Columbus Blue Jackets Playoff Hopes – Will The Atlantic Divisions Depth Spoil The Chances?

Marc-Andre Fleury (29) – Cam Atkinson (13)

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

As it stands right now, the morning of October the 29th, the Columbus Blue Jackets sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division. It is no surprise that the Pittsburgh Penguins are atop the standings in the division with 16 points – but it may come as a shock that the New York Islanders are sitting second with 11 points, and an even bigger shock is that the Carolina Hurricanes have the same amount of points as the Islanders and are currently in third.

So as you can see,  the Blue Jackets aren’t far behind the top three teams in the division, with a record of 5-6-0, CBJ has 10 points in the standings – tied with the Washington Capitals, but are placed ahead because of goal differential. If the playoffs started today though, the Blue Jackets would not even be able to clinch a wildcard spot. Luckily for the Blue Jackets there is still most of the season to be played.

Who Would Make The Playoffs If They Started Today?

• Tampa Bay (1)
• Toronto (2)
• Boston (3)
• Pittsburgh (1)
• NYI (2)
• Carolina (3)
• Montreal (Wildcard)
• Detroit (Wildcard)

So why take a look at who would make the playoffs right now?

Steven Stamkos (91)

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Well, if you take a look at the Atlantic division, you will see that five out of the eight teams have winning records, and six out of the eight teams have 10 or more points. The depth of the Atlantic division could spoil the opportunity for ANY team in the Metropolitan division, let alone the Blue Jackets, to grab one of the wildcard slots to make the playoffs.

Obviously teams can get hot, teams can become cold, and the standings could dramatically change throughout the season. The Blue Jackets may not want to take that chance though, and may have to place in the top three of the Metropolitan division to guarantee a playoff birth. Since right now, only the top three from the Metropolitan division would actually make the playoffs.

I know us fans would just like to see the Blue Jackets make the playoffs, and it doesn’t matter in what place – but placing seventh or eighth may not be an option. Columbus may need to shape up even more than expected to make the playoffs, especially if they want to be in the top three in the Metropolitan division or beat out an Atlantic division team for a playoff spot. So far the Metropolitan division is weaker than expected, so a top three finish may be obtainable – one thing is for sure, it will most certainly  be an interesting playoff race towards the end of the season.