Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
The Columbus Blue Jackets face the Nashville Predators with both teams looking to improve from difficult seasons. The Blue Jackets have a 13-28-2 record and are in last place in the Metropolitan Division while the Predators have a 20-17-6 record and are near the bottom of the Central Division. Both teams look to climb out of the bottom of their divisions and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Blue Jackets are having a season to forget with their offense struggling and scoring only 2.57 goals per game. Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, and Boone Jenner have scored 35 goals and 50 assists but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only four skaters have nine goals or more and opponents can limit the top-heavy offense as a result.
The offense has struggled but the defense has let the Blue Jackets down this season, allowing 3.95 goals per game. Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrew Peeke have combined for 2.9 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. The one bright spot has been the play of goaltender Joonas Korpisalo who has a .908 save percentage and a 3.28 goals-against average on 568 shots.