4 days Ago
One week ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets needed a miracle — maybe a series of miracles — to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Now, after surviving a fourth consecutive game on the brink of elimination, the Blue Jackets can almost see themselves jetting off the playoffs later in the week. Maybe goaltender Jet Greaves is one of those miracles.
Advertisement Called up from AHL Cleveland just last Thursday, he’s given the Blue Jackets a late-season boost that, coupled with the Montreal Canadiens’ late-season struggles, has given Columbus a shot — with one more stumble by the Canadiens — to lock up their first postseason berth since 2020. Greaves made 29 saves for his second shutout in three games and his fourth straight win overall, leading the Blue Jackets to a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday before 19,105 in Wells Fargo Center. The Jackets needed to win in regulation to keep their season alive.
“He’s incredible,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. “The way he played tonight, the way he’s played since he’s been up. I said a couple of days ago that we see how hard he works every day when he’s up here (in the NHL).
It’s well-deserved. “We’re super happy for him, and he gives us a lot of confidence, as well. Really happy for Jet.
” Dante Fabbro, Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli scored, while Werenski and Sean Monahan each had two assists for the Blue Jackets, who have won five straight games in regulation for the first time since Jan. 22, 2020. Now it’s your turn, Montreal.
You can almost feel the pressure building in that hockey-mad city. The Canadiens, who have lost three straight (0-1-2), need to gain at least a point vs. the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday in Montreal to clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
A win of any kind — regulation, overtime or shootout — would do, but so would a loss in overtime or shootout. What the Blue Jackets need is for the Canadiens to lose in regulation. If that happens, the Blue Jackets will drop the puck on Thursday in Nationwide Arena against the New York Islanders needing a regulation win — it can’t be in overtime or a shootout, only regulation — to advance.
Advertisement “The team is feeding off each other,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “They’re saying and doing the right things. It’s not an individual game, guys.
It’s a team game and everybody is pulling in the same direction. They’re all on the same page. “We’ve been fortunate to get some wins here.
We need to get one more.” JET STAYIN' STRONG 💪 pic.twitter.
com/I0gRRJOOYT — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 16, 2025 One of the first changes Evason made when he was hired by the Blue Jackets last summer was to replace the pictures that hang above each player’s stall in the dressing room. They captured on-ice highlights of the player who dressed below, and that drove Evason crazy. He had them taken down immediately, replaced with photos of players that didn’t correspond with the locker owner.
The message, delivered bluntly, was “team first.” That’s why he’s been reluctant to praise Greaves — or any other player specifically — after these recent wins. Greaves isn’t big on talking about himself, either.
But the numbers he’s hanging up are speaking volumes. In wins over Buffalo, Washington (twice) and now Philadelphia, he’s stopped 120 of 123 shots, a .976 save percentage.
His goals-against average: 0.75. Early in the third period on Tuesday, when the Blue Jackets were ahead 2-0, he made a pair of brilliant saves to protect the two-goal lead.
Philadelphia’s Tyson Forester fired a one-timer off the rush from the left circle, which Greaves blocked with his left pad, sending the puck to the left circle. That’s where Nate Seeler stepped into a slap shot that Greaves was in place to stop on the other post. He deflected postgame praise with as much ease.
“All the guys are doing a great job,” Greaves said. “Just a really good job in front of the net, boxing out, clearing away second plays, spending a lot of time in the offensive zone, scoring a lot of goals. I could go on and on.
They’re doing a great job.” Advertisement The Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead at 2:32 of the second period when Fabbro stepped into a pass from Werenski and scored from the right circle. The lead grew to 2-0 on a power-play goal by Johnson, who dropped to a knee to one-time a pass from Monahan.
Werenski assisted on Johnson’s goal, too, giving him 22-58-80 on the season and making him just the second player in franchise history to total 80 or more points in a season. Artemi Panarin, who did it twice, was the other. The Blue Jackets made it 3-0 at 13:26 of the third period, only 31 seconds after Fantilli emerged from the penalty box.
He scored off the rush by ramping up a centering pass from Kirill Marchenko. That goal was Fantilli’s 30th of the season. Marchenko has 31 goals.
They’re only the second Blue Jackets teammates to score 30 in the same season, and the first to do it since Brandon Saad (31) and Boone Jenner (30) during the 2015-16 season. GOAL NO. 30 FOR ADAM FANTILLI! 🤩 And this one is a big one! pic.
twitter.com/22slFT7CWV — NHL (@NHL) April 16, 2025 The goal meant something more to Fantilli, though. On Monday, when the Blue Jackets enjoyed an off day in Philadelphia, Fantilli was in suburban Toronto for the funeral of his maternal grandfather, Dan Andrusky.
Fantilli said his grandfather was a lifelong Flyers fan, but that all changed when Fantilli was the No. 3 overall draft pick by the Blue Jackets in 2023. “I’m pretty sure that (goal) was him just giving me a lucky bounce there,” he said.
These Blue Jackets have been through a lot this season, after the death of teammate Johnny Gaudreau, and they’ve spoken openly — Sean Monahan, Boone Jenner, and plenty of others — about the feeling that something larger is at work here. On Wednesday, the Blue Jackets will practice late in the morning in Nationwide Arena. Then they’ll try to have a normal night before a game, but there is scheduled viewing: Montreal vs.
Carolina from Bell Centre. “I’m sure guys will be texting about it and keeping in touch,” Werenski said. “It’s out of our control.
It’s going to be a normal day, but come 7 p.m., we’ll be watching.
” (Photo: Eric Hartline / Imagn Images).
