PREVIEW: Blue Jackets continue homestand by welcoming Panthers

Scratches: Danton Heinen, Zach Werenski (sickness), Dante Fabbro

Injured Reserve: D Brendan Smith (knee surgical procedure, out three to 4 months as of Jan. 8)

Roster Report: Werenski and Fabbro didn’t skate this morning and Bowness stated they’re game-time choices; Werenski has missed two video games with sickness and is conserving power, however he will not play till he is 100%, the coach stated. Jenner is anticipated to return to the lineup after lacking Tuesday’s recreation rather than Heinen.

This Day in CBJ History

March 5, 2013: One recreation after scoring the successful aim in time beyond regulation, Artem Anisimov clinches a 4-3 win at Edmonton with the deciding shootout aim. Mark Letestu additionally scores within the shootout, whereas Derek MacKenzie, Vinny Prospal and Jack Johnson rating in regulation.

March 5, 2014: Columbus trades ahead Marian Gaborik to Los Angeles in alternate for ahead Matt Frattin and a pair of draft picks. The Blue Jackets additionally add veteran defenseman Nick Schultz from Edmonton for a fifth-round decide.

March 5, 2017: Sergei Bobrovsky earns his second shutout in a row, stopping 20 photographs in a 3-0 victory at New Jersey. Sam Gagner and Oliver Bjorkstrand every have a aim and an help whereas Boone Jenner additionally scores.

March 5, 2022: Rick Nash turns into the primary participant in franchise historical past to have his quantity retired when his No. 61 is lifted to the rafters above Nationwide Arena previous to the group’s recreation vs. Boston. A document crowd of 19,434 followers are in attendance, together with unique membership president and normal supervisor Doug MacLean and former head coach Ken Hitchcock. Jakub Voracek thrills the gang by tying the sport at 4 with three seconds to play, however Boston would go on to win in a shootout.

March 5, 2025: Forward Mathieu Olivier indicators a six-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets.

The Numbers Game

Despite lacking the final two video games, Zach Werenski is the one NHL defenseman with not less than 20 objectives (20) and 60 factors (65) on the season, inserting second amongst league blueliners in each classes. Werenski has a career-best nine-game level streak (2-11-13), and factors in 22 of his final 24 video games (11-24-35) in addition to 33 of the final 38 (16-38-54). He leads NHL defensemen in multipoint video games (21, tenth in NHL). … Kirill Marchenko (4-6-10) has factors in seven of the final eight video games and posted his fourth multigoal recreation of the season and the thirteenth of his profession Monday in opposition to the Rangers. …Charlie Coyle has 10 objectives and 21 factors up to now 16 video games in addition to a 6-10-16 line within the final 10 contests, tying him for seventh within the NHL in factors in that span. …Adam Fantilli has scored in 4 straight video games to tie a profession excessive in addition to posted a 5-7-12 line within the final 10 video games. … Mason Marchment joins Werenski, Marcheno, Coyle and Fantilli in posting not less than some extent per recreation (5-5-10) within the final 10 contests, whereas Mathieu Olivier and Sean Monahan every have 5 objectives in that span. … Monahan has shorthanded objectives in consecutive video games, becoming a member of Rick Nash (twice), RJ Umberger, Alexandre Texier and Cam Atkinson as the one gamers in CBJ historical past to perform that feat. … Blue Jackets defensemen have scored 44 objectives this season, essentially the most within the NHL. … Columbus has scored the primary aim in 23 of the final 29 contests and are tied for the league lead by opening the scoring in 38 of 60 video games general. …The Blue Jackets are 5-1 in shootouts this yr. … Miles Wood and Danton Heinen are every one aim away from 100 of their NHL careers, whereas Marchenko is three away. … Boone Jenner has 203 profession assists, one behind David Vyborny for third most in group historical past. …Denton Mateychuk is ready to play in his 99th profession recreation.

Know The Foe: Florida Panthers

Head coach: Paul Maurice (Fourth season)

Team stats: Goals per recreation: 2.98 (nineteenth) | Scoring protection: 3.34 (twenty sixth) | PP: 19.3 p.c (twenty first) | PK: 82.4 p.c (T-Seventh)

The narrative: The Panthers laid all of it on the road the previous few seasons and achieved glory, successful back-to-back Stanley Cups the previous two years and making it to the Final in 2022-23. But proper now, it seems that the invoice is due, as Florida is final within the Atlantic Division and 10 factors out of a playoff spot with 21 video games to go. All the hockey the group has performed the previous three years has added up, with long-term accidents to standouts Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk as proof, and the Panthers could also be sellers on the deadline and regroup for subsequent season.

Scoring leaders: There are nonetheless some huge names to cope with on the roster, led by Sam Reinhart, who’s on tempo for a fifth straight 30-goal season with a team-best 28 objectives and 57 factors. Brad Marchand has missed 11 video games however nonetheless has a 27-26-53 line in 50 contests, whereas Sam Bennett has 22 objectives amongst 47 factors on the yr. Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe have matching 17-26-43 strains, whereas Tkachuk has 5 objectives and 13 factors in 14 video games and not too long ago received a gold medal.

In web: Sergei Bobrovsky is within the final season of the seven-year deal he signed with Florida in 2019 after leaving Columbus, however it’s been a tricky yr for Bob, who’s 22-19-1 with a 3.13 GAA and career-worst .873 save share. Fellow Novokuznetsk, Russia, native and former Blue Jacket Daniil Tarasov has performed 20 video games and is 8-9-2 with a 2.79 GAA and .903 SV%.

What’s new: The Panthers will probably be an attention-grabbing group to look at forward of tomorrow’s commerce deadline, and a few reviews even have Bobrovsky as a possible goal given his expiring contract. Tkachuk and Barkov – who has not performed this season – aren’t the one huge names to overlook time, as Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen had been out for stretches and Seth Jones is at present on injured reserve. Florida hoped to salvage its season popping out of the break, however the Panthers have received simply considered one of 4 video games and are 2-8-0 within the final 10 contests whereas permitting not less than 5 objectives in 5 of them.

Trending: Florida rallied to win the primary recreation of the season sequence Dec. 6 in Sunrise, taking a wild 7-6 affair in time beyond regulation. It was the Panthers’ ninth straight win within the sequence, and the Blue Jackets are simply 3-14-4 within the final 21 conferences.

Former CBJ: It’s fairly an exhaustive record, together with Bobrovsky and Tarasov in web in addition to Jones – who leads Florida defensemen with six objectives and 24 factors on the yr – going from Columbus mainstays to South Florida residents over time. Luke Kunin, who performed in 12 video games down the stretch for the Blue Jackets final yr, has a 2-2-4 line in 44 video games.