With a win Jan. 4 vs. St. Louis, the Blue Jackets tied Ottawa for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Three days later, their first win in Pittsburgh in nearly a decade moved them into playoff position via a tiebreaker over the Penguins.
For a team that has been shut out of the postseason for the past four years, that could have felt like rarefied air, or at least a position that made the team nervous about the importance of its upcoming games. But the Blue Jackets’ momentum hasn’t dulled in the ensuing weeks, with Columbus posting a 6-2-1 record since the victory over the Penguins.
With 50 games now in the books, they’re tied for the last wild card spot and firmly in the hunt for the team’s first playoff appearance since 2019-20, and it’s something they’ve embraced. It’s also something they believe is within their grasp.
“All of us, we really want to get in the playoffs,” goaltender Elvis Merzlikins said after Saturday night’s 3-2 overtime win over Los Angeles. “I have really good faith and belief that we can really make it this year.”
And, well, why not? The Blue Jackets have beaten some of the NHL’s best teams this season, including wins against three of the four division leaders. They have a good mix of players performing at a star level, youngsters who have long been projected for stardom coming into their own, and veteran role players who have added leadership and experience. They’ve been one of the top scoring teams in the league all season and recently have seen the defense and goaltending improve, and they should get a boost from the returns of such veteran leaders as Boone Jenner, Erik Gudbranson and Sean Monahan down the stretch.
Add it all up and Columbus remains one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Since Dec. 19, the Blue Jackets are now tied for second in the NHL with 12 wins and tied for third with a .722 points percentage. They’ve outscored teams by an average margin of 3.44-2.83 in those 18 games, their power play is second in the NHL at 33.3 percent in that span, and they’ve allowed two or fewer goals in seven of the last nine contests.
NHL experts gave this team little chance at a postseason berth before the season, but from day one, the Blue Jackets believed this is where they’d be.
“We wanted to raise the bar,” Zach Werenski said. “I think guys that have been here and been leaders on this team, it hasn’t been good enough the last few years. We showed it early in the season how we have to play and that was our standard, and I feel like we’ve just gotten better and better. Now we have a new standard on how we have to play, and it’s even higher.
“We know what we’re capable of in here and if we play the right way what can happen. We still have a lot of games left, but if we play that way and play to that standard, there’s going to be a lot of success.”
As Werenski noted, the buy-in factor is palpable with the squad. You can tell just how close this CBJ team is by being around it, both on the ice and off of it. Head coach Dean Evason has spoken consistently about the connection in the room as well as the Blue Jackets’ unselfish nature on the ice, with every player accepting their role and trying to execute it to the best of their ability.
Off the ice, a number of team bonding events through the year have helped bring the group together, and you often see large groups of players getting dinner and hanging out with one another on the road. In the words of Zach Aston-Reese, there are no cliques on the squad.
That’s helped the Blue Jackets be one of the most resilient teams in the NHL, including five third-period comeback wins.
“I think you can see the makeup of our team and how much each individual cares,” defenseman Dante Fabbro said. “When the going gets tough, I think a big part of our character right now as a team is we push back. It’s really cool to see.
“I’ve been in the league for a little bit now, and it doesn’t happen often when you get a feeling like this in a locker room. We know we have a lot of work ahead of us, and it’s a long road to get to the playoffs, but there’s a lot of belief in here for sure.”
Columbus has 32 games remaining going into Thursday’s contest at Vegas, including just six before a nearly two-week break for the 4-Nations Face Off in mid-February. After that comes the March 1 NHL Stadium Series game against Detroit, then a March 7 trade deadline in which first-year general manager Don Waddell will have to make some tough decisions. It’s all capped by a frantic April push that will include 10 games in the last 17 days of the regular season.
“There’s a lot of hockey left in front of us, but we definitely have that feeling that we have one goal in mind right now, and that’s to get into the playoffs,” Fabbro said. “It’s great to see all of us pulling the same rope and making a push for that. The standings are extremely tight right now, so every game means a lot to us.”
Ahh yes, the standings. After Monday night’s games, there are eight teams between 52 and 56 points, with the Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay each tied with 55, one point behind Boston and Ottawa. Montreal (53 points), Detroit (53), the New York Rangers (52) and Philadelphia (52) are right behind, and it will take quite an effort to fend off all of those teams.
It’s a heck of a lot better than not being in the mix, though.
“We don’t really look at (the standings) as a team, but personally, I definitely look,” Kent Johnson said. “It’s fun to look at it now. I didn’t look too much the last couple years. Definitely it’s good, and guys talk about them a little bit. It’s cool you can be in a spot where you’re rooting against or for teams, but obviously it’s very early for that. It’s a nice spot to be in. We just want to keep going.”
