Team B of the Hurricanes in Montreal: the Blue Jackets are upset

The Columbus Blue Jackets did everything they could to make the playoffs, but it didn’t work out. It would have been a nice story if Johnny Gaudreau’s team had managed to make the playoffs…

Yesterday, the Blue Jackets won against the Islanders in 60 minutes. That means that if the habs had lost – in regulation – to the Hurricanes of Carolina on Wednesday, the Blue Jackets would have surpassed the habs.

So it’s relatively close, let’s say.

Seeing the Hurricanes send their B team against the habs two days ago clearly put a wrench in the Blue Jackets’ plans to make the playoffs.

And as Réjean Tremblay said in his column today, it upset people in Ohio.

But you should have read the Columbus newspapers yesterday morning. The columnists were furious. Like the management of the Blue Jackets. – Réjean Tremblay

Okay. We have to acknowledge that I don’t intend to throw the first stone at the Hurricanes for thinking of themselves. They deserved the right to rest their players through their good performances in the first 81 games of the season.

It was up to the Blue Jackets to take the driver’s seat – like the habs – and control their destiny.

Obviously, there would have been the same outrage in Montreal if the situation had been reversed. But the Hurricanes have the right to rest their veterans without being questioned about the “integrity of the game” in the process.

If the Blue Jackets had wanted to make the playoffs, they just had to prevent Ivan Demidov from being available to the habs, hehe.

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overtime

So that’s to say that it’s the habs who took the 16th and last place that gives access to the playoffs. It’s going to start tomorrow in the West – for two series, at least.

Here are my predictions.

Blues against Jets: Jets in 7
Avalanche against Stars: Stars in 6
Wild against Golden Knights: Golden Knights in 4
Oilers against Kings: Oilers in 7
Senators against Maple Leafs: Senators in 7
Panthers against Lightning: Panthers in 6
Devils against Hurricanes: Devils in 7

As for the habs, I’m going to… take a little more time to decide. But I’m going to predict that Lane Hutson will manage to get his hands on the Calder Trophy.

Oh yes, I’m bold on this Friday.