Just when it appeared that the Columbus Blue Jackets were playing themselves out of any playoff possibilities and into another NHL lottery countdown, the Blue Jackets reeled off an impressive 11-3-3 streak. However, just as soon as the Blue Jackets were back in the playoff hunt, they continued their schizophrenic ways with a disastrous 0-3-3 meltdown and now find themselves needing an improbable finish to make the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.
If "it starts now" - referencing the T-Shirt's issued by former Blue Jackets' head coach Ken Hitchcock as a means of inspiring the team back to its winning ways in the midst of a 3-14-7 collapse, last season—it will have to start tonight against the Los Angeles Kings who, after puzzling the hockey world with their struggles, have rebounded and have become one of the hottest teams in the NHL over the second half of the season.
Add to that the Blue Jackets' return to a fragile psyche, most recently the result of blowing a 3-1 lead and a 3-0 lead to the previously struggling St. Louis Blues, only to lose both games in a shootout and in overtime, consecutively, and you have an even more insu ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Ed Cmar
Columbus Blue Jackets: the Improbable Quest for the Playoffs
March 11th, 2011 by Ed Cmar Leave a reply »
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