After a heartbreaking shootout loss on Saturday night against the New York Rangers, the Columbus Blue Jackets look to finish off the homestand on a positive note with two big points against a fast Montreal Canadiens team.
In their previous game, the Blue Jackets physically stayed afloat with the Rangers, but couldn’t get the elusive extra point in overtime after a sloppy finish to the game. So, how do the Blue Jackets turn the tide tonight, and capture 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 a mindset to play physical and to be the ones to start the attack, not react to the Canadiens’ flurry.
How Columbus chooses to use their lines will be another critical piece to this point, as last game Dean Evason chose to roll with three forward lines down the stretch because he needed his team to continue to forecheck well against the Rangers. The Blue Jackets cannot run from this game plan; this is how they are built to excel in games like this.
I expect Evason to have a shorter leash for some of his less physical players like Yegor Chinakhov and Kent Johnson. When the game requires the physical element to be in full effect, sometimes skill guys become the first ones axed in the lineup.
How Columbus forechecks in games has ultimately determined the score in most of their games to this point as well. When it is a priority and they do it effectively, they have swallowed teams up, but when they just dump the puck in and don’t attack, the result is often the Blue Jackets left playing on their heels all game long.
Play a Full 60 Minutes
The one kickback to the Blue Jackets game lately has been their inability to play a full 60 minutes. They have come out of the gates strong, and then can’t catch that second wind in the third period. Tonight against Montreal, that cannot be a trap they fall into again.
The Canadiens have struggled mightily in the second period of games recently; they have allowed 11 goals in the last six middle periods. The Blue Jackets have to find a way to capitalize on this trend.
Related: ESPN’s John Buccigross Discusses State of the Blue Jackets
Columbus has shown a pattern of hanging with teams through the first period, getting ahead after the second period, but then not pressuring enough in the third period. Here tonight, the goal should be to pressure more than ever in the second period and overwhelm the Canadiens to an insurmountable lead in the third period.
Finishing Chances One-on-One With Dobes
One of the downfalls in the Blue Jackets’ offensive game has been their inability to light the lamp. If they want to be any sort of serious threat coming out of the Eastern Conference this season, they need to find a way to light the lamp more frequently.
Right now, another struggle for the Canadiens heading into this game has also been their defensive breakdowns in front of their goaltenders. Jakub Dobes was spectacular to start the season, but consistent breakdowns in front of him lately by Montreal defensemen have allowed many teams to take advantage and score on Dobes and fellow netminder Samuel Montembeault.
Team Finishing – November 16 pic.twitter.com/UeB4Zrdm62
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) November 16, 2025
The Blue Jackets have been consistently one of the worst teams all season at finishing chances in the crease. That has to change tonight if they want a chance to beat Montreal on home ice. The Blue Jackets have been held in check by a lot of goaltenders lately, but the dam looks ready to break.
Evason has been switching a lot of forward lines around lately to find the right combination, so don’t be shocked if the Blue Jackets crack the code tonight and finish off their chances in front with Dobes in the crease.
