The standings are tight, the playoff races are heating up, and the postseason is right around the corner.This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday March 13th, 2025.

New Jersey currently holds the No. 3 seed in the Metro, but could drop to a wild-card spot -- or worse. Plus, updated playoff projections, draft lottery outlook, more.

The Ottawa Senators last qualified for the playoffs in 2017, while the Columbus Blue Jackets have only won a round once in more than two decades of existence and none since before the pandemic. The ...