Blue Jackets officially out
The Columbus Blue Jackets were officially eliminated from playoff contention after the Philadelphia Flyers forced overtime against the Carolina Hurricanes, ending Columbus’s bid. (dispatch.com) Local reporting framed the result as the final mathematical trigger that knocked Columbus off the board. (dispatch.com)
Columbus was knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoff race Monday night when Philadelphia’s win over Carolina left the Blue Jackets with no path in. (nhl.com) The National Hockey League’s standings showed Columbus at 40-29-12 for 92 points after 81 games, with the Flyers at 42-27-12 for 96 points and one game left for each club. That gap meant Columbus could no longer catch Philadelphia for the final Eastern Conference spot. (espn.com) Philadelphia got the point that finished it by taking Carolina past regulation in a 3-2 shootout win on April 13. Columbus had kept itself alive two days earlier with a 5-2 win at Montreal, but it still needed help in the out-of-town scoreboard race. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) The miss extends Columbus’s playoff drought to six straight seasons. The franchise has not played a full best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series since 2020, when it lost to Tampa Bay after the pandemic-shortened qualifying round. (nhl.com) The standings squeeze was tight into the final weekend. On April 11, local coverage noted Philadelphia had already stayed ahead by beating Winnipeg 7-1, leaving Columbus to chase from behind even after its win in Montreal. (dispatch.com 1) (dispatch.com 2) Columbus also faded late. National Hockey League reporting said the Blue Jackets lost eight of their final 10 games, a slide that outweighed one last push in mid-April. (nhl.com) There were still bright spots inside the collapse. National Hockey League coverage pointed to defenseman Zach Werenski and the development of younger players as reasons the club sees progress despite another spring without playoff games. (nhl.com) The regular season now ends with Columbus playing out its last date on the schedule, while Philadelphia moves on and the Blue Jackets start another offseason outside the bracket. (espn.com)
