season, when he also had one point (another assist) in a six-game stretch in October. How did Werenski respond after that cold snap? A goal and an assist in each of the next three games.
As promised by head coach Rick Bowness, lines have been completely reinvented for this one. Kent Johnson is not only back in the lineup but is now on the top line, opposite of Cole Sillinger and centered by Adam Fantilli. Kirill Marchenko has been bumped down — and Charlie Coyle bumped up — to line two. Mason Marchment and Sean Monahan are now in the bottom six. Here are the complete lineups:
LW
C
RW
4
Cole Sillinger
19
Adam Fantilli
91
Kent Johnson
86
Kirill Marchenko
3
Charlie Coyle
83
Conor Garland
17
Mason Marchment
38
Boone Jenner
43
Danton Heinen
65
Luca Del Bel Belluz
23
Sean Monahan
21
Isac Lundeström
LD
RD
8
Zach Werenski
15
Dante Fabbro
9
Ivan Provorov
5
Denton Mateychuk
2
Jake Christiansen
44
Erik Gudbranson
Starting Goalie
Back-Up
73
Jet Greaves
90
Elvis Merzlikins
