Within the same week as playing the Central Division leading Minnesota Wild, the Nashville Predators have been given another challenge in facing another one of the NHL’s elite teams: the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The surprise of the NHL this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have skyrocketed in the standings. After finishing 27th in the league last season, the Blue Jackets are 2nd behind Washington yet have a game in hand. While numerous analysts tried for the longest time to discredit the success of the Blue Jackets and surmount it to a mere accumulation of luck and playing other teams on their “off nights”, the 16-game winning streak the Blue Jackets went on silenced most of their critics.