The Jackets Have A One Knight Stand at Nationwide

The Blue Jackets take on the Vegas Golden Knights for the first time at Nationwide Arena. Vegas is looking to sweep the two-game series between the clubs while Columbus is desperate for some wins.

Columbus returned yesterday from their three-game west coast trip. They lost their first two games against LA and Anaheim, but came out on top against San Jose.

In their game against the Kings, the Jackets lost 5-2. They scored their goals early on, and by all means were playing a strong game. Unfortunately, LA was able to get a leg up after scoring three unanswered goals in the second period. Columbus didn't fair any better in the third period, as the kings scored two more unanswered goals.

The next night, Columbus travelled to Anaheim for their stint against the Ducks. Sonny Milano made the board first after his 10th goal of the season assisted by Oliver Bjorkstrand and Zach Werenski. Not even a minute later, though, the Ducks were able to tie it up with a goal from Rickard Rakell. In the second period, Anaheim scored two more goals from Andrew Cogliano and Josh Manson. Their final goal of the night came at 16:05 of the third period from Cam Fowler. Columbus was able to manage one more point before the game was out from Zach Werenski bringing the final score to 4-2 Anaheim.

To end their west coast road trip, Columbus played the San Jose Sharks Sunday night. It was a welcome victory as they were able to come out on top with a 4-2 win of their own. Two unanswered goals in the beginning 20 minutes from forwards Nick Foligno and Sonny Milano. Then, in the second period, Artemi Panarin scored his 19th goal of the season. The point was originally credited to Ian Cole, but it was later credited to Panarin. Nevertheless, Cole still assisted on the goal, so the veteran got his first point as a Blue Jacket.

San Jose was able cut the deficit to two after Joonas Donskoi scored late in the second. Then, about halfway through the third, Evander Kane, the newest addition to the Sharks, scored his 21st of the season and further cut the deficit. No matter. After the Sharks decided to pull their goalie late in the third for the extra attacker, Panarin got his second of the night from an empty netter. With the victory, Columbus was able to reclaim the second wild card spot.

Now, Columbus has returned home for their second and final fight against the Vegas Knights. Last time these two teams met was back at the end of January in which Vegas took home a 6-3 victory.

Both teams are coming off a win. Columbus with its win in San Jose and Vegas with a 3-2 victory against the New Jersey Devils. Prior to the win, the club had gone 0-3. Now, with this latest victory under their belt, they're hoping to sweep the series against the Jackets. Columbus has other plans however.

With how tight the standings are in the Metro division, Columbus can't afford to lose another game. Or, at the very least, need to force a game into overtime to get a point if they're just going to lose. They've only got 16 games remaining in their season and they're fighting every team for a shot at a postseason stand. The Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes are within two points of the Jackets. Florida has 70 points and Carolina has got 69.

Blue Jackets Projected Lineup

Artemi Panarin - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Cam Atkinson

Sonny Milano - Nick Foligno - Oliver Bjorkstrand

Boone Jenner - Alexander Wennberg - Thomas Vanek

Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Mark Letestu

Zach Werenski - Seth Jones

Jack Johnson - Ryan Murray

Ian Cole - David Savard

Sergei Bobrovsky

Vegas Golden Knights Projected Lineup

Jonathan Marchessault - William Karlsson - Reilly Smith

David Perron - Erik Haula - Tomas Tatar

Ryan Carpenter - Cody Eakin - Alex Tuch

Tomas Hyka - Tomas Nosek - Ryan Reaves

Brayden McNabb - Colin Miller

Shea Theodore - Deryk Engelland

Jon Merrill - Brad Hunt

Marc-Andre Fleury