January has, for all intents and purposes, come and gone.
The Blue Jackets have waded their way through a muddy month and have found a way to put some points in the bank. It's been downright ugly at times, like last week's survival in Arizona, but the truth is they're tied for second in the Metro with two games in hand on Pittsburgh as we wake up today.
That's not all that bad.
But as we touched on last week, the road ahead is littered with games against division opponents that are jockeying for position right along with them. After tomorrow's game against the Minnesota Wild and Friday's game against the San Jose Sharks, the Blue Jackets set off on an odyssey that can only be described as a gauntlet.
They'll be going up against New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington and others right out of the chute in February. How's that for revving up your playoff race?
And honestly, I think it will be good for them.
Part of this funk they've been stuck in could be attributed to a lack of division games. Let's be real: games have a different tone to them if you're playing the Pittsburgh Penguins as opposed to the Arizona Coyotes. The Blue Jackets have dropped some clunkers this season to either non-playoff teams or non-conference teams, and they've played some of their better games against Metro foes.
One that comes to mind: their 5-3 win over the Devils in Newark. Also, two OT/SO losses to the Penguins in Pittsburgh that were well-played and generally encouraging despite blown leads and one point instead of two. They've beaten the Hurricanes, Islanders, Rangers and Flyers in different ways, and on the other hand, found ways to lose to the Canucks, Sabres and Oilers.
You hope the Blue Jackets approach this coming month as make-or-break: with a strong month, they can really put themselves in good position for the final six weeks. With a bad month, they're going to need some kind of run in March to stay in it. We've thought all year long that the Blue Jackets have another level in their game, and this would be the ideal time to unleash it. Maybe, just maybe, playing a string of four-point head-to-head divisional games will help make it happen.
YOU SHOULD BE READING
- Is Nationwide Arena close to having a $10 million loan forgiven? A new Dispatch report says that may be the case.
- Paul Berthelot is our newest staff writer at 1st Ohio Battery, and his debut piece examines why the Blue Jackets have struggled 4-on-4 this season.
- How are the Blue Jackets tracking to make the playoffs? Dan Dukart's "road map" series just got another update.
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