With eight games to go, what should we expect from the Columbus Blue Jackets?
The Blue Jackets are all but locked into the worst record in the Eastern Conference this season. With just eight games remaining, what are we expecting to see out of this team?
Another season of pain is finally about to come to a close in Central Ohio. On one hand, it feels like the season just started; full of hope and potential. On the other hand, it feels like it's been ages; full of pain and disappointment.
The Jackets are all but guaranteed to finish with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. They're 8 points behind the next closest team (Montreal), and they have played one more game than any team within reach.
They're also pretty much guaranteed to finish 29th overall, which will give them the 4th best odds at next month's draft lottery. For these reasons, the last two weeks of the season are truly meaningless.
Win or lose, these games just don't matter for this team. But, they have to play out the string; and all of these games are important to their opposition. The Jackets could still greatly affect the playoff seeding, depending on their results.
If you're like me and love to see chaos, there's potential for some fun. Remaining on the schedule are games against playoff bubble teams. The New York Islanders are 5 points back of the final playoff spot, and will desperately need two points when they play the Jackets on Thursday.
They also play the team sitting in that last wild card spot, the Philadelphia Flyers, on Saturday.
Their opponent tonight (Colorado) is vying for the best overall record in the league. One of the teams they're battling with? The Carolina Hurricanes, who the Jackets play two more times before the season ends.
The Jackets also have games against Tampa Bay, Florida, and Nashville, who are all jockeying for seeding in their respective playoff races.
But even if chaos isn't your thing, there are several reasons to keep watching the Jackets. It's evaluation season; and your favorite (or least favorite) players are fighting for their future jobs within the organization.
And, maybe most importantly: it's your last chance to see this team on the ice until at least September. So if you're a die-hard fan like myself, you'll be tuning into these games and trying to enjoy that last bit of CBJ hockey for the year.
Hopefully, they play hard and give us something to cheer for like they did on Saturday night. With their final place in the standings basically locked in, at least we can cheer for wins to close this one out.
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