Can you feel it?
The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the verge of accomplishing something the experts, and nearly everyone else, were convinced was not going to happen.
With a win Sunday against the New Jersey Devils, the Blue Jackets – perennial tire fire of the NHL – will punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The league-leading Washington Capitals became the first team to clinch a postseason spot with a 5-3 road win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday night and the Jackets, just two points off the Caps' pace with 98 points and a game in hand, can become the second team to make reservations for Lord Stanley's Cup.
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | ROW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WASHINGTON CAPITALS | 71 | 46 | 17 | 8 | 100 | 45 |
| COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS | 70 | 46 | 18 | 6 | 98 | 44 |
| PITTSBURGH PENGUINS | 70 | 44 | 17 | 9 | 97 | 41 |
| CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS | 71 | 46 | 20 | 5 | 97 | 43 |
| NEW YORK RANGERS | 72 | 45 | 24 | 3 | 93 | 42 |
The Blue Jackets, 8–2 over their last 10 games, are playing for something much bigger: the President's Trophy, awarded to the team that finishes the season with the most points.
Locking down a spot in the playoffs in mid-March would be a nothing short of huge for a franchise that started last season 0–8 and has caught only fleeting glimpses of what that means for an organization and its fans.
In its 17 seasons as an NHL franchise, the Blue Jackets have appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs just twice – and both trips were short stays.
After finishing 7th in the Western Conference in 2009, Columbus was swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the Conference Quarterfinals. Five years later and a league realignment later, the club finished 7th in the Eastern Conference before falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, 4–2.
Expectations are a little different this year.
