The Columbus Blue Jackets are coming off one of their more impressive third period performances of the season in which they came back from 2-0 down to eventually win 3-2 in the shootout. They hope to continue that momentum on home ice Saturday night when they host the Minnesota Wild.
After a lackluster two periods in Philadelphia, the Blue Jackets played their best hockey in the third period after a couple of changes to their lines. Those changes have stuck going into Saturday. But what is not changing is the starting goaltender.
Tarasov Earns Another Start
The Blue Jackets have been looking for one of their goalies to run with the opportunity when presented. Daniil Tarasov has done that by playing his best two games of the season in his last two starts. This has caused coach Pascal Vincent to admit a change in the goaltending plan.
Tarasov will get the start on Saturday night after making 39 saves in Philadelphia while stopping all three Flyers in the shootout. This start was a reward for him for his recent excellent play.
“Exactly,” Vincent said when asked if Tarasov starting was a reward. “So we have a plan. But in this league, the plan can change everyday. But right now, he deserved to (start.) We could argue he was our best player the last game. So he deserves no matter what another start.”
With Spencer Martin dressing as the backup to Tarasov on Saturday, that does mean Elvis Merzlikins will be a healthy scratch. Both Merzlikins and Martin worked before the morning skate.
This isn’t a case of anything more than starting a goalie in Tarasov that has played well in consecutive starts earning another opportunity.
Sillinger Promoted
By the end of the Flyers’ game, Cole Sillinger found himself centering Yegor Chinakhov and Kirill Marchenko. This meant the Russian line along with Dmitri Voronkov was broken up. The line hasn’t played as well in recent games.
This is both a case of Sillinger deserving of an opportunity higher in the lineup coupled with Voronkov still learning the NHL. Here’s Vincent on both situations.
“So real good start together, right?” Vincent said on the Russian line. “They were really dynamic. Just see a little dip. So we’re gonna play with that. We did in the third period in Philadelphia. I’m not saying that they’re not gonna go back together but right now they’re not together.”
“But (it’s) play with the puck. He’s a first-year player in the NHL. He’s a big man and it’s doesn’t feel that’s he’s a first year. But he’s a first-year NHL player so he’s learning the NHL game. Everything is different for him like we said before the language, the food, the lifestyle, everything, coaches, the systems, the ice, the opponents.”
“Those three guys together recently, and maybe I should have made the change earlier, but the last game, I felt ok, enough, we have to change them up a little bit and we’ll go from there. But his attitude, when I speak to him with Marchenko as a translator, he’s really good. He wants to do the right thing. He had some good shifts the last game. I thought he was skating the last game. So that’s a good sign.”
“Sillinger has been playing really well for us. He’s a key guy on our PK. He’s been solid defensively. He’s playing a simple game. He was physical the last game so he’s doing the things that we’re asking him to do really well. So when you do that, you earn something and that’s what we’re doing.”
Voronkov will skate on the fourth line between Alex Texier and Mathieu Olivier.
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