The Columbus Blue Jackets return to Nationwide Arena on Saturday night to host the Vegas Golden Knights, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. in a matchup of two teams trying to shake off lopsided 6-2 losses. Columbus fell 6-2 at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, while Vegas arrives on a two-game losing streak after setbacks against Tampa Bay and St. Louis.
Columbus has earned six points through its first eight games and will look for a cleaner defensive night after trailing Toronto 5-1 through two periods on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets finished that game with a 38-22 edge in shots on goal but could not turn the pressure into goals, a frustration the club will try to correct against one of the Western Conference’s deepest rosters.
Charlie Coyle leads Columbus with seven points, one goal and six assists, through eight games after scoring his first goal of the season against Toronto. Defenseman Zach Werenski has been the Blue Jackets’ most productive player historically against Vegas, recording 10 points, one goal and nine assists, in 14 career games against the Golden Knights, including an assist in seven of his past eight meetings with them.
Vegas, meanwhile, has played four straight games that ended 6-2, winning the first two against Calgary and Pittsburgh before dropping the last two. The Golden Knights, who reached the Stanley Cup Final last season, had allowed only 24 goals over their first 10 games before surrendering 12 in the back-to-back losses, and center Jack Eichel, who leads the team with 19 points and 13 assists, said the group needs to tighten its own play.
The Golden Knights will be without forward Mitch Marner, who is expected to miss Saturday’s game as he and his wife await the birth of their second child. Marner ranks third on the team in scoring this season. Forward Alexander Holtz has been recalled from Vegas’ American Hockey League affiliate in Henderson to fill the roster spot during Marner’s absence.
Columbus is 7-8-1 all-time against Vegas and has earned points in five of its eight all-time home meetings with the Golden Knights at Nationwide Arena. Kent Johnson recorded a point in both meetings between the clubs last season, and the Blue Jackets will lean on their home crowd as they try to close the week with a win.
Saturday’s game will be televised on CBJHN and streamed on Prime Video and Fubo, with radio coverage on 97.1 The Fan. After Saturday, Columbus continues its schedule next week while Vegas wraps up its two-game road trip and heads home.
Photo: Eric, CC BY-SA 2.0