Scratches: Yegor Chinakhov, Erik Gudbranson (upper body injury), Denton Mateychuk (injury)
Injured reserve/Non-Roster: None
Roster Report: Mateychuk is banged up and won’t play but Evason said he could return to the lineup Saturday at Vancouver. Mayo will go in to make his CBJ debut and first NHL game since February 2023, while Fabbro moves up to play with Werenski.
This Day in CBJ History
Nov. 5, 2002: Geoff Sanderson scores a goal in an overtime loss in Nationwide Arena vs. Washington. He’d go on to tally in the next six games, as well, setting a CBJ record with seven consecutive games with a goal. The mark would be equaled by Cam Atkinson in 2018.
Nov. 5, 2015: The Blue Jackets post a 3-2 win at Los Angeles despite not putting a shot on goal in the second period. Columbus is outshot 33-25 overall but gets first-period goals from Cam Atkinson and Brandon Dubinsky and the game-winning tally in the third from Gregory Campbell.
The Numbers Game
Blue Jackets defensemen have scored in nine of 12 games so far this year, and the team’s 11 tallies from blueliners leads the NHL. … Zach Werenski has multiple points in three of the last four games (3-3-6). He’s now tied for second in the NHL among defensemen in goals (four), tied for ninth in points (10), tied for third in plus/minus (plus-9) and third in average time on ice (26:01). … Kirill Marchenko has points in 10 of 12 games this year and a 5-7-12 line, plus a career-best streak of five straight games with an assist. … Charlie Coyle has five points in the last three games (1-4-5), while Cole Sillinger has a 2-3-5 line in the last five and. … Jet Greaves’ save percentage of .916 is fifth among NHL goalies with at least 300 minutes played, while hte team save percentage of .916 is third. … Miles Wood has three goals in the last four games. … The Blue Jackets have outscored opponents 30-20 at 5-on-5 thus far, the best ratio in the NHL. … Sillinger is two games away from playing in his 300th NHL game while Zach Aston-Reese is two away from 400 in his career.
Know The Foe: Calgary Flames
Head coach: Ryan Huska (Third season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 2.14 (32nd) | Scoring defense: 3.36 (24th) | PP: 13.5 percent (29th) | PK: 77.4 percent (18th)
The narrative: The Flames have struggled to find their footing since Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk left, missing the playoffs three straight seasons, and the long-term results – just five playoff appearances and two series wins in the last 16 years – aren’t much better, either. For whatever reason, Calgary just hasn’t been able to find a consistent mix, but the hope is with some young talent developing, the Flames are set up to be on the rise when their new arena opens for the 2027-28 campaign.
Scoring leaders: Calgary finished 29th in the NHL in scoring a year ago and is dead last through the first 14 games this year, and it shows in the team’s top scorers. Coming off a career-best 35-goal season, Nazem Kadri again leads the way, as he’s the only Flames player with double digits in scoring with a 3-7-10 line. Blake Coleman leads the team with five goals and Jonathan Huberdeau has four goals and seven points despite missing five contests, while Morgan Frost has a 2-5-7 line.
In net: Dustin Wolf finished second in the Calder voting last year and eighth in the Vezina standings, but this year has been a struggle with a 3-8-1 record, 3.39 GAA and .884 save percentage. Longtime AHLer Devin Cooley has played in four games and has a 1.98 GAA and .933 SV%.
What’s new: Calgary tried to shake up the mix last year, sending Andrei Kuzmenko to Philadelphia for forwards Frost and Joel Farabee, though the two have combined for just four goals this year. The Flames were mostly quiet this offseason after missing the playoffs a year ago via tiebreaker, but this year’s start leaves the team a lot of ground to make up. Recent first-round picks Zayne Parekh (2024), Matvei Gridin (2024) and Samuel Honzek (2023) have all earned time this year and could be major pieces going forward.
Trending: The teams split the series a year ago, with Columbus falling by a 5-2 score at Calgary on Nov. 29. The Saddledome has been a tough place to play for the Blue Jackets in recent years, with Columbus just 1-3-2 in its last six visits.
Former CBJ: Defenseman Jake Bean has played in 10 games, posting a single assist.
