After CBJ wins, we'll give three takeaways about what stood out or what we'll remember from the Blue Jackets victory.
1. Jet Greaves continues to inspire the Blue Jackets in their late-season run.
Adam Fantilli had two goals, Zach Werenski and Dmitri Voronkov also tallied, and Kent Johnson set up one of Fantilli’s scores with a superb pass, but there was little doubt who the Blue Jackets’ best player was on Sunday night as they won their fourth consecutive game.
Greaves continues to impress in net, winning his third straight start and getting a third victory for the Blue Jackets in four days. After giving up a goal to Alex Ovechkin – no shame in that – on the Capitals’ first shot of the game, Greaves stopped the next 29 that came his way, including all 13 by Washington in the second period as the Caps took over the game at times.
Greaves has now denied 90 of 93 shots (.968 save percentage) in the last three games, providing a boost for the Blue Jackets as their playoff hopes hang on with no margin for error.
“It’s incredible,” Zach Werenski said. “Coming here and doing what he’s doing right now at this time in these important games, it’s been unbelievable. I think it’s given our team a big boost, so hats off to him. He’s played incredible.”
If there was some debate on the outside if Greaves would get the start in what was his fourth game in five days – he also backstopped AHL Cleveland to a win Wednesday night – there wasn’t much for head coach Dean Evason.
"It's just hockey,” Evason said. “It can't be that much work, right? You're playing hockey. Gosh, when we were kids, I mean, you play two in one day. When you become a pro, why can’t you play two hockey games in one day? You do it as a kid all the time. What’s the difference?”
For Greaves, there was little debate that he’d take the assignment. He started three games in three days last year as the Monsters clinched a division title in the season’s final weekend, so he has some experience in handling a heavy workload, but he’s also a young guy who would rather be nowhere else than where he is – playing NHL hockey games that matter.
“At the end of the day, it’s so fun to be out there playing and competing,” Greaves said. “It’s an important game, and it’s always awesome to be out there playing, so I’m enjoying it.”
And as for Ovechkin, after letting in the opening goal by the Great 8 – the NHL-record 896th of his career – Greaves turned aside the next five shots by the legend. Two of those were grade-A chances from the slot in the second period that Greaves made look a lot easier than they were considering who was on the other end.
“It’s fun,” Greaves said of facing Ovechkin. “It’s fun to challenge yourself against the best guys in the world. It’s awesome to have those opportunities, to be in that situation. It’s fun just trying to keep the puck out of the net.”
2. The Blue Jackets knew the Capitals would come out hard, but they were ready for what Washington threw at them.
With Ovechkin – as well as a fair number of other injured Caps – out for Saturday’s matinee in Columbus, the Blue Jackets romped to a 7-0 home victory. Considering the personnel matters, the desperation with which the Blue Jackets are playing as they battle for their playoff lives, and the fact Washington has sewn up the top spot in the Eastern Conference, it wasn’t a huge surprise Columbus had the upper hand in its own barn.
But you knew Sunday would be different. The Capitals returned home smarting after Saturday’s loss and had both Ovechkin and top defenseman Jacob Chychrun (illness) back in the lineup, and after how physical Saturday’s game was, you knew Washington would bring a better effort in the second half of the back-to-back.
The Blue Jackets handled that push, though, even with the early Ovechkin goal. In the eyes of Greaves, it helped that CBJ heavyweight Mathieu Olivier went toe-to-toe in a fight with massive Caps defenseman Dylan McIlrath at the ensuing faceoff after the goal.
“I thought the guys did a good job in front of me responding,” Greaves said, “especially with that fight right after it.”
It would be overstating it to say that was what got the Blue Jackets into it, but they did settle down after and found their game. Werenski knotted things up late in the first with his 22nd goal of the season to cap a strong shift by the top line, then Fantilli’s first goal after a Tom Wilson turnover gave the Blue Jackets the lead for good.
Washington pushed from there in the second, but Columbus locked things down in the third, helped by Fantilli’s early goal and Voronkov’s final tally.
“We had a chat before the game about that we need to be prepared to play any game that presents itself to us,” Evason said. “Not that it’s different. We’ve asked our group to do that all year and they’ve responded to it, and they did here tonight.”
3. The Blue Jackets will be very interested viewers as Montreal takes on Chicago on Monday.
With two games to go, Columbus remains alive for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but their fate also is out of their hands.
The Canadiens host the Blackhawks – the 31st-place team of 32 in the NHL – on Monday night, and a Habs’ win would clinch their playoff spot and end the CBJ quest for playoff hockey. You can bet Centre Bell will be hopping with anticipation, and you can also surmise the Blue Jackets will be checking in Monday evening on how things are going north of the border.
“Of course,” Werenski said. “We were watching the game last night at dinner when we got here, and we’re watching the game tomorrow as well. We’ll see what happens, but all we can control is our game. Hopefully it works out in our favor.”
Montreal now sits three points ahead of Columbus with each having two games to play. An overtime loss by the Habs would keep the Jackets alive, but it would mean Columbus would have to win its final two games – Tuesday at Philadelphia and Thursday at home vs. the Islanders – in regulation and hope Montreal also then loses its finale Wednesday vs. Carolina.
No matter what happens, though, the Blue Jackets have been taking care of business over the past four games to keep the pressure on Montreal.
“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," Werenski said. "It’s just been a collective buy-in these last three, four games. Everyone’s been stepping up, playing the right way. It’s been a lot of fun, so hopefully we can just keep this thing going.”
