Early look · NHL 2026-27

Columbus Blue Jackets at Vancouver Canucks: game preview

ColumbusBlue Jackets2026-27: 1-1-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 40-30-12 · 92 pts · 17that

VancouverCanucks2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 25-49-8 · 58 pts · 32nd

Puck drop16 Jan · 10:00 PM ET

VenueRogers Arena

All-time meetings75 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Thirty-four points apart last season

Columbus finished last season 17th in the league on 92 points. Vancouver finished 32nd on 58.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 76

Across 75 completed games, Vancouver lead the head-to-head 46-18-11.

All-time record46-18-11Vancouver's record in the series

Meetings played75This is number 76

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Vancouver

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

15 Jan 2026VAN 1 – CBJ 4——CBJ

8 Nov 2025CBJ 3 – VAN 4——VAN

28 Mar 2025VAN 6 – CBJ 7 SO——CBJ

6 Dec 2024CBJ 2 – VAN 5——VAN

27 Jan 2024CBJ 4 – VAN 5 OT——VAN

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateColumbusVancouver

8 Nov 20257-7-0 · 14 pts28th8-8-0 · 16 pts23rd

15 Jan 202621-19-7 · 49 pts24th16-26-5 · 37 pts32nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 8 Nov 2025, Columbus were 28th in the league and Vancouver 23rd. By 15 Jan 2026 it was 24th and 32nd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Columbus out-attempted Vancouver 149 to 114

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Columbus Blue Jackets

149 att · 68 on goal · 7 G · 10.3%

Crease18 att · 2 G

Slot59 att · 3 G

Wing50 att · 1 G

Point19 att · 1 G

Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Vancouver Canucks

114 att · 55 on goal · 5 G · 9.1%

Crease9 att · 0 G

Slot45 att · 3 G

Wing37 att · 2 G

Point21 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Columbus have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

ColumbusVancouver

2.43xG for per game2.44

2.78xG against per game3.15

46.7%xG share43.6%

+2.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals+9.2

−1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−5.4

This season: 2 games for Columbus, 4 for Vancouver. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Columbus

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2740.0%

Power play · 2025-2618.9% · 22nd

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2766.7%

Penalty kill · 2025-2676.0% · 28th

Faceoffs · 2026-2755.9% · 71/127

Drawn · 2026-275 (2.50/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Vancouver

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2723.1%

Power play · 2025-2621.8% · 14th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2768.8%

Penalty kill · 2025-2671.5% · 32nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2749.3% · 112/227

Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Columbus

Expected starter after their game on 15 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vancouver

Expected starter after their game on 14 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Columbus crease

CBJ · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 13 Jan

Jet Greaves.8772 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.4

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.

Vancouver crease

VAN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 13 Jan

Kevin Lankinen.8243 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx −6.4

Leevi Meriläinen.9432 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Columbus in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

15 Jan 20265 · VAN 1–4 CBJ

8 Nov 20257 · CBJ 3–4 VAN

28 Mar 202513 · VAN 6–7 CBJ

6 Dec 20247 · CBJ 2–5 VAN

27 Jan 20249 · CBJ 4–5 VAN

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Columbus3.503.503.093.09

Vancouver4.754.502.633.85

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.6Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings8.2Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

Columbus · injuries

No players listed.

Vancouver · injuries

Akil ThomasUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Filip ChytilShoulderIRReturn8 Oct

Jack ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Mackenzie MacEachernUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Thatcher DemkoHipIRReturn21 Dec

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

6 Oct · CBJ

Placed LW Mikael Pyyhtia on waivers.

1 Oct · CBJ

Placed D Ivan Provorov on injured reserve.

27 Sep · CBJ

Assigned G Pheonix Copley to Cleveland (AHL).

27 Sep · VAN

Placed G Nikita Tolopilo on waivers.

25 Sep · VAN

Claimed G Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa. Placed F Filip Chytil on injured reserve. Assigned F Braeden Cootes to Abbotsford (AHL).

24 Sep · VAN

Assigned Fs Ty Mueller, Riley Patterson, Ilya Safonov and Chase Wouters, Ds Kirill Kudryavtsev and Sawyer Mynio to Abbotsford (AHL). Loaned F Ben Berard and D Isaac Belliveau to Abbotsford. Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford F Trey Fix-Wolansky and Ds Cole Clayton and Jimmy Schuldt.

Injury report

Columbus · 2026 draft

See all: Columbus · 2026 draft →

#14Oscar HemmingRound 1 · Boston CollegeLW

#94Alessandro Di IorioRound 3 · SarniaC

#121Evan JardineRound 4 · YoungstownLW

#142Parker SnellRound 5 · EdmontonG

Full draft

Vancouver · 2026 draft

See all: Vancouver · 2026 draft →

#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC

#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW

#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC

#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW

Full draft

Saturday 16 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 16 January · the full slate →

VANThis game 10:00 PM ET

SJSat

SEA

Scores

Updated after every final

Columbus Blue Jackets at Vancouver Canucks: game preview

Thirty-four points apart last season

Meeting number 76

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Columbus out-attempted Vancouver 149 to 114

Columbus Blue Jackets

Vancouver Canucks

Columbus have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Columbus

Vancouver

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Columbus crease

Vancouver crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

5 on the injury lists

Columbus · injuries

Vancouver · injuries

Latest moves

Columbus · 2026 draft

Vancouver · 2026 draft

Saturday 16 January · the full slate