The Chase is your morning report on where the Blue Jackets stand in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs race. What happened, what's next, and who to cheer for.
This is a big day for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Yes, the boys in blue have a tough road game against the high-powered Edmonton Oilers. On top of that, though, every other team in the Metropolitan Division skates, setting the stage for some playoff standing shakeup come the end of the day.
Here's where we stand on Saturday, March 7.
| GP | GR | W | L | OT | PTS | RW | ROW | STRK | L10 | Make Playoffs [#] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| METROPOLITAN | |||||||||||
| WASHINGTON CAPITALS | 67 | 15 | 40 | 20 | 7 | 87 | 30 | 36 | OT1 | 3-5-2 | 99.90% |
| PHILADELPHIA FLYERS | 67 | 15 | 40 | 20 | 7 | 87 | 30 | 35 | W8 | 9-1-0 | 99.90% |
| PITTSBURGH PENGUINS | 66 | 16 | 39 | 21 | 6 | 84 | 28 | 36 | W2 | 4-6-0 | 95.20% |
| ATLANTIC | |||||||||||
| BOSTON BRUINS | 68 | 14 | 43 | 13 | 12 | 98 | 37 | 43 | W4 | 8-2-0 | 100.00% |
| TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING | 67 | 15 | 42 | 20 | 5 | 89 | 34 | 40 | W1 | 5-5-0 | 100.00% |
| TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS | 67 | 15 | 35 | 24 | 8 | 78 | 27 | 34 | L1 | 5-5-0 | 87.30% |
| WILD CARD | |||||||||||
| COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS | 68 | 14 | 32 | 21 | 15 | 79 | 24 | 32 | L1 | 2-4-4 | 44.90% |
| NEW YORK ISLANDERS | 66 | 16 | 35 | 23 | 8 | 78 | 24 | 32 | L3 | 2-6-2 | 49.00% |
| NEW YORK RANGERS | 66 | 16 | 36 | 27 | 4 | 76 | 30 | 35 | W1 | 6-4-0 | 32.10% |
| CAROLINA HURRICANES | 65 | 17 | 35 | 25 | 5 | 75 | 25 | 30 | L1 | 3-5-2 | 66.40% |
| FLORIDA PANTHERS | 67 | 15 | 33 | 26 | 8 | 74 | 28 | 30 | L1 | 3-6-1 | 21.90% |
p - Clinched President's Trophy; x - Clinched Playoff Spot
No games occurred last night with any Metropolitan team in the playoff hint - setting up for a huge slate of games tonight. We still stand with the Blue Jackets in the first wild card spot, believe it or not, even with a 2-4-4 record in their last ten games.
However, they're not even close to being in the clear yet. The New York Islanders are just one point behind with two games in hand, the New York Rangers are three points behind with two games in hand, and the Carolina Hurricanes are four points behind with three games in hand.
Long story short, all three teams behind the Blue Jackets could be ahead of Columbus in the standings if they catch up to them in games played, and win those games. So - let's get to point-grabbing, boys!
Tonight's Game(s) of Interest
| Home | Away | Who to Cheer for |
|---|---|---|
| NY ISLANDERS (35–23–8, 78p) | CAROLINA (35–25–5, 75p) | The Hurricanes, but this is a tough one. As long as it doesn't go to overtime - we should be happy. They are four points behind the Blue Jackets with three games in hand, and the Islanders are one point behind with two games in hand. Technically, the Islanders have a better positioning to jump the Blue Jackets, so we'd want them to be taken down. |
| PITTSBURGH (39-21-6, 84p) | WASHINGTON (40-20-7, 87p) | Washington. The Penguins are still in range to be caught by the Blue Jackets, and the Capitals are too far away. |
| NY RANGERS (36-27-4, 76p) | NEW JERSEY (27-28-12, 66p) | Speak of the devil! New Jersey winning this game would be huge, stunting the hot Rangers and keeping them at bay from any wild card spot. |
| MONTREAL (31-29-9, 71p) | FLORIDA (33-26-8, 74p) | The Canadiens. Montreal is likely out of the playoffs at this point (most games played in the league, eight points out of a spot). The Panthers still have a legitimate shot at the postseason, so we need them to keep losing. |
| PHILADELPHIA (40-20-7, 87p) | BUFFALO (29–30–8, 66p) | The Sabres. Since Buffalo is out of a playoff spot, them winning does no harm, and the Flyers losing is a good thing. |
| EDMONTON (23-36-24, 80p) | COLUMBUS (32-21-15, 79p) | The boys in blue. |
Blue Jackets Playoff Odds
| Make It In | 2nd Rnd | Conf. Finals | SC Finals | Win SC | Win Metro | 2nd Metro | 3rd Metro | WC1 | WC2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44.90% | 17.20% | 7.50% | 3.30% | 1.50% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 4.1% | 17.7% | 22.5% |
Odds courtesy of MoneyPuck.com
Two more huge games on this Western Canadian road trip for the Blue Jackets. Can they win their next two contests and leave the country with 5/6 possible points?
That question will be partially answered tonight. Willing to stay up late for it, dear reader?
Today's stress ball: Nothing like two all-star defensemen saucing from the terrace, yeah?
