The Blue Jackets are off to a good start, but the biggest challenge of the season looms Friday night.

Columbus hosts a Winnipeg team at Nationwide Arena that leads in scoring percentage and outscores its opponents by an average of over two goals per game (4.60-2.40).

There’s no one hotter in the NHL, so the Blue Jackets will have to be on their game on the opening faceoff. The good news they generally have, as head coach Dean Evason has preached a mentality of being ready to play no matter when, where or who the Jackets are playing.

The result was a team that generally played well in its first nine games of the season and picked up points in four straight (3-0-1).

“Remember at the beginning of the year that we were talking about, we were playing a winning type of hockey and we didn’t have a few wins here and there,” Evason said after Wednesday night’s shutout of the Islanders. “You’re not going to win every hockey game, but you just keep playing winning hockey in different ways and you get rewarded.”

So far, the rewards have come like candy to give away. Columbus finished the month with a .611 points percentage, marking the fourth-best October in franchise history. The Blue Jackets have also won three straight games in Nationwide Arena for the first time in nearly two years (November 10-17, 2022).

And last night’s victory showed that the team is capable of responding to a different type of challenge. The Blue Jackets have scored six goals in each of the first four wins, but the team had to adapt to the Islanders’ defensive style last night and did just that, sticking to the plan for two first periods without a goal, then obtaining the pair of decisive goals. in the third.

“You have to win any way you can,” said defenseman Damon Severson, who scored the game-winning goal in the third. “Obviously the fans love the six goals scored and the cannon shots ringing big, but that doesn’t really matter. As long as we win, whether it’s 1-0, 2-0 like tonight or 6-1, it doesn’t really matter. The main thing is that the cannon goes after the match for a victory. »

Know the Enemy: The Winnipeg Jets

Head coach: Scott Arniel (first season)

Team statistics: Goals per match: 4.60 (1st) | Scoring defense: 2.40 (4th) | PP: 44.8 percent (1st) | PK: 81.0 percent (15th)

The story: Former Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel finally gets another chance to sit in the big chair, and he couldn’t have asked for a better start. Winnipeg has won its first eight games and is now 9-1-0, with four of the victories coming by at least three goals. It’s a similar start to last year, when the Jets won 27 of their first 40 games to climb to the top of the NHL standings, but the campaign ended in disappointment as the Jets lost in the first round of the playoffs for the second year. a row.

Team leaders: One of the NHL’s top scorers – he’s scored at least 30 goals in each of the last six full seasons – Kyle Connor once again leads the way with nine goals, tied for third in the league. With 17 total points, he is also tied for fifth in the NHL. Four other Jets have reached double-digit points so far: Mark Scheifele (6-7-13), Neal Pionk (3-9-12), Nikolaj Ehlers (4-7-11) and Josh Morrissey (1- 10-11). ).

In net, one of the league’s best is off to another strong start, as two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck is 7-1-0 with a 2.12 GAA and .923 saves.

What’s new: The Jets made few additions to the roster this offseason, sticking with a core that made the playoffs six times in the last seven years and won 52 games a season ago. There were some losses, however, as current CBJ forward Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli left in free agency, while defensemen Nate Schmidt was bought out and Brendan Dillon also signed elsewhere. The biggest change occurred behind the bench, as Rick Bowness retired after a long career and was replaced by Arniel, who led the Blue Jackets to a 45-60-18 record in one season and half from 2010 to 2012.

Tendency : Winnipeg won both games in the series by a combined score of 11-1 a season ago, including a 6-1 victory on St. Patrick’s Day at Nationwide Arena. These two Jets victories ended a streak of five consecutive games with at least one point (4-0-1) for the Blue Jackets in the series.

Former CBJ: None