Columbus Blue Jackets: Rested or Rusty out of All-Star Break?
The Columbus Blue Jackets return to the ice tonight after another four day break for the All-Star game.
The recent schedule for the Columbus Blue Jackets has been inconsistent to say the least. The CBJ have only played three games in the last 18 days due to their mandatory bye week and All-Star break.
The Jackets will close out a disappointing January tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild are 6-2-2 in their last ten but were spanked 6-3 by the Pittsburgh Penguins in their last game on January 25th.
The inconsistency of the schedule in January clearly impacted the Columbus Blue Jackets. They never were able to string good performances in back to back games. That is evidence by only having two wins come back to back and both of those games were overtime or shootout wins.
Certainly injuries had an affect on the Jackets’ ability to get any momentum going but that is no longer an excuse. Cam Atkinson returned in their 2-1 win over Arizona right before the break. Brandon Dubinsky practiced with the team yesterday and was slotted on the third line. Ryan Murray is skating with the team as well.
Related Story: Atkinson Return Sparks Foligno, Wennberg
Rest=Rust for CBJ
Unfortunately history tells us that the Jackets don’t play as well when they have time off. in January they had 10 games in 31 days. Their performance on the ice was putrid even though they currently have a 5-4 record in the month.
Sergei Bobrovsky plays much better when he is able to get into a rhythm and build consistency. The lines need more game action as well to get acclimated to each other as new players are being added as the return from injury.
All this and a desperate Minnesota team make for a daunting matchup tonight. The Wild play in the only division tougher than the Metro and face an uphill climb to get in the playoffs. They have the same point total as the Jackets, 57, but sit in second to last in their division as the Jackets are second overall.
All signs point to a rough game tonight for the Columbus Blue Jackets but they quite frankly can’t afford a slow start to the second half. A home win is a must as they Jackets start their run toward the playoffs tonight at Nationwide Arena.