Following the Blue Jackets’ 3-0 victory Tuesday night in regulation over the Philadelphia Flyers, the CBJ are now down to a very simple formula for the CBJ to make the playoffs.
In order for Columbus to secure the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, the following has to happen:
Montreal needs to lose in regulation when they host Carolina on Wednesday at 7 p.m., and if that happens, the Blue Jackets will have the opportunity to make the playoffs by winning in regulation in the season finale on Thursday against the New York Islanders.
There are no other paths for the Jackets to make it. The Jackets had less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs a week ago, and that has risen to 15.4% after Tuesday night’s victory, according to moneypuck.com
On Monday, we sent a plea to former Blue Jacket captain Nick Foligno, the current captain of the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago was the underdog going into the Bell Center in Montreal, but pulled off the upset and beat the Canadiens in a shootout, setting up this scenario. Thank you, Nick.
Either way, the fact that the Blue Jackets played meaningful hockey on April 15 is a huge step forward compared to their previous three seasons.