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Blue Jackets avoid elimination with 3-0 win over Flyers

Fantilli, Fabbro, Greaves and Evason discuss the Blue Jackets’ fifth straight win to avoid playoff elimination.

PHILADELPHIA — The Blue Jackets’ playoff hopes are officially back on the Montreal Canadiens’ sticks. 

Needing a fifth straight win to keep their postseason hopes afloat — this time in regulation — the Blue Jackets got the job done Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center. Backed by another sterling shutout performance from rookie goalie Jet Greaves, they moved to 87 points with a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Blue Jackets (39-33-9) trail Montreal by two points for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference and could gain that final playoff spot through a regulation wins tiebreaker if the Canadiens loe in regulation Wednesday and they defeat the New York Islanders on Thursday at Nationwide Arena for their sixth straight win — again in regulation.

“I feel like we’ve done it all year,” defenseman Dante Fabbro said. “It’s just the makeup of our team and the belief of our team. There’s never any quit and never any doubt in our game. Obviously, there’s highs and lows in a season and it’s how you manage those. But I feel that for the most part, we’ve responded really well in tough situatuions.”

Greaves made 29 saves to notch his second career shutout, both in the span of the past three games. Since joining the team last Thursday as an emergency recall from AHL Cleveland to replace injured starter Elvis Merzlikins, Greaves has stopped 119 of 122 shots for a .975 save percentage, posted the first two shutouts of his career, earned the league’s First Star of the Week honors and allowed just one goal in the past three games by Alex Ovechkin — the NHL’s new all-time goal king.

“He might be the hottest guy in the NHL right now,” center Adam Fantilli said. “He’s got one goal against him in the last three games, and it’s Ovi? I mean … that’s pretty good. There’s not much else you can say.”

Fabbro, Fantilli and Kent Johnson scored the goals for the Blue Jackets, while Zach Werenski and Sean Monahan added two assists each. Samuel Ersson made 31 saves for the Flyers (33-38-10), who are currently being directed by interim head coach Brad Shaw — a former Blue Jackets assistant who worked with John Tortorella in Columbus and Philadelphia.

“It’s coming right down to the wire, isn’t it?” Fabbro said. “Ever since I got here, there’s never been any doubt. There’s been nothing but belief and resilience. It’s just a lot of fun to be a part of. It’s an unbelievable culture. Everyone wants to win, and there’s no selfishness whatsoever. It’s about winning, and that’s the best part of it.”

After an exciting first period that ended with the score deadlocked at 0-0, Fabbro got things rolling for the Blue Jackets with his eighth goal of the season — extending his career high. Raising his stick high above his head while standing above the right circle, he smacked a slapshot through traffic to beat Samuel Ersson 2:32 into the second for a 1-0 lead.

It stayed that score until late in the second, when Zach Aston-Reese knocked the puck into the neutral zone from inside his own blue line and hustled after it to draw an interference penalty. That put the Blue Jackets on a power play that Johnson capped seven seconds after it began with his 24th goal of the season. 

That made it 2-0 after two periods, setting the stage for an all-out effort in the third to protect the lead and attempt extending it. Greaves, who was sharp from the outset, came up huge with several big saves. Two that stood out most were a dazzling glove save in the second to deny Travis Konecny a goal off a hard wrist shot plus another “10 bell” effort in the third to stop Tyson Foerster with a pad save following a turnover.

“I think the guys are just playing great,” Greaves said. “They’re doing a great job in front of me, making my job pretty simple, so it’s been a team effort. Obviously, it’s an important time of the year. These games matter a lot, but all the guys are doing a great job.”

Leading 2-0 with 9:05 left in the third, Fantill was sent off with a delay-of-game penalty for sending the puck over the glass in the defensive zone, presenting what turned out to be the Jackets’ last big challenge to their lead.

Greaves and his penalty-killers thwarted the Flyer’s power play and Fantilli stayed on the ice after exiting the penalty box to rejoin play. He soon made it 3-0 with 6:34 left after Kirill Marchenko shot the puck off him into the net while he drove down the slot. It was the second-year center’s his fifth goal in the past three games and 30th of the season, but he’ll remember it for a more touching reason.

Fantilli rejoined the team April 15 after attending his grandfather’s funeral April 14 in Toronto.

“Yesterday, I flew back to Toronto and I buried my grandfather,” Fantilli said. “His favorite team was Philly. It’s going to sound like I’m jokin’ when I say that, but I swear his favorite team was Philly, and coming back … I’m pretty sure that one was him just giving me a lucky bounce there.”

Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social 

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