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.
It's come down to the final two games of the season for three teams fighting for the final two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately for your nerves, one of those teams is the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Here's where we stand on Thursday, April 4.
| GP | GR | W | L | OT | PTS | ROW | STRK | L10 | Make Playoffs [#] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| METROPOLITAN | ||||||||||
| (x) WASHINGTON CAPITALS | 80 | 2 | 47 | 25 | 8 | 102 | 43 | L1 | 6–3–1 | 100% (NC) |
| (x) NY ISLANDERS | 80 | 2 | 46 | 27 | 7 | 99 | 42 | L1 | 5–5–0 | 100% (NC) |
| PITTSBURGH PENGUINS | 80 | 2 | 43 | 26 | 11 | 97 | 41 | L1 | 5–3–2 | 98.84% (+0.10) |
| ATLANTIC | ||||||||||
| (p) TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING | 80 | 2 | 60 | 16 | 4 | 124 | 54 | L1 | 7–3–0 | 100% (NC) |
| (x) BOSTON BRUINS | 80 | 2 | 48 | 23 | 9 | 105 | 46 | W1 | 6–4–0 | 100% (NC) |
| (x) TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS | 80 | 2 | 46 | 27 | 7 | 99 | 46 | L1 | 4–4–2 | 100% (NC) |
| WILD CARD | ||||||||||
| CAROLINA HURRICANES | 80 | 2 | 44 | 29 | 7 | 95 | 42 | W1 | 6–4–0 | 87.61% (+0.17) |
| COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS | 80 | 2 | 45 | 31 | 4 | 94 | 44 | L1 | 6–3–1 | 68.62% (-0.56) |
| MONTREAL CANADIENS | 80 | 2 | 43 | 29 | 8 | 94 | 41 | W2 | 6–3–1 | 44.94% (+0.30) |
p - Clinched President's Trophy; x - Clinched Playoff Spot
The Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens are tied with 94 points, but the Jackets own the first tie-breaker, thanks to a comfortable 44-41 ROW advantage. If the Blue Jackets win their final two games of the regular season, they're in the playoffs. It's as simple as that. If they fall anything short of 2–0 in the last two, they'll need some help.
Tonight's Game(s) of Interest
| Home | Away | Who to Cheer for |
|---|---|---|
| WASHINGTON (47–25–8, 102p) | MONTREAL (43–29–8, 94p) | Caps. Caps. Caps. Caps. |
| CAROLINA (44–29–7, 95p) | NEW JERSEY (30–40–10, 70p) | NJD. The Jackets are still fighting for WC1. |
| PITTSBURGH (43–26–11, 97p) | DETROIT (32–38–10, 74p) | Red Wings. Metro 3 is still in play (if just barely). |
The Washington Capitals can do the Blue Jackets a huge favor by taking out the Canadiens in the District tonight. A Caps win affords the Blue Jackets the luxury of dropping one of their final two and still making it in.
Habs winger Artturi Lehkonen, who set a new career high in points this season with 29, is making big promises, however.
BOLD claim by @arsilehkonen heading into the final four days of the regular season!
— NHL (@NHL) April 3, 2019
(Quote via @MarcDenis_RDS, @RDSca) pic.twitter.com/zdTtBMDcvE
Cool, guy who rarely has an impact on games. Cool.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes can clinch a playoff berth tonight with a win over the lowly New Jersey Devils and a Canadien loss in any fashion.
In the only other game of interest tonight, the Red Wings will go for their seventh win in a row in Pittsburgh. The third spot in the Metropolitan Division is still technically in play, so we're all Red Wings tonight.
Blue Jackets Playoff Odds
| Make It In | 2nd Rnd | Conf. Finals | SC Finals | Win SC | Win Metro | 2nd Metro | 3rd Metro | WC1 | WC2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
68.62% -0.56 |
28.7% -0.4 |
14.6% -0.1 |
6.9% +0.2 |
3.2% +0.1 |
0% NC |
0% NC |
2.4% -0.2 |
24.3% -0.5 |
41.9% +0.2 |
Odds courtesy of MoneyPuck.com
Columbus still has a better than a coin flip chance of making it into the playoffs, but man, would it be nice to get in and avoid that eight seed.
Today's stress ball: Garrett Wilson has to retire after what Joe Hicketts does to him here. Sorry, those are the rules.
