By Joe Coopersmith

DEC. 6, 2024 II ROGERS ARENA II AT VANCOUVER CANUCKS

BROADCAST INFORMATION

TV:  FanDuel Sports Network

Steve Mears (play-by-play), Jody Shelley (analyst), Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre (analyst), Dave Maetzold (reporter), Brian Giesenschlag (Host)

Radio:  97.1 The Fan   

Bob McElligott (play-by-play), Dylan Tyrer (host)

Canucks to Watch

• D Quinn Hughes, who captured the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s Best Defenseman in 2023-24 (17-75-92, 82 GP), ranks second among league blueliners in assists and points with 6-23-29 in 24 outings this season.
• C Elias Pettersson ranks second on Vancouver in assists and points with 7-16-23 in 24 games in 2024-25 and has notched three-straight 30-goal campaigns (32, 39, 34).

All-Time Series

• The Blue Jackets have gone 25-31-11 in 67 all-time games against the Canucks, including 11-16-6 on the road.
• The teams have split the series for the last three seasons as well as eight of the 10 series since moving to a home-and-home series in 2013-14.
• CBJ have recorded points in seven of the past nine contests overall since Mar. 24, 2019 (6-2-1) as well as seven of the last nine contests played at Rogers Arena since Mar. 19, 2015 (5-2-2).
• The teams have combined for seven or more goals in four of the last five games dating back to Dec. 14, 2021, including nine goals in a 5-4 Vancouver win in overtime in the last game of the series on Jan. 27, 2024 at Rogers Arena.
• The winning team has scored four or more goals in the last six consecutive games of the series (including SO goals) and eight of the past nine since Mar. 24, 2019.
• Each of the games in the 2023-24 series were decided after regulation (CBJ; SOW, OTL), while five of the last seven in the series have been decided by a single goal.  Six of the last eight at Rogers Arena have been decided by a single goal.
• CBJ have recorded a power play goal in three-straight games of the series (4-of-12; 33.3 pct.).
• Columbus has recorded two shutouts (MR: Bobrovsky, 21 saves in 5-0 W at Vancouver on Mar. 24, 2019) and  three penalty shot attempts (MR: Mayorov unsuccessful against Schneider in 2-3 L at Columbus on Oct. 10, 2011).

This Season (CBJ, 0-0-0)

• Dec. 6, 2024 – at VANCOUVER (10 p.m. ET)
• Mar. 28, 2025 – at COLUMBUS (7 p.m. ET)

Player Notables vs. Canucks

• RW Justin Danforth – 1-1-2 in 4 career GP, including an assist in the most recent meeting on Jan. 27, 2024 at Vancouver.
• D Jordan Harris – 0-3-3 in 4 career GP, including a multi-assist game in one of his two contests at Vancouver.
• RW Kirill Marchenko – 3-0-3 in 3 career GP, recording goals in both of his career games at Vancouver, including a multi-goal game on Jan. 27, 2023.
• G Elvis Merzlikins – 4-1-1 with .913 SV% in 6 career GP, including registering points in each of his last three starts against the club (2-0-1).
• C Sean Monahan – 13-15-28 with five multi-point efforts in 46 career GP, including points in four of his last six games against the club overall (2-2-4) and two of his last three at Vancouver (2-0-2).
• D Damon Severson – 1-6-7 in 17 career GP, including assists in two of his last three contests (0-2-2) and his last outing at Vancouver on Jan. 27, 2024.
• LW James van Riemsdyk – 6-5-11 in 22 career GP, including points in three of his last five contests (1-2-3).
• F Dmitri Voronkov – 2-0-2 in 2 career GP, notching his lone career multi-goal game on Jan. 15, 2024 vs. Vancouver
• D Zach Werenski – 3-4-7 in 12 career GP, including points in each of his last three contests vs the Canucks (1-2-3) as well as assists in his past two contests at Vancouver (0-2-2).

BLUE JACKETS TEAM NOTES

• Columbus have lost the last two games in regulation 3-0 at Calgary on Tuesday and 6-3 at Edmonton on Thursday.   CBJ had entered the Calgary contest with points in six-straight games (5-0-1).   It was the club’s longest points streak since Jan. 18-29, 2021 (4-0-3 in 7 GP).
• The Jackets moved to 6-3-1 (13 points) in their last 10 games this season. The Blue Jackets rank third-T in the NHL in points earned and goals per game (4.00, 40 goals), sixth-T in points percentage (.650) and seventh in shots per game (30.0) since Nov. 15.
• Columbus plays the fourth of a five-game road trip on Friday at Vancouver.  The team closes out its trip at Winnipeg on Sunday.
• Columbus has recorded six or more goals in seven of its first 25 games this season.  It’s tied for the second-most games among all teams (Florida & Washington), trailing only Winnipeg (8).  It’s the fifth time in franchise history that CBJ have scored at least six goals in seven or more contests in a campaign.  The club set a franchise mark with 11 games of six or more goals in 2018-19.
• The club’s 86 goals (not including SO goals) are the second-most through the first 25 games of a season in franchise history, trailing the 88 recorded in the first 25 contests of the 2018-19 campaign.
• Columbus’ 3.44 goals-for/game in 2024-25 is the eighth-highest in the NHL.  The club averaged a franchise-best 3.15 goals-per-game during the 2021-22 season.
• CBJ scored a goal in all three periods at Edmonton on Thursday, marking the sixth time in the last seven games the club has done so.  The Blue Jackets had scored goals in 16-straight regulation periods dating back to the third period on Nov. 18 at Boston before being held scoreless on Tuesday.  It was tied for the longest stretch with a goal in club history (Feb. 2-13, 2021). The Jackets have scored in 53-of-75 periods in regulation this season and have registered 24 multi-goal frames.
• Columbus scored all three of its goals on Thursday at even strength.  The 64 goals scored at 5-on-5 play are tied with Florida for the third-most in the NHL this season, trailing only Washington (70) and Vegas (69).
• The Jackets, who have scored the first goal of the game in eight of the last 13 contests, have scored first in 15 (9-4-2) of the first 25 games this season.
• CBJ rank second in the NHL in shots/game since Nov. 5, averaging 32.6 shots in the last 14 games.  The club ranks third-T in the league in shots on goal for the season, averaging 31.0 shots a game.
• The team is in the middle of a stretch of six-straight against the Western Conference from Nov. 29-Dec. 8.
• CBJ conclude their fourth of 12 back-to-back sets of the season at Vancouver on Friday.   It’s also the first of three back-to-back sets of the month (Dec. 14 vs. ANA & Dec. 15 at CAR; Dec. 27 vs. BOS & Dec. 28 at BOS).

