| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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CBJ GOALS: |
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Deja vu.
Adam Fantilli scored twice for the second straight game and Jet Greaves was nearly perfect between the pipes as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Washington Capitals 4-1 on Sunday evening.
The win gave the Blue Jackets a weekend sweep over the Eastern Conference leaders and put Columbus within three points of the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Washington's only goal of the game came on their first shot, and it came from the league's new all-time leading goal scorer: Alex Ovechkin.
Columbus would tie the game later in the period on Zach Werenski's 22nd of the season and then take the lead in the second period on the first of Fantilli's two goals.
Fantilli's second goal gave the Blue Jackets a 3-1 lead less than two minutes into the third period.
"We just played the same style we did (yesterday)," said Fantilli. "That was the way we want to play consistently and it benefitted us tonight."
Dmitri Voronkov added a late goal — like Werenski, his 22nd of the season — to give the Blue Jackets a 4-1 lead and put the game out of reach.
Voronkov's goal gave the Blue Jackets 258 on the season, tying the franchise record for goals in a season that was set in 2021-22.
Throughout the game, Greaves made big save after big save. After one of Ovechkin's six shots on goals for the night, he appeared on visibly frustrated as he shook his head and looked upward.
"It's been fun," said Greaves. "The guys were doing a great job in front of me, just making my job easier."
Werenski gave the credit right back.
"For him to come in here and do what he's doing right now, in these important games, it's been unbelievable," said Werenski. "I think it's given our team a big boost, so hats off to him. He's played incredible."
Columbus' win means the Blue Jackets will stay alive for at least one more day in the playoff race. If the Canadiens win Monday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks, the Blue Jackets will be eliminated.
A loss in that game in any form by Montreal will keep Columbus in the picture.
Here's how Columbus kept themselves in it for at least another day:
1st Period:
(1:10 — WSH Goal): The Blue Jackets scored exactly one minute into the game Saturday and the Caps return the favor here. Provorov's clearing attempt gets disrupted by Dylan Strome, who pushes it to Ovechkin near the slot and he does what he does best. A rip for his 896th career goal and a 1-0 Capitals lead.
(1:14 — Olivier vs. McIlrath): A good, long bout between a pair of heavyweights right after Ovechkin's goal, with Olivier trying to reset the tone. This was an excellent scrap, but the edge goes to Olivier.
McIlrath and Olivier heavyweight BOUT went for over a minute pic.twitter.com/jn8TyT1tt2
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 13, 2025
(14:36 — CBJ Goal): Werenski's goal comes as a result of an excellent shift from the top line and the pairing of Werenski and Provorov, who were on the ice together for a set play. The forward group gets the Capitals out of sorts with a long shift and a lot of good work down low. The puck eventually makes its way to Provorov, where he and Werenski cross before he gets it to Z, who shoots through traffic from the point. Lindgren never sees it, and it's a 1-1 game.
Tied 1-1 after one. Ovechkin scored early but the #CBJ answered here with Zach Werenski's 22nd of the season. An excellent team shift that had the Caps tired and out of sorts, allowing Z to get a shot off from the point that finds the back of the net.pic.twitter.com/RtSqnhJCWv
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 13, 2025
2nd Period:
(3:59 — Jet Denies Eller): Connor McMichael flips the puck to Lars Eller in the slot and he is turned away with a big-time save from Greaves.
Here's Jet being awesome again pic.twitter.com/ByrIHAKnhY
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 14, 2025
(4:39 — CBJ Goal): The Blue Jackets go up 2-1 on a Washington turnover in their own zone. Tom Wilson overskates the puck, leaving it in the slot. Before he can back to it, Fantilli charges in and takes a quick burst forward before ripping it past Lindgren.
#CBJ grab their first lead of the game, 2-1, on Fantilli's 28th of the season here. Tom Wilson overskates the puck and Mo is right there to collect it in the slot and rip it past Lindgren. pic.twitter.com/wRkIgZxGVL
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 13, 2025
(17:26 — Greaves Stops Ovechkin): The league's all-time goal-scorer gets past the Blue Jackets defense but is denied by Greaves, with Ovechkin looking up in frustration afterward.
ANOTHER GR8 SAVE! pic.twitter.com/i9cvwR2qiN
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 14, 2025
3rd Period:
(1:57 — CBJ Goal): Fantilli gets his second of the night and gives the Blue Jackets a 3-1 lead on an elite no-look pass from Johnson. After a scramble in front of the net, Johnson collects the puck and fools everyone into thinking he's shooting. Instead, he gets a back-hand, no-look pass to Fantilli in the slot and with Lindgren down, it's an open net for Mo to extend the Columbus lead. Erik Gudbranson doesn't get an assist on this play but it was his excellent work along the boards that helped make the goal happen.
Take your pick here on what's prettier: the look from KJ, or the goal from Mo. Either way, Fantilli's 29th of the season gives the #CBJ a 3-1 lead in the third period.pic.twitter.com/i4RRKbfzYG
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 14, 2025
(15:48 — CBJ Goal): Voronkov makes it 4-1 and wraps this game up. This is an unassisted goal on an unassisted effort. Big Boss disrupts Strome's attempt to move the puck on the ice, muscles his way past him, then draws a penalty on Strome before shaking that off to charge the net with the puck and snapping one past Lindgren.
Dmitri Voronkov puts an exclamation point on the Capitals. 4-1 #CBJ on the 22nd goal of the year from the Big Boss.pic.twitter.com/VmMxZCleMy
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 14, 2025
| CBJ | GAME STATS | WSH |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | SHOTS | 30 |
| 39% | FACEOFFS | 61% |
| 0/3 | POWER PLAY | 0/2 |
| 2/2 | PENALTY KILL | 3/3 |
| 16 | HITS | 32 |
| 11 | GIVEAWAYS | 12 |
| 6 | TAKEAWAYS | 4 |
| 12 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 16 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 1.48 | EXPECTED GOALS | 3.01 |
| 48 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 64 |
| 16 | SCORING CHANCES | 37 |
| 5 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 10 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
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Greaves has stopped 90 of 93 shots in his three starts over the last four days for a save percentage of .968. Since allowing two goals on the first seven shots again Buffalo, he's stopped 85 of 86 opposition shots.
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Fantilli's multi-goal game made him just the fourth Blue Jacket to score multiple goals on back-to-back days and the first since Patrik Laine did it on Jan. 30-31, 2022. Scott Hartnell and RJ Umberger are the others.
- This was just the second time this season the Blue Jackets won the second leg of a back-to-back, finishing 2-10-0 in such games for the campaign. It was just the second time in those 12 games that Columbus scored four (or more) goals.
Up Next:
The final road game of the regular season comes Tuesday night when the Blue Jackets visit Philadelphia to take on the Flyers at 7 p.m. If the Montreal Canadiens lose Monday to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Blue Jackets will still be alive for the final playoff spot.
