Breaking - 3:50pm
It appears the Columbus and Detroit logos for the March 1 Stadium Series have leaked; Rick Nash and Chris Clark announce OAR will join Twenty One Pilots as musical performances at Buckeye Stadium.
Preview G44 v Philadelphia
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back in action on home ice with a Metropolitan Division matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Philadelphia has been making waves lately, including the Gritty lemonade stand clip; the Cutter Gauthier v Travis Konecny threat; and the group in Section 222 that spent $222 on dollar dog night. Samuel Ersson is 3-1-0 in his last four with a 1.10GAA; a 0.957 save percentage; and two shutouts. The Flyers are instead going with Russian Ivan Fedotov as they seek their third straight victory. The rumor mill has Scott Laughton back up on the block as the Flyers are seeking a first round pick for his services.
Columbus has already dropped the first two meetings this season; another loss will cost them the season series and their four game winning streak. Zach Werenski looks to earn a point in his 17th consecutive home game as his remarkable season continues as he is appearing to go head to head with Cale Makar for the Norris. Zach Aston-Reese has agreed to a one year contract extension worth $775K with the Columbus Blue Jackets. President and General Manager Don Waddell was pleased to retain the veteran journeyman, stating:
“Zach has been a great addition to the Blue Jackets on the ice and in the dressing room. He brings speed, grit and versatility to our forward group and we are excited that he will continue to be a part of our club.”
ZAR has 91 points in 352 games with Pittsburgh; Anaheim; Toronto; and Detroit. The 30 year old will be with the Blue Jackets through the 2025-2026 season. The rumor mill continues to have Ivan Provorov and Mathieu Olivier as trade bait; however, Provorov’s agent has made it clear the veteran would love to remain with Columbus, and Waddell has made it public that Olivier will not go anywhere. Keith Yandle of Spittin’ Chicklets on Ivan Provorov
“I played with Ivan Provorov in Philadelphia… he is the best defenseman on the breakout that I have ever seen.”
Recent injury updates are that Chinakov and Jenner are expected to return ahead of schedule; Monahan did avoid the worst, but will be in a brace for at least two more weeks. Daniil Tarasov will start after being recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League on Sunday following a conditioning assignment; he has not started an NHL game since making 24 saves in a 4-0 loss at the Boston Bruins on December 28th.
Projected Lineups
Philadelphia Flyers
Tyson Foerster -- Noah Cates -- Bobby Brink
Owen Tippett -- Morgan Frost -- Travis Konecny
Olle Lycksell -- Sean Couturier -- Matvei Michkov
Scott Laughton -- Ryan Poehling -- Garnet Hathaway
Cam York -- Travis Sanheim
Egor Zamula -- Rasmus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler -- Jamie Drysdale
Ivan Fedotov
Samuel Ersson
Scratched: Erik Johnson, Joel Farabee, Aleksei Kolosov
Injured: Nicolas Deslauriers (upper body)
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dmitri Voronkov -- Adam Fantilli -- Kirill Marchenko
James van Riemsdyk -- Cole Sillinger -- Kent Johnson
Zach Aston-Reese -- Luca Del Bel Belluz -- Mathieu Olivier
Mikael Pyyhtia -- Sean Kuraly -- Kevin Labanc
Zach Werenski -- Dante Fabbro
Denton Mateychuk -- Ivan Provorov
Jake Christiansen -- Damon Severson
Daniil Tarasov
Elvis Merzlikins
Scratched: Jordan Harris, Jack Johnson
Injured: Yegor Chinakhov (upper body), Justin Danforth (lower body), Sean Monahan (wrist)
Players to Watch
Philadelphia — Owen Tippett — just added him to my fantasy team after he was dropped. Only three goals since the new year.
Columbus — Adam Fantilli — career best five game point streak as he has six points including three goals and three assists.
Predicted Final Score
PHI — 3
CBJ — 4
Gambling Corner
Flyers are the -120 favorites despite winning at home last night against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
PG43 @ St. Louis Blues —Playoff Spot
The Columbus Blue Jackets extend their win streak to four with a 2-1 regulation win over the St. Louis Blues.
Period I
Adam Fantilli lit the lamp with his 10th goal of the season from Kirill Marchenko and Dmitry Voronkov.
Period II
Cole Sillinger potted the powerplay goal to double the visitor lead for his seventh of the season from James van Riemsdyk and Luca Del Bel Belluz.
Period III
The Blues squeaked one past the Columbus defense with 12 seconds left in the game for Colton Parayko’s eighth goal of the regular season from Zachary Bolduc and Justin Faulk.
Goalies
Jordan Binnington allowed 2 goals on 30 shots for a 0.933 save percentage.
Jet Greaves had 31 saves on 32 shots for a 0.969 save percentage.
Players to Watch
St. Louis — Brandon Saad led all Blues’ skaters with 4 shots on goal. The former Blue Jackets’ winger was a -1 in 14:15TOI.
Columbus — Adam Fantilli had the opening goal for his fifth straight game with a point.
CBJ Three Stars of the Game
1. Jet Greaves — W; 31 saves; 96.9SV%
2. Adam Fantilli — goal (10)
3. Cole Sillinger — GWG (7)
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • 
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