VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: COLUMBUS , VANCOUVER

Oddsmakers currently have the VANCOUVER listed as 180-moneyline favorites versus the COLUMBUS, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

Elias Pettersson provided another highlight in his amazing rookie season last time out and the 20-year-old center looks to continue his latest scoring surge when the Vancouver Canucks visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Pettersson became the sixth rookie in NHL history to record two five-point games in a season as he scored once and set up four others in Vancouver’s 6-1 victory at St. Louis on Sunday.

“I don’t really know what to answer,” Pettersson told reporters when asked about posting 30 points in his first 26 NHL games – eight in the past three. “I’m just trying to create chances and points will come when you play good. That’s all I’m thinking of.” Pettersson’s performance, which earned him NHL First Star of the Week on Monday, and Brock Boeser’s hat trick Sunday gave the Canucks two straight wins after a 1-10-2 stretch and they will test themselves against the Blue Jackets, who sit second in the Metropolitan despite losing three of their last four contests. Columbus lost 9-6 last Tuesday against Calgary before falling 4-0 to Washington on Saturday in its last two home games, and plays the next five at Nationwide Arena. “I don’t see us doing the things necessary to win hockey games at crucial times. …,” Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno told reporters after Saturday’s setback. “. … We were flat in the first (period) and kind of got caught watching, and that’s unacceptable.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), FS Ohio (Columbus)

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (13-16-3): Boeser owns seven goals in his last seven games, sandwiched around a stint on injured reserve, and owns nine on the season to tie for third on the team. “It was nice,” Boeser told reporters after his second career hat trick Sunday. “Obviously, I’ve been battling through some injuries. I feel like I’ve been getting chances lately and our line has been playing solid hockey. It’s nice to get a few lucky bounces.” Boeser has been playing with Pettersson and newly-acquired Josh Leivo of late while Bo Horvat (28 points) centers another top line and boasts six points in his last five games.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (16-11-2): Right wing Cam Atkinson saw his 12-game point streak come to an end Saturday after scoring 13 times and setting up seven others during the run. Atkinson shares the team lead at 31 points with left wing Artemi Panarin, who recorded four of his team-best 24 assists in the past three contests, while center Pierre-Luc Dubois (25 points) has been kept off the scoresheet in three straight games. Defenseman Seth Jones is rounding into form after an early-season knee injury, registering seven points in his last six games to pull within two of 200 in his career.

OVERTIME

1. Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky allowed 17 goals in his last four games and is 3-5-2 all-time against Vancouver.

2. Leivo has a goal, a plus-5 rating and eight shots on net in his first three games since coming over in a trade from Toronto.

3. The Canucks have earned at least a point in six straight meetings with the Blue Jackets (4-0-2).

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 4, Canucks 3

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FLORIDA PANTHERS vs COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Thursday, November 15, 2018
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: COLUMBUS , FLORIDA

Oddsmakers currently have the FLORIDA listed as 105-moneyline favorites versus the COLUMBUS, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

Left wing Mike Hoffman attempts to make history and help the Florida Panthers remain on a roll when they visit the Metropolitan Division-leading Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night. Hoffman matched Hall of Famer Pavel Bure for the longest point streak in franchise history at 13 games with an assist in Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Philadelphia as the Panthers extended their win streak to five.

Hoffman has fit in well on Florida’s top line with captain Aleksander Barkov and Evgenii Dadonov, who leads the team with 17 points and has at least one in 12 consecutive contests. “They’re just playing great hockey, not over-complicating things,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad told reporters of the top line. “When the play is there they make it and they’re some of the best in the world at it. It’s extremely fun to watch Dadonov create things you didn’t think could possibly happen and (Hoffman) has an unbelievable shot.” Columbus, which has won five straight in the series after a 5-4 triumph Oct. 11, climbed into first place after gaining at least a point in the last five contests overall (3-0-2) – including a 2-1 win at Dallas on Monday. “We’ve had some challenges, but we’re setting some things back in place and I think the last couple games we’ve played a lot of good minutes,” Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois told the Columbus Dispatch. “It’s just trying to keep going in that direction.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Florida, FS Ohio (Columbus)

