PREVIEW: Blue Jackets, Penguins meet on Black Friday

The Thanksgiving holiday is a good chance for everyone in the NHL to take a day to recharge and reset after about two months of play.

It’s also traditionally become a barometer of a team’s playoff chances. In the last two decades, more than three quarters of teams in a playoff position at Turkey Day have gone on to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, showing that a good start goes a long way to making sure you’re on the ice in the spring.

Yet this year, the conventional wisdom may be put on its head because of just how tight the NHL standings are. For example, in the Eastern Conference, just five points separate Columbus and the New York Rangers – who are tied for 12th in the East – from conference-leading New Jersey. Add in the fact the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers are a spot behind the Blue Jackets and Rangers, and it feels like the standings could be topsy-turvy all season long.

“Everything is so tight,” CBJ defenseman Damon Severson said. “It’s crazy. We always used to say that American Thanksgiving was kind of the tell, and I don’t think they’re going to be able to say that this year. History is definitely not repeating itself this year. You just have to win games. It’s as simple as that, try to get two points instead of one would be much better at times, but we just have to continue to try to win games.”

As Severson noted, that’s what makes games like Wednesday’s 2-1 overtime loss to Toronto so frustrating. Missing a number of key players, the Blue Jackets grinded through a defensive-minded contest, limited Toronto’s offensive stars and were in position to get the win when Zach Werenski broke the scoreless tie with 6:30 to go.

But the Maple Leafs answered with just over three minutes left, then got the extra point when William Nylander scored in overtime. While the OT loss was the eighth time in the last 10 games the Blue Jackets earned at least a point in the standings, it also marked the fourth time in November that the Blue Jackets led in the final 10 minutes but failed to get the win.

“It sucks,” Werenski said afterward. “Obviously we don't want to lose a lead like that again and then lose in overtime. I’m sure everyone is probably sick of it and sick of hearing it, but at the end of the day we played really good hockey today. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves or be down about it. ...

“Obviously we don't want that to happen and we’ve addressed it and talked about it, but in saying that, we’re leading in almost every game and late in games, so now it’s just finishing and getting two points.”

Indeed, the Blue Jackets are close, it’s just getting over the hump in a few games, and if they had, Columbus would be right near the top of the conference standings. With that in mind, the message is to keep doing what they’re doing in the big picture while getting better in the places they need to.

“We believe that it’s going to turn,” head coach Dean Evason said after the Toronto game. “When, I don't know. But we’re going to keep playing the right way until it does, and we’re just going to keep pushing until it does. And we will. The guys know after the game how well they played. Listen, we’re not happy that we lose a game, but we’re definitely very happy with how we played the game.”

Scratches: D Kirill Marchenko (upper body injury), D Mathieu Olivier (upper body injury), D Jake Christiansen

Injured reserve/Non-Roster: Erik Gudbranson (upper body injury), F Boone Jenner (upper body injury)

Roster Report: The Blue Jackets are expected to use the same lineup tonight as in Wednesday night's game, with Greaves getting the start in net.

This Day in CBJ History

Nov. 28, 2013: The Blue Jackets claim Corey Tropp off waivers from Buffalo. The Michigan State product would go on to post 3-15-18 in 105 games with Columbus over two seasons.

Nov. 28, 2017: Cam Atkinson scores the deciding goal in the shootout, Artemi Panarin follows with a goal and Joonas Korpisalo stops both shots against as the Blue Jackets take a 3-2 shootout win vs. Carolina in Nationwide Arena. The victory is the seventh in the last eight games for the Blue Jackets and improves the team to 16-8-1.

The Numbers Game

Zach Werenski remains third among NHL defensemen in goals (eight), tied for third in points (22), is first in shots on goal (95) and second in average ice time (26:32). He has points in seven of the last eight games (4-7-11). ... Adam Fantilli has tallied in six of the last 10 games and posted a 7-4-11 line in the last 11 contests. ... Blue Jackets defensemen have scored 18 goals this season, three behind Washington for the most in the NHL. … Jet Greaves has posted a 4-0-3 record and .916 save percentage in his last seven starts. ... Denton Mateychuk’s five goals tie for eighth among NHL defensemen. ... Werenski (4-6-10) and Charlie Coyle (2-8-10) lead the Blue Jackets in scoring at Nationwide Arena. ... The CBJ penalty kill is clicking at 87.1 percent (27 for 31) in the last 16 games. ... Coyle is one point away from 500 in his NHL career, while Dmitri Voronkov is one point away from 100 and Fantilli is two points away from 100. In addition, Dean Evason has 198 wins as an NHL head coach.

Head coach: Dan Muse (First season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.09 (13th) | Scoring defense: 2.59 (3rd) | PP: 31.4 percent (1st) | PK: 85.3 percent (5th)

The narrative: The season began with talk that the Penguins were fully embracing a rebuild this season, with longtime head coach Mike Sullivan off to New York and such veterans as Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson on the theoretical trading block. But before you could say Gavin McKenna, the Penguins got off to a red-hot start to the season under Muse, starting 8-2-2. Pittsburgh is 3-4-3 since then, though, as the Penguins go through the season attempting to break a three-year streak without playoff hockey.

Scoring leaders: And as you might expect, two familiar names – Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin – have paced the Penguins in the early going. No matter that Malkin is 39 and Crosby 38, as the two ageless wonders have propelled the Pens; Malkin leads the team with 24 points (six goals, 18 assists), while Crosby has posted a 13-10-23 line. Rust (6-10-16) and offseason acquisition Anthony Mantha (8-6-14) follow, while Karlsson leads the defense with 14 points.

In net: Goaltending has been a strong point for the Pens in the early going, with the team's 2.59 GAA third in the league. Acquired in the offseason from Vancouver after backstopping a Calder Cup win in the AHL, Arturs Silovs is 4-3-4 with a 2.74 GAA and .908 save percentage in a team-high 11 starts, while the team has gotten solid showings from veteran Tristan Jarry (6-2-0, 2.53, .914) and 21-year-old Sergei Murashov (1-1-1, 1.90, .913).

What's new: The Penguins had a fair amount of roster shakeup in the offseason, and such additions as Silovs, forward Justin Brazeau and defensemen Parker Wotherspoon have contributed in the early going. Add in a dose of youth – 2024 second-round pick Harrison Brunicke and 2025 first-rounder Ben Kindel didn't just make the opening roster but have impressed – and Pittsburgh found a mix that works in the early going. Injuries have caught up with the team, though, as top-six forward Rickard Rakell as well as Brazeau, Noel Acciari, Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones and Jack St. Ivany are out. In all, 32 players have already worn the black and gold this year.

Trending: The Blue Jackets have won three of the four games over the past two seasons vs. Pittsburgh, including a 5-4 shootout win Oct. 25 to kick off the season series. Columbus has also won two straight in Nationwide Arena against the eastern invaders.

Former CBJ: None