Is this when Zach Werenski and the Blue Jackets really get their season going?

In the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been the dominant veteran club, while the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs have been the scrappy squads. Because of that, the Columbus Blue Jackets have gotten a bit lost in the shuffle.

Granted, having a repeatedly dismal power play and dropping a 4-1 contest to New Jersey earlier this week don't help matters. Nonetheless, with a league-leading goalie and a competitive Zach Werenski-led defense, the Blue Jackets are climbing the standings and making some noise. It may sound presumptuous to start calling this team a contender — until you remember that it was just about a year ago that this same team went on a 16-game winning streak that nobody saw coming.

Is this the point in the season when the Blue Jackets demand the rest of the league pay attention?

There are certainly signs that everyone else should be alert. Take Werenski, for starters. Instead of sinking into the ever-dreaded sophomore slump, the defenseman had a roaring November. From multi-goal games to game-winners in overtime, the 20-year-old is stepping up at a time when the Columbus offense has been struggling. Because of Werenski, CBJ's defense corpse has an offensive punch and is giving netminder Sergei Bobrovsky some breathing room.

Bobrovsky, more than anyone else on the team, has kept up his end of the bargain so far this season. Although two straight losses for the Blue Jackets have dinged up his stats a bit, he's still hanging out near the top of the stats chart with an impressive 2.11 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.

So question now is, of course, whether this is the point in the season that this Columbus team makes some noise. Given that CBJ has dropped two straight despite winning seven of its last 10, the timing may seem curious. Plus, the rest of their December slate is peppered with competitive matchups, including an immediate rematch with New Jersey, a homer against a surging New York Islanders squad and a New Year's Eve tilt with the East-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. Oh yes, and then there are two games against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who knocked CBJ out of the playoffs last year on their way to winning a second straight Stanley Cup.

What's it going to take for this team to really grab everyone's attention?

Heck, the Blue Jackets are only one point behind New Jersey in the division. This Friday's matchup between the two could be the start of something for Columbus, even no one quite sees it coming just yet.