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.
Hey, the Blue Jackets got some help last night!
Winnipeg's 8-1 throttling of Carolina dropped the Canes out of the No. 3 spot in the Metro Division and Anaheim's 8-2 thumping of Montreal gave the Canadiens their second straight loss and creates a situation in which Montreal's hold on the WC2 spot is two points over the Jackets with the CBJ having two games in hand.
Here's where things stand on March 9, 2019.
| GP | GR | W | L | OT | PTS | ROW | STRK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| METROPOLITAN | |||||||||
| WASHINGTON CAPITALS | 68 | 14 | 40 | 21 | 7 | 87 | 36 | W6 | 8–2–0 |
| NY ISLANDERS | 67 | 15 | 39 | 21 | 7 | 85 | 35 | W2 | 5–4–1 |
| PITTSBURGH PENGUINS | 67 | 15 | 36 | 22 | 9 | 81 | 35 | W3 | 6–2–2 |
| ATLANTIC | |||||||||
| TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING | 68 | 14 | 51 | 13 | 4 | 106 | 45 | L1 | 8–2–0 |
| BOSTON BRUINS | 67 | 15 | 41 | 17 | 9 | 91 | 39 | W5 | 9–0–1 |
| TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS | 67 | 15 | 41 | 21 | 5 | 87 | 41 | OT1 | 5–3–2 |
| WILD CARD | |||||||||
| CAROLINA HURRICANES | 67 | 15 | 36 | 24 | 7 | 79 | 35 | L1 | 7–2–1 |
| MONTREAL CANADIENS | 69 | 13 | 36 | 26 | 7 | 79 | 34 | L2 | 5–5–0 |
| COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS | 67 | 15 | 37 | 27 | 3 | 77 | 36 | L1 | 4–6–0 |
| PHILADELPHIA FLYERS | 67 | 15 | 32 | 27 | 8 | 72 | 30 | L1 | 6–3–1 |
Can the Blue Jackets capitalize?
The Penguins visit Nationwide Arena tonight for another huge game. A win over Pittsburgh – and it won't be easy as the Pens have won eight straight over the Jackets – would see Columbus right back in the playoffs, holding one of the two Eastern Conference wild card spots.
We have a huge slate tonight, with big implications on the playoffs race:
| Home | Away | Who to Cheer for |
|---|---|---|
| COLUMBUS (37–27–3, 77p) | PITTSBURGH (36–22–9, 81p) | The boys in blue. |
| NY ISLANDERS (39–21–7, 85p) | PHILADELPHIA (32–27–8, 72p) | Tough call, but let's go Flyers. |
| CAROLINA (36–24–7, 79p) | NASHVILLE (39–25–5, 83p) | Preds. Do your thing, Joey. |
The Islanders and Flyers present another tough call as far as rooting interests, but we feel comfortable cheering for Philadelphia this late in the year.
Carolina has a tough matchup at Nashville and the Preds can do Columbus a huge favor by taking care of the Canes.
Today's stress ball: Last week's top saves.
