Columbus Blue Jackets sweep Washington Capitals to avoid elimination
Columbus Blue Jackets discuss sweep of Washington Capitals to avoid elimination
WASHINGTON — It was supposed to be a ‘revenge’ game to end the Blue Jackets’ playoff hopes.
Instead, the scrappy Jackets avoided the chopping block for a fourth straight game Sunday night at Capital One Arena. Led by Adam Fantilli’s two goals and red-hot rookie Jet Greaves’ 29 saves, they swept a back-to-back set with a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals — after drubbing the Caps 7-0 on Saturday to spark feelings that Sunday’s rematch would flip the script.
Instead, the Blue Jackets (38-33-9) put the onus of elimination squarely on the Montreal Canadiens’ shoulders Monday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was the Jackets’ fourth straight elimination escape in less than a week, following victories over the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres and Capitals at Nationwide Arena.
“It’s definitely our mindset, right?” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “It’s one of those things where we can only control what’s in front of us, and that’s the games and winning them. We know it’s win or go home … and it’s been a lot of fun. Hopefully we just keep this thing going.”
Here are five takeaways:
Montreal Canadiens still control Columbus Blue Jackets‘ playoff fate
The Canadiens conclude the regular season with two games they should probably win on home ice at Bell Centre. The Blackhawks are second-to-last among the NHL’s 32 teams, and the playoff bound Carolina Hurricanes will likely rest their top players Wednesday to avoid key injuries before the postseason.
All that’s needed to clinch the East’s final playoff spot with the second wild card are two points, whether it’s by winning a game or losing both by overtime or shootout.
Money Puck gives Montreal a 96.4% chance of getting that done, while the Blue Jackets’ odds have grown to 3.6% after dropping to 0.5% starting last week.
Columbus Blue Jackets’ net Jet continues to soar
Greaves and Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason practically hunch their shoulders and say, “aw, shucks,” when asked about the rookie goalie’s outstanding play since Elvis Merzlikins was ruled out with an injury Thursday at Nationwide Arena.
Joining the Blue Jackets as an emergency recall from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters the same day Merzlikins left a morning skate prematurely, Greaves has sizzled between the pipes to spark the Jackets’ winning streak. He’s won three straight games in just four days — four straight wins in five days counting a Wednesday AHL start in Cleveland — and he’s shown no fatigue.
“It’s just hockey,” Evason said. “It can’t be that much work. Gosh, when we were kids, you’d play two in one day. Why, when you become a pro, can’t you play two hockey games in one day? You do it as a kid all the time. What’s the difference?”
Greaves might not be double dipping games on the same day, but goalies take a physical toll in every game and Sunday was his fourth in five days. It was also another outstanding performance, running his numbers since being recalled to 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, .968 save percentage and one shutout.
In nine NHL starts this season, Greaves easily has the best numbers among all three Blue Jackets goalies – albeit a smaller sample size than Merzlikins’ workload. Greaves is 5-2-2 in nine appearances with a 2.22 GAA, .927 save percentage and Saturday’s 22-save shutout.
After joining Alex Ovechkin’s list of goalies he’s scored against, Greaves settled into a groove against Sunday against the Capitals and played another key role in a big Blue Jackets victory.
“It’s fun to challenge yourself against the best guys in the world,” Greaves said. “It’s awesome to have those opportunities to be in that situation. I’m just trying to keep the puck out of the net, as always.”
Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli shines again
Adam Fantilli came out of the weekend with a bloodied, fat lip and four goals over two games against the Capitals – champions of the Metropolitan Division and the East’s top team.
Is that all?
Each time the stage gets bigger, Fantilli seems to correspondingly lift his play to meet it. He led the way offensively in the Blue Jackets’ weekend sweep of the Capitals, running his season goal total to 29 with two games remaining.
“We’ve talked about Fantilli a lot this year,” Evason said. “(Sean) Monahan was out for a long time, and (Fantilli’s) conducted himself like a seasoned pro. Had a lot on him early in the year, played a lot of minutes, plays in a lot of different situations for us. So, yeah, are we happy with his development and where he’s at as a pro and all of that? Absolutely, 100 percent. We’re happy with a lot of development in our group.”
Zach Werenski nets another big goal for Columbus Blue Jackets
After breaking his own franchise record for goals by a defenseman in a season to start the scoring in Saturday’s rout, Werenski pushed the bar another goal higher Sunday.
His 22nd goal of the season tied it 1-1 with 5:34 left in the first, capping an impressive stretch with the Blue Jackets controlling play in the Washington zone. Evening the score before the end of the first period was a huge emotional lift for his team after Ovechkin’s goal put the Capitals up early.
The goal also gave Werenski a two-goal cushion over Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun for second in goals among NHL defensemen.
Columbus Blue Jackets gaining valuable ‘playoff’ experience
No matter what playoff fate awaits, the Blue Jackets have already gained a lot of experience that’s similar to postseason hockey.
They’re in a stretch where the situation is akin to a Game 7 to decide a playoff series, only winning in Game 7s means advancing. In the Jackets’ current situation, winning just keeps their hopes going until another ‘Game 7’ rolls around. Still one of the NHL’s youngest teams, the Jackets’ current existence could become a huge resource whenever they do qualify for the playoffs.
“It’s great for our group,” Werenski said. “I obviously wish we were controlling our own destiny right now, but I think just getting these experiences inside of these big games at big times of the year is only going to help our group, moving forward. We’re responding well right now, we’re winning these must-win games, so continue to do that and see what happens.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social