The Columbus Blue Jackets are coming off one of their more impressive third period performances of the season in which they came back from 2-0 down to eventually win 3-2 in the shootout. They hope to continue that momentum on home ice Saturday night when they host the Minnesota Wild.
After a lackluster two periods in Philadelphia, the Blue Jackets played their best hockey in the third period after a couple of changes to their lines. Those changes have stuck going into Saturday. But what is not changing is the starting goaltender.
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Tarasov Earns Another Start
The Blue Jackets have been looking for one of their goalies to run with the opportunity when presented. Daniil Tarasov has done that by playing his best two games of the season in his last two starts. This has caused coach Pascal Vincent to admit a change in the goaltending plan.
Tarasov will get the start on Saturday night after making 39 saves in Philadelphia while stopping all three Flyers in the shootout. This start was a reward for him for his recent excellent play.
“Exactly,” Vincent said when asked if Tarasov starting was a reward. “So we have a plan. But in this league, the plan can change everyday. But right now, he deserved to (start.) We could argue he was our best player the last game. So he deserves no matter what another start.”
With Spencer Martin dressing as the backup to Tarasov on Saturday, that does mean Elvis Merzlikins will be a healthy scratch. Both Merzlikins and Martin worked before the morning skate.
This isn’t a case of anything more than starting a goalie in Tarasov that has played well in consecutive starts earning another opportunity.
By the end of the Flyers’ game, Cole Sillinger found himself centering Yegor Chinakhov and Kirill Marchenko. This meant the Russian line along with Dmitri Voronkov was broken up. The line hasn’t played as well in recent games.
This is both a case of Sillinger deserving of an opportunity higher in the lineup coupled with Voronkov still learning the NHL. Here’s Vincent on both situations.
“So real good start together, right?” Vincent said on the Russian line. “They were really dynamic. Just see a little dip. So we’re gonna play with that. We did in the third period in Philadelphia. I’m not saying that they’re not gonna go back together but right now they’re not together.”
“But (it’s) play with the puck. He’s a first-year player in the NHL. He’s a big man and it’s doesn’t feel that’s he’s a first year. But he’s a first-year NHL player so he’s learning the NHL game. Everything is different for him like we said before the language, the food, the lifestyle, everything, coaches, the systems, the ice, the opponents.”
“Those three guys together recently, and maybe I should have made the change earlier, but the last game, I felt ok, enough, we have to change them up a little bit and we’ll go from there. But his attitude, when I speak to him with Marchenko as a translator, he’s really good. He wants to do the right thing. He had some good shifts the last game. I thought he was skating the last game. So that’s a good sign.”
“Sillinger has been playing really well for us. He’s a key guy on our PK. He’s been solid defensively. He’s playing a simple game. He was physical the last game so he’s doing the things that we’re asking him to do really well. So when you do that, you earn something and that’s what we’re doing.”
Voronkov will skate on the fourth line between Alex Texier and Mathieu Olivier.
Side Dishes
- Adam Boqvist makes his return to the Blue Jackets’ lineup after missing 13 games with a shoulder strain. It’s been another year of battling injuries. How has he stayed positive throughout? “You play in the best league in the world. It could have been worse, way worse but you’re living the dream and just gotta see the upside form it and take and learn what you could do better. Obviously, it’s been a rough start for me with scratches and then come in and play and get hurt. So I’m just (going to) try and clear my head and start over from now.”
- Boqvist and fellow Swede Emil Bemstrom each confirmed their wallets are lighter after Team USA’s win at the World Junior Championships on Friday.
- Boqvist will play on the right side next to Damon Severson, who is playing on his offside.
- Here are how the lines looked at the morning skate:
- Gaudreau-Fantilli-Danforth
- Chinakhov-Sillinger-Marchenko
- Johnson-Roslovic-Bemstrom
- Texier-Voronkov-Olivier
- Severson-Boqvist
- Provorov-Jiricek
- Bean-Gudbranson
- Tarasov/Martin
- The Wild will start Marc-Andre Fleury against the Blue Jackets. Vincent coached Fleury in junior. He shared some tremendous stories from that time including the time Fleury was pulled from a game and was supposed to keep stats on the bench. The paper was blank. Eventually, the paper said “I’m not a statistician. I’m a goalie.” Although Vincent was mad, he admitted he loved it after the fact. In addition, Fleury wanted to fight in junior and Vincent had to tone him down. “He’s just an amazing person coming from a great family. Really happy for him.”
- If Fleury and the Wild win, he’ll tie Patrick Roy for second all-time in regular season victories.
