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Columbus Blue Jackets: 3 Winnable Games Ahead This Week

By Preston Byers

OTTAWA, ON - MARCH 04:Ottawa Senators Goalie Craig Anderson (41) looks around Columbus Blue Jackets Winger Nick Foligno (71) who's providing the screen during a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators on March 04, 2017, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, On. (Photo by Jason Kopinski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - MARCH 04:Ottawa Senators Goalie Craig Anderson (41) looks around Columbus Blue Jackets Winger Nick Foligno (71) who's providing the screen during a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators on March 04, 2017, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, On. (Photo by Jason Kopinski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Columbus Blue Jackets bounced back after a rough five-game stretch and have won three games in a row. And it’s not impossible for the team to extend that streak to six after the upcoming week.

Fortunately, the Columbus Blue Jackets do not play any back-to-back games in the next week. They play on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in a relatively calm week of the schedule.

11/20 – Buffalo Sabres

The opening game will be a road game against our most bitter rivals, the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo has had a very tough start to their season. With 14 points through 20 games, the Sabres are in last place in the Eastern Conference. And if the Coyotes weren’t the worst team basically ever, the Sabres would also be in last place in the entire NHL.

Although I’m bagging on them now, the team has talent. Jack Eichel, Evander Kane and company are not to be scoffed at. The team as a whole is struggling, but a hot game from a few of their stars and the CBJ could see themselves on the losing end.

Minding the Metro: Still Above the Penguins

11/22 – Calgary Flames

Calgary is pretty much in the middle of the projected playoff teams. They’re looked at as a good team, but not a great one.

Recently, the most well-known thing that the Flames have done is have a line brawl with the Detroit Red Wings. It was fun, in my humble opinion.

The Flames are a good team, and definitely a team that can beat the Jackets. It’s a pretty even game, all things considering.

11/24 – Ottawa Senators

After we get to see Jagr, we also get to see Matt Duchene, a player that many CBJ fans and reportedly the front office wanted. As a Senator, Duchene has failed to score a point yet. That’s not a huge deal though. He’s still getting used to the team after spending his entire NHL career with the Avalanche.

The Sens are really dangerous, even without a scoring Duchene. The likes of Karlsson, Ryan and Hoffman still skate for Ottawa, so it’s not going to be an easy game.

Let’s just hope that the Senators come out like they did against Arizona.

Next: Could Zach Werenski play forward?

Overall

This is a very winnable three-game week. The Columbus Blue Jackets are ranked by many as one of the best teams in the NHL and these are the kinds of weeks that the best teams love. None of the three teams they face this week are great, and they even have a very bad team on the schedule as the lone road game.

The very minimum for this week should be four points. Anything less than that is not great for a team trying to grab sole possession of the Metro Division.

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