There’s an opportunity sitting in front of the Blue Jackets.
It’s a chance to not only get back on track, but to put themselves in a good position prior to U.S. Thanksgiving. Why does that matter? Because in this NHL where the loser point is prevalent and clogs up the standings, the playoff picture begins to crystallize in late November. Rarely will you see more than a slight deviation from then until the end of the season.
But, as we’ve seen in recent years, the big wild win streak isn’t out of the equation.
The Blue Jackets began their 16-game run just after the Thanksgiving holiday a season ago, but at that point, they were already solidly in the top half of the Eastern Conference. What that run did, though, was essentially guarantee them a place in the postseason with only 36 games down.
When you’re 27-5-4, you’ve basically locked in a spot.
The pace they’re currently on — 9-6-1 through 16 games — puts them at 97 points over a full season. Not as good as last year, but last year was kind of the perfect storm for the Blue Jackets: a 50-point fourth liner, a sizzling power play in the first half, a lights-out goaltender, etc. This year was always going to be harder, and just shy of 100 points would sure be something.
First things first: get back on the horse and take advantage of the schedule.
The Blue Jackets have already been beaten up by back-to-backs and three-in-four stretches. They’ll have two back-to-backs this week (Monday-Tuesday and now Friday-Saturday), but the first back-to-back was actually a three-in-four that started Saturday in Tampa.
Got all that?
Between now and Thanksgiving, the Blue Jackets will tackle a schedule that could best be described as friendly. They’ll play five games at home against four on the road through the end of the month. No disrespect meant to these teams, but Buffalo, Detroit and Montreal are not Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and St. Louis.
So, here's their opportunity. A less-than-threatening schedule with winnable games and gettable points, all in the name of putting their name in the playoffs hat at the most critical juncture of the season. It'll be fun to watch.
RIVERDALE: GOOD!
Yes, this is most often a space reserved for Star Wars takes and speculation.
Plot twist: today, we're going to talk about Riverdale.
I had no fewer than 10 people ask if I'd been watching the show (the answer was "no")...which of course prompted me to start watching it less than a week ago. Now, I've plowed through the first season and have made a large dent in the season season, which is currently ongoing.
Why the hell is Riverdale so addicting?
There's drama, mystery, empathy, relate-ability...all the essentials for a kickass show. I won't give any spoilers away but do yourself a favor and start the first season on Netflix. You'll probably fly through it.
YOU SHOULD BE READING
- Pierre-Luc Dubois is earning ice time and starting to produce – great sign.
- Back in the lineup and back to being an important piece. That's Cam Atkinson.
- How will the Blue Jackets deal with their first losing streak of the season?
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