What to look for

Tomorrow' the Blue Jackets have their fifth straight game at Nationwide Arena in a span of 9 days. I have come to the realization that this quirk in the schedule was a bad thing for the team.



They have played good hockey in this stretch. A tough shootout loss to Dallas, a wake-up call of a period against Colorado for their second win against the Avs, a loss to Minnesota that was tough to swallow considering they ended the game out shooting the Wild 14-1, and losing to the defending Stanley Cup champs with Anaheim getting lots of help from the refs.



Crowds have been dismal. It wasn't long ago that a Jackets game on a Saturday night was the toughest ticket in town to get. Now-a-days you can find lower bowl seats for half price thanks to many season ticket holders selling their tickets to a less-than-demanding supply and demand market. It's a shame since the locals are missing good, exciting hockey.



The Blue Jackets need to win as many as they can before taking their game on the road and playing Eastern Conference teams. This is a good chance to make-up ground in the standings. And with such an important stretch, it is a shame the fans have yet to respond.



The team has said they're taking the season in 10 game segments. They say they need to get 12 points per 10 game stretch to be able to be in playoff position. In the 30 game stretch thus far, they're four points off this pace with 32 points. They were 4-4-2 in the last 10 games, with five of those at home and all 10 against Western Conference teams. Seven of the next 10 are at home, and eight of them against conference foes.



What makes this stretch even more important is the Jackets are missing key players. David Vyborny was recently put on injured reserved, Fredik Modin has not progressed as well as the team hoped, and Jiri Novotny is still a few games away from returning. Also Manny Malhotra is currently out. That is a whole entire second line and also the third line center. But that means the rest of the team has to step up, and fans need to too.



So first off is Colorado tomorrow night, a team that might be kind of hungry for a win at Nationwide after the third period massacre. I don't think the team can just play for one period and expect to leave with a win. Also, they need to complete their passes. Do those, this team will get the two points and stay in the playoff hunt.