Columbus Blue Jackets
Home Games: Red Wings, Penguins, Avalanche, Blackhawks, Islanders, Coyotes
Away Games: Hurricanes, Flyers, Stars, Lighting, Panthers
Credit: Rob Leifheit-USA TODAY Sports
Last but not least, the Jackets. As mentioned before, the Jackets game against Detroit will be absolutely critical. They have shown they are capable of beating Detroit this season, but they’ll have to bring their best game tomorrow night to make it happen. They need that win, because facing the Penguins will be a significantly tougher game for the Jackets.
On the stat sheet, the Jackets should definitely be able to beat Carolina. However, they proved incapable of beating the Canes at home last week, losing a disappointing and staggering loss last Tuesday. After they face the Canes again, the Jackets have another must-win game against the Flyers. That should be a fairly even game, but it is likely the Jackets will be playing an absolutely desperate game against Philadelphia.
The Avalanche and Blackhawks will both present a daunting challenge for Columbus, and the Jackets will need to find a way to pull off some home wins against them if they want to keep their Playoff hopes alive. Then they will face the Islanders, a team they should be able to beat but lost to yesterday. They’ll have to pull off a win there and likely a win at home against the Yotes as well. Phoenix is only one point better than the Jackets on the stat sheet, so that should be a pretty even game as well.
Then The Jackets go on the road to face the Dallas Stars in the makeup of the game that was postponed earlier this season. The good news for the Jackets there is that they will be going into a full 60-minute game already ahead by one goal. They need to win that one.
Lastly, the Jackets finish out the regular season in Florida, against a tough Tampa Bay team and an easier opponent in the Panthers. Overall, the Jackets have some hard opponents coming up, and some opponents who they should be able to beat but have dropped games to recently. Hopefully they can put the past behind them and scrape together some wins and make it into the Playoffs this year.