The Blue Jackets enter tonight's game vs. the Blackhawks in fifth place in the Central Division with 20 points in 19 games. But considering how some of the teams in the division have played many fewer games, it's more instructive to look at points percentage right now, where Columbus ranks sixth at .526, behind Florida (.765), Carolina (.735), Tampa Bay (.719), Chicago (.579) and Dallas (.538).
That's a bit instructive. So far, that's not good enough to make the playoffs, as only the top four teams in the division will advance. But it's also not the world's biggest gap to make up, either, to get to the No. 4 spot.
I don't think anyone would argue the Blue Jackets are fighting to find their game with some consistency. But it's also fair to say they've stayed afloat thus far, giving themselves the chance to be right back on the right side of the line with a couple of wins.
And it's not like the Blue Jackets haven't been here before. Just a year ago, Columbus was 11-14-4 through 29 games, a points percentage of .448. From there, a ragtag group besieged by injuries went on a 19-2-5 run to jump back into playoff position before the pandemic hit.
In fact, getting hot as the season goes on has become a bit of a Blue Jackets thing over the years. The 2018-19 team took a while to get there but won seven of its last eight to make the playoffs. The year before that, Columbus went 13-2-2 down the stretch to clinch a playoff berth.
That's not all. The 2013 team was 5-12-4 through 21 games then finished 19-5-3 to get within a tiebreaker of the postseason in that 48-game campaign. That's a bit of an instructive one, as that team was in a lot worse position in a shorter season and still nearly made the postseason.
I'm not guaranteeing a hot streak is right around the corner, of course. No one can predict the future, and the Jackets will have to play better than they are right now to reach their goal of a fifth straight postseason appearance.
But it does go to show you that for as much as Columbus has fought its game so far -- and for all of the frustration and hang-wringing I've seen on social media -- there's still plenty to play for.
And the Blue Jackets know it.
"We know there's a lot more out of this group, and that's why it's been a little but frustrating I guess," captain Nick Foligno said. "But we have to rectify things the right way. There's baby steps. It's not like you just flip a switch and all of a sudden you're playing great hockey. It's a process. We have to understand it and respect it."
