The Four Nations Faceoff, Stadium Series, and Trade Deadline have all come and gone, and somehow the Columbus Blue Jackets are in the thick of a playoff race with under 20 games to go. While the Jackets need to keep their focus on winning their games, the 5th Line can start scoreboard watching for the other seven(!) teams battling for the third spot in the Metro and the two Eastern Conference Wild Card berths.
Let’s start things off by taking a look at the standings…
| Standings | Team | Record | Points | Games Left | Reg Wins | Since 4 Nations |
| 3rd Metro | New Jersey Devils | 34-25-6 | 74 | 17 | 30 | 3-5-0 |
| 1st Wild Card | Columbus Blue Jackets | 31-24-8 | 70 | 19 | 23 | 5-2-0 |
| 2nd Wild Card | Ottawa Senators | 32-25-5 | 69 | 20 | 23 | 3-2-1 |
| 1st Out | New York Rangers | 31-27-6 | 68 | 18 | 29 | 4-3-2 |
| 2nd Out | Detroit Red Wings | 30-27-6 | 66 | 19 | 22 | 2-5-1 |
| 3rd Out | Montreal Canadiens | 30-27-6 | 66 | 19 | 21 | 5-1-1 |
| 4th Out | Boston Bruins | 29-28-8 | 66 | 17 | 22 | 2-4-2 |
| 5th Out | New York Islanders | 29-27-7 | 65 | 19 | 23 | 4-4-0 |
For the hyper-vigilant scoreboard watchers, I’ve picked one game per day this week with the strongest relevance to the CBJ (that doesn’t actually involve the CBJ). Priority will be given to games that don’t conflict with Columbus’ so that you can, ya know, actually watch them.
Monday, March 10
Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators, 7:00 ET
The only all-Eastern game for Monday is a doozy, with the Red Wings and Senators facing off in a critical matchup. Detroit’s been plummeting with five straight losses (including two to Columbus), and desperately needs to pull out of the tailspin. Ottawa’s had the reverse: a four-game point streak (4-0-1), including a critical OTW over the New York Rangers Saturday, and bolstered their lineup with Dylan Cozens at the trade deadline. For the Jackets, the key here is a regulation finish, though rooting interest is debatable. The Red Wings continuing their tailspin could remove a contender from future consideration, but a Senators loss give the Jackets more wiggle room to stay in the Wildcard.
Tuesday, March 11
Montreal Canadiens at Vancouver Canucks, 10:00 ET
While the Blue Jackets-Devils game Tuesday holds immense importance, there’s also two Eastern Conference teams wrapping up lengthy Western road trips this week, giving CBJ fans the doubleheader option. The Islanders finish their California swing on this night, while the Habs have a back-to-back to close their Pacific Northwest journey. After picking up just a single point through the Alberta stretch, Montreal needs two points versus Vancouver. So go Canucks!
Other Games: Columbus at New Jersey, 7:00; Ottawa at Philadelphia, 7:00; Florida at Boston, 7:00; NY Islanders at Los Angeles, 10:30
Wednesday, March 12
Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 ET
The Red Wings play exclusively on off-day games this week, including a national broadcast against the lowly Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. Why? Great question. Regardless of the result Monday, a Detroit loss here would be brutal; a 0-6 or 1-5 stretch in the midst of a playoff race is about as soul-crushing as it gets. Luckily, people born in Michigan don’t have souls [citation needed].
Other Games: Montreal at Seattle, 10:30 ET
Thursday, March 13
Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators, 7:00 ET
Amidst a loaded schedule Thursday, the Senators find themselves in another critical matchup versus the weakened Boston Bruins. With Charlie McAvoy injured, Brad Marchand and Brandon Carlo shipped off to division rivals, and Charlie Coyle downgraded to Casey Middelstadt, plus 2-3 extra games played compared to the rest of the pack, the Bruins seem to plan on falling out of contention down the stretch. But we’ve been saying that for years now, and Jeremy Swayman can still stand on his head and shutout the Lightning any given day. This is a similar situation to the Detroit-Ottawa game on Monday; a Bruins loss is another nail in the coffin, an Ottawa loss likely helps Columbus in the short term, and please don’t go into overtime.
Other Games: Vegas at Columbus, 7:00; Edmonton at New Jersey, 7:00; NY Rangers at Minnesota, 8:00
Friday, March 14
Edmonton Oilers at New York Islanders, 7:30 ET
To be honest, I was debating whether or not to include the Islanders in this article. They sold off Brock Nelson at the trade deadline and, as of Sunday morning, have four teams to pass to make the playoffs. But then they won four of five, and I realized not including them will summon some Lou Lamoriello curse where they knock us out to close the season. And I didn’t want to pick three Red Wings games. In this battle for blue-and-orange supremacy, Jackets fans can have the pleasure of rooting for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to do their scoring magic to overwhelm New York’s stingy defense, getting a division foe closer to elimination in the process.
Other Games: Detroit at Carolina, 7:00
Saturday, March 15
New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins, 3:00 ET
I picked this game for two reasons: I hadn’t picked a Devils game, and it’s the only game in the afternoon slot, avoiding the critical Jackets-Rangers rematch at 7:00. With Jack Hughes out for the year and Dougie Hamilton out week-to-week, depending on the result against Columbus Tuesday, the Devils could be battling for a wildcard spot, and that Jackets-Rangers game becomes a battle for the third spot in the Metro. That means pole position for a first round matchup versus the Mikko Rantanen-less Carolina Hurricanes instead of a high-flying division winner. And it wasn’t until I started writing this paragraph that I realized that insinuates rooting for the Pittsburgh Penguins. I guess life is funny that way.
Other Games: NY Rangers at Columbus, 7:00; Ottawa at Toronto, 7:00; Florida at Montreal, 7:00; Tampa Bay at Boston, 7:00
Sunday, March 16
Edmonton Oilers at New York Rangers, 7:00 ET
The Oilers conclude their NYC tour with by facing the Blueshirts. The Rangers have had an interesting year; underwhelming to start the season, sending Jaccob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko out West in early December, doing better, acquiring JT Miller from Vancouver, and then holding steady until the deadline, when they sold off Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey, and Reilly Smith but bought Carson Soucy in another trade with the Canucks. I don’t really know what they’re doing. I don’t know if they know what they’re doing. But with the offensive potential they have, coupled with a top-three goalie in Igor Shesterkin, they’re the biggest threat to knock the Jackets out of the playoffs. So hears to hoping McDavid, Draisaitl, and the Oilers can come into MSG and give Columbus some breathing room, on what will be the second half of a back-to-back for the home side.
Other Games: Vegas at Detroit, 1:00; Florida at NY Islanders, 7:30