from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,

In the seven seasons between lockouts, teams that were among the top eight in their conference on Oct. 31 made the playoffs at a 75 percent rate. In four of the seven seasons, it was seven of eight, or 87.5 percent. The Jackets have only twice in their history been among the top eight in their conference at the end of October, in 2007 and 2009. They have only once made the playoffs....

It’s early yet. It’s only October. There still is a lot of hockey left to play. Colorado, Toronto and San Jose are off to particularly fast starts. They have won early hands in the big game, and it becomes easier for them to play as they go along. The Jackets are among a raft of teams looking to rake in some chips. The Jackets won two road games and lost two home games before facing the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena last night. The Jackets lost 2-1. They are 2-3. It is getting later all the time.

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