The Columbus Blue Jackets will try to avoid a third straight loss when they open a four-game homestand against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night.
Columbus was edged 3-2 on Tuesday in Buffalo to conclude a four-game road trip (2-2-0). Ivan Provorov scored and added an assist and Kent Johnson added the other goal for the Blue Jackets. Johnson extended his point streak to eight games (four goals, five assists).
“I thought our effort was certainly there,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said. “Maybe there is an element of not playing some games and some juggling a little bit with some different players, but having said that, we’ve still got to get the job done, we’ve still got to play like we play, and we’ve got to stay with how we play the game.”
Elvis Merzlikins made 18 saves for the Blue Jackets, who were without their top defensive pairing of Zach Werenski and Dante Fabbro. Each sat out due to upper-body injuries.
Werenski is questionable for Thursday, while Fabbro will reportedly miss two to three weeks.
Leading goal scorer Kirill Marchenko missed his first game for Columbus this season after suffering a broken jaw in the 5-3 loss at Dallas on Sunday. The club announced that the forward, placed on injured reserve, will be out indefinitely.
Marchenko’s injury is especially tough given the Blue Jackets are battling for a playoff spot. Columbus entered Thursday one point out of the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Blue Jackets have been solid at home, though, going 17-5-3. They’re 4-4-1 overall since winning six straight from Jan. 4-16.
Thursday is the second and final meeting of the season between Columbus and Utah. The Blue Jackets took a 3-2 overtime win last Friday in Salt Lake City.
Utah enters Thursday’s contest following a 3-2 overtime victory of its own against Philadelphia to conclude a four-game homestand (1-1-2).
Dylan Guenther scored twice, including the overtime winner with one second remaining in the extra frame, as Utah snapped a five-game losing streak (0-3-2). Guenther returned to the Utah lineup after missing 12 games due to a lower-body injury.
Mikhail Sergachev scored a goal and had two assists and Karel Vejmelka made 18 saves for Utah. Sergachev tied his career high (10) with his tally on Tuesday.
Utah, which ended Wednesday six points out of a Western Conference wild-card spot, is 4-4-2 over its last 10 and 13-10-3 on the road this season.
“We still very much believe,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “We know at this point, we’ll need a little bit of help. We didn’t take the straight line, but we can make it, and we’ll fight for it.
“And now we need to go on the road and have a (heck) of a road trip.”
Clayton Keller has a team-leading 39 assists and 57 points in 52 games this season. The Utah captain and Guenther share the team lead with 18 goals apiece.
Vejmelka is 12-14-4 with a .910 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average in 30 starts this season. In two career appearances against the Blue Jackets, Vejmelka is 1-0-1 with a .900 save percentage and a 2.48 GAA.
Merzlikins has posted a 19-13-3 record with an .894 save percentage and a 2.96 goals-against average in 35 starts this season. He is 2-2-1 in six career appearances against the Arizona Coyotes franchise, posting an .885 save percentage and a 3.50 GAA.
Daniil Tarasov was in goal for Columbus against Utah in the teams’ first meeting and made 32 saves.
–Field Level Media
