Well, in the words of Martin Lawrence, “Shit just got real.”
After the Red Wings beat the Kings, Columbus slipped into 9th place.
Now, the good news is that Detroit, the Jackets, and Minnesota all have two games left.
The bad new is that Columbus not only has to take care of their business, but they have to hope that one or both of those clubs suffer a loss (or two) while they win out.
The odds are…getting slim. But they’re still alive. Let’s see what happens.
First and foremost, the Jackets must defeat the Stars tonight. If they fail, we’re done, no if ands or buts. There’s still a slim chance if they fall in OT or a shootout, but two points is the only goal really worth talking about.
On the other side of the coin, we have to place our faith in Blast Hardcheese Rip Chestwall! Big McLargeHuge! the Nashville Predators.
If Nashville defeats Detroit in regulation, Columbus hops right back into place, and Detroit would cap out at 54 points…while Columbus winning out would put them at 55.
The good news is that Detroit IS on the second night of a back to back. The bad news is…well…it’s Detroit. And Nashville isn’t exactly looking like a world beater.
Minnesota is idle until Friday, but if Columbus and Detroit both win today, we may want to keep an eye on their games against Edmonton and Colorado to see what happens next.
If you’re still following the Rangers odds, we need to see Carolina win in regulation, Winnipeg taking out Montreal, and Ottawa beating Washington, but if the Rangers beat Carolina, they’ll have officially clinched a playoff spot.
Basically? Welcome to interesting times.