The Columbus Blue Jackets haven't looked promising early on this season, but that isn't a huge detriment as their opponents on Monday Night are fellow cellar dwellers. The Blue Jackets, last in the Central division, are hosting the Calgary Flames -- the team at the bottom of the Northwest division.
The Blue Jackets have momentum on their side as they are coming off of a big 4-3 overtime victory against the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. The Flames have seven more points in the standings, however, as Columbus is still just 4-13-2 on the season.
SB Nation's Blue Jackets blog believes a change in goal might be the reason Columbus has looked better as of late. Dan P. of The Cannon explains more in his preview:
The top line looked solid Saturday night with Jeff Carter and Vinny Prospal both scoring goals directly assisted by Rick Nash. R.J. Umberger cashed in on the Power Play by -- wait for it -- crashing the net. James Wisniewski picked a great time to get his first CBJ goal.
But, the story of the past two games is probably more Curtis Sanford than anything. The career journeyman backup has made two starts in a row, and the Jackets have three of a possible four points in those starts. The team seems to have a bit more jump, and a bit more confidence in their goaltending. And confidence breeds confidence when you finally see some results.
Columbus still has a ways to go to make up the disparity in the Central standings, but every point counts.