The Blue Jackets will try to win their third game in a row tonight in Buffalo

The Blue Jackets have won two games in a row, and four of their last six overall. They will hope to keep their rapidly improving points total moving in the right direction tonight, as they take on the Sabres in Buffalo.

Over this most recent stretch of games, the Jackets have been playing pretty good hockey-even in their two losses. It hasn't always been pretty, but the entire mindset of this team seems to have shifted in a big way.

Gone is the team that folds under pressure. Instead, they have been able to weather through the momentum shifts of each game, sticking within the system put in place by Rick Bowness and his coaching staff through thick and thin. The results have spoken for themselves.

Tonight, they face a Sabres team that has been pretty streaky. They lost their last game 2-1, on Wednesday night against the Ottawa Senators. Before that, they had a three game winning streak that followed a three game losing streak.

The Jackets will try to put them back onto a losing streak tonight, but it won't be easy. Lets take a look at three things that could help them win this game.

Dominate the middle of the ice.

The one area where I think the Blue Jackets have a huge advantage tonight is at the center ice position. They present a bit of a matchup nightmare for the Sabres, with Adam Fantilli, Charlie Coyle, and Sean Monahan at their deployment.

Until they were dominated by the Stars last night, the Jackets were the #2 team in the NHL at the faceoff dot (now #7, 53.3%). The Sabres are all the way at the other end of the spectrum, sitting 30th (45.2%).

But this is about more than just faceoffs. The Jackets are big, fast, talented, and responsible at this position. If they play up to their potential, they should be able to own the middle of the ice in all three zones tonight. Keeping Buffalo to the outside is probably the biggest key to success here. They are talented on the wings, but not as much down the middle.

The AHL boost?

Late last night, the Blue Jackets officially announced the recall of forwards Steven Lorentz and Jack Williams. After demoting Emil Andrae and Danton Heinen to the Cleveland Monsters earlier in the day, the team hopes to spark their bottom-six with a couple of new faces.

Whether one or both of them plays tonight is yet to be seen. However, I don't think the team made these moves by accident. Lorentz was acquired as part of the Matthew Knies trade, and he started the season red hot for the Monsters. He scored 7 goals and 9 points in 9 games. At 6'4" and almost 220 pounds, the 30-year-old has played under Don Waddell before, and should bring an energetic spark to the lineup when he goes in.

Meanwhile, Jack Williams was very impressive at CBJ training camp this fall, nearly earning a spot on the team to start the year. But the salary cap and roster structure made that an uphill climb, so he had to wait his turn. He has 5 points (1 goal) in 7 AHL games so far. As a right shot center, he will bring a different look to the bottom six-as well as some added speed and skill.

Just keep playing CBJ hockey.

The main reason this team has started to right the ship, is because they have started to play as a team. As mentioned at the top, no matter the circumstances of the game, they have been sticking to the system and playing smart hockey.

Guys are no longer trying to do too much with the puck, or making poor decisions on the ice. They are working as a unit in all three zones, clogging up passing lanes and making smart passes of their own. They just need to keep doing that tonight, and keep their legs moving for the full 60 minutes.

This is the second of three matchups between these two teams this season. The first one was opening night, where the Jackets won 5-3. Lets hope for a repeat of that kind of game, it was one of the most fun games we have seen so far. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 Eastern time from Buffalo.

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