© Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
CBJ
CHI
11-12-3
ROAD / HOME
11-13-5
3.04
GOALS FOR
2.65
3.29
GOALS AGAINST
3.13
19.4%
POWER PLAY
19.6%
76.2%
PENALTY KILL
85.6%
30.3
SHOTS FOR
25.0
30.6
SHOTS AGAINST
29.7
50.7%
FACEOFF %
47.2%
CHICAGO: LAST THREE GAMES
SUN, 1/25
vs. Panthers
L, 5-1
TUE, 1/27
@ Wild
SOL, 4-3
THU, 1/29
@ Penguins
L, 6-2
CHICAGO: TEAM LEADERS
GOALS
Tyler Bertuzzi
25
ASSISTS
Connor Bedard
29
POINTS
Connor Bedard
50
ODDS & PROJECTIONS
CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK:
57%
CBJ ODDS PER DRAFTKINGS:
-155
The only game on the NHL schedule Friday night is a big one for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
They’ll look to make it eight wins in nine games and keep pace in a stingy Metropolitan division when Columbus faces the Chicago Blackhawks in the Windy City.
Elvis Merzlikins will get his second straight start. He’s 9-8-1 this season with a 3.76 goals against average and .882 save percentage, but has won three of his last four starts.
Here are five things to know before the 8:30 p.m. puck-drop:
This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Blackhawks, who lost 6-2 in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. … Spencer Knight gets the start for Chicago. He’s allowed three or more goals in three straight starts but has been solid on the season, posting a 2.59 goals against average and .910 save percentage. … Blackhawks’ special teams have been on polar opposites recently: they’re 0-for-24 on the power play in their last nine games, but are 13-for-13 on the penalty kill in their last six.
The Blue Jackets continue to stack up wins, but so do many other Metropolitan division foes. The Blue Jackets sit eight points behind a guaranteed playoff spot for finishing top three in the Metro, though have two games in hand against the New York Islanders, who have the final spot as of Friday. It’s only January, but every game matters when there’s ground to be made up. This is a game that Columbus very much needs two points in.
Zach Werenski has 27 points in his last 18 games, including a pair of assists Wednesday night in the 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. He leads all NHL defensemen in goals (19), is second in points (59) and in average ice time (26:34), and is first in multipoint games (19). Betting odds currently have Werenski trailing only Cale Makar in the race for the Norris Trophy.
In the 1,001st and 1,002nd games of his NHL career (Saturday and Wednesday), Charlie Coyle had two goals and three assists for five points. The soon-to-be 34-year-old has fit like a glove in Columbus’ middle six, and with his next point, will eclipse his point total from the 2024-25 season when he had 35 points in a rare 83 games played.
Just one change to the lineup is expected, and that’s Jake Christiansen stepping into the third pairing on defense. Egor Zamula will be a healthy scratch. Here are the complete lineup projections:
LW
C
RW
17
Mason Marchment
19
Adam Fantilli
86
Kirill Marchenko
38
Boone Jenner
23
Sean Monahan
91
Kent Johnson
4
Cole Sillinger
3
Charlie Coyle
24
Mathieu Olivier
10
Dmitri Voronkov
21
Isac Lundesröm
11
Miles Wood
LD
RD
8
Zach Werenski
78
Damon Severson
9
Ivan Provorov
5
Denton Mateychuk
2
Jake Christiansen
44
Erik Gudbranson
Starting Goalie
Back-Up
90
Elvis Merzlikins
73
Jet Greaves
