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Columbus Blue Jackets face tough, but promising road to playoffs

By Simon Vacca

OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 22: Columbus Blue Jackets Center Matt Duchene (95) during warm-up before National Hockey League action between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators on February 22, 2019, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 22: Columbus Blue Jackets Center Matt Duchene (95) during warm-up before National Hockey League action between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators on February 22, 2019, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Columbus Blue Jackets’ decision to go all-in at the trade deadline promises to ensure that the team remains at the focal point of attention throughout the hockey world. Nevertheless, the club will face key challenges in the weeks ahead.

Having undertaken some of the National Hockey League’s most head-turning moves at the Feb. 25th trade deadline, the fate of Jarmo Kekäläinen’s Columbus Blue Jackets will surely be one of the sport’s most noteworthy subjects of interest as the club aims to enter into the realm of serious competition for Lord Stanley’s trophy.

The stakes surrounding Kekäläinen’s decision to go all-in are relatively clear. Seeking to take advantage of a close Metropolitan Division — as well as what appears to be a limited period in which the organization can compete with the likes of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky at the helm of its operation — the Blue Jackets shall attempt to blur the lines between playoff pretender and contender in the weeks to come.

The task at hand, however, will be nothing short of an uphill climb. Despite acquiring valuable pieces in Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Keith Kinkaid and Adam McQuaid, the next 19 matchups shall see the Blue Jackets face a number of the league’s toughest opponents — chief among them being division rivals in the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders, along with the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames and red hot Boston Bruins.

Here’s a look at what’s in store for the remainder of the Blue Jackets’ schedule.

  • March 2 — Edmonton Oilers (home)
  • March 3 — Winnipeg Jets (home)
  • March 5 — New Jersey Devils (away)
  • March 7 — Pittsburgh Penguins (away)
  • March 9 — Pittsburgh Penguins (home)
  • March 11 — New York Islanders (away)
  • March 12 — Boston Bruins (home)
  • March 15 — Carolina Hurricanes (home)
  • March 16 — Boston Bruins (away)
  • March 19 — Calgary Flames (away)
  • March 21 — Edmonton Oilers (away)
  • March 24 — Vancouver Canucks (away)
  • March 26 — New York Islanders (home)
  • March 28 — Montréal Canadiens (home)
  • March 30 — Nashville Predators (away)
  • March 31 — Buffalo Sabres (away)
  • April 2 — Boston Bruins (home)
  • April 5 — New York Rangers (away)
  • April 6 — Ottawa Senators (away)

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Although the games ahead will serve as a challenge for the books, the opportunity at hand should not be undermined. The Blue Jackets have not yet won a playoff series, and its fanbase has long yearned for a chance to prove itself amidst hockey’s stiffest measure of competition.

Risky, indeed. But the possibility of potential reward seems brighter than ever.

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