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Posted at 11:45 PM EST

7:05 PM EST. OT included. It’s a “must win” situation for the Jackets, as they are running neck-and-neck with the Hurricanes and Canadiens for two of the final three playoff spots available. One of those three teams are 100% going to miss the playoffs. All three have played 79 games. The Jackets have 94 points, the ‘Canes have 93 and the Canadiens have 92. We cannot overstate how important this one is for the Jackets, as a win almost guarantees them one of the two spots. Indeed the Jackets are in the driver’s seat, not to mention that they’ve won five in a row with three shutouts thrown in over that span. Combine five wins in a row with the must win angle and one will pay a premium to get behind the second best team here. We cannot overemphasize how lame and overused the “must-win” angle truly is. What those five wins in a row do not tell you is that Columbus lost the Corsi For % battle in three of those five wins and were outplayed by Buffalo in their last game and also badly outplayed against the Islanders in that 4-0 win last week.

By contrast, Boston has dropped three of four and the market sees the Jackets in a more favorable spot (must-win) than the Bruins but we’re not buying that for a second. Boston wants to win too (they have not clinched home ice in the first round over Toronto yet) and it is the better team. Despite losing three of four, Boston was not outplayed in any of those games with the exception of a 5-4 OT loss in Tampa. Over its last two games, Boston’s Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak have allowed 10 goals against on 49 shots combined. That’s one goal every 4.9 shots and there isn’t a team on the planet that can win when that occurs. Fact is, the B’s are a analytical beast at both ends of the ice. No team has allowed less scoring chances against than Boston has over the past seven weeks. The Bruins have allowed a mere 27, 22, 23, 28, 22, 13, 25 and 24 shots on net respectively in eight of their past nine games. Try and find another team close to that and you won’t. Furthermore, the B’s are healthier for this game than they’ve been in quite some time. Finally, the Bruins have one more order of business to take care of and that’s to ensure they get home ice advantage in the first round against the Leafs. No chance we’re passing up this opportunity to play one of the top three teams in the league while taking back this price.

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