Monthly Outlook: Why the Blue Jackets Will Make a Move in November

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After the best start in franchise history, winning five of their first six games, the Jackets finished the month of October with an ugly six games stretch going 1-4-1. In those final six games, the Jackets gave up an average of 4.83 goals a game: not exactly a typical Hitchcock hockey team.

Although recent play might not suggest it, the Jackets are prone to go on a roll in the month of November.

One of the main factors that went into the Jackets ending the month as poorly as they did was due to the fact that they had to make two separate trips to the west coast and it caught up to them toward the end of the month. In the month of November, the Jackets only have to leave the Eastern Time Zone once.

Another key factor is the fact that defenseman Jan Hedja, who is a combined +51 in 2+ seasons as a Jacket, was limited to only five games in the first month of the season due to a knee injury.

In the five games he has played this year, the Jackets are giving up only 2.2 goals a game, compared to the 4.83 when he is not in the lineup.

The good news? He is due back this Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks, which should be a huge boost to the team.

Finally, the Jackets play six of their 14 games in the month of November against teams from the Eastern Conference; not really that big of deal for most teams.

The difference? Most teams do not have a guy by the name of Steve Mason between the pipes. Mason's career numbers against the East are a ridiculous 12-1-1 with a 1.14 goals against average, .959 save percentage, and six shutouts.

Nobody can really expect him to match those numbers from last year, but anything remotely close should be good enough to win most games.

The Jackets will need more than just that to improve on their average 6-5-1 record though.

Coming into the season big things were expected from center Derick Brassard after putting up a point per game pace before his season ending shoulder injury last year. He will need to pick up his play, offensively and defensively, if the Jackets want to start putting winning streaks together.

In addition to Brassard, defenseman Mike Commordore is still trying to get into game shape after missing most of training camp and the beginning of the season with various injuries. He will need to start logging more minutes to give the young defense of the Jackets a little more stability.

All in all, the month of November is shaping up to be a memorable one for the Jackets. In addition to the points noted above, one more thing to keep an eye on is the emergence of captain Rick Nash as an elite player in the National Hockey League.

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