This Sunday there are seven games on the slate in the NHL. In one of the late games, the Columbus Blue Jackets travel to Vancouver to meet the Canucks. Which one of them will grab two important points in their battle for a playoff ticket?
Vancouver Canucks: move into wild card spot
The battle for a guaranteed playoff ticket and wild card tickets is getting more exciting in the NHL every week. The Vancouver Canucks are in fourth place in the crowded Pacific Division after 67 games. The hockey team still has two games in hand compared to their main rivals and a guaranteed ticket for the playoffs is still a possibility. The last week and a half, the Nucks were in bad form. From a roadtrip through mainly Canada, only the first game in Montreal was won by the Canucks in overtime.
Last week, Vancouver also lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets and after that, they fell to the Arizona Coyotes in their first game home after the aforementioned roadtrip. The hockey team, led by head coach Travis Green, had to watch out for a free fall in the rankings so it didn't come as a surprise that the Canucks were fired up last Thursday night to stop their losing streak. They booked a confidence building win over the Avs (6-3) and as a result, the hockey team moved back into a wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Columbus Blue Jackets: need results
The Columbus Blue Jackets are currently having a hard time in the NHL. The hockey team recorded a far from impressive record (3-6-6) in the past two months. The inferior results are partly due to the ongoing injury wave. Head coach John Tortorella has been missing key players for several weeks, such as attackers Cam Atkinson and Brandon Dubinsky and defenders Seth Jones and Dean Kukan. Because of the bad shape of the Blue Jackets, they have dropped to fifth place in the Metro Division. It's perhaps the strongest division in the NHL this season, so a fifth place might be enough for a wild card ticket at the end of the regular season.
Columbus will play the second half of back-to-back games on Sunday night, as it played an important game against the Edmonton Oilers on last night. Joonas Korpisalo didn't play a strong game in a 4-1 loss. It would be logical for Elvis Merzlikins to make his return in the Blue Jackets' goal tonight. The goalie missed the last five games due to an injury, but he has played extremely well this year. The question is whether he will be able to regain his high level right away.
Canucks in regulation
The Columbus Blue Jackets play the second half of back-to-back games tonight, while the Vancouver Canucks are rested. Columbus list of injuries is huge and key players are missed. While the Blue Jackets did manage to compensate for this by working hard a few months ago and suprise with lots of wins, the hockey team is struggling to get wins for weeks now. Vancouver booked a convincing victory over Colorado and knows that in the crowded Pacific Division every point counts. Columbus may have the advantage in net, but goalie Merzlikins has just returned from an injury. I think it will be difficult for the Blue Jackets to bounce back of that loss last night and Vancouver books a win in regulation.
