The Chase is your morning primer on where the Blue Jackets stand in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs race. What happened, what's next, and who to cheer for.
The good news? The Blue Jackets played perhaps their worst game of the season in New Jersey, but escaped with two points.
The bad news? Nearly every team ahead of the Blue Jackets in the wild card and Metropolitan Division race won their games Tuesday night.
The Islanders edged the lowly Senators in a shootout, moving into first place in the Metro by way of tiebreaker over idle Washington. Pittsburgh dropped Florida, 3-2, in overtime to hold onto WC1, and the Habs had no problem taking care of the Kings to hold firm at WC2.
For a glorious 180 minutes between the end of the Blue Jackets' game and the final horn in Los Angeles, the CBJ were in a playoff spot. And then it was gone.
The night wasn't completely rotten. The Boston Bruins, seemingly unbeatable these days, extended their point streak to 17 games with an overtime win over Carolina. Which means the Blue Jackets and Penguins will meet Thursday night just two points out of the No. 3 spot in the Metro.
| GP | GR | W | L | OT | PTS | ROW | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| METROPOLITAN | ||||||||
| NEW YORK ISLANDERS | 66 | 16 | 38 | 21 | 7 | 83 | 34 | 5–4–1 |
| WASHINGTON CAPITALS | 66 | 16 | 38 | 21 | 7 | 83 | 34 | 7–3–0 |
| CAROLINA HURRICANES | 66 | 16 | 36 | 23 | 7 | 79 | 35 | 8–1–1 |
| ATLANTIC | ||||||||
| TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING | 67 | 15 | 51 | 12 | 4 | 106 | 45 | 9–1–0 |
| BOSTON BRUINS | 66 | 16 | 40 | 17 | 9 | 89 | 38 | 9–0–1 |
| TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS | 66 | 16 | 41 | 21 | 4 | 86 | 41 | 6–3–1 |
| WILD CARD | ||||||||
| PITTSBURGH PENGUINS | 66 | 16 | 35 | 22 | 9 | 79 | 34 | 6–2–2 |
| MONTREAL CANADIENS | 67 | 15 | 36 | 24 | 7 | 79 | 34 | 5–5–5 |
| COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS | 66 | 16 | 37 | 29 | 3 | 77 | 36 | 5–5–0 |
| PHILADELPHIA FLYERS | 66 | 16 | 32 | 26 | 8 | 72 | 30 | 7–2–1 |
There's just one game of interest tonight: Washington at Philadelphia.
| Home | Away | Who to Cheer for |
|---|---|---|
| PHILADELPHIA (32–26–8, 72p) | WASHINGTON (38–21–7, 83p) | Not as simple as most games, but you probably pull for the Caps. |
If you're a Blue Jackets fan, who do you cheer for in this one? The Flyers, to give the Blue Jackets a chance to gain on the Caps in the Metro, or Washington, to help ensure the wild card race remains a three-team affair?
Today's stress ball: “THAT'S TWO MORE!”
