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JN Flight Plan #51: Winnipeg Jets vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Jan 22, 2020, 15:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 22, 2020, 19:12 EST
The @Winnipeg Jets are on the second half of a road back to back and if you thought they were in tough last night against Carolina, the Jets now have to square up against the red hot @Columbus Blue Jackets who have won seven of their last eight games including their last five in a row.
Thankfully after this, the jets get an extended break with the All-Star game this weekend and then a player’s week off following that.
Winnipeg Jets (25-21-4 / 4th Central)
@
Columbus Blue Jackets (26-16-8 / 5th Metro)
Jan 22, 2020 – Puck drop: 6:30 PM CST
Nationwide Arena – Columbus, Oh
TV: Sportsnet – Radio: TSN 1290
 |  |  |
@ CAR 4-1 L | Last Game | @ NYR 2-1 W |
1-4-0 (3 L) | Last 5 Games | 5-0-0 (5 W) |
@Kyle Connor – 24 | Goal Leader | @Pierre-Luc Dubois – 15 |
@MARK SCHEIFELE – 31 | Assist Leader | @Seth Jones – 37 |
MARK SCHEIFELE – 54 | Points Leader | Pierre-Luc Dubois – 35 |
19.59% (16th) | The Power Play | 17.12% (23rd) |
75.00% (28th) | The Penalty Kill | 82.35% (9th) |
@Laurent Brossoit (4-5-0 / .885 SV%) | Starting Goalie | @Elvis Merzlikins (8-6-4 / .928 SV%) |
L @ BOS (31-36 / .861 SV%) | Last Goalie Start | W vs NJD (41-41 / 1.00 SV%) |
14-10-2 ON ROAD | Road v Home Record | 15-9-2 AT HOME |
Last Blue Jackets Game
The Jackets were the better team all night, but it was an explosive second period where the Jackets flexed their offensive muscles with four goals, while Elvis Merzlikins made 41 stops in goal to pace the Jackets to a 5-0 over New Jersey.
Fun Blue Jackets Facts…
- Columbus has collected 60 points (26-16-8) through 50 contests, which is the second-highest point total through the half-century mark in franchise-history (2016-17, 71 pts.).
- Columbus has collected 16 points in January (8-2-0), with the club’s .800 points percentage the highest all-time in the first month of a new year.
- Elvis Merzlikins made a career-high 41 saves in Saturday’s 5-0 win over New Jersey for his fourth-straight win and third via shutout. He was named the NHL’s Second Star for the Week (Jan. 13-19), going 3-0-0 with a 0.67 GAA, .982 SV% and two shutouts in three starts.
What They’re Saying…
“What stands out to me most is that in five of the previous six seasons, the Jackets’ season-ending point total exceeded their pace at the 50 game mark. Does this team have the potential to exceed a 98 point pace? On one hand, it seems unlikely that they can continue to count on the high level of goaltending we saw from @Joonas Korpisalo in December and Elvis Merzlikins in January. On the other hand, the offense should continue to improve with the return of injured stars like @Cam Atkinson and @Oliver Bjorkstrand to the lineup.”
Cannon Blasts: The Blue Jackets are contenders now – The Cannon
“Sergei Bobrovsky was Mr. Everything for the Blue Jackets in his tenure there. When he was rolling, so was the team. He won two Vezinas, including one when the Blue Jackets didn’t make the playoffs. But in his mind, his time was up. He wanted to move on. It was the end of a glorious era in one sense. When he exercised his right to unrestricted free agency, it left a huge hole in net. Someone had to fill it. But who?”
Goalies You Can’t Spell Stealing the Blue Jackets’ Show – The Hockey Writers
Last Jets Game
The last game was less than 24 hours ago and really, do you want to re-live it again? Of course you don’t, but you do like to see Patrik Laine score goals so here is a video of some of his best…
Fun Jets Facts…
- The Jets are 14-10-2 on the road this season, which places them tied for the third in the NHL.
- The Jets have 10 back-to-back sets this season, the sixth of which is happening right now. The Jets are 4-2-0 in the first and 2-3-0 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.
