Columbus Blue Jackets @ Washington Capitals: 4/13/25

Yesterday's thrilling 7-0 shutout of the Washington Capitals was a season highlight. Jet Greaves would have his first shutout in the NHL as he continues to play in Columbus with Elvis Merzzlikins out on injury. Many players had fights, points, and fights and points. However, today, there are two big differences in gameplay. First, today would be in Washington, which is always a hard atmosphere to play in, let alone win. Second, many players the Capitals didn't have yesterday would play in the evening game today. The biggest? Alex Ovechkin. It isn't impossible, but it is a challenge one the Blue Jackets had to face, as a loss today would ensure their elimination from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. So, with everything on the line, let's recap some hockey!

Jet Greaves would get the start tonight. This would mark his fourth game in five days, three in the NHL and one in the AHL. All of them he's won. C. Lindgren, a solid wall in the net for Washington, would start tonight, rested and ready to go after not playing in Columbus yesterday. Alex Ovechkin would make his return to the lineup known as he'd score the first goal of the game at 1:10. This would mark his forty-third goal this season. The only assist on this goal would go to D. Strome, his fifty-second this season. After this, at 1:14, Mathieu Oliver would have an ice pack worthy fight with D. Mclirath. Both met would earn five-minute majors for the fight. At 14:36, Zach Werenski would shoot goal twenty-two though traffic, tying this game at 1-1! Ivan Provorov would add assist twenty-five on the primary while Zean Monahan would add his thirty-fifth on the secondary. This period would end with a 1-1 tie. 

Period two would see one goal from one player with no assists, and that goal would come from Adam Fantilli! The goal would come at 4:39 and became number twenty-eight this season for #19. The Blue Jackets would head into period three with a 2-1 lead. 

Adam Fantilli would rince and repeat with goal twenty-nine of his season 1:57 into period three, putting himself on hattywatch! Kent Johnson, who gave Adam Fantilli the highlight real pass to score, would have the primary assist, his thirty-third this season. James van Riemsdyk would come away with the secondary assist, his nineteenth this season. Dimitri Voronkov would seal a 4-1 road victory at the Washington Capitals with goal twenty-two of his season at 15:48. This goal would be all his own with no assists. Again, the final minutes would tick off the clock, and the Blue Jackets now have 85 points this season! CBJ! CBJ! CBJ! We are STILL in the hunt, 5th Line! The Montreal Canadians and Blue Jackets will make the playoffs; everyone else was eliminated yesterday. So, GO Blackhawks, beat the Canadians tomorrow night! If they can, we stay in! 

The Second Star of the Game would be Jet Greates, who won his fourth game in five days, consisting of one AHL Game and three NHL Games. What a statement and an incredible time to make it. Under pressure tonight, he would finish with a .967 save percentage, thanks to his 29 saves on 30 Capitals shots on his net! 

The First Star of the Game would go to Adam Fantilli, who finished with a stellar 2-0-2 night, one of which would be the game-winning goal! 

Our next game will be the final road game of the regular season, at the Philidelphia Flyers, at 7:00 p.m. Since we last played them, John Tortorella was let go of his Head Cooaching duties, so, this should be an interesting game. 

GO CBJ!