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (7-5-3): Ekblad notched his first goal of the season Tuesday to move into second among defensemen on the club’s all-time list with 54 – passing Jay Bouwmeester and behind only Robert Svehla (61). “It’s been a while,” Ekblad, who has three points and a plus-3 rating, told reporters. “I’ve never waited this long to score a goal at any level. It’s tough mentally to stay resilient.” Roberto Luongo is the fourth goalie at 39-years-old or older to start a season 4-0-0 and the veteran owns a .956 save percentage in five games.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (10-6-2): One of the big reasons Columbus has climbed in the standings is the improved play of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who allowed one goal in five of his last six contests. Dubois and fellow forward Cam Atkinson have each recorded a pair of goals in the last two games and are tied for the team lead with eight overall – one better than Josh Anderson and Anthony Duclair (99 career points). Zach Werenski leads the defensemen with 11 points, but blue liner Seth Jones owns nine after registering seven assists in his past five contests.

OVERTIME

1. Columbus LW Artemi Panarin, who reportedly missed Wednesday’s practice because of illness, tops the team with 18 points – three in the last eight games.

2. The Panthers have recorded at least one power-play goal in six straight games while the Blue Jackets are 5-for-11 with the man advantage the past four contests.

3. Florida F Jonathan Huberdeau has two goals in the last four games and needs one to reach 100 in his career.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 3, Panthers 2

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COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS vs DALLAS STARS
When: 8:30 PM  ET, Monday, November 12, 2018
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

TV: 8:35 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: DALLAS , COLUMBUS

Oddsmakers currently have the COLUMBUS listed as -110-moneyline favorites versus the DALLAS, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The visiting Columbus Blue Jackets look to continue their dominance of the Dallas Stars on Monday when they carry a four-game point streak into American Airlines Center. The Blue Jackets, who posted a 4-1 home victory over the Stars on Tuesday, have won six straight encounters between the teams and are 11-2-1 versus the club since the 2012-13 season.

Artemi Panarin set up Pierre-Luc Dubois’ club high-tying seventh goal of the season to join Alexander Wennberg and captain Nick Foligno in extending their point streaks to three games on Saturday in Columbus’ 5-4 shootout loss to the New York Rangers. Dubois has eight points (five goals, three assists) in his last eight contests for the Blue Jackets, who are 2-0-2 in their last four. Dallas fell for the third time in four outings (1-1-2) following a 5-4 overtime loss to Nashville on Saturday. Captain Jamie Benn, who had an assist versus the Predators, scored his team-leading seventh goal in the first meeting with Columbus last week.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Columbus), FS Southwest-Plus (Dallas)

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (9-6-2): Defenseman Seth Jones set up a career high-tying three goals versus the Rangers to boost his total to six assists in his last four contests. Anthony Duclair had a power-play goal against the Stars and added another tally in Friday’s 2-1 win at Washington before drawing the ire of coach John Tortorella, who limited him to just 5:40 of ice time versus New York. “All three of them. I can’t play them as line,” Tortorella said of the Duclair-Wennberg-Oliver Bjorkstrand line. “I can’t play Wennberg’s line together because they get scored on. They don’t check.”

ABOUT THE STARS (9-6-2): Tyler Seguin, who has seven goals in 14 career encounters with Columbus, has tallied in back-to-back games to push his team-leading point total to 17. Fellow forward Alexander Radulov is expected to return to the ice on Monday after missing 10 of the past 11 games due to a lower-body injury. “(His energy) is missed a lot,” Dallas coach Jim Montgomery told reporters. “And also his intensity that he plays with. He brings people into the fight with him. It’s something we clearly miss when he is not there.”