BLUE JACKETS PLAYER NOTES

• CBJ blueliners combined for 1-3-4 on Thursday and now lead the league in goals by defensemen and rank fifth in points with 18-46-64 in 25 contests.
• C Adam Fantilli collected an assist on Thursday and has now recorded 2-2-4 in his last five outings and 2-3-5 in the past eight.
• F Kent Johnson has been held off the scoresheet in the last two games but had recorded points in his first nine contests (6-6-12), becoming the second player in franchise history to record a point in each of his first nine contests to start a campaign (Ryan Johansen, 10 GP in 2014-15).  He had also collected points in five consecutive games (4-3-7) after a 14-game absence due to an upper body injury.
• RW Kirill Marchenko has recorded 4-4-8 in his last seven games.  The forward leads the club in goals and multi-point efforts and ranks second in assists (tied) and points with 10-14-24 and eight multi-point outings in 25 contests.  His 54 career goals are the most by a Blue Jacket since making his NHL debut in 2022-23.
• G Elvis Merzlikins turned aside 19-of-21 shots faced in Tuesday’s game but had his seven-game points streak (6-0-1) dating back to Nov. 15 come to an end.  It was one game shy of his career-best regulation unbeaten streak set from Jan. 11-Feb. 7, 2020 (8-0-0).
• C Sean Monahan has picked up 2-9-11 with four multi-point efforts in his last 10 games.  The forward ranks second-T on the club in goals, assists and multi-point outings and third in points with 8-14-22 and seven multi-point outings in 25 contests.
• RW Mathieu Olivier ranks fourth in the NHL in penalty minutes, 11th-T in hits and 12th-T in GWG and has already set a single-season career high in goals with 7-3-10, 47 PIM, three GWG and 84 hits in 25 contests.
• D Damon Severson recorded a goal on Thursday and has collected 1-5-6 in the last seven contests dating back to Nov. 21.  He ranks second among club blueliners in goals, assists and points with 5-9-14 in 25 contests.
• C Cole Sillinger notched his second multi-point effort in the last three games (1-3-4) with 1-1-2 at Edmonton on Thursday.  He has recorded 2-7-9 in his last nine contests since Nov. 15.   A season after setting a single-season career high in assists (19), he has collected 4-13-17 in his first 24 outings.
• F Dmitri Voronkov had his career-best six-game points streak (4-4-8) snapped on Tuesday.  He has notched points in seven of the last 10 games (5-5-10, three multi-point efforts).
• D Zach Werenski registered an assist on Thursday and has now recorded assists in nine of the last 10 games (5-12-17) and 10 of the past 12 (5-13-18).  The stretch includes setting club records for longest assist and point streaks by a defenseman and tying the franchise mark for all skaters for longest assist streak (RJ Umberger, 2-8-10 from Nov. 10-26, 2010) from Nov. 15-Dec. 1.  The 27-year-old Grosse Pointe, Michigan native, who was named to Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Wednesday, leads the NHL in TOI/GP as well as leads league blueliners in goals (tied) and shots on goal and ranks third in points and sixth in assists with 8-19-27 and 92 shots on 26:03 of ice time in 25 contests this season.

BLUE JACKETS MILESTONES

• LW Zach Aston-Reese is 12 points from 100 for his NHL career (46-42-88, 334 GP).
• RW Kevin Labanc is two games from 500 for his NHL career (84-152-236, 498 GP).
• RW Kirill Marchenko is nine points from 100 for his CBJ/NHL career (54-37-91, 162 GP).
• C Sean Monahan is 11 games from 800 for his NHL career (252-308-560, 789 GP).
• RW Mathieu Olivier is seven games from 200 for his NHL career (20-24-44, 193 GP).
• C Cole Sillinger is six games from 250 and nine points from 100 for his CBJ/NHL career (36-55-91, 244 GP).
• F Dmitri Voronkov is nine games from 100 for his CBJ/NHL career (24-21-45, 91 GP).
• D Zach Werenski is two goals from 100 for his CBJ/NHL career (98-231-329, 511 GP).

OhioHEALTH INJURY REPORT

• F Boone Jenner (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 7; (25 Games)
• D Erik Gudbranson (upper body) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 16; (22 Games)
• C Yegor Chinakhov (upper body); (4 Games)

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 96

COURTESY BLUE JACKETS COMMUNICATIONS