The Columbus Blue Jackets are starting to look like a team that believes in itself - and more importantly, one that’s learning how to win the hard way.
Saturday night in St. Louis, they didn’t just hang on for a 5-3 win over the Blues - they gutted it out.
On the tail end of a stretch that saw them play three games in four nights, down to 10 forwards by the third period, and facing a desperate push from the Blues, the Jackets leaned on 22-year-old goaltender Jet Greaves to slam the door. And he did just that.
Greaves turned aside all 15 shots he faced in the third period, part of a 28-save night that helped Columbus stretch its win streak to five games - their longest since a six-game run to close out last season. More than the numbers, though, it was the timing. With the team clearly running on fumes, Greaves was the difference between a statement win and a blown lead.
“He was absolutely huge,” head coach Rick Bowness said postgame. “You need your goalie to come up big in those moments, and Jet gave us exactly what we needed.”
The Jackets came into this one riding momentum, having won eight of their previous nine since Bowness stepped behind the bench on January 12. But Saturday’s win might be their grittiest yet. Not just because of the travel or the fatigue - but because they had to battle through injuries to key centers and still find a way to close.
Sean Monahan, their second-line pivot, was knocked out with an upper-body injury after a hard first-period hit from Brayden Schenn sent him face-first into the boards. Monahan tried to play through it, logging minutes in the second, but didn’t return for the third.
Then Isac Lundeström exited after an accidental collision with Jimmy Snuggerud sent him into concussion protocol. He returned late, but for most of the final frame, Bowness and his staff were forced to shuffle lines and improvise on special teams.
“You’re scrambling your lines just to keep everybody in the game,” Bowness said. “It was a tremendous, gutty performance tonight. I was very, very proud of the guys.”
Despite the adversity, the Jackets got contributions up and down the lineup. Five different players found the back of the net - Kent Johnson, Lundeström, Denton Mateychuk, Damon Severson and Mason Marchment - and 13 skaters recorded points. Johnson, in particular, stood out with his first power-play goal of the season and a helper to go with it.
It wasn’t always smooth. Columbus gave up the game’s first goal, then battled back to take a 2-1 lead after the opening period. The Blues answered twice to tie it - at 2-2 and 3-3 - but Severson’s late second-period goal gave the Jackets a 4-3 edge heading into the third.
That’s where things got dicey.
Protecting third-period leads has been a recurring issue for Columbus this season, and the signs were there again. Marchment and Adam Fantilli took penalties late - slashing and holding, respectively - giving the Blues life and the building energy.
But Greaves stood tall, just as he did earlier this season when he posted 37 saves in another win over St. Louis.
“They do a good job of getting guys to the net front, which makes the goalie’s job tougher,” Greaves said after the game. “But the box-outs were good.
The biggest thing is clearing those guys out and taking away their sticks. That made it simpler for me.”
With under three minutes to go, the Jackets finally found their legs again. Marchment sealed the deal with an empty-netter from center ice, a fitting cap to a night where the effort outpaced the execution - but the result still followed.
“They had a lot of shots, and we get that. A lot of outside shots,” Bowness said.
“They only had eight scoring chances in the first two periods when we were healthy and playing our game. We were on our heels a bit in the third, but you expect that.
They didn’t play last night. We were down.
The bench got a little shorter. But you find a way to win.
Good teams find a way to win. We’re a good team.”
And the standings are starting to agree.
With the win, Columbus leapfrogged the Washington Capitals to grab ninth place in the Eastern Conference. They’re now just four points back of the New York Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division, and six behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card spot.
It’s a far cry from where they were just a few weeks ago - and a testament to the turnaround under Bowness. Since his arrival, the Jackets are 8-1-0 and trending in the right direction at just the right time.
Next up: a quick trip home, a short practice, and then another back-to-back - Tuesday in New Jersey against the Devils, and Wednesday at home versus the Blackhawks. After that, the NHL pauses for the Olympics, giving teams a breather.
But right now, the Blue Jackets might be the one team that doesn’t want a break. They’re rolling, they’re resilient, and for the first time in a while, they’re closing out games in the third period - even when it’s not pretty.