With 4 regular-season video games remaining, the Columbus Blue Jackets are desperately attempting to remain in playoff rivalry as they put together to go to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night time.
The Blue Jackets (39-27-12, 90 factors) are two factors out of the playoff image in each the Metropolitan Division and the Jap Convention wild-card standings. They path the Philadelphia Flyers for third within the division and the Ottawa Senators for the ultimate wild-card spot.
Columbus snapped a six-game dropping streak (0-5-1) with a 4-3 shootout win over the host Detroit Purple Wings on Tuesday night time, a recreation through which the Blue Jackets twice got here from behind to tie the competition.
The Blue Jackets and Purple Wings had been tied within the wild-card race going into the sport.
“We needed to win that recreation,” Columbus coach Rick Bowness mentioned. “That was a terrific hockey recreation between two groups which can be clearly very evenly matched.”
Defenseman Zach Werenski scored the shootout winner and had a aim and an help in regulation as he performed greater than half the sport’s 65 minutes (33:26).
“That is clearly a large win,” mentioned Werenski, who grew up in suburban Detroit, rooting for the Purple Wings. “We had been simply specializing in Detroit, however now we’ll take the great things from this recreation and construct off it for Buffalo.”
Adam Fantilli made Werenski’s shootout heroics attainable by tying it 3-3 with 17 seconds left in regulation with goaltender Jet Greaves pulled for the additional attacker.
“We received it to additional time, after which Jet was enormous in additional time and the shootout,” Fantilli mentioned.
The shootout was tied 2-2 after 4 rounds. Greaves then stopped James van Riemsdyk’s try earlier than Werenski ended it.
With 80 factors (22 targets, 58 assists), Werenski joins Phil Housley and Brian Leetch as the one U.S.-born defensemen to achieve that mark in consecutive seasons.
The Sabres (48-23-8, 104 factors), who’ve already clinched a playoff berth, moved into first place alone within the Atlantic Division with a 5-3 highway win over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night time. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens are every two factors again of Buffalo, every with a recreation in hand on the Sabres.
“It is a tight race proper there for first within the Atlantic,” Buffalo winger Alex Tuch mentioned. “We wish to do no matter we are able to to attempt to improve our, I assume, lead now. I assume we’re in first now, however clearly two actually good groups chasing us. Simply wish to stack up some wins, get some factors, proceed to push and prepare for the playoffs.”
Buffalo will play two of its ultimate three regular-season video games at dwelling.
“It appears like we have been in a good race since December,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff mentioned. “A good race to get within the image, then a good race to maneuver up the standings, and now it is a tight race to remain up the standings. Our division has been extremely powerful. You have a look at the strings of video games that Montreal put collectively. You have a look at Tampa Bay had an actual good run. And we’re all sitting there collectively.”
Buffalo rallied for the win on Wednesday with third-period targets by Tuch (his thirty first), Jason Zucker and Zach Benson’s second of the sport, which got here into an empty web. Zucker additionally had an help within the recreation.
–Discipline Degree Media
