The Blue Jackets host Florida tonight at Nationwide with a chance to overtake Pittsburgh in the NHL standings and get closer to Washington, which leads the Metropolitan Division.
The way the NHL playoffs work, the top team in the conference plays the 8th seed, and the second- and third-place teams in each division play each other in the first round.
So if the Jackets can get to the top of the East, that would force Pittsburgh and Washington to play in round one, thus eliminating one from the Stanley Cup race.
If the CBJ finishes second or third, it will have to play Washington or Pittsburgh in search of what would be the Jackets' first playoff series victory in franchise history.
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