OVERTIME

1. Dallas last recorded a victory against Columbus on Dec. 15, 2015 at home.

2. The Blue Jackets have four power-play goals in their last three games after going 0-for-20 in the previous five.

3. Stars C Jason Spezza resides one point shy of 900 for his career.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 4, Stars 2

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COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS vs ANAHEIM DUCKS
When: 9:00 PM  ET, Sunday, November 4, 2018
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California

TV: 9:05 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: ANAHEIM , COLUMBUS

Oddsmakers currently have the COLUMBUS listed as -105-moneyline favorites versus the ANAHEIM, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

The Anaheim Ducks got off to a strong start this season, winning their first three games and earning points in six of their first seven (5-1-1). But things have taken a drastic turn as the Ducks attempt to halt their seven-game slide when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.

Each of Anaheim’s last three setbacks have been by one goal, with one occurring in overtime and Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers coming in a shootout. The Ducks, who haven’t won since Oct. 17 against the New York Islanders, fell to 0-1-2 on their four-game homestand but have cause for optimism as Rickard Rakell scored with 26 seconds remaining in the third period to earn the team a point. Columbus is looking to finish its three-game California trip with a winning record as it followed a 4-1 victory at San Jose on Thursday with an identical defeat in Los Angeles two nights later. The Blue Jackets halved their 2-0 deficit in the opening minute of the third period but allowed two short-handed goals 59 seconds apart later in the session after yielding one in their previous 12 games.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Columbus), Prime Ticket (Anaheim)

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (7-6-0): Brandon Dubinsky returned to the lineup Saturday and registered three hits while going 8-7 on faceoffs in 10 minutes, 44 seconds of ice time. The 32-year-old center, who has recorded a goal and an assist in three contests this season, missed 10 games because of a strained oblique. Josh Anderson helped set up defenseman Zach Werenski’s goal against the Kings, giving him three goals and two assists in his last five games.

ABOUT THE DUCKS (5-6-3): Patrick Eaves made his season debut Thursday and saw 10:17 of ice time on 15 shifts. It was only his third game since the start of the 2017-18 campaign for the 34-year-old right wing, who had been sidelined because of post-viral syndrome and shoulder surgery. Captain Ryan Getzlaf set up a pair of tallies versus the Rangers for the third two-point performance of a four-game point streak during which he has collected two goals and five assists.

OVERTIME

1. The Ducks are one loss away from matching the longest slide in franchise history that was set from Oct. 12-30, 1996 and equaled from Nov. 3-20, 2005.

2. Columbus assigned LW Sonny Milano, who recorded one goal in eight games this season, to Cleveland of the American Hockey League.

3. Anaheim C Kalle Kossila, who made his season debut in the loss to the Rangers, was assigned to San Diego of the AHL.

PREDICTION: Ducks 3, Blue Jackets 1

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COLUMBUS vs PITTSBURGH
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Friday, April 14, 2017
Where: PPG PAINTS Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 3, Penguins 2

Oddsmakers currently have the COLUMBUS listed as 140-moneyline favorites versus the PITTSBURGH, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

PITTSBURGH — It won’t be a surprise this time.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan confirmed Thursday that Marc-Andre Fleury will start in goal Friday when the Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets play Game 2 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at PPG Paints Arena.

Fleury, a last-minute replacement for Matt Murray in Game 1 after Murray left the pregame warmup with a lower-body injury, made 31 saves in a 3-1 win. Sullivan said Murray remains out but was intentionally vague on a timeframe.

Fleury, 32, is a veteran who was the team’s No. 1 goalie for several years and part of the 2009 Stanley Cup team before Murray, 22, stepped in a year ago when Fleury got hurt late in the season. Murray helped Pittsburgh win the 2016 Stanley Cup, and he moved into the No. 1 role during this season.

“It really doesn’t change our game plan or what we’re trying to accomplish in front of him,” Sullivan said of having either goalie in net.

What a coincidence; the Blue Jackets feel the same way.

“Both great goalies,” center Brandon Dubinsky said. “Both (have had) long playoff runs and a Stanley Cup, so obviously they’ve proven themselves to be good.”

Winger Scott Hartnell was more succinct. “Potato, po-tah-to,” he told NHL.com.

