Columbus Blue Jackets playoff tracker: Slip, sliding away

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Despite dropping their sixth straight game in a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on April 4 that made them just 1-6-7 since briefly taking over second place in the Metropolitan Division, the Blue Jackets can still earn a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

More: Columbus Blue Jackets lose sixth straight game. Replay

Time is running out, however, with only five games left and they're still outside the playoff bubble while playing like a team with its wheels rapidly loosening. Once again, the Blue Jackets (38-27-12, 88 points) couldn't capitalize on April 4 regulation losses by the New York Islanders (89 points), Ottawa Senators (88 points) and Detroit Red Wings (88 points).


The Washington Capitals (87 points) also pulled closer in the playoff chat with a 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres, bringing them to within one point of the East's second wild card and two points from third place in the Metro.

Projections by MoneyPuck, The Athletic and PlayoffStatus, which formerly gave the Jackets a nearly 90% chance to qualify for the playoffs, now place it between 25% and 47% to make it, which is astounding considering that six teams are all within a two-point margin to land the East's two final postseason tickets. Sports betting services have also flipped the Blue Jackets from favorite to underdog to make the playoffs.

Here's a look:

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Columbus Blue Jackets playoff picture: Percentage forecast​

According to MoneyPuck, an NHL statistics site that generates projections by simulating the remaining NHL schedule 100,000 times, the Blue Jackets are down to a 24.6% of qualifying for the playoffs for another drop from 33.6% going into the game. That site gave Columbus an 87.1% chance to make it going into a 2-1 loss on March 26 in Montreal, which they lost 2-1 to start their slide.

The Athletic uses its simulation model to play out the remaining NHL schedule 50,000 times for each projection, and its most recent odds set the Jackets' chances at 47% to make it. That model gave Columbus a chance of 88% to make it before the Jackets started their 1-6-1 slog.

PlayoffStatus came out with its most recent projection at 11 p.m. April 4, giving Columbus a 25% chance to qualify for the playoffs and 75% chance to miss. That sites gives Columbus a 1% chance to finish second in the Metro, 21% chance to finish third and 3% chance of earning the East's second wild card.

MoneyPuck forecasts the Blue Jackets finishing with 93.4 points, down from 94.7., while The Athletic sees them finishing with 94.9 points and PlayoffStatus doesn't make points forecasts.

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Columbus Blue Jackets playoff picture: Betting odds​

Sports online betting services have adjusted their odds to make the Blue Jackets favorites to miss.

FanDuel now gives them +200 underdog odds to make it, a change from +150 before the Winnipeg loss, and -265 after losing to the Jets. Nice dstadim

DraftKings has its odds for the Jackets at +215 to make it as underdogs and -265 to miss. BetMGM isn't listing odds to make or miss the playoffs, but has the Blue Jackets as heavy underdogs to win the Eastern Conference (+3,000) and Stanley Cup (+8,500).

Columbus Blue Jackets remaining schedule​

The Blue Jackets have two games left against teams they’re competing with for a playoff spot. They'll play the Red Wings on April 7 in Detroit and host the Capitals on April 14 to conclude the regular season.

Here’s a look at how things are going in the Blue Jackets' final 10 games:


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Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at [email protected] and @BrianHedger.bsky.social

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets playoff tracker: Slide continues

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