{"id":2899,"date":"2016-10-29T22:24:50","date_gmt":"2016-10-30T02:24:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=2899"},"modified":"2016-10-29T22:35:50","modified_gmt":"2016-10-30T02:35:50","slug":"blue-jackets-winners-and-losers-weeks-two-and-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2016\/10\/29\/blue-jackets-winners-and-losers-weeks-two-and-three\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jackets’ Winners and Losers: Weeks Two and Three"},"content":{"rendered":"

Due to the shortened nature of week two, which was really just a weekend, it seems reasonable to combine it with the recently completed week three in our look at the winners and losers for the\u00a0Columbus Blue Jackets<\/strong>. Despite the rough 0-2-0 start at the hands of\u00a0the\u00a0Boston Bruins <\/strong>and San Jose Sharks<\/strong>, weeks 2 and 3 proved to be much more productive for a Columbus squad fighting to avoid a repeat of last year’s inauspicious start.<\/p>\n

After beating the\u00a0Chicago Blackhawks<\/strong> by a score of 3-2 on October 21, the Jackets began a difficult four game\u00a0Western Conference\u00a0<\/strong>swing that began against the ever-dangerous\u00a0Dallas Stars<\/strong> on October 22. Despite the difficulties of traveling between back-to-back games, the players looked fresh and eager to impress, coming away from Dallas with a 3-0 win. The final three games of the road trip all took place in California, resulting in an overtime loss\u00a0against the\u00a0Los Angeles Kings<\/strong>,\u00a0another difficult 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks, and a 4-0 win over\u00a0the\u00a0Anaheim Ducks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Now, with an October record of 3-3-1 and many of the players finding their stride, the Jackets turn their eyes to a November schedule that doesn’t appear to offer much relief. With this in mind, the questions remain: who won the past two weeks, and who needs to step up?<\/p>\n

Winners<\/h2>\n

Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Making his second appearance in a row as a part of the winners’ circle, Bobrovsky has seemingly returned to a form reminiscent of his Vezina-winning season of 2013-14. Even when the team ahead of him puts forth a mediocre performance, Bobrovsky has shone. Although he has allowed 14 goals in the first seven games, that number pales in comparison to the 218 saves he has had to make in this first month of the regular season. He has faced the third most shots of any goalie in the NHL with 232, placing him behind only\u00a0Cam Talbot<\/a><\/strong> and\u00a0Marc-Andre Fleury<\/a><\/strong>. Whether or not he can sustain his .940 save average is yet to be seen, but for now,\u00a0he is squarely in the NHL’s top ten for goaltenders.<\/p>\n

\n

#CBJ<\/a> netminder Sergei Bobrovsky stellar on the road trip, going 2-1-1 with 1.25 GAA, .960 SV% and 2 SO.<\/p>\n

— CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) October 29, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n