The Columbus Blue Jackets’ quest to end their four-season playoff drought continues Tuesday when they host the slumping Nashville Predators.
The Blue Jackets (33-30-9, 75 points) sit two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Columbus has one more game to play than Montreal. The New York Rangers also are two points in front of Columbus, but they have two fewer games to play than the Blue Jackets.
Columbus remains on the cusp of a playoff berth despite a largely forgettable March in which the team went 4-8-1. The month included six consecutive losses (0-5-1) and a stretch in which the Blue Jackets scored just one goal total across four games.
Coach Dean Evason’s team is coming off a loss 3-2 loss on Sunday in Ottawa, a result that ended Columbus’ two-game winning streak. Captain Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets, who fell to a Senators team that holds the conference’s top wild-card spot.
“I would like to have back some minutes in the second (period) there,” said defenseman Zach Werenski, who assisted on both of Columbus’ goals. “I feel like we didn’t get to our game, but yeah, (Ottawa’s) a good team. They’re fighting for the playoffs as well, and they didn’t give us much tonight.”
Werenski leads the team with 52 assists and 72 points. He has three assists in his past two games after being held without a point in six straight contests. Marchenko has scored a goal in each of his past three games after netting just one in his previous 10 contests.
The Predators (27-39-8, 62 points) also have struggled of late, losing three straight and eight of the past 10 (2-7-1).
Nashville lost in Philadelphia 2-1 on Monday night. Rookie Zachary L’Heureux scored, but a potential game-tying Steven Stamkos goal in the third period was waved off because of interference, a call the Predators disputed.
The Predators have just four goals in their past three games, but it has not been due to a lack of effort. On Monday, they put 29 shots on net.
“That’s been the story of the year, is not being able to capitalize (on) the chances, and that’s when it gets frustrating,” Stamkos said after the loss to the Flyers.
Stamkos is second on the team with 23 goals, but he has just one in his past 10 games after scoring five in a four-game span.
Injuries are also an issue for the Predators. The team lost center Colton Sissons to a left leg ailment during a Saturday loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and announced he would be out for weeks. In the same statement, Nashville noted center Jonathan Marchessault, who is second on the team with 30 assists and 49 points, was day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
With Marchessault unavailable on Monday, coach Andrew Brunette used a lineup with 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Monday, and he may employ that tactic again in Columbus.
One bright spot for the Predators, though, has been their power-play unit. Nashville had scored with the man advantage in six straight games before going 0-for-1 at Philadelphia.
Unlike the Predators, Columbus’ power play endured a woeful March, converting just two of its 28 opportunities (7.1 percent).
–Field Level Media
