Blue Jackets Sweep Season Series From Blues Behind Greaves’ Brilliance – The Hockey Writers Columbus Blue Jackets Latest News, Analysis & More

The Columbus Blue Jackets hadn’t won four games in a row since February 2022. Saturday night in St. Louis, they achieved their first four-game winning streak since.

Jet Greaves made 31 saves and was just 10.5 seconds away from his first NHL shutout. Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger provided the offense to help the Blue Jackets to a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. With the win, the Blue Jackets have swept the two-game series from the Blues in 2024-25.

Saturday night’s win was a total team effort.

Game Recap

The Blue Jackets had their legs early. They played a fast game and utilized their forecheck. It led directly to the opening goal of the game.

Dmitri Voronkov checked his man into the boards and forced a turnover. He got the puck to Kirill Marchenko who then made a brilliant pass to Fantilli. Fantilli was able to deposit the puck into the wide-open side of the net.

There were stretches of the game with few whistles. Both teams played with speed and purpose. But it was the shot blocking of the Blue Jackets and making the simple play that was the difference that led them to victory.

Late in the second period, the Blue Jackets were able to double their lead on the power play. Sillinger was able to beat Jordan Binnington on a great pass by James van Riemsdyk. Luca Del Bel Belluz kept the play alive behind the net to allow van Riemsdyk to get the puck. With the assist, Del Bel Belluz recorded a point in his first three NHL games. He became the second Blue Jackets to do this joining Zach Werenski who did it in four straight in 2016-17.

The third period belonged to the Blues in an effort to tie the game. They outshot the Blue Jackets 15-4 in the third period. Despite the push, Dean Evason said postgame the bench stayed calm throughout. Greaves was able to stop everything except for Colton Parayko’s power-play goal with 10.5 seconds left.

Saturday night’s win was a total team effort. The Blue Jackets got timely scoring from their young core in Fantilli and Sillinger. They got strong defensive play especially in the first 40 minutes. Shots on goal were 26-17 Blue Jackets after two. They also got Greaves’ best NHL game to date.

The stat of the night were the blocked shots. The Blue Jackets blocked 23 shots in their winning effort. They were also able to stifle at the Blues at times with their sticks and positioning.

Here’s Fantilli postgame on playing tight games. “We’re going well when we get there. We’ve got experience with them. When we do have those types of close games, I think Dean’s doing a good job of getting us prepared to play the right structure and play the right way.”

The Blue Jackets now head home for a Tuesday date with the Philadelphia Flyers. Meanwhile, the Blues continue their four-game homestand with a game on Tuesday night against the Calgary Flames.