Capital One Arena Showdown: Columbus Blue Jackets Face Washington Capitals

As the Columbus Blue Jackets gear up to face the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena, fans are looking for signs of hope after a string of challenging games. The upcoming match scheduled for March 21st is an opportunity for the Blue Jackets to turn their fortunes around, but it won't be an easy task.

The recent performance by the CBJ has been less than stellar. In their last game on March 19th against the Vegas Golden Knights, they suffered a heavy defeat with a scoreline that read 2-7. The statistics from that game paint a grim picture; they had a shooting percentage of just 5 percent and won only about 40 percent of faceoffs. Moreover, their powerplay opportunities yielded no goals despite having six shots on target.

This lackluster offensive display was compounded by defensive frailties as well – they ended up with a minus-15 plus/minus rating and allowed seven goals against them. Their goaltending also left much to be desired, saving only about 83 percent of shots faced.

Looking back further to March 18th against the Anaheim Ducks, there were similar issues. Although scoring four goals might seem like an improvement, it was overshadowed by conceding seven goals once again and losing two points due to empty-netters in what ended as another defeat with identical numbers in terms of points scored and conceded as against Vegas.

However, not all is doom and gloom for CBJ fans. Despite these setbacks, there have been some positive takeaways that could serve as building blocks for future success. For instance, during their game on March 17th versus Los Angeles Kings – although ending in defeat – CBJ managed to keep things tight defensively through two periods before conceding four times in the second period.

What's clear is that if CBJ wants any chance at victory come Tuesday night at Capital One Arena against WSH who are formidable opponents especially at home ice advantage - they will need significant improvements both offensively and defensively.

The key lies in tightening up their defense while finding ways to capitalize on powerplay opportunities which have been sorely lacking recently. They must also work on winning more faceoffs which can help control the pace of play more effectively throughout all three periods.

Fans hoping for a turnaround should mark their calendars; this pivotal clash takes place on March 21st at Capital One Arena starting at 7:00 PM EDT (Eastern Daylight Time). The game will be broadcasted nationally via ESPN+ online platform while local viewers can catch it live on NBCS-DC+ channel number 642-1 or BSOH channel number 660 depending upon your location.