| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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CBJ GOALS: |
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Jet Greaves stopped all 29 shots for his second shutout in three games and Adam Fantilli scored for the fifth time in three games as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 Tuesday night, moving one step closer to a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
After a scoreless first period, Dante Fabbro got the Blue Jackets on the board in the opening minutes of the second period with his 8th goal of the season.
Kent Johnson connected in the closing minutes of the middle frame with a power play goal, doubling the Blue Jackets lead to 2-0.
Both goals came within seconds of huge faceoff wins by Sean Monahan, who won 19 of 26 draws (72.1%) for the game. Zach Werenski also assisted on both goals.
Columbus put the game out of reach with less than seven minutes left in the third period on Fantilli's 30th goal of the season, the third straight game with a goal for the 20-year-old.
Fantilli became the second-youngest Blue Jacket to score 30 goals in a season; only Rick Nash was younger.
Greaves, named the First Star for the second time in three games and one of the Three Stars for the fourth straight, made a number of big saves throughout the game.
"It's been a team effort," said Greaves. "Obviously it's an important time of year, these games matter a lot, but I think all the guys are doing a great job."
The win was Columbus' fifth straight and put them just two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff spot.
Columbus can make the playoffs with just two more results falling their way: a regulation loss Wednesday for the Montreal Canadiens, and a regulation win Thursday night for the Blue Jackets in their regular season finale against the New York Islanders.
"We're in a good spot right now," said Werenski. "Obviously we need tomorrow to go our way but we're just trying to win hockey games. That's all we can do and that's all we can control."
Here's how the Blue Jackets continued to captivate the league — and put immense pressure on the Canadiens:
1st Period:
No scoring in the first period. The Blue Jackets had a slight advantage on shot attempts at 22-19, but shots on goal were tied at 9-9. Philadelphia had a pair of power plays as Justin Danforth went off for tripping at 9:54 and Dmitri Voronkov for a hook at 13:35, but Greaves turned away all three shots between the four minutes of power-play action for the Flyers.
2nd Period:
(2:32 — CBJ Goal): Fabbro gets the first goal of the game and puts the Blue Jackets up 1-0. Sean Monahan wins a faceoff to the left of Philadelphia goalie Sam Ersson and slides it over to Zach Werenski at the point. He and Fabbro cross over and Werenski passes to Fabbro, who skates in a bit before firing from the back of the circle. The puck gets through two Flyers and past Ersson, giving Columbus a 1-0 lead.
Dante Fabbro picks up his 8th of the season and gives the #CBJ a 1-0 lead at 2:32 in the 2nd period.
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 16, 2025
Assists go to Zach Werenski and Sean Monahan. Werenski ties Rick Nash for third-most points in franchise history (79). Only Panarin has more (87, 82).pic.twitter.com/824A67WzRU
(17:01 — CBJ Goal): The Blue Jackets take a 2-0 lead with around three minutes left in the second on Johnson's power play goal only seven seconds into the man-advantage. Just like with the first goal, the scoring sequence starts with a faceoff win by Monahan. The win isn't as clean this time around but he pushes it over to Werenski, who is near the half wall. He flips it back to Monahan, who uses his skate to stop the puck and bring it to his stick before a dot-to-dot dish to Johnson, who rifles it home for a huge goal.
#CBJ go up 2-0 late in the 2nd period on a Kent Johnson power play goal. Like on Fabbro's goal earlier in the frame, it's Monahan and Werenski with the apples.
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 16, 2025
This book is getting GOOD.pic.twitter.com/Xsyi3dD5ET
3rd Period:
(3:45 — Jet! Jet! Jet!): Two more big saves by Greaves, protecting Columbus' 2-0 lead in a crucial sequence for the Blue Jackets.
JET STAYIN' STRONG pic.twitter.com/I0gRRJOOYT
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 16, 2025
(13:26 — CBJ Goal): Another great two-way play from Fantilli to extend the Columbus lead to 3-0 and put the game out of reach. He starts by dodging a check from the Flyers and clearing the puck out of the Columbus zone ahead to Marchenko, who then bursts ahead along the boards. Fantilli hustles back into the play and into the slot, where Marchenko finds him with a great pass. The shot from Fantilli beats Ersson to seal the deal for the Blue Jackets.
Big Mo, Big Goal. Fantilli gets his 30th (!!!) of the season and puts the #CBJ up 3-0 with less than seven minutes remaining. pic.twitter.com/o01SRcOpYC
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 16, 2025
| CBJ | GAME STATS | PHI |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | SHOTS | 29 |
| 52% | FACEOFFS | 48% |
| 1/2 | POWER PLAY | 0/3 |
| 3/3 | PENALTY KILL | 1/2 |
| 15 | HITS | 33 |
| 9 | GIVEAWAYS | 16 |
| 6 | TAKEAWAYS | 4 |
| 9 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 20 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 3.27 | EXPECTED GOALS | 2.64 |
| 63 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 49 |
| 29 | SCORING CHANCES | 26 |
| 20 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 8 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
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Werenski's first assist of the night was his 79th point of the season, tying him with Rick Nash for third all-time in franchise history. On his second assist, he passed Nash and became the only Blue Jacket other than Artemi Panarin to hit 80 points in a season. Panarin had 87 and 82 in his two seasons with Columbus.
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With Greaves 29 save shutout, he's now stopped 119 of 122 shots over his last four starts, a save percentage of .975. In that are a pair of shutouts and an active streak of 114 saves on 115 shots (.991), with the only goal coming from Alex Ovechkin.
- Fantilli's 30th goal of the season puts him and Kirill Marchenko (31) as just the second pair of Blue Jackets in club history to each record 30 goals in a season. Brandon Saad and Boone Jenner had 31 and 30, respectively, in the 2015-16 season.
Up Next:
The regular season finale is Thursday night against the Islanders at Nationwide Arena with puck-drop slated for 7 p.m. Whether or not that game is merely a sendoff to the 2024-25 Blue Jackets or a potential playoff-clinching game will be decided Wednesday when the Hurricanes face the Canadiens; that game also has a 7 p.m. puck-drop.
