Is it time to start looking at the standings?
For Blue Jackets fans, it certainly appears that way. As Columbus battles to try to earn its first postseason bid since the 2019-20 season, CBJ supporters seem to be checking each night to see where the team stacks up against the rest of the Eastern Conference.
For the players, it’s a mixed bag.
“It’s fun to look at it,” Zach Werenski said. “We’re in a great spot, and we haven’t been in this spot in a long time. We should enjoy it, we should embrace it, and we should know what’s in front of us. So I’m the guy that looks at it. I know some guys don’t, but it’s good to know where we stand.”
“Obviously, you look, but there’s 24 games left,” fellow defenseman Ivan Provorov said. “Every game matters. Our focus is on trying to focus on one game at a time.”
No matter what the approach is of the CBJ players, it’s fair to say they’re handling their spot with aplomb. Rejuvenated by some returns to the roster from injury, the Blue Jackets have come back from the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a pair of home victories against Chicago and Dallas.
Tuesday’s 6-4 win over Stars moved the team back into a playoff position, as the Blue Jackets hold the final spot in the Eastern Conference wild card standings. Just in front of them? The team they’ll play in the next two contests, the Detroit Red Wings, who have a two-point advantage over Columbus.
That makes the two-game series, which starts tonight in Detroit and concludes Saturday with the NHL Stadium Series game in Ohio Stadium, crucially important when it comes to the postseason race.
“Obviously going in there and playing there Thursday, it’s almost like a little preview before the outdoor game,” Provorov said. “I guess in a way, you can count it as a mini playoff series. Two games, home-and-home. Nothing better than that.”
If the Blue Jackets can play like they did against the Blackhawks and Stars, they’ll be in good shape. The win against Dallas, which entered the game third in the league in points percentage, was particularly impressive. Eleven different players had points, led by a two-goal performance from Kirill Marchenko, and the Blue Jackets never trailed in a game of punches and counterpunches.
The games keep taking on added importance, but the players say the key to staying in the race is to just keep playing the same way.
“It’s really important games right now,” Marchenko said. “I wouldn’t say every game is a playoff game, but it’s really fun games. Everybody enjoys this moment. When you win, you have a lot of fun. We try to do our work and think about the next game. Don’t think about 24 (left). Just have our next game in Detroit and try to get a win for us and try to do the same work that we did today.”
Know The Foe: Detroit Red Wings
Head coach: Todd McLellan (First season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 2.90 (18th) | Scoring defense: 3.12 (22nd) | PP: 29.2 percent (2nd) | PK: 69.6 percent (32nd)
The narrative: After a historic 25-season streak of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Red Wings have failed to qualify for the postseason in eight straight seasons. There were high hopes a talented young core mixed with veterans would keep that run from reaching nine years, but Detroit scuffled through the first half of the season and fired head coach Derek Lalonde in late December. The switch to McLellan has made a major impact, with the Wings going 17-5-2 in his tenure and moving into the first wild card spot.
Team leaders: The Red Wings have a keeper in Lucas Raymond, as the 22-year-old Swede who was taken fourth overall in the 2020 draft scored 31 goals last season and leads the squad with 63 points (22 goals, 41 assists) this year. Captain Dylan Larkin is next with a 24-29-53 line, while dangerous goal scorer Alex DeBrincat leads the team with 26 goals among 50 points. Mortiz Seider heads the defense with 35 points on five goals and 30 assists, while Patrick Kane has a 14-21-35 line.
Cam Talbot has started a team-high 30 games in net and is 17-11-3 with a 2.95 GAA and .905 save percentage. Alex Lyon (11-6-1, 2.74, .902) is the primary backup after the recent trade of Ville Husso.
What's new: The Red Wings had a seven-game win streak just before the 4 Nations break and have won nine of 11 overall, in part because their top players are stepping up. Raymond (7-18-25), Larkin (11-13-24) and DeBrincat (11-11-22) are all among the NHL’s top 15 scorers since Jan. 1, while Kane has added 18 points and Marco Kasper 16 points. Of note, the power play is red hot, scoring on 8 of 16 chances in the past five games, and Talbot is 11-2-1 in his last 14 decisions.
Trending: Detroit swept the season series a year ago and dealt Columbus a heartbreaker in the first meeting of the year, scoring in the final minute to take a 5-4 win on Jan. 2. The Blue Jackets went 17-5-1 against their northern neighbors from 2017-22 but are 1-5-1 the past two-plus years.
Former CBJ: Tyler Motte has played 31 games for the Red Wings this year, and the wing has two goals and two assists on the campaign.
