The Columbus Blue Jackets enter play on Tuesday in third place in the Metropolitan Division standings. Despite being tied with the New York Islanders in points, the Blue Jackets have one game in hand on them.
Both the Blue Jackets and Islanders play important games on Tuesday night. The Blue Jackets play the Philadelphia Flyers while the Islanders host the Chicago Blackhawks.
How tight are the standings in the Eastern Conference? Seven teams have between 83-86 points. The Blue Jackets could end Tuesday night anywhere from second in the Metro to out of the playoffs completely. Every game is huge from now until the end of the regular season.
What’s add a layer of intrigue to the race is that many of the teams involved play each other. The results of those games will go a long way in determining who qualifies for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Today, we ask the question which teams have the toughest remaining schedule in the NHL based on opposition points percentage? Thanks to Tankathon, they have a dedicated page that keeps track of this important stat.
Blue Jackets Have Second Toughest Schedule
The Blue Jackets are one of the teams that has multiple games left against the teams competing with them for a playoff spot. That’s why they have the second hardest remaining schedule in the NHL. If you couple that with the games against the best in the East, you see why it’s a tough road.
The Blue Jackets have two games left against the Carolina Hurricanes and also have to play in Buffalo in April. Of their 12 remaining games, five are against Montreal (2), Boston (2) and Detroit (1). The Canadiens and Red Wings are both on the road while the Bruins are both at home.
The Flyers’ hopes are on life support. A loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night will deal major damage to what was already a tough road to qualify for the playoffs.
In all, the Blue Jackets have a strength of schedule remaining of .606. Only the Bruins have a tougher schedule remaining with an opponent’s strength of schedule at .612. The Bruins have Dallas, Minnesota and Tampa Bay twice left on top of games with the Hurricanes, Sabres and Blue Jackets.
The Islanders have the third-toughest schedule left at .602. But 10 of their last 12 games are at home. The Islanders have games with the Stars, Hurricanes (2), Sabres, Canadiens, Penguins and Senators left.
What gives the Blue Jackets a slight edge for now in qualifying for the playoffs is a combination of being third in the Metro and the number of paths they have to qualifying for the playoffs.
According to Moneypuck, the Blue Jackets had a 76.1% chance of making the playoffs coming into Tuesday. Had they defeated the Islanders in regulation Sunday, that number would have been over 90%. Individual games now could have a dramatic swing effect in the playoff odds depending on the matchup.
Blue Jackets Control Their Own Destiny
Teams never want to have to depend on outside help to make the playoffs. The good news for the Blue Jackets is that they control their own destiny for now. If they keep winning, they will make the playoffs.
But with the second-hardest schedule remaining in the NHL, nothing is for certain. A losing streak now could end their’s or anyone else’s season should they start to slump now.
The East is trending to potentially have a team finish with the most amount of points in a season in history while not making the playoffs. The highest point total to not make the playoffs is 96 which has been done multiple times. It’s very possible someone finishes between 97-99 points and misses out on the postseason.
For the Blue Jackets, it’s simple. They just need to take care of the game they have that night. On Tuesday night, that’s the Flyers. Win and they remain in a playoff spot. Lose and they risk finishing the night on the outside. Head coach Rick Bowness knows exactly how to handle these situations. That’s one game at a time.
Get ready for a crazy stretch of hockey these last 12-13 games. Every decision matters. Every line change must be done right. The tiniest mistake now could be enough to send a team home with no postseason to show for their efforts.
Buckle up. The action is only to get more intense from here.
