Turn out the lights, the party is over; at least it is for the Columbus Blue Jackets and their fans. The Jackets did their part by beating Nashville last night at Nationwide Arena but following Detroit's 3 - 0 victory over Dallas, Columbus needed Minnesota to lose to make it into the postseason. The Wild held on in the third period and downed Colorado 2 - 1 at the Pepsi Center to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.

It was a bitter finish to what was beginning to look like a season of destiny for Columbus. The Jackets were widely viewed coming into the campaign as one of the least talented clubs in the NHL and prime contenders to earn one of the top selections in the upcoming amateur draft. A slow start reinforced that view but as it turned out a lot of people, this guy included, underestimated the resilience and fortitude of this Blue Jackets team. A 19 - 5 - 5 run down the stretch had Columbus fans talking about the playoffs as opposed to debating whether the Jackets should draft Nathan MacKinnon, Seth Jones or Jonathan Drouin with the top selection in the draft.

Columbus closed the season as officially the second hottest team in the NHL behind Pittsburgh. Over their final 29 games, Columbus accrued 43 of a possible 58 points. That's a success rate of 74.1% and prorated over an 82-game schedule would compute to 122 points. That's impressive.

For comparative purposes, Pittsburgh took 46 of a possible 58 points over their last 29 contests.

At the end of the day none of it matters. Minnesota and Detroit are in, Columbus is not. That can't take away from what Columbus was able to accomplish this year.

By the end of the year anyone watching a Columbus home game can see that if there is a competitive team to support the fans will come out. My Twitter feed (hbglen_miller, give me a follow if you'd like) lit up last night once the Minnesota game went final with nothing but positive tweets and excitement for next year. I've heard people say Columbus should be a franchise the league considers moving to another market but with a good product on the ice I see no reason the Columbus market can't be successful along the lines of St. Louis.

Key Points

Brandon Dubinsky - Not surprisingly, the relatively inexperienced Jackets, most of whom have not played in meaningful games in their NHL careers, looked tight for much of the first two periods. I felt all night that Columbus needed one of their veteran players (Dubinsky, Anisimov, Foligno, Prospal and Gaborik for example) who had been in that type of elimination game before to step up and I kept thinking Dubinsky was going to be the one. He played real well in Dallas and was getting his chances through two periods last night as well. Go figure it was an all former Ranger goal that knotted the contest up and it was Dubinsky who got it assisted by Gaborik and Anisimov.

For Dubinsky it was just the second goal of what has been an injury-plagued season. His fire, determination and willingness to do anything it takes to win has set a great example for his Blue Jackets teammates even if his production hasn't been there. Dubinsky played a key role in helping to change the culture and the mindset of the Jackets roster. It was no surprise to me that he tallied what at the time may have been the most important goal of the season.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct - Whether things would have turned out differently or not, I couldn't fathom why in the world the official in the Colorado/Minnesota game saw fit to whistle the Avalanche bench (presumably PA Parenteau) for something said to or about that official. Colorado was already killing a penalty in the third period of a game whose outcome was going to directly determine whether it would be Minnesota or Columbus securing the final playoff spit in the West.

I don't know what was said but in that spot the ref has to have thick skin and let that pass. Let the teams settle it on the ice. Minnesota didn't score on the PP but it did allow them to more easily run out the clock. I can't imagine anyone saying anything egregious enough to warrant a penalty call in that spot.

Again, we'll never know if Colorado would have been able to score the tying goal or not if they hadn't had to spend nearly a minute down two men and another 1:05 down Parenteau but their chances would have been better.

Disallowed Goal - I was watching the Columbus game at the time but had ESPN and Twitter up to follow both the Detroit and Minnesota games. Needless to say I was pretty happy when it appeared Chuck Kobasew had tallied to give the Avalanche a 2 - 1 lead early in the second period. However that happiness was short-lived as the goal was ultimately disallowed after video review in Toronto after it was determined Kobasew put the puck in the net using a distinct kicking motion.

I watched the replay on TSN later last night and came away uncertain whether a "distinct kicking motion," was in fact used. TSN presented two different angles, one from behind and just off to the side and the other from directly above. Kobasew did push his right foot forward, but not toward the net, in what might have been an attempt to corral or stop the puck. If my understanding is correct, as long as Kobasew didn't distinctly kick the puck toward the net, and I don't see where he did, the goal should have counted; particularly since it was called a goal (I believe) by the on-ice officials.

Tie-Breaker - A point was raised that if Columbus didn't qualify for the playoffs due to the Jackets having fewer ROW's (Regulation and OT Wins) the blame would fall squarely on the shoulders of former GM Scott Howson, who was a proponent of changing the tie-breaker system in the first place. However, even under the old system Minnesota would have beaten out the Jackets regardless. I'm actually glad it didn't come down to that.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what I think, the games are over and Columbus didn't make it. It was a valiant effort and hopefully the team will take the confidence they gained with this late-season surge and carry it over into next season in a new conference. There is no time for sulking, at least not for the team's management. They must begin immediately to plan for next year. Actually, the extensions given to Cam Atkinson, Mark Letestu and Matt Calvert suggest that planning is already in full swing.

I've enjoyed this run as much as any of you and I want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who stop by the Blue Jackets blog here on HB regularly. Just because the Jackets season is over it doesn't mean I will be going into hibernation until next fall. I will still actively post Blue Jackets articles to keep you entertained over the long summer.

I'll likely start by doing an end-of-season analysis in which I will look at the current roster to determine who may or may not be back next season. Later on I'll look at what players Columbus might target either via trade or in free agency. Of course with Columbus owning three first-round draft choices in the draft we'll also take a look at some of the players who might appeal to the Jackets.

And in case I have some sort of playoff withdrawal or feel some strange compunction to write about the postseason I might just do that too.

Join the Discussion: » 41 Comments » Post New Comment

» Murray to Miss 4 - 6 Following Knee Surgery

» Columbus Deadline Rundown

» Blue Jackets Deadline Plans

» Tyutin to Miss Two to Three Weeks with Ankle Injury

» Blue Jackets Playing Contingent Out in Sochi