Riding a four-game win streak, Columbus needs a regulation victory in its last road game of the regular season to stay alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs chase
The margin for error is now all gone, but the Blue Jackets remain in the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Montreal’s shootout loss to Chicago last night gave the Habs another point, but it wasn’t enough to fully extinguish the Jackets’ hopes. With three days to go in the regular season, Columbus’ path to the postseason is clear – the Blue Jackets must win in regulation tonight at Philadelphia and Thursday at home vs. the Islanders, while Montreal has to lose in regulation Wednesday vs. Carolina.
If those three things happen, the Blue Jackets are in. If they don’t, it’s over, but Columbus can at least be heartened that what once seemed almost impossible is now merely improbable.
And as much as CBJ fans were glued to their television sets last night to watch the Canadiens and Blackhawks, what can’t be forgotten is the Blue Jackets have worked themselves into this position. Columbus has won four games in a row, and defenseman Zach Werenski said he likes the way the Blue Jackets have played to get those results.
“We can only control what’s in front of us, and that’s the games and winning them,” Werenski said. “It’s just been a collective buy-in these last three, four games. We know it’s win or go home, and everyone’s been stepping up, playing the right way. It’s been a lot of fun, so hopefully we can just keep this thing going.”
It hasn’t looked like a fluke, either, as the Blue Jackets have won those four games by a combined score of 19-5. The inspiring performance of goaltender Jet Greaves, the NHL’s first star of the week after winning three games in four days, has been one of the key factors, while Kent Johnson leads the team with six points in that span and Adam Fantilli has scored five goals.
In all, 17 players have gotten on the score sheet in the last four games, 12 of them with multiple points, and the Blue Jackets have played some of their most consistent hockey of the season.
“Everybody knows we have to win, so we’re conducting ourselves like that,” head coach Dean Evason said. “We’re playing hard every night, trying to get two points every night to get to where we want to be, and that’s in the playoffs.”
Head coach: Brad Shaw (first season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 2.85 (23rd) | Scoring defense: 3.44 (28th) | PP: 14.8 percent (30th) | PK: 77.8 percent (20th)
The narrative: With the Flyers out of the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season, third-year head coach John Tortorella was relieved of his duties after 73 games, with his assistant Shaw taking over to conclude the campaign. The former CBJ head coach had the Flyers in the postseason race a year ago, but this season has been full of frustration as the team started 4-8-1, got back into the mix in mid-January but then won just six of its next 25 games to fall out of the race.
Team leaders: Travis Konecny leads the team in scoring for the fourth straight season, scoring 24 goals with 51 assists for 75 points. The wing is also a CBJ killer, posting 17 goals in 29 career games against the Blue Jackets and a 2-3-5 line this year in three games. Then there’s rookie sensation Matvei Michkov, who will be in the mix for the Calder Trophy with a 24-36-60 line that places him tied atop all NHL first-year players in goals and third in points. Tyson Foerster (24 goals) and Owen Tippett (20) also have topped the 20-goal mark.
Philadelphia has had three goalies start at least 10 games, with Samuel Ersson leading the way. The 25-year-old Swede is 22-16-5 on the season with a 3.14 GAA and .882 save percentage.
What’s new: The Flyers have posted a 5-1-1 record with Shaw at the helm, scoring 31 goals in those seven games to average 4.43 tallies per contest. Foerster (eight goals) as well as Michkov and Ryan Poehling (nine points apiece) have led the way, so this is a dangerous team down the stretch. Where the Flyers go coaching wise at the end of the season remains to be seen, but they are finishing strong.
Trending: Columbus won the last meeting between the teams 3-2 in a shootout Jan. 14 at Nationwide Arena, but the Flyers captured the first two games of the season series.
Former CBJ: There are no former CBJ players on the roster, but Tortorella and assistant Brad Shaw spent six seasons with the Blue Jackets and led the team to four playoff berths.
Scratches: Yegor Chinakhov, Christian Fischer, Luke Kunin, Jack Williams, Jake Christiansen (upper body injury), Jack Johnson, Damon Severson, Elvis Merzlikins (upper body injury)
Injured reserve: Kevin Labanc (shoulder)
Roster Report: The Blue Jackets don’t expect to make any changes to the lineup today, with Greaves making a fourth straight start in net.
The Blue Jackets have scored 258 goals on the year, tied for first in franchise history (2021-22). … Columbus has tied a franchise record with five players with 20-plus goals (Kirill Marchenko, 31; Adam Fantilli 29; Kent Johnson, 23; Zach Werenski, 22; Dmitri Voronkov, 22). Sean Monahan (19 goals) and Mathieu Olivier (18) are within reach of the 20-goal mark. … Boone Jenner has a 7-12-19 line in 24 games since returning from injury. He is one goal away from becoming the third CBJ player to notch 200 in his career. … Werenski has moved into fourth place all-time in a single season in CBJ annals with 78 points. Among defensemen, he has set CBJ single-season records with 22 goals, 56 assists – tied for second among all skaters – and 78 points. His average ice time of 26:48 leads all NHL players, and he’s second among league defensemen in goals and points on the season. … Monahan has 13 points (5-8-13) in 11 games after missing 28 games with an upper body injury. His 54 points (19 goals, 35 assists) are the most ever for a CBJ player in his first 52 games with the franchise. … Adam Fantilli has two goals in consecutive games and has a 22-14-36 line in the last 41 games. … Marchenko has set a new career high with his 31 goals on the season. He has a 21-26-47 line in his last 52 games and is just the eighth player in CBJ history to score 30 goals in a campaign as well as the ninth to reach the 70-point mark (31-41-72). … Johnson has 32 points (12-20-32) in the past 36 games and leads the NHL with three shootout-winning goals on the season. … Olivier has a career-high 18 goals and is one of two NHL players with 15-plus goals and 120 penalty minutes in 2024-25; he’s also second in the NHL with 304 hits, a franchise single-season record. … Voronkov has scored in two straight games. … Goaltender Jet Greaves is now 5-2-2 with a .926 save percentage and has stopped 90 of 93 shots (.968) the past three games. … The Blue Jackets are first in the NHL with 194 goals at 5-on-5, have a franchise-record 15 games with six-plus goals and are tied for fifth in the league with nine shorthanded goals. … Blue Jackets defensemen have 48 goals this season, second in the NHL, and 194 points, good for fifth place in the league.
April 15, 2013: Nick Foligno scores with 29 seconds left with overtime and the Blue Jackets earn a 4-3 win at Colorado. The victory is Columbus’ fourth in a row as the Blue Jackets try to track down an unlikely playoff spot with a late-season rally.
April 15, 2018: Matt Calvert tallies 12:22 into overtime and the Blue Jackets extend their series lead to 2-0 over Washington in an opening-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series. Cam Atkinson scores twice while Josh Anderson and Zach Werenski also tally.
April 15, 2023: The Blue Jackets relieve head coach Brad Larsen of his duties after two seasons at the helm.
