Columbus Blue Jackets Minding the Metro: One Point Behind the Devils

The death trap that is the Columbus Blue Jackets division continues to tighten up with first place and sixth place only being a four point difference.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Devils faced off on Tuesday with the winner coming out on top of the division. The Devils manhandled the Blue Jackets and are now sitting atop the toughest division in all of hockey.

Fans of the Central Division may have a problem with me calling the Metro the toughest but too bad. This is the home of the defending Stanley Cup Champs and President’s Trophy winners.

The Metropolitan Division will likely have five of the eight Eastern Conference playoff teams. There is even a possibility that a team in the Metropolitan could end up with more points than one of the top three in the Atlantic and be left out of the playoffs.

What The Standings Mean

The Metropolitan standings show that a rough patch can lead to the Blue Jackets going from first to a wild card spot. The division is a complete cluster. The Devils, Jackets, Capitals, Penguins, New York Islanders and New York Rangers only have four points separating them all.

The Carolina Hurricanes are also not too far off and are a young, dangerous team. Only the Flyers are out of the playoff picture.

Every game within the division is going to be a battle and mean so much more than the two points on the line. The Columbus Blue Jackets need to win within the division or they could be falling down the standings.

The Metro is easily the most talented division in hockey from top to bottom with the defending champion Penguins sitting in a wild card spot. The defending President’s Trophy winners are looking at a wild card spot as well.

With three point games more and more frequent, the division will continue to stay tight. A few rough losing streaks could put a team in a really bad position. The Columbus Blue Jackets need to avoid a losing streak tonight as the travel to New Jersey to extract revenge on the Devils.