The Columbus Blue Jackets haven't made the playoffs often in their history. Since they're surging at the right time, they can not only steal a spot this time but potentially get home-ice advantage.
For most of their existence, the Columbus Blue Jackets have been a misery machine in the standings.
In their first 24 seasons of operation, the Blue Jackets made the Stanley Cup playoffs only six times. They've never gotten past the second round of the playoffs. And they haven't made the playoffs since 2020. No other franchise besides the Buffalo Sabres and maybe the Detroit Red Wings needs a post-season appearance this season more than the Jackets do.
But perhaps you've noticed something different about Columbus of late: they're pretty darn good.
In their past 17 games, they've gone 12-1-4. They've beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning twice, the Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers in that span.
And on Tuesday, the Blue Jackets drilled the Carolina Hurricanes by a 5-1 score to improve their record in their past 10 games to 6-0-4.
Under new coach Rick Bowness, the Jackets have climbed to ninth place in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the seventh-place Boston Bruins and eighth-place Detroit Red Wings, with Columbus having one game in hand on both.
They could use a bit of help the rest of the way, but their hot stretch has put their destiny largely in their own hands. And based on how they're rolling, it would be shocking if they wasted this opportunity and just missed out on a playoff spot.
And although the Blue Jackets weren't on our list of trade deadline winners, Jackets GM Don Waddell definitely made his team better with the deadline acquisition of veteran right winger Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks.
In six games since the trade, Garland has scored four goals for Columbus. While he probably won't continue scoring at that pace, he's beginning a six-year contract next season that carries a $6-million salary cap hit, so Jackets ownership had to make a major commitment to the player.
Bowness Gave The Blue Jackets The Coaching Bump
Overall, this season, the Jackets' 3.10 goals against per game rank 19th in the league, and their offense ranks 14th at 3.15 goals-for per game.
Since Bowness was hired, the Blue Jackets are averaging 2.55 goals against (second in the NHL) and 3.64 goals-for (seventh).
If Bowness can continue to coax a stronger effort out of his players at both ends of the rink, that may well be what's needed to make Columbus a playoff team.
As per Tankathon, the Blue Jackets have the fifth-hardest remaining schedule of any team in the league. They've got 15 games left to either stick the landing and get into a playoff position or falter once again and squander all this strong play.
Why Stop At A Wild-Card Spot?
Not only is a playoff berth theirs for the taking, but the Jackets could also conceivably get as high as second place in the Metropolitan Division.
Right now, Columbus is only two points behind the third-place New York Islanders and the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins. They also have a game in hand on the Isles.
If the Blue Jackets can maintain a strong level of play, they could lock up home-ice advantage.
That would be a heck of a feat for a squad that came out of the gate 18-19-7.
For the first time in a long time, Columbus is living up to the hopes of its long-suffering fans. And in the Metro, they have the opportunity to reward fans for sticking with them through eons of letdown performances.
The Blue Jackets have been pretenders for a very long time. But this season, they're for real. And they're peaking at the right time.
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