As we enter the last week of the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets are still in the playoff battle

The Columbus Blue Jackets came into a back-to-back series with the best team in the Eastern Conference this weekend, needing to win both games to keep their playoff hopes alive. On the shoulders of an undersized, undrafted goaltender; the team rallied and beat the Washington Capitals in both games, by a combined score of 11-1.

Just as we all expected, right?

The Jackets now sit 9th in the East, with a record of 38-33-9 (85 points); already a 19 point improvement over last season. That's an incredible one-year jump in the standings.

It's a little bit odd to see them just behind the Montreal Canadiens again this season. Last year, the Habs finished one spot above the Jackets in the East; though the two teams finished 15th and 16th then. Currently, Montreal holds the final wild card spot with 88 points - 3 ahead of the Jackets.

Each team has two games remaining on the schedule, which means that not only do the Jackets need to win both of their own games; they need Montreal to pick up no more than one point in the standings. The Habs play at home tonight against Chicago, then finish out their season on Wednesday in Carolina. It's a long shot, but the CBJ are still in it.

The Jackets will play at Philadelphia on Tuesday, and then finish up at home against the New York Islanders on Thursday. Their fate may unfortunately be sealed before they take the ice again, which is a real bummer. You never want to have it in someone else's hands, but unfortunately they went stone cold through March and into early April, so this is the reality.

Whether they get in or not, this season has been a massive success for the Blue Jackets.

Last year, they finished 27-43-12 (66 points). They have already won 11 more games this year. In a season that started off with an unthinkable tragedy, this group has banded together under a new general manager, a new head coach, and some quality veterans that were brought in to help calm the tides.

If they win or lose these last two games, whether they make the playoffs or not, I don't think we can put into words how much growth this team has had this year. The best part about it: the young players are the ones that have sped things along.

Unlike in recent years, when the team rolled out low event veterans in most key situations; Dean Evason has taken the reins off of the guys who are going to eventually lead this team into competing for a Stanley Cup. It starts with trust, and the entire organization looks more cohesive than it has in years. Maybe more than it ever has.

As a result, Kirill Marchenko leads the team with 31 goals, and is second in scoring with 72 points. Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, and Dmitri Voronkov have all emerged as viable top-six scoring options. Fantilli, in particular, looks like a budding superstar. We're seeing an all new Zach Werenski, who looks like he's ready for the "C" on his sweater whenever Boone Jenner inevitably gives it up (that may be down the road a ways).

When you put it all together, in just 10 or so months at the helm, Don Waddell has changed the entire outlook of this franchise. They went from lottery team, to right on the playoff line in his first year as GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

I hope this team wins out and gets rewarded for coming together in an extremely difficult season. But, even if they come up short, they have more than earned our respect and adoration this year. Let's go Jackets!