Things couldn’t have gone much better for the Blue Jackets on March 21 in their hunt for playoff spot, including their 5-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken to bolster their position in third place of the Metropolitan Division with 13 games remaining.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets top Seattle Kraken, stay in playoff spot: Replay
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The Pittsburgh Penguins won to stave off a potential takeover by Columbus for second in the Metro, but more important to the Blue Jackets (37-21-11) was the New York Islanders’ loss in Montreal. That kept the Islanders (83 points) just outside the playoffs in the Eastern Conference going into a March 22 matchup against the Jackets in Elmont, New York (7 p.m.) to conclude a back-to-back for each team.
Simulation models used by MoneyPuck and The Athletic give the Blue Jackets strong percentage chances to reach the NHL’s postseason for first time in six years. Betting odds also favor that outcome.
Here’s a look:
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
The Columbus Blue Jackets prepare to take on the Seattle Kraken in the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
The Columbus Blue Jackets prepare to take on the Seattle Kraken in the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) stretches as he takes the net for the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Teammates celebrate a goal by Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Danton Heinen (43) during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Fans celebrate a goal by Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Danton Heinen (43) during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) stops a shot from Seattle Kraken right wing Jacob Melanson (63) during the first period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) skates by Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak (24) during the first period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) celebrates a goal by defenseman Damon Severson (78) during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Teammates celebrate a goal by Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson (78) during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Fans celebrate a goal by Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson (78) during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Conor Garland (83) reaches behind Seattle Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson (6) for the puck during the first period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov (9) passes around Seattle Kraken center Berkly Catton (27) during the first period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) scores a goal during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) celebrates scoring a goal during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) celebrates scoring a goal with center Charlie Coyle (3) during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) skates by Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour (62) during the first period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Seattle Kraken NHL highlights
Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Mason Marchment (17) fights for a puck with Seattle Kraken center Frederick Gaudreau (89) during the first period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026.
According to MoneyPuck, an NHL statistical site that provides projections, the Blue Jackets improved their chances of making the playoffs to 84.4% as of 10:32 p.m. ET on March 21. Defeating the Kraken also boosted their chance of advancing to the second round of the playoffs from 40.3% to 47.7% according to MoneyPuck, which derives percentages by running simulations of the remaining NHL schedule 100,000 times.
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The Athletic simulate its remaining NHL schedule 50,000 times to get its projections, and that model gives the Blue Jackets an 88% chance to qualify for the playoffs. As for points, MoneyPuck forecasts the Blue Jackets to finish with 100.2 points, while The Athletic model predicts 100.1 points.
MoneyPuck gives Columbus a 5.4% chance of winning the Stanley Cup, while The Athletic says 4% for that outcome.
Fans cheer as Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner (38) battles for position with Seattle Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans (41) during the third period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena on March 21, 2026. The Blue Jackets won 5-2.
Sportsbooks are no longer giving odds to make the playoffs for the Blue Jackets, but they are offering odds on their chances to win the Metropolitan Division, Eastern Conference and Stanley Cup.
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DraftKings gives the Jackets its sixth-best odds to win the Eastern Conference at +1,500 and assigns them its 13th-best odds at +4,000 to win the Cup.
FanDuel gives Columbus its fifth-best odds to win the East at +1,400 and 11th-best odds at +3,500 to win the Cup. The Colorado Avalanche are favored to win the Cup at +290 on DraftKings and +350 on FanDuel. BetMGM has the Blue Jackets at +1,800 with the seventh-best odds to win the Eastern Conference and 11th-best at +4,000 to win the Cup.
The Blue Jackets have four games remaining against teams they’re competing with for a playoff spot, starting with the Islanders on March 22 in Elmont, New York. The Jackets also have home games March 29 and April 12 against the Boston Bruins (86 points), who defeated the Detroit Red Wings (84 points) on March 21 to retain the East’s first wild-card spot. The Blue Jackets also play the Red Wings on April 7 in Detroit.
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Here’s a look at how things are going in the Blue Jackets’ final 20 games:
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Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets playoff odds after Seattle Kraken win