Before Thursday evening, the last time the Blue Jackets traveled to Pittsburgh for a meaningful game was April 26, 2014. It was Game 5 of the first round playoff series between the Penguins and the Blue Jackets within the walls of the Consol Energy Center. The series was tied at two games each. At the end of that night, the Penguins would emerge victorious with a 3-1 victory, before clinching that series two days later in Columbus.
The expectations were high for Columbus ahead of the new 2014-15 season. The feeling was of the Blue Jackets capturing one of the top three positions in the Metropolitan Division and making a return trip to the playoffs.
After 56 games and 358 man games lost due to injury, the Blue Jackets have a record of 26-27-3 for 55 points. They currently sit 12th in the Eastern Conference, ten points behind the eighth place Boston Bruins. They have a game-in-hand over the Florida Panthers (9th), two games-in-hand over the Philadelphia Flyers (10th) and are one point behind the Ottawa Senators (11th).
Columbus is 5-5-0 (10 pts) in their last ten games. How does this compare with the four teams they are trailing? Boston is 3-4-3 (9 pts), Florida is 5-3-2 (12 pts), Philadelphia is 5-1-4 (14 pts) and Ottawa is 4-5-1 (9 pts). Two of the four teams they are chasing are earning more points over the same span of games, and Columbus has but 26 games remaining.
Playing .500 hockey will not get the Blue Jackets a return engagement in the postseason dance.
With every team turning up the intensity for the stretch run to the playoffs, Columbus is just too far behind the eight-ball at this point. Even if they were to make a run of 20-5-1, that would give them 96 points, yet not guarantee them a playoff position.
They went on an amazing 10-1-1 run in December that saw them earn a net gain of two points for a playoff position in the Eastern Conference. Let me repeat that - they saw a net gain of two points from ten wins.
In 21 games since December, the Blue Jackets have a record of 10-11-0. They were 10 points behind the eighth-place Toronto Maple Leafs on January 1 and are 10 points behind the Bruins after Thursday night's win over Pittsburgh. They have gained no ground in the playoff race over the previous seven weeks of play.
Again, what started out as a very promising season with high expectations has morphed into a season ravaged by numerous injuries to key players since before the puck dropped way back on Oct. 9, 2014.
There was hope that there could be a rematch between the Blue Jackets and the Penguins this year, a renewal of the "Interstate Series." Alas, it was not meant to be. While there are many among the fan base that are severely disappointed at how this season has unfolded, there are none more disappointed than the players within the dressing room.
With just over one week until the March 2 trade deadline, don't expect major changes to the team. The brain trust of John Davidson (President of Hockey Operations), Jarmo Kekalainen (General Manager), et al., have said that they wanted to see a full, healthy roster to be able to properly evaluate the team. They have not seen that through 56 games, nor will they likely see it when the 82nd game has been played. That is the reality of this season.
So, sit back and savor the ride that unfolds over the next 26 games. With this team, you never know what may happen and they just might surprise you. Besides, the valkyrie Brunnhilde has yet to start warming up.
