| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
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1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
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CBJ GOALS: |
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Jet Greaves stopped 39 shots, and the Columbus Blue Jackets scored two goals 2:42 apart in the third to keep their playoff hopes alive, defeating Buffalo 3-2 on Thursday night and ending the Sabres' five-game winning streak.
Things looked bleak early, with Buffalo scoring twice on their first seven shots and going up 2-0 on a pair of goals that came less than three minutes apart.
Columbus' first bit of momentum came late in the period, when James van Riemsdyk scored on a breakaway in the final ten seconds to make it a 2-1 game heading into the first intermission.
The Blue Jackets couldn't generate much offense in the second — they had just seven shots on goal — but Greaves continued to swing momentum in Columbus' direction, stopping all 18 of Buffalo's shots and invigorating the Nationwide Arena crowd. Included in those 18 saves was a JJ Peterka breakaway attempt with just over a minute left in the period that would have given the Sabres a two-goal lead through two.
Instead, it was only still a one-goal game early in the third when Zach Aston-Reese tied the game at 2-2 four minutes into the period with his sixth goal of the season.
Boone Jenner then gave the Blue Jackets a 3-2 lead less than three minutes later with a power-play goal that put Columbus ahead for good.
As the Blue Jackets' offense found its way, Greaves continued to keep the puck out of the net, stopping every one of Buffalo's 15 shots in the final frame.
Greaves was named the First Star of the night. In what is becoming the norm for the 24-year-old netminder, he deferred on taking any credit for the outstanding night.
"I think the guys did a great job and put a lot of pressure on them," said Greaves. "I thought we got better as the night went on."
The victory puts Columbus six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final wild card spot in the East. Both teams now have four games remaining on their schedule.
Here's how the Blue Jackets kept their season alive:
1st Period:
(11:54 — BUF Goal): Buffalo strikes first with Peterka finding the back of the net after an absolute snipe from near the faceoff dot after breaking free on a rush.
(14:39 — BUF Goal): After assisting on the Peterka goal, Rasmus Dahlin gets his 16th goal of the season to make it 2-0 Buffalo. He shakes Monahan at the blueline and skates into the slot,, briefly giving the puck up before getting it back and firing it past Greaves.
(19:51 — CBJ Goal): van Riemsdyk gets the goal, but it's Kent Johnson who makes it all happen. He flips the puck into the neutral zone using his backhand, and it drops perfectly to JVR near center ice, who then uses a backhand of his own to slip it past Buffalo goalie James Reimer and give the Blue Jackets a much-needed goal in the waning seconds of the opening frame.
Buffalo is up 2-1 as the second period is ready to start, but it was this JVR breakaway goal in the closing seconds of the first that gave the #CBJ some much-needed momentum heading down the tunnel.pic.twitter.com/lVqrgqguan
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 11, 2025
2nd Period:
Neither team found the back of the net — but Buffalo probably should have. Greaves was phenomenal throughout the middle frame, including a save on a Peterka breakaway with just over a minute left. The Sabres led 18-7 in shots on goal and had all seven of the high-danger chances. Expected goals for the period were 1.68 to 0.38 per Natural Stat Trick.
3rd Period:
(4:00 — CBJ Goal): After going 57 games without a goal, Aston-Reese gets his second in four games — and it's a big one, tying the game at 2-2. He absorbs a big hit a few feet inside of the blueline and keeps possession of the puck with a spin, then fires through traffic from the point, and it gets past Reimer.
After going 57 games without finding the back of the net, Zach Aston-Reese gets his second goal in four games to tie it up at 2-2 at the 4:00 mark of the third period. #CBJ now lead it 3-2 with 12:44 left.pic.twitter.com/A6ErEDuEYQ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 11, 2025
(6:42 — CBJ Goal): Jenner gives the Blue Jackets their first lead of the night and picks up the eventual game-winning goal on the power play. The sequence starts with a good keep-in from Sean Monahan. He pushes it forward to Kirill Marchenko, who skates into the slot and fires on Reimer, who gives up a rebound that bounces around in front of the net just long enough for Jenner to scoop it up and score to put Columbus ahead 3-2.
Captain Boone connects on the power play to give the #CBJ a 3-2 lead.
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 11, 2025
That's still the score with 4:26 left as the Blue Jackets look to stay alive another day in the playoff race. pic.twitter.com/gh2720wERl
| BUF | GAME STATS | CBJ |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | SHOTS | 30 |
| 50% | FACEOFFS | 50% |
| 0/1 | POWER PLAY | 1/1 |
| 0/1 | PENALTY KILL | 1/1 |
| 15 | HITS | 25 |
| 16 | GIVEAWAYS | 11 |
| 3 | TAKEAWAYS | 9 |
| 13 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 17 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 3.03 | EXPECTED GOALS | 2.31 |
| 64 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 50 |
| 29 | SCORING CHANCES | 21 |
| 15 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 10 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
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Greaves stopped the last 34 Buffalo shots on the night.
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The assists from Marchenko and Werenski made them only the fifth set of Blue Jackets to each post 40-plus assists in a single season.
- Erik Gudbranson picked up an assist on the Aston-Reese goal, his second consecutive game with a helper.
Up Next:
The final week of the season starts with an early, 12:30 p.m. puck-drop Saturday against the Washington Capitals at Nationwide Arena. It's the first half of a weekend home-and-home against the team with the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer.
