Nobody saw this coming. Nobody.
The Columbus Blue Jackets were supposed to be tanking. They were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the NHL, battling for a top draft pick and planning for next year. Instead, they're in the playoffs.
After an 18-2-4 run - one of the most improbable hot streaks in recent NHL history - the Blue Jackets now hold the Metro 3 spot due to the games-in-hand tiebreaker with the Islanders. This is the kind of story that makes sports beautiful: a team that refuses to quit, no matter what anyone says.
"We believed in each other when nobody else did," Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner said after clinching a playoff spot. "Every guy in that locker room bought in. We're not done yet."
Let's put this in perspective. Back in January, the Blue Jackets were dead and buried. They were the kind of team you skip over in the standings. Analysts were projecting them to finish with the third-worst record in the league. Then something clicked.
Goaltender Daniil Tarasov got hot, posting a .935 save percentage during the streak. The defense tightened up. Young forwards like Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson started producing. And suddenly, teams that were supposed to roll over Columbus were getting shocked.
The Metropolitan Division is an absolute bloodbath this year, with six teams between 84 and 86 points all fighting for the final spots. The Blue Jackets went on this run at the perfect time, leapfrogging teams that were supposed to be locks.
Head coach Pascal Vincent deserves major credit here. He never let the team quit, even when the losses piled up early. "This group has heart," Vincent said. "They play for each other. That's what playoff teams do."
Now comes the hard part: staying there. The Blue Jackets still have games left, and the race is tight. But for a team that was supposed to be planning their summer vacations, they're now planning a playoff run. This is why you play all 82 games. This is why you never give up.
The Blue Jackets are proof that when a team refuses to tank, when they keep fighting, magic can happen. And in Columbus, they're believers now.
That's what sports is all about, folks.
