Game 65: Montreal Canadiens vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Blue Jackets region: Bally Sports Ohio
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
Like the Montreal Canadiens, the Columbus Blue Jackets spent the time before the NHL Trade Deadline offloading players to acquire future assets. Columbus sent defenceman Adam Peeke to the Boston Bruins for reclamation project Jakub Zboril and a third-round pick, and dealt Jack Roslovic — part of the Patrik Laine for Pierre-Luc Dubois trade in 2021 — to the New York Rangers for a fourth-round selection.
There was one move they made on February 22 that is leading to an immediate impact on the ice. The club traded Emil Bemstrom to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Alexander Nylander as the teams gave the players a change of scenery. Bemstrom started his career well with 10 goals and 10 assists in his rookie year, but never progressed past that point. In Nylander, Columbus received a player who hasn’t reached the potential that made him the eighth overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft, but in eight game with his new team, he has five goals, including a hat trick versus the Vegas Golden Knights. No player on the team has more goals since he arrived, and only Roslovic had more points.
With that bump in offence, the Blue Jackets have managed to get wins in that game versus Las Vegas and over the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers. Most recently they dropped a 2-1 decision to the surging Nashville Predators. Despite being well out of the playoff race, the players are determined to see out the season with some good performances, and they have that in common with the Canadiens.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Blue Jackets |
|---|---|---|
| 24-30-10 | Record | 22-32-10 |
| 44.8% (28th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 47.9% (23rd) |
| 2.75 (27th) | Goals per game | 2.97 (21st) |
| 3.48 (27th) | Goals against per game | 3.61 (31st) |
| 18.8% (23rd) | PP% | 14.2% (31st) |
| 75.1% (28th) | PK% | 76.6% (25th) |
| 2-0-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 0-1-1 |
Only the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks have allowed a higher goal total than the Blue Jackets this season, but since the time of the Nylander trade, which happened to coincide with the conclusion of their California road trip, they’ve surrendered two or fewer goals six times in nine games, something they only managed 10 times in the first 55 matches of the season. Daniil Tarasov has achieved that three times, as has Elvis Merzlikins in each of his last three starts.
Cayden Primeau is preparing to face that level of goaltending on the opposite side for the first time as an established NHL number-two. There’s always been competition in five seasons getting time in the NHL, but he now has the copilot seat all to himself. He most recently held the Tampa Bay Lightning’s offence to three goals before ultimately losing in a shootout. As good as the add of Nylander may have been so far for Columbus, Primeau won’t be facing that quality of chance-generation tonight.
That game in Tampa was one of a few recently in which the Canadiens have played better than the results indicate. They were at least as good as the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, but it’s nearly impossible to beat such an offensive team when you only score two goals yourself. The Habs now have just three goals in their past two games, and will want to sharpen their claws in this contest to be ready to battle the Boston Bruins later in the week.
