Blue Jackets' Playoff Hopes Hinge on Power Play

0:00On March 23rd, the Columbus Blue Jackets have turned things around under head coach Rick Bowness, posting one of the top records in the league across. Nearly every stat since he took over in mid-January. They just picked up their third regulation loss in 25 games, falling to the New York Islanders on the road Sunday night. Projections from experts now peg the Blue Jackets as strong playoff contenders, even though they sit just one point above the cut line with 12. Games left. Bottle see them sneaking in, thanks to their tight team play and depth scoring from all four lines. Coach Bowness points to a nagging issue holding them back, a shortage of power play chances which he chalks up to opponents not respecting there, physical style enough, and back-to-back games against the Islanders, Columbus got zero power plays while New York had five, turning close contests into missed opportunities. Strong goal tending has kept them afloat, with Jet Greaves going 11 wins, one loss, and two ties in his last 14 starts.

1:00Their penalty kill has been clutched too, helping them grind out points despite the lopsided special teams. With big matchups ahead against teams like the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadians, and Carolina Hurricanes, the Blue Jackets need to stay physical, and hope the calls even out as the Eastern Conference playoff race heats up. Stay locked in with NHL News Today, AI-powered updates, I'm Corey with The Story.