At this point, every game is a must-win.
I know, I know. We've heard John Tortorella dispel the notion of a must-win game and how it's the wrong approach to take. But the reality is, with a dozen games remaining, the Blue Jackets have no other choice but to win. So...doesn't that make these final games all must-wins? I'm no math student, but it adds up.
They've got a fight on their hands to make the playoffs. They've won five straight games entering tonight's mega-important showdown with the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center, a game that could (if successful) pull the Blue Jackets into a tie for third place in the Metropolitan Division – and, with a point, get them into a tie at worst for the No. 1 wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Every game carries importance, but even more so games like tonight, where the "four-point game" mantra is legit. Win and you're cruising, lose and you're hoping to get some help. The former is ideal and the latter is desperate. When you're trying like hell to get in and playing solid hockey in the process, avoiding desperation at all costs is the path you'd like to take.
Let's not mistake this: the Blue Jackets have, over the last five games, done their part. They literally can't do any more than they have. They've even gotten a little help, but New Jersey winning the first two games of its brutal road trip (in Nashville and Vegas, no less) puts added pressure on them to hold up their end of the bargain.
Any misstep could be critical. This is where, as boring as it is, Tortorella's "one day at a time" mantra comes in handy; they need as many points as possible. They need as many wins as possible, and time is quickly running out.
In the final 12 games, seven wins is a feel-good spot. Eight wins probably gets them in. Nine is a lock. That's a lot to ask, but with the way the Blue Jackets are playing, it certainly feels possible.
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- It's Heat Check time...and you guessed it, Seth Jones leads the pack for the Blue Jackets while Patrik Laine is red-hot for Winnipeg.
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