The Columbus Blue Jackets travel to Long Island to take on the New York Islanders on Thursday night. Columbus sits in last place in the Eastern Conference standings with just 22 points and have lost six straight games. The Islanders, meanwhile, are in 8th place in the Eastern Conference while in a battle with five different teams that are separated by just two points. The puck drops at 7:30pm for this Eastern Conference matchup.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets limp into New York losers of six straight games and eight out of their last ten. In their last outing, the Blue Jackets squared off against a team struggling more than themselves in the Blackhawks. Chicago would go on to score two goals in the first and two in the second on their way to a 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets that would halt the Blackhawks eight-game losing streak. Marcus Bjork had a goal and an assist while Kirill Marchenko scored as well as the Blue Jackets lost their sixth in a row. Columbus has scored just nine goals during the six-game skid. Rookie Daniil Tarassov made his fifth straight start in net and allowed four goals on 20 shots before being replaced.
spotted ?? pic.twitter.com/RPvbLtVYeM
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 27, 2022
Columbus has just 22 points on the season which is the second least points in the NHL. Not surprisingly, the Blue Jackets find themselves near the bottom of many categories. They are 29th in goals per game, 27th in shots on goal and 30th in power play percentage. Defensively, the Blue Jackets are 31st in goals against and 18th in penalty kills.
Key Injuries: Goalie Elvis Merzlikins is likely to be activated off of the COVID list and get the start on Thursday.