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Columbus Blue Jackets: Minding The Metro – Still Above the Penguins

By Preston Byers

COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 22: Adam Johnson #47 of the Pittsburgh Penguins try to control the puck while its in the air during the first period of the preseason game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Pittsburgh Penguins on September 22, 2017 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 22: Adam Johnson #47 of the Pittsburgh Penguins try to control the puck while its in the air during the first period of the preseason game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Pittsburgh Penguins on September 22, 2017 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Columbus Blue Jackets haven’t had an easy time recently, but the team is still sitting pretty in what is believed to be the toughest division in the NHL.

After demolishing the Florida Panthers to move to 9-4-0 on the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets hit a major rough patch. Injuries started hitting, but the main reason the team sputtered was because their offense couldn’t get it together.

Following the win in Sunrise, the CBJ lost their next four games–three of them in regulation. But

the team

Sergei Bobrovsky figured out a way to defeat the Detroit Red Wings in a nine-round shootout to get their first win in five games. And the team followed that up with another shootout win in Montreal on Tuesday, thanks to Bobrovsky’s heroics.

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Metro Standings

The win over the Canadiens put the Blue Jackets’ record at 11-7-1. Their 23 points put them in second place in the Metro, just behind the New Jersey Devils. Technically, the CBJ are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins but the Pens have played one more game than the Jackets have this season, making Columbus the rightful #2 team in the division.

Unfortunately, the Devils have two less games played than the Blue Jackets, meaning that NJ could realistically pull away a little from the CBJ if the latter slips up at all.

Behind the Penguins, the Capitals sit in fourth with 21. This is a drop from last season when the Caps were with 26 points through at the same point in the season. The New York teams follow up the Caps at 20 points, with the Islanders edging out the Rangers through a games-played tiebreaker. And sitting at the bottom, the Hurricanes and Flyers both have 18 points, with the Flyers technically in dead-last.

Obviously, the entire division is wide open. No one knows what’s going to happen in the final three-fourths of the season, so we could (and most likely) see some surprises–both good and bad. The Devils are expected to come down in the standings as they play stiffer competition. But who knows? Both the Penguins and Capitals have had easier schedules to this point (according to Hockey-Reference.com) and they are still behind the Devils. Fortunately, the Blue Jackets have had the toughest schedule in the league and still sits in second in the division and sixth in total points in the league.

Next: Hockey Basics for CBJ Fans

Once the schedule evens out more for the Blue Jackets, they should be able to grab the top spot of the division. THEY SHOULD. Let’s just hope that the offense wakes up, so it can become a reality.

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