Red Wings at Blue Jackets Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets will stay at home this weekend, and it will be the Detroit Red Wings coming to town. There is not much hype or anticipation for this matchup of struggling Central Division teams, but it gives the Blue Jackets a chance to finish the year strong.

Detroit has lost four of its last five games, and the Red Wings are dealing with a number of injury concerns at this time. The Red Wings are now in last place in the Central with just 45 points on the year.

The Blue Jackets have gone 2-2 in their last four games, and this is actually one of the best stretches in recent weeks. Columbus still has just 46 points on the year, but the Blue Jackets are out of the cellar. 

Columbus is the favorite at -150 for this Friday night game against the Red Wings. 

Detroit Just Doesn’t Score

Fans of the Blue Jackets know how tough it has been for them to score goals this season, but it has actually been much worse for the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit is scoring just over two goals per game, and now their top offensive player is done for the year.

Dylan Larkin leads the team with 23 points, but an injury will keep him out of the lineup as the Blue Jackets catch a break on Friday night. The Red Wings have converted on just 10 percent of their chances on the power play, and they don’t provide much of a threat at all.

The Red Wings have given up three goals or less in each of their last six games, and they try to slow things down with the puck. Detroit is hoping to win this game by scoring just one or two goals on Friday night. 

Columbus Showing Some Life

Even though it has been a disappointing season for the Blue Jackets, this team has started to show signs of life. The Blue Jackets have been giving top teams a battle over the last two weeks, and the offense scored four goals against Nashville earlier this week.

Oliver Bjorkstrand is the clear MVP of the season for the Blue Jackets, and he leads the team with 17 goals and 25 assists. Bjorkstrand just didn’t get enough help from his teammates in 2021, and that will be a focus next season.

The Blue Jackets also need to work on finding a better solution in the blue paint as they are giving up 3.24 goals per game. The Red Wings don’t pose much of an offensive threat, and that should allow the Blue Jackets to take control. 

Battle For 7th Place

There typically isn’t much to play for at this point in the season when teams have already been eliminated from playoff contention. Even though the Red Wings and Blue Jackets have both struggled in 2021, there is still some pride at stake.

Finishing in last place in the Central Division is not something that either team wants to happen, and that should lead to some excitement and drama on Friday night. The action on the ice might not be pretty at times, but this will be a tightly-contested matchup.

The Blue Jackets are the better overall team in this game, and this will provide them with a great chance to win their second straight game.