- Patrik Laine has scored in consecutive games for the fourth time this season, but has yet to extend a goal streak to three games. Laine had three goal scoring streaks of three games or longer last season.
What We’re Saying…
It’s one thing to lose while playing hard and getting some chances, but Winnipeg is lazy on the forecheck, even worse on the backcheck, and downright terrible in front of their net. It’s the hustle plays where Winnipeg is currently failing. Everyone knows the team is skilled, but if the effort isn’t there, the team is going to struggle. We are seeing that play itself out on the ice.
Be sure to check out our Twitter feed for any late updates to the game lineups!
You can also get up to the minute lineup combos for the Jets
including power play and penalty kill lines by checking out our line combo page.
You can also get up to the minute lineup combos for the Jets
including power play and penalty kill lines by checking out our line combo page.
Columbus Blue Jackets Lines
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 GUSTAV NYQUIST Rating: 72.0#99 LW |  PIERRE-LUC DUBOIS Rating: 74.9#43 C |  OLIVER BJORKSTRAND Rating: 77.3#11 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 74.73#21 FL1 |
 EMIL BEMSTROM Rating: 73.1#56 LW |  ALEXANDER WENNBERG Rating: 71.8#101 C |  CAM ATKINSON Rating: 77.9#8 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.29#14 FL2 |
 NICK FOLIGNO Rating: 72.1#76 LW |  BOONE JENNER Rating: 71.4#113 C |  NATHAN GERBE Rating: 73.2#49 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.24#10 FL3 |
 JAKOB LILJA Rating: 71.3#92 LW |  RILEY NASH Rating: 69.3#173 C |  ERIC ROBINSON Rating: 71.0#92 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.53#22 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ZACH WERENSKI Rating: 77.6#4 LD |  SETH JONES Rating: 76.8#9 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 77.22#2 DL1 |
 VLADISLAV GAVRIKOV Rating: 74.0#33 LD |  DAVID SAVARD Rating: 73.5#35 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.73#12 DL2 |
 SCOTT HARRINGTON Rating: 71.1#92 LD |  MARKUS NUTIVAARA Rating: 72.6#56 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.84#21 DL3 |
| GOALIES | |
|---|---|
 ELVIS MERZLIKINS Rating: 68.9#22 G1 |  MATISS KIVLENIEKS Rating: 68.0#32 G2 |
Winnipeg Jets Lines
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 KYLE CONNOR Rating: 78.0#11 LW |  MARK SCHEIFELE Rating: 77.7#17 C |  PATRIK LAINE Rating: 74.3#35 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 76.65#8 FL1 |
 NIKOLAJ EHLERS Rating: 74.9#28 LW |  BLAKE WHEELER Rating: 75.4#25 C |  JACK ROSLOVIC Rating: 70.4#100 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.59#19 FL2 |
 MATHIEU PERREAULT Rating: 69.9#125 LW |  ANDREW COPP Rating: 72.6#86 C |  MASON APPLETON Rating: 69.1#119 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.51#26 FL3 |
 GABRIEL BOURQUE Rating: 68.0#138 LW |  KRISTIAN VESALAINEN Rating: 73.5#48 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.77#20 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 JOSH MORRISSEY Rating: 73.4#44 LD |  NEAL PIONK Rating: 73.5#31 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.46#20 DL1 |
 LUCA SBISA Rating: 71.0#94 LD |  DMITRY KULIKOV Rating: 71.0#87 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 70.96#29 DL2 |
 ANTHONY BITETTO Rating: 69.1#111 LD |  SAMI NIKU Rating: 71.1#84 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.13#30 DL3 |
| GOALIES | |
|---|---|
 LAURENT BROSSOIT Rating: 64.5#57 G1 |  CONNOR HELLEBUYCK Rating: 71.1#10 G2 |
Breaking News
- Winnipeg Jets prospect Sascha Boumedienne earns opportunity with Sweden’s senior national team
- Canada Life Centre facilities are set for renovations as Jets dressing room stalls go up for auction
- Four more players the Jets should target if they select 7th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft
- Jets’ Toews named Masterton Trophy finalist
- Salomonsson, Chibrikov sidelined for remainder of season