The Chase is your morning report on where the Blue Jackets stand in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs race. What happened, what's next, and who to cheer for.
Last night was awful. Losing your wallet kind of awful. Getting a flat tire kind of awful.
The Blue Jackets somehow managed to match their previous “worst game of the season” with a very similar performance against the same team, falling 4-1 Thursday night in Edmonton.
The Jackets can't score, can't defend, and are without their No. 1 goaltender. This team went from let's see if we can make a run on Metro 3 to our pets heads are falling off in the span of 24 hours.
If you're feeling down today as a Blue Jackets fan, we understand.
Making matters worse, the Montreal Canadiens shut out the Islanders, knocking the Blue Jackets out of a wild card spot for the first time in nearly two weeks. Oh, and the Pens eked by Nashville on the road. Like we said, an awful night.
Here's where we stand on Friday, March 22.
| GP | GR | W | L | OT | PTS | ROW | STRK | L10 | Make Playoffs [#] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| METROPOLITAN | ||||||||||
| WASHINGTON CAPITALS | 74 | 8 | 43 | 23 | 8 | 94 | 39 | OT1 | 7–2–1 | 99.90% (+0.04) |
| NY ISLANDERS | 74 | 8 | 42 | 25 | 7 | 91 | 38 | L2 | 5–5–0 | 98.37% (-0.43) |
| PITTSBURGH PENGUINS | 75 | 7 | 40 | 24 | 11 | 91 | 38 | W1 | 6–2–2 | 98.32% (+3.15) |
| ATLANTIC | ||||||||||
| p-TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING | 75 | 7 | 58 | 13 | 4 | 120 | 52 | W7 | 9–1–0 | 100% (NC) |
| BOSTON BRUINS | 74 | 8 | 45 | 20 | 9 | 99 | 43 | W3 | 7–3–0 | 100% (NC) |
| TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS | 74 | 8 | 44 | 25 | 5 | 93 | 44 | W1 | 5–4–1 | 99.90% (-0.02) |
| WILD CARD | ||||||||||
| CAROLINA HURRICANES | 73 | 9 | 40 | 26 | 7 | 87 | 38 | L1 | 6–3–1 | 92.37% (-2.68) |
| MONTREAL CANADIENS | 74 | 8 | 39 | 29 | 7 | 85 | 37 | W2 | 5–5–0 | 60.27% (+14.15) |
| COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS | 74 | 8 | 40 | 30 | 4 | 84 | 39 | L2 | 4–5–1 | 48.77% (-15.51) |
| PHILADELPHIA FLYERS | 74 | 8 | 36 | 30 | 8 | 80 | 34 | W1 | 5–4–1 | 1.71% (+1.06) |
p - Clinched President's Trophy; x - Clinched Playoff Spot
The Canadiens are back in the WC2 spot, just two points out of WC1 all of a sudden. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets saw their odds to make the playoffs plummet nearly 16% in one night.
Last night was awful.
Tonight's Games of Interest
| Home | Away | Who to Cheer for |
|---|---|---|
| WASHINGTON (43–23–8, 94p) | MINNESOTA (34–31–9, 77p) | Wild. If we can't have nice things, the Caps can't, either. |
There are only two games in the NHL tonight with just one that has an impact on the Metro playoff race. Sadly, the Capitals are too far ahead of the Blue Jackets for this game to really matter, but we can sit here hating, at least.
Blue Jackets Playoff Odds
| Make It In | 2nd Rnd | Conf. Finals | SC Finals | Win SC | Win Metro | 2nd Metro | 3rd Metro | WC1 | WC2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
48.77% -15.51 |
19.3% -6.5 |
9% -2.9 |
4.2% -1.3 |
1.9% -0.5 |
0% -0.02 |
0.9% -1.3 |
3.9% -3.3 |
11.3% -5.4 |
32.6% -5.4 |
Odds courtesy of MoneyPuck.com
Just a bunch of blood across the playoff odds board right now as the Jackets saw their chances tumble in everything from making the playoffs to pushing deep if they get there. For the first time ever, Money Puck has the CBJ at no chance to win the Metro, even if it's still mathematically possible for another day or two.
Today's stress ball: Ron Burgundy goes in on the Sharks.
