By admin 
The Blue Jackets are off to a strong start, but the biggest challenge of the season looms on Friday evening.
Columbus welcomes a Winnipeg team to Nationwide Arena that leads in points and outscored foes by an average of more than two goals per game (4.60-2.40).
There is no one hotter in the NHL, so the Blue Jackets will have to be on their game in the opening game. The good news is overall, as head coach Dean Evason has preached a ready-to-play mentality no matter when, where or who the Jackets play.
The result was a team that played generally the right way through the first nine games of the season, earning points in four straight games (3-0-1).
“Remember at the beginning of the year we talked about, we were playing a winning brand of hockey and not getting a few wins here and there,” Evason said after Wednesday night’s shutout win against the Islanders. “You’re not going to win every hockey game, but you just keep playing winning hockey in different ways and you’ll be rewarded.”
So far the rewards are like trick-or-treating candy. Columbus finished the month with a .611 points percentage, marking the fourth-best October in franchise history. The Blue Jackets have also won three straight games at Nationwide Arena for the first time in nearly two years (Nov. 10-17, 2022).
And last night’s win showed that the team can respond to a different kind of challenge. The Blue Jackets scored six goals in each of the first four wins, but the team had to adapt to the Islanders’ defensive style last night and did just that, sticking to the plan through two scoreless opening periods and then taking the decisive pair. in the third.
“You have to win any way you can,” said defenseman Damon Severson, who scored the winning goal in the third. “Obviously the fans love the six goals on the board and the cannon going off a lot, but that doesn’t really matter. As long as we win, whether it’s 1-0, 2-0 like tonight or 6-1, it doesn’t really matter. The most important thing is that after the match the cannon goes off for a victory.”
Know the Enemy: Winnipeg Jets
Head coach: Scott Arniel (first season)
Team Stats: Goals per match: 4.60 (1st) | Defense score: 2.40 (4th) | PP: 44.8 percent (1st) | PK: 81.0 percent (15th)
The story: Former Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel finally has a chance to sit in the big chair again, and he couldn’t have dreamed of a better start. Winnipeg won its first eight games and is now 9-1-0, with four of the wins coming with at least three goals. It’s a similar start to last year, when the Jets won 27 of their first 40 games to move to the top of the NHL standings, but the campaign ended in disappointment as the Jets fell in the first round of lost the play-offs. a row.
Team leaders: Kyle Connor, one of the top scorers in the NHL – having scored at least 30 goals in each of the past six full seasons – again leads the way with nine goals and is tied for third in the league. With 17 total points, he also ranks fifth in the NHL. Four other Jets have reached double figures in points so far: Mark Scheifele (6-7-13), Neal Pionk (3-9-12), Nikolaj Ehlers (4-7-11) and Josh Morrissey (1-10- 11 ).
On a net basis, one of the league’s best is off to another good start, as two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck is 7-1-0 with a 2.12 GAA save percentage and .923.
What’s new: The Jets made few additions to the roster this offseason, sticking with a core that has made six playoff appearances in the last seven years and won 52 games a season ago. However, there were some losses as current CBJ forward Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli left in free agency, while defensemen Nate Schmidt was bought out and Brendan Dillon also signed elsewhere. The biggest change came behind the bench, when Rick Bowness retired after a long career and was replaced by Arniel, who led the Blue Jackets to a 45-60-18 record in a season and a half from 2010-12.
Popular: Winnipeg won both games in the series a season ago by a combined 11-1 score, including a 6-1 victory on St. Patrick’s Day at Nationwide Arena. Those two wins for the Jets ended a five-game losing streak (4-0-1) for the Blue Jackets in the series.
Former CBJ: No