There has been some speculation that Murray was dealing with some sort of injury from a game last week, that perhaps the Penguins were prepared for the possibility they might have to switch to Fleury even before Murray tweaked something during the warmup. Murray did not dress for either of the team’s final two regular-season games, and Pittsburgh kept rookie Tristan Jarry — Fleury’s backup while Murray is out — on the roster as a third goalie entering the playoffs.

Columbus coach John Tortorella fueled that notion.

“It was kind of peculiar he didn’t play over the weekend,” he said of Murray. “But that doesn’t affect what we’re trying to do.”

Fleury doesn’t want to change much, either.

“It feels good when you contribute. It feels good inside,” he said. “But that was one game. We’ll get back at it.”

The teams are expected to dress the same lineups. Three players who recently dealt with injuries — Pittsburgh winger Bryan Rust and defenseman Trevor Daley, and Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski — did not practice Thursday, but their coaches described them as taking maintenance days.

The Penguins are expecting a push-back from Columbus.

“The desperation level increases with every game,” Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said. “I think they’d be happy with getting one (of the first two in Pittsburgh).”

You bet.

“It’s a series. It’s not one game,” Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson said. “You start the series on the road. If we can take one game going back home, that means you’re in the driver’s seat. There’s no reason to panic.”

There is reason for Columbus — which averaged just 1.9 goals over its final 10 regular-season games before getting the lone goal in Game 1 — to generate better scoring chances, including second chances. Fleury didn’t give up a lot of rebounds, and his teammates swept away the ones that got away from him.

“We’ve got to make it hard on Fleury with trying to generate some rebounds,” Dubinsky said. “It gets back to getting guys to the net and getting guys to that blue area. Goals are hard to come by. Goalies are good. You gotta bang some rebounds in.”

STATS AND RECORDS

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Arizona Coyotes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 5, 2016
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, FSN Ohio (Columbus)
PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 4, Coyotes 1

The Blue Jackets have lost in regulation just once in their last 11 contests and own the second-best goal differential in the league at plus-21 as they’ve vaulted into third place in the Metropolitan Division — trailing Pittsburgh for second by only one point. Saturday’s setback was the third in a row (0-1-2) for the Coyotes, who carry a five-game road point streak (2-0-3) into Monday’s rematch. Arizona wouldn’t have notched the point on Saturday without a stellar effort by Mike Smith, who etched his name in the franchise record book by making a career-high 58 saves. “He was phenomenal,” Columbus counterpart Curtis McElhinney told reporters. “Unbelievable, especially in the overtime to keep his team alive was something else. We were trading saves in the overtime. He was making them, so I had to hold up my end too.”

ABOUT THE COYOTES (8-11-4): Brendan Perlini could make his NHL debut in Columbus after being recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League on Sunday. A native of Great Britain who was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 draft, the 20-year-old left wing has registered 11 goals and five assists in 16 games with the Roadrunners this season. Arizona also demoted a pair of 21-year-old players, assigning center Laurent Dauphin (one goal, one assist in 18 games) and defenseman Anthony DeAngelo (two, five in 11) to Tucson.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (14-5-4): Matt Calvert returned to the lineup Saturday, as he was activated from injured reserve after missing five contests with an upper-body injury. The 26-year-old left wing’s offensive struggles continued, however, as he was kept off the scoresheet for the 15th time in 18 games this season. Alexander Wennberg scored a goal and captain Nick Foligno notched an assist in Saturday’s victory to forge a three-way tie with Cam Atkinson for the team lead of 21 points.

OVERTIME

1. Coyotes captain Shane Doan’s next goal will be the 400th of his career, making him the 93rd player in NHL history to reach the plateau.

2. Columbus, which has the fewest regulation losses (five) in the league, set a franchise record Saturday by registering 60 shots on goal.

3. Arizona RW Radim Vrbata, who leads the team in goals (eight) and points (17), is riding a five-game scoring streak during which he has collected two tallies and three assists.

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