The Columbus Blue Jackets are on an absolute roll at the moment. They have one regulation loss in all of November and they have done most of it without their star defender, Seth Jones. Jones was out with a hairline fracture in his foot and was expected to miss 2-3 weeks because of it. He was able to return in 2 weeks time but is that enough time for the dynamic defender? Jackets fans have to believe so.
Even though Jones missed six games due to injury, he is still in second place in defensemen scoring, it isn’t particularly close either. His offense from the back end and playmaking ability isn’t matched, save for someone like Zach Werenski. The two together make for one of the better pairings in the Metro division. It can’t be understated how impressive it has been that the Jackets continued to win in spite of Jones being out of the lineup.
His shot differential numbers haven’t been stellar by any stretch and some of it can be attributed to the tough schedule they faced at the beginning of the year. As the Jackets begin to face some varied foes, don’t be surprised if these numbers begin to perk back up and stay positive.
The Colorado Avalanche aren’t the Corsi pushovers they once were but they still employ a high flying attack that plays into Seth Jones’ favor. He will get a near immediate test on his foot, if he isn’t at full strength he could be exposed early. It will make for an interesting chess match as former Monster’s head coach Jared Bednar is in town. Could targeting Jones on the ice be in his bag of tricks?
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