Every team in the National Hockey League plays 82 regular-season games, but there's always some intriguing characteristics when taking a closer look at each team's slate of games.
Learn you some knowledge about our season skeddy pic.twitter.com/mIg7OSA57z
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) August 24, 2019
Here are three features for the Blue Jackets' 2019-20 schedule:
16 Back-to-Back Games
| Metropolitan Division Teams | Scheduled Back-to-Back Games During the 2019-20 Season |
|---|---|
| Carolina Hurricanes | 16 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 16 |
| New Jersey Devils | 14 |
| New York Islanders | 10 |
| New York Rangers | 13 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 16 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 17 |
| Washington Capitals | 12 |
With Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins vying to become the No. 1 goaltender, the above-average number of back-to-back sets won't be a major inconvenience in net.
The largest issue is the top line–featuring Cam Atkinson and Gustav Nyquist–two forwards who will be 30-years old. Opportunities for younger forwards to get more ice time, and–in particular instances–move up the lineup will also come into play.
Defensively, the three players (Seth Jones, Zach Werenski and Ryan Murray) who averaged the most ice time the previous year will all be under 27, making noticeable changes less plausible during these instances.
17 Games in 30 Days
From February 1, 2019 through March 1, 2019, Columbus will play 17 games in 30 days.
The Bad News: The Blue Jackets won't have much time to rest during this stretch, which could end up being detrimental to their playoff hopes. February, to no surprise, is the most loaded month for the squad–featuring four back-to-back sets and never going more than two calendar days without a fixture.
The Good News: February; a boring month for sports fans, will feature 16 Blue Jackets games and another matchup on the first day of March for a cherry on top. Thank you, NHL?
Only Nine of the Final 23 Contests will be Played at Nationwide Arena
Fourteen of the final 23 Blue Jackets games will be played on the road. This isn't the ideal way to end the season, with the toughest excerpt from this stretch being a five-game road trip including the Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Dallas Stars (in that particular order) during the latter half of March.
