Things couldn’t have gone much better for the Blue Jackets on March 24, when their 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers lifted them into second place of the Metropolitan Division with 11 games left in the regular season.
The Jackets have 87 points, one more than the Pittsburgh Penguins, and could reach 100 points by continuing to thrive under coach Rick Bowness. They’re 19-3-4 since Jan. 12, when Bowness replaced Dean Evason as head coach.
Columbus also got help in the Eastern Conference playoff chase from March 24 regulation losses by the New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. Simulation models used by MoneyPuck and The Athletic give the Blue Jackets strong percentage chances to reach the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, and betting odds mirror that prediction.
Here’s a look:
Columbus Blue Jackets playoff picture: Percentage forecast
According to MoneyPuck, an NHL projections and statistics site, the Blue Jackets’ chances of making the playoffs skyrocketed from 76.2% to 87.1 as of 4:29 a.m. ET on March 25. Downing the Flyers also raised their chances of advancing to the second round, which MoneyPuck lifted to 48.4% for a 4.9% gain.
MoneyPuck derives its percentages by running simulations of the remaining NHL schedule 100,000 times. The Athletic also simulates the remaining NHL schedule 50,000 times, but its model hasn’t generated new percentages since March 23. It currently gives them an 83% chance of making the playoffs.
MoneyPuck also forecasts the Blue Jackets to finish with 99-100 points (99.5), while The Athletic sees Columbus finishing near 99 points (99.3). MoneyPuck gives the Jackets a 4.6% chance to win the Stanley Cup, while The Athletic model is sticking with a 4% chance for Columbus to win it all.
Columbus Blue Jackets playoff picture: Betting odds
The Blue Jackets are now a strong favorite to make the playoffs with sports betting sites. FanDuel gives them -700 odds to make it and +550 to miss and DraftKings has it -800 to make it and +550 to miss. BetMGM isn’t listing odds to make the playoffs and gives the Blue Jackets the seventh-best odds to win the Eastern Conference at +1,800.
Columbus Blue Jackets remaining schedule
The Blue Jackets have three games left against teams they’re closely competing with for a playoff spot, including home tilts March 29 and April 12 against the Boston Bruins (86 points). The Jackets also play the Detroit Red Wings on April 7 at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit. The Bruins are in the first of two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference at 86 points while the Red Wings have fallen outside the postseason cutoff at 84 points.
Here’s a look at how things are going in the Blue Jackets’ final 20 games:
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets playoff tracker: Downing Flyers skyrockets odds
Reporting by Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
