After a heartbreaking shootout loss on Saturday night against the New York Rangers, the Columbus Blue Jackets look to end the homestand on a positive note with two big points against a fast Montreal Canadiens team.
In their previous game, the Blue Jackets physically outlasted the Rangers, but were unable to get the elusive extra point in extra time after a sloppy end to the match. How can the Blue Jackets turn the tide tonight and take the two points before another road trip starts tomorrow night in Winnipeg?
Be physical on the forecheck early
One way to keep a team like the Canadiens at bay is to swallow them with physicality early. The Blue Jackets need to come into the game with the mentality of playing physical and being the ones to start the offense, and not ride the wave of the Canadiens.
How Columbus chooses to use their lines will be another crucial part so far, as Dean Evason opted to go down the stretch with three forward lines in the last game as he needed his team to continue to perform well against the Rangers. The Blue Jackets can’t run from this game plan; This is how they are built to excel in games like this.
I expect Evason to take a shorter leash on some of his less physical players like Yegor Chinakhov and Kent Johnson. When the game requires the physical element to take full effect, skill guys sometimes become the first to be cut from the lineup.
How Columbus advances in games has also ultimately determined the score in most of their games thus far. When it’s a priority and they do it effectively, they’ve gobbled up teams, but when they just throw the puck in and don’t attack, the result is often the Blue Jackets playing on their heels the entire game.
Play a full 60 minutes
The only knockback to the Blue Jackets game lately has been their inability to play a full 60 minutes. They came out of the gate strong and couldn’t catch that second wind in the third period. Tonight against Montreal, that can’t be the trap they fall into again.
The Canadiens have struggled mightily in the second period of play lately; they have allowed 11 goals in the last six middle periods. The Blue Jackets need to find a way to capitalize on this trend.
Related: ESPN’s John Buccigross discusses the state of the Blue Jackets
Columbus has shown a pattern of staying with teams through the first period, taking the lead after the second period, but then not applying enough pressure in the third period. Here tonight, the goal should be to apply more pressure than ever in the second period and overwhelm the Canadiens to an insurmountable lead in the third period.
One-on-one finishing chances with Dobes
One of the downsides to the Blue Jackets’ offensive play was their inability to light the lamp. If they want to be a serious threat in the Eastern Conference this season, they need to find a way to light the lamp more often.
At this point, another struggle for the Canadiens heading into this game was also their defensive failures against their goaltenders. Jakub Dobes has been spectacular to start the season, but the continued slumps of Montreal defensemen as of late have allowed many teams to take advantage and score on Dobes and fellow netminder Samuel Montembeault.
Team Finish – November 16 pic.twitter.com/UeB4Zrdm62
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) November 16, 2025
The Blue Jackets have consistently been one of the worst teams at finishing chances at the crease all season. That needs to change tonight if they want a chance to beat Montreal on home ice. The Blue Jackets have been held in check by many goaltenders lately, but the dam appears to be about to break.
Evason has been switching a lot of forwards lately to find the right combination, so don’t be shocked if the Blue Jackets crack the code tonight and finish their chances up front with Dobes in the crease.
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