The Blue Jackets failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity to overtake the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the Metropolitan Division, but their 1-0 loss to the New York Islanders on March 22 at UBS Arena didn’t do much damage to their playoff hopes.
They’re still in the driver’s seat with 85 points after 70 games and have 12 games remaining to secure a postseason spot in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2020. Simulation models used by MoneyPuck and The Athletic still give the Blue Jackets strong percentage chances to reach the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs amid a tight race, while betting odds also favor 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 dropped from to 84.4% to 76.2% as of 5:08 a.m. ET on March 23. Losing to the Islanders also lessened their chance of advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
That’s now 43.5% per MoneyPuck after dropping from 47.7% on March 21. MoneyPuck gets its percentages by running simulations of the remaining NHL schedule 100,000 times. The Athletic simulates the remaining NHL schedule 50,000 times with its model, which currently gives the Blue Jackets an 90% chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
MoneyPuck forecasts the Blue Jackets to finish with 99 points (98.9) after forecasting 100 points (100.2) on March 22, while The Athletic sees Columbus finishing near 101 points (100.7). MoneyPuck gives the Jackets a 4.7% chance to win the Stanley Cup, down from 5.4% on March 22, and The Athletic still gives Columbus a 4% chance to win the NHL’s championship.
Columbus Blue Jackets playoff picture: Betting odds
The Blue Jackets remain a strong favorite to make the playoffs with most sports betting sites. DraftKings gives them -330 odds to make it and +260 to miss, FanDuel has it -300 to qualify and +240 to miss, while BetMGM gives Columbus the sixth-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 competing with for a playoff spot, including home games 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.
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: Islanders loss a small setback
Reporting by Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
