Columbus Blue Jackets November 2018 Schedule Outlook
After an easy month in October, the Columbus Blue Jackets schedule ramps up in November.
The 2018 season schedule for the Columbus Blue Jackets opens with an easy month of games in October. The Jackets should be in first place in the Metropolitan Division after their 11 games in the opening month.
November though is a beast. It might be the most challenging month on the schedule. The Jackets play 14 games in November including nine on the road and eight against playoff teams from a year ago.
The first week starts in California as the Jackets embark on their annual swing through the Golden State. On November 1st the Jackets will play against the San Jose Sharks who seem to be the best team in the league on paper after the acquisition of all-world defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Two nights later, the Jackets will play the Los Angeles Kings in the city of fallen angels. Jackets fans will get their first chance to see Ilya Kovalchuk in the NHL since 2013 when he played his final year with the Devils.
The next night, the Jackets will play in Orange County against the Ducks. This is the first of three back-to-backs the Jackets have in November.
Although three games in four nights is never fun and the Sharks look unbeatable on paper, the trip to California isn’t as daunting as it has been in recent seasons. Both the Kings and Ducks continue to get older and slower. Plus the trip happens fairly early in the season. The Jackets should have plenty in the tank to get through the tough travel and playing schedule.
Week Prediction: 1-1-1
Week Two: November 5th-11th
The Jackets will finish up their game in Anaheim around 1am Columbus local time and hop on a cross country flight back home Monday. This won’t leave the team in great shape for their Tuesday game against the Dallas Stars. The Stars, a disappointment in 2018, look poised to bounce back and make a playoff run this year.
Then a much needed two days off before flying to Washington D.C. for a Friday night tilt against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Jackets and Capitals will be fired up for this one. A rematch of the first round series that will certainly be fresh on the Jackets mind.
The Jackets have to then deal with the second back-to-back of the month as they fly back to Ohio to host the New York Rangers. Fortunately for the Jackets, the Rangers are also playing on the Friday night before as they face-off against the Red Wings in Detroit.
All three games present a difficult challenge from a scheduling stand point, let alone trying to matchup agains the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Jackets were a combined 5-1-0 aginst the Stars and Rangers last year while they were 1-3 against the Caps in the regular season. I see those records staying just about the same this year.
Week Two Prediction: 2-1-0
Week Three: November 12th-18th
The Jackets start week three in November just like they did week two – a showdown against the Dallas Stars. This time, in Texas.
The Stars have a good roster and if they didn’t play in the Central division would be a favorite to make the playoffs. Having just played the Jackets six days ago, the two teams will be very familiar with each other and you might see some fireworks during this game in Big D.
Related Story. October 2018 Schedule Analysis. light
The Jackets then fly back to Columbus to host a feisty Florida Panthers squad. This will be the second game of the season where the Jackets will don the beautiful alternative jerseys.
The Panthers should be a playoff team this year after just missing out in 2018. Newly minted Captain Aleksander Barkov is primed for a Hart Trophy season as well. The CBJ swept the Panthers last season with three big wins against the possible future home of Artemi Panarin. Expect that winning streak to come to an end.
Again, the Jackets hop on a flight and head to face Metro division rival Carolina. The Hurricanes are going to be getting used to a new coach, new owner, new GM, new top defenseman and some new rookies that are coming to town. The Jackets should handle business in an empty PNC Arena before the start the toughest week they have on the schedule for the entire season.
Week Three Prediction: 1-2-0
Week Four: November 19th-25th
Buckle up folks, this week could be an ugly one for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team starts the week after a long flight from Carolina in Toronto. The Monday November 19th matchup will be the first time the Jackets get a look at one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.
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The addition of John Tavares makes the Leafs a team almost impossible to match up against. They have incredible depth, a top 10 NHL goalie and a formidable home ice advantage. This one will be tough for the Jackets to pull out.
If they don’t win on Monday, they wont have to wait long to get revenge. The Jackets next bout will be a home game against the same Maple Leafs. This scheduling oddity at least gives the Jackets three full days off in between games while the Leafs have to fly to Carolina before the Friday game.
That game will be played on the Friday after Thanksgiving and the crowd will be sparse. Thanksgiving is a time of exodus for Columbus folks as many in this town are first generation residences with their extended and older portions of their family living in Cleveland, Cincinnati or other “older” cities in Ohio.
Plus this will be the cheapest game Toronto fans get to see this year outside of their journeys to Ottawa and Canadian Thanksgiving is in October. I expect the crowd to be at least 50/50 Maple Leaf fans and for attendance to low. It will certainly be an odd stadium atmosphere for this big matchup.
The schedule though doesn’t get easier after the two games agains the Leafs. The Jackets have to turn around the next night and play in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. Expect a run or two at former Jacket Jack Johnson after his absurd remarks regarding the lack of winning culture in Columbus.
The team will be fired up for this one and I expect the Jackets to get a win in the Steel City for the first time since November 13th of 2015.
Week Four Prediction: 1-2-0
Week Five: November 26th-30th
The final week of a daunting November should be a bit more manageable for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team will fly to Detroit to start the week against the lowly Red Wings. Detroit is in complete disarray this year and might give Ottawa a run for it’s money as the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
The final game of November is a home game against the Minnesota Wild. This will be the second game of the month that the Jackets will don the Cannon third jerseys. These final two games of the month are very winnable and after the tough schedule, the Jackets will need these four points.
Week Five Predictions: 1-0-1
November will be a long, challenging month for the team as they have no consecutive home games the entire month and have to travel to California, Dallas, and Toronto. All are long flights or have customs issues to compound the difficult games the team has to play.
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The Jackets should rocket out to a division lead in October but will dip back down a bit in November. My final, slightly optimistic, November record prediction is 6-6-2 over the teams 14 games.