Ice Battle at Nationwide Arena: Chicago Blackhawks to Duel Columbus Blue Jackets

As the Chicago Blackhawks prepare to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, fans are cautiously optimistic about their team's chances. The Blackhawks' recent performance has been a roller coaster of highs and lows, but there's reason to believe that they could come out on top in this matchup.

In their last game against the St. Louis Blues on December 30, the Blackhawks managed only one goal despite taking 22 shots. Their powerplay was effective once in two opportunities, but it wasn't enough to secure a win. The final scoreline read a disappointing 1-3 loss with a shooting percentage of just 5 percent and an even-strength save percentage of 87 percent from their goaltender.

However, looking back at the game before that against the Carolina Hurricanes on December 28 paints an even grimmer picture for CHI. They were shut out completely, failing to score despite having three powerplay opportunities and putting up 24 shots. This resulted in a crushing defeat with zero points scored and three goals conceded.

But it's not all doom and gloom for CHI fans. In their last encounter with CBJ at United Center on December 24, the Blackhawks came out swinging with an impressive five goals from thirty-eight shots – boasting a shooting percentage of over 13 percent – while allowing only two goals against them. Their faceoff win percentage was particularly strong at nearly 65 percent which helped control the game flow.

The key takeaway here is consistency or rather lack thereof for CHI; they've shown they can dominate teams like CBJ when they're firing on all cylinders but have also displayed vulnerability when things aren't clicking.

CBJ isn't without its struggles either; in their last outing before facing CHI previously, they lost while scoring two goals from twenty-nine shots and conceding five times with a save percentage below par at around 87 percent during even strength play.

For this upcoming game scheduled for December 31st at Nationwide Arena in Columbus OH (ZIP:43215), if CHI can replicate their dominant performance from December 24th rather than succumbing to inconsistency as seen in subsequent games, there’s every chance that they'll be ringing in the New Year with a victory under their belts.

Fans eager to see if CHI can turn around its fortunes should tune into ESPN+ online or catch local broadcasts BSOH channel number six hundred sixty or NBCS-CHI channel number six hundred sixty-five depending upon your location for this evening match starting promptly at six o'clock PM Eastern Time.