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More Blue Jackets news: Zach Werenski and his ‘puck luck’ are ready for the Winter Olympics<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is we just got 22 points out of 24, and we still don\u2019t have a playoff spot,\u201d Bowness said. \u201cSo, we have to keep pushing. We have to keep getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n His message would probably be the same if the Blue Jackets (29-20-7) were the top team in the Eastern Conference or NHL, but it works even better starting a two-week break outside the playoff cut line. Their run of success worked wonders to lift the Jackets from last in the conference back into the thick of a playoff chase, but they haven\u2019t accomplished anything yet.<\/p>\n A 26-game sprint to the finish line in mid-April awaits when the Blue Jackets return to work, and that\u2019s what will determine whether they\u2019re a playoff contender or not.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cAs excited as I am to go to Milan and represent my country in the Olympics, I\u2019m almost as excited to get back here and get back with the guys already,\u201d star defenseman Zach Werenski <\/a>said. \u201cIt\u2019s something special here, we\u2019ve put in the work recently [and] we\u2019re getting rewarded for it. The Olympics [are] going to be super, super special and once-in-a-lifetime, but I\u2019m really excited to get back here with these guys and push for the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a glance at the Blue Jackets\u2019 playoff hunt:<\/p>\n Following their victory over the Blackhawks, the Blue Jackets headed into the break at 65 points. That\u2019s four points behind the New York Islanders (69 points) for third in the Metropolitan Division and five behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (70) for second.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n They\u2019re tied with the Washington Capitals (65 points) and four points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> (61 points).<\/p>\n In the Eastern Conference race for two wild-card spots, the Jackets are chasing the Buffalo Sabres<\/a> (70 points) and Boston Bruins<\/a> (69 points).<\/p>\n FanDuel Sportsbook\u2019s Moneyline<\/a> gives the Jackets -115 odds to make the playoffs and -115 to miss out, while DraftKings<\/a> and BetMGM<\/a> each put Columbus’ odds at -135 to make the playoffs and +115 to miss.<\/p>\n As of Feb. 6, MoneyPuck<\/a> gives the Blue Jackets a 52.7% chance to qualify for the playoffs. Breaking it down further, MoneyPuck projects the Jackets to finish with 95 points and gives Columbus a 15.2% chance of finishing second in the Metro, 25.4% chance of finishing third, 4.7% chance of landing the East\u2019s first wild card and 5.8% chance of landing the second wild card.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n HockeyStats projects the Blue Jackets finishing with 94 points and gives them a 55% chance of qualifying for the playoffs. Hockey-Reference’s projection model gives the Blue Jackets a 44.4% chance of qualifying.<\/p>\n Blue Jackets<\/a> 2025-26 remaining schedule<\/p>\n The Blue Jackets will play their final 26 games over a span of just 48 days, including five back-to-backs and 15 games against teams currently occupying playoff spots.<\/p>\n There are 10 divisional matchups against Metro teams left, including two with the Islanders and two with the first-place Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> (76 points).<\/p>\n Here’s a list of the Blue Jackets\u2019 remaining games:<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Feb. 28 vs. New York Islanders<\/p>\n March 2 at New York Rangers<\/p>\n March 3 vs. Nashville Predators<\/p>\n March 5 vs. Florida Panthers<\/p>\n March 9 vs. Los Angeles Kings<\/p>\n March 12 at Florida Panthers<\/p>\n March 14 at Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n March 17 vs. Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n March 19 vs. New York Rangers<\/p>\n March 21 vs. Seattle Kraken<\/p>\n March 22 at New York Islanders<\/p>\n March 24 at Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n March 26 at Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n March 28 vs. San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n March 29 vs. Boston Bruins<\/p>\n March 31 vs. Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n April 2 at Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n April 4 vs. Winnipeg Jets<\/p>\n April 7 at Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n April 9 at Buffalo Sabres<\/p>\n April 11 at Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n April 12 vs. Boston Bruins<\/p>\n April 14 vs Washington Capitals<\/p>\n Other than veteran defenseman Brendan Smith, who is likely to miss the rest of the regular season following knee surgery, the Blue Jackets begin their Olympic break in good shape.<\/p>\n Kirill Marchenko, their second-leading scorer and top scoring forward, missed two games due to illness before the break but should be healthy coming out of it.<\/p>\n Dante Fabbro, who played each end of the Jackets\u2019 back-to-back before the break, should be feeling even better after returning from a foot laceration that sidelined him for six games.<\/p>\n Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger<\/a> can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com<\/a> and @BrianHedger.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner races to the puck in a 4-0 win over the Blackhawks at Nationwide Arena on Feb. 4.<\/p>\n![\"Blue](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bc8c69b0bdb819cd42d3567ceb69b0c3.jpeg\"\/)
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