Marching Orders - 4/18/13
The Jackets are IN - now they just have to keep themselves there.
After last night's win, the Jackets surged to 8th place, two points ahead of Detroit and four up on Dallas. The Coyotes are technically still in the hunt, but they're now six points back, and the Oilers trail even further behind. I'd say that anyone below the 40 point bar (Edmonton, Calgary, Nashville, Colorado) can be safely considered "done."
Tonight, once again, the Jackets need to take care of their own business. Even getting a point would be huge, but a win, regardless of how they find it, would pump them up to a 60% chance of making the postseason, and expand the gap on a night where Detroit finds themselves idle.
We're also rooting for Vancouver to take out Dallas in regulation, St. Louis over Phoenix (though I think you can, again, make an argument the other way - one is mathematically better for Columbus, the other could give the Jackets the opportunity to edge the Blues' seeding, though St. Louis still has a couple of games in hand), and the Minnesota / San Jose game is a push as long as it's won in regulation, regardless of who gets the W.
Meanwhile, in rooting for draft pick country, we're rooting for Florida over the Rangers in regulation (of course), Winnipeg over Carolina regardless of how they do it, the Islanders over Toronto, Washington over Ottawa in OT or regulation, and New Jersey over Philly in OT, though that game is so barely significant that it doesn't really matter.
Unless you're rooting for Mason to post a shutout and get the starting job over Bryzgalov, in which case feel free to get your Orange and Black on.