Looking Ahead: The Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule Has Plenty Of Ebbs And Flows In Final 24 Games

What a difference a week makes.

Points in five consecutive games - picking up eight out of a possible ten - have given the Blue Jackets new life at a fifth straight postseason berth. In fact, if the playoffs were to begin today, the Blue Jackets would be in them. Incredible and improbable for a team that has yet to win three in a row through 32 games.

Equally as important as Columbus' turnaround, the Blue Jackets biggest competition for a playoff spot, the Chicago Blackhawks, have struggled mightily. They've lost four in a row (all in regulation), and have picked up just two of their last 14 possible points.

Those two streaks have the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets tied for the 4th and final playoff spot, each with 33 points through 32 games.

The Dallas Stars are five points behind Chicago and Columbus, but have also played four fewer games and are on pace to finish neck-and-neck with the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets. They've had troubles recently as well, going 2-4-1 in their last seven games.

Everything here was necessary. The Blue Jackets needed a points streak, but also needed the Stars and Blackhawks to do exactly what they've done: lose. With the race as tight as it has been to date, the Blue Jackets have somewhat regained control of their own destiny. 

So with just two dozen games left in the season, what's on tap for the Blue Jackets? In short, it reads very much like a "good news, bad news" situation.

First, the good: Five of the last 24 games are against the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings have been perhaps slightly better than expected, but are still the worst team in the division by a fair shake. Of the five games left, two are after the current series with the Carolina Hurricanes concludes, and two are the final two games of the regular season - at Nationwide Arena, to boot. 

And despite their struggles so far with the Nashville Predators, they do get one more crack at them: two at Nationwide in the final week of the season, when there may be a lot on the line. 

From a more broad picture, the Blue Jackets final quarter from here out (six games) sees five at home, against teams projected to finish last and next-to-last in the division. The sixth game is a road match-up against Carolina on April 30th, which is a one-off after a three day break.

It's not all good for the Blue Jackets, though. The only team they play more than the Red Wings in the last 24 games? The Tampa Bay Lightning. The Blue Jackets did pick up three of four in their first pair against the Lightning, but if this were a typical 82-game season, this year's Tampa Bay team would be on pace for 127 points. That's just one off their 128 point season two years ago (yes, when Columbus swept them), and just five points from the Montreal Canadiens all-time record of 132. All this to say: The Lightning are still really, really, really good. 

Here's where things will get even tougher: The Blue Jackets will battle the Lightning four times in a span of 10 days that begins March 30th. They've also got two with the Florida Panthers, another dangerous team. That's six games in 10 days, against the two teams that currently sit atop the division. If Columbus can find a way to get six points in those six games, it'll be noteworthy.

With six weeks left in the season, the Blue Jackets have plenty left to fight for, and if the last five games are any indication, they've also got plenty of fight left in them.