Penguins at Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets' home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday will be the first major league sporting event in North America to be played without fans due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Blue Jackets' decision comes on the heels of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declaring that he will issue an order banning spectators from games in the state.
As for matters on the ice, Columbus finds itself clinging to the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference after salvaging the finale of their trek through Western Canada with a 2-1 victory versus Vancouver on Sunday. "I look at our record, some of those overtime losses -- we have 15 of them -- and you wonder if maybe we could turn a few of those around, where would we be?" Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella told The Athletic. "We're looking behind us (in the standings), too, but we're looking above, as to how close can we be there." With that in mind, the third-place Penguins moved five points ahead of Columbus after posting a 5-2 victory at New Jersey on Tuesday. "(It) was a step in the right direction, for sure," Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray said. "We did everything we needed to do. ... If we keep building on this one, we'll be in good shape."
TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (40-23-6): Evgeni Malkin collected two goals and an assist in Tuesday's contest to give him four and seven, respectively, during his five-game point streak. "I think the difference between Geno's game this year and Geno's game a year ago is his play on the other side of the puck," coach Mike Sullivan said of Malkin. "... He's making better decisions. And he's paying attention to the details. I give Geno a lot of credit." Bryan Rust, who has three goals and three assists in his last five games, scored in Pittsburgh's 1-0 overtime victory over Columbus on Dec. 12.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (33-22-15): Emil Bemstrom appears to have grown comfortable within the NHL as he has boosted his goal total to 10 in his rookie season by scoring five in his last eight games. The 20-year-old Swede's successful ways have been aided by Tortorella's decision to pair him with linemates Alexander Wennberg and Pierre-Luc Dubois during a game on March 1, with Bemstrom scoring the winning goal late in the third period. "He's one of those guys who has a shot that not more than one or two guys per team have," Dubois said of Bemstrom, per the Columbus Dispatch. "I think he can be one of those players that, you know, every team looks at us and says, 'OK, we've got to make sure this guy doesn't shoot too many pucks tonight, because it could be a long night for us.'"
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, who has been held off the scoresheet in seven of his last 11 games, notched two assists in a 7-2 romp over Columbus on Oct. 5.
2. Dubois leads the Blue Jackets in assists (31) and points (49), with four and five, respectively, coming in the last seven games.
3. Thursday's game will be limited to home and visiting club personnel, credentialed media and broadcast partners, essential club and arena staff, and NHL officials.