BLUE JACKETS AT CANADIENS

THURSDAY, 7:30 P.M.

BELL CENTRE



BY THE NUMBERS





POST GAME: Ryan Johansen - LISTEN | Mark Letestu - LISTEN | Richards - LISTEN

WATCH: Ryan Johansen's GWG!

GAME AUDIO: Ryan Johansen steals the puck and scores a beauty in the third! | LISTEN





SECOND PERIOD ANALYSIS: Another solid period from the Jackets, who got their game going and put some pressure on the Canadiens' defense in the middle 20. For the second time in three games, we saw Jack Johnson make a great play by joining the rush and then setting up a goal; he circled the net, found Blake Comeau in the high slot, and the rebound was swept into the net by Brandon Dubinsky to give Columbus a 2-1 lead. The Jackets out-shot Montreal 13-7 in the second period but failed to convert on a 43-second two-man advantage, which was their only blemish of the period. Shots are 29-19 favoring the visitors.



WATCH: Brandon Dubinsky 2nd period goal

GAME AUDIO Brandon Dubinsky cleans up the garbage and scores in the second to put us up 2-1! | LISTEN

WATCH: Derek MacKenzie's 1st period short-handed goal.





FIRST PERIOD ANALYSIS: Safe to say that the first period featured a little bit of everything, wouldn't you say? The Blue Jackets and Canadiens are tied 1-1 after 20 minutes at the Bell Centre and both goals were...one could say...unique. The Canadiens scored first, seconds after Sergei Bobrovsky came across the crease to rob a one-time attempt, but the second shot ricocheted off Jack Johnson, then Bobrovsky, and into the net. But the Jackets got it back later in the period, using a crafty set face-off play by Mark Letestu - winning the draw forward - to get Derek MacKenzie a shorthanded goal on the door step of Carey Price. Columbus out-shot Montreal 16-12 in the first period and Ryan Johansen engaged in his first NHL fight after he had seen enough of Max Pacioretty late in the period.



GAME AUDIO: Derek MacKenzie ties it up with a remarkable short-handed goal! | LISTEN

WATCH: Pre-game interviews from Nathan Horton and Jack Johnson.





INSIDE EDGE: Game day edition from Montreal!



UPDATE (12:35 PM): Todd Richards made it official this morning and said Sergei Bobrovsky starts tonight against the Canadiens.



UPDATE (11:35 AM): As expected, the Blue Jackets' defense pairs will remain unchanged tonight. Here they are...



Johnson - Prout

Tyutin - Wisniewski

Niktin - Savard



UPDATE (11:30 AM): From our crew in Montreal...here are the Blue Jackets' line combinations from this morning's skate...



Jenner - Johansen - Horton

Calvert - Dubinsky - Atkinson

Foligno - Anisimov - Tropp

MacKenzie - Letestu - Comeau



- Notables: no RJ Umberger and no Jared Boll in these forward lines. We'll get an official update from Todd Richards after the skate, so don't draw any conclusions from the line combinations just yet.



UPDATE (10:45 AM): The Canadiens are wrapping up their morning skate at the Bell Centre. Carey Price will start in goal for the home team tonight, and he's played very well of late. Rene Bourque is among the scratches for Montreal.



MORNING SKATE: Bonjour! It's a game day in beautiful Montreal, where the Blue Jackets will face the Canadiens on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. The team is scheduled for a 11:30 a.m. morning skate at the Bell Centre, and as always, we'll have game day coverage for you right here at Game Day Central. Also, look for lineup changes, thoughts on the match-up against the Canadiens, storylines from the other side and an interview with coach Todd Richards. Stay tuned to this page for the latest!

More positive news on the injury front for the Blue Jackets came Wednesday, when Jared Boll was activated off injured reserve prior to an optional practice at Nationwide Arena. Richards said after practice that no decision has been made regarding Boll's status for the game in Montreal.



Expect the same six defensemen to face the Canadiens, while Richards is still contemplating a starting goaltender for Thursday's game. With a back-to-back starting in Montreal, it's plausible that both goalies could split action the next two games.