Columbus Blue Jackets (40 pts) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (41 pts) Game Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins will take the ice against one another tonight for the second time this season. The first game of the season series saw the CBJ blow the Pens out of Nationwide Arena by a score of 6-2.

But the next two games are in Pittsburgh, and that spells doom for the Jackets. Columbus hasn't won a game at PPG Paints Arena since November of 2015. They're also the worst road team in the league at 4-12-3, so this could be a long night.

The Pens come into this game having lost their last two games in OT and are 4-3-3 in their last ten. Despite Pittsburgh having a pretty pedestrian season based on their standards, their power play and penalty kill are both in the top 12, and they're also top 12 in goals scored. But, the CBJ score a lot of goals, and the Pens are dead last in the NHL in goals given up.

Could this be the night that the Jackets break this long losing streak?

The Penguins are currently 4th in the Metro, 8th in the East, and 19th in the league.

The Blue Jackets are 5th in the Metro, 10th in the East, and 21st in the league.

Series History vs. The Penguins

• Columbus is 4-18-5 on the road and 17-29-9 in 55 all-time meetings vs. Pittsburgh.

• The Jackets are 3-3-1 in the last seven against the Pens.

• The CBJ hasn't won in PPG Paints Arena since November 13, 2015.

Who To Watch For The Penguins

• Sidney Crosby leads the team with 31 assists and 42 points. He also has 61 points in 43 career games against the CBJ.

• Rickard Rakell leads the Pens with 18 goals.

• Tristan Jarry is 8-6 with a .886 SV%.

• Alex Nedeljkovic is 6-6 with a .888 SV%. He started the Pens last game against Carolina.

CBJ Player Notes vs. The Penguins

• Zach Werenski has 12 points in 19 games against the Penguins.

• James van Riemsdyk has 31 points in 55 games.

• Sean Monahan has 12 points in 23 games vs. Pittsburgh.

Injuries

• Boone Jenner (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 7; (40 Games)

• Erik Gudbranson (upper body) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 16; (37 Games)

• Yegor Chinakhov (upper body) is on Injured Reserve (19 Games)

• Justin Danforth (lower body) is on Injured Reserve on Dec.10; (12 Games)

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 157

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts on our forum.