Blue Jackets stave off elimination with home win
Thursday, April 10, 2025
By Kevin Rouch
krouch@cbussports.com
Goaltender Jet Greaves (73), after getting an emergency call-up from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, was in the net for the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday in their win over Buffalo at Nationwide Arena. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Jet Greaves got the call Thursday morning that he was being called up to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins was listed as having an injury that made his availability day-to-day.
Despite having played for the Jackets’ AHL team, the Cleveland Monsters, on Wednesday, Greaves jumped into the net and helped Columbus beat the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, to remain alive in the playoff hunt.
On the other end of the ice, Buffalo goalie James Reimer had a seven-game winning streak on the line, only two wins away from tying the Sabres’ all-time streak. Buffalo came into the contest, having won five straight and eight of their last nine.
The Sabres scored twice in the first period less than three minutes apart in the second half of the frame. The Blue Jackets had opportunities but it wasn’t until the waning moments of the first, less than nine seconds remaining, that they got on the board when James van Riemsdyk scored on a breakaway.
Neither team scored in the second period. If Columbus failed to generate any offense the third, they would be eliminated from the possibility of grabbing the second wild card spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. Any Blue Jacket loss or Montreal win in the handful of remaining games would end the Jackets’ hopes.
Dante Fabbro (15) defends a shot taken by Buffalo’s Jack Quinn during the Blue Jackets’ win Thursday at Nationwide Arena. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Columbus came out of the second intermission with purpose. Only four minutes into the third, Zach Aston-Reese tied the game when his shot from just inside the blue line sailed through the slot and past Reimer.
Just 2:42 later, Boone Jenner chipped in a rebound off a Kirill Marchenko shot for a power play goal. It put the Blue Jackets up, 3-2, and the defense did the rest, shutting down the hot Sabres’ attack and pulling out the victory.
Greaves ended the night stopping 39 of 41 shots for a .951 save percentage. In the final two periods, he saved all 33 shots that came his way. Marchenko, Kent Johnson, Sean Monahan, Zach Werenski, and Erik Gudbranson all had one assist.
Columbus plays the Washington Capitals Saturday in an afternoon affair at Nationwide Arena. The puck is scheduled to drop at 12:30 p.m. All eyes Friday will be on the Montreal game at Ottawa, which starts at 7:00 p.m.
SLAP SHOTS:
– With his goal against Buffalo, Boone Jenner is now just one shy of becoming the 3rd player to record 200 goals with with the Blue Jackets. Rick Nash (289) and Cam Atkinson (213) are the other two.
– Coming into the game Thursday, Zach Werenski led the NHL in time on the ice per game played (TOI/GP) with an average of 26:58 in 76 games played.
– Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff will have to wait for the Sabres’ next game to reach a big milestone. He remains one win away from becoming just the fifth coach in NHL history to win 900 regular season games (Scotty Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (969), Barry Trotz (914), Paul Maurice (914)).