Anaheim @ Columbus preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 15, 2018 ) Anaheim 2, Columbus 1

The Columbus Blue Jackets are considered a team on the decline by many experts after losing their top scorer and All-Star goalie to free agency, but a 44-18 shot advantage in an overtime victory over Buffalo last time out showed they can still be a factor in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets look to build off their first victory of the season when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.

Columbus coughed up two leads before rookie forward Alexandre Texier scored in overtime for a 4-3 triumph Monday as the Blue Jackets try to find their swagger after losing Artemi Panarin and two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky. “We have such a belief in here,” Columbus captain Nick Foligno told reporters. “We’ve gone down that road a few years ago when we were an immature team, we worried about what everyone else thought. We don’t care at all. We are focused on how we feel as a group, which is very confident and understanding that when we play the right way, we’re going to win hockey games.” Anaheim won both meetings in overtime last season and comes in after suffering its first loss of the season Thursday 2-1 at Pittsburgh, but has allowed only five goals in four games to get off to a strong start. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, who owns a goal and an assist in the early going, can move past Corey Perry (988) for the franchise record in games played Friday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network; Prime Ticket (Anaheim), FS Ohio (Columbus)

ABOUT THE DUCKS (3-1-0): Forward Ondrej Kase, who scored 11 times in 30 games during an injury-plagued 2018-19 season, recorded the only goal in Thursday’s loss to tie defenseman Hampus Lindholm for the team lead with three points. The Ducks have made some changes up front to add speed to the lineup, but they can still be considered a physical team and proved it Thursday with 41 hits as Nick Ritchie shared the team lead with five while adding an assist. John Gibson has turned aside 124 of the 129 shots, but will likely take a seat for the first time this season Friday in favor of veteran backup Ryan Miller (378 career victories).

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (1-2-0): Speedy forward Cam Atkinson scored his second goal of the season Monday and leads the team with 14 shots on net while Foligno tops Columbus with three points. Power forward Josh Anderson, who scored a career-best 27 goals last season, is expected to miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury and 23-year-old former first-round pick Sonny Milano is likely to take his place again. Joonas Korpisalo, who is trying to fill Bobrovsky’s skates, earned the victory against Buffalo and has stopped 40 of the 47 shots he’s faced in two games.

OVERTIME

1. Anaheim F Rickard Rakell, who had three shots and no points in the first two games, recorded a goal in Tuesday's win at Detroit and had eight shots against Pittsburgh.

2. Columbus D David Savard is one goal shy of tying Rusty Klesla (41) for the franchise record among blueliners, with Seth Jones and Zach Werenski two back.

3. The Ducks have killed off 12-of-13 power plays, but came up empty on all nine chances with the man advantage in the first four contests.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 4, Ducks 2