The Blue Jackets have just three games left on their schedule, and they have to win them all. It starts tonight in Montreal, where they take on a Canadiens team that is in a dogfight of their own.
This one means more for the Jackets. After getting thumped 5-0 by the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night, they are now out of runway. They need to win out to give themselves a realistic shot at a playoff berth. The chances are slim, but they have to do their own part to keep that dream alive.
Montreal has already punched their post-season ticket, but they are locked in a battle with those Sabres and the Tampa Bay Lightning, with all three having a shot at winning the Atlantic Division. Finishing in either of the top two spots would give them home ice advantage in the first round.
The Opponent
Stop me if you have heard this before: tonight's opponent is one of the hottest teams in the league. The Habs have lost just twice in their last 13 games, rocketing up the standings and into second place in the Atlantic Division.
They sit at 47-22-10 (104 points), thanks in part to a thrilling 2-1 win over the Lightning on Thursday night that saw them blow by the Bolts in the standings. Whatever steps they needed to take to move forward this season, have all been taken.
Up front, they have everything they need. Nick Suzuki is nearing 100 points for the first time in his career, while Cole Caufield leads the way with an even 50 goals. Lane Hutson brings it from the back-end, and they get a lot of secondary/depth scoring as well.
Montreal has the 7th-best offense in the NHL, and the 17th-place defense. They have a +30 goal differential overall, and have emerged as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender this season.
Their biggest question is probably in goal, but even that question seems to have been answered of late. Former Ohio State Buckeye Jakub Dobes has elevated his game, and he's gotten support from rookie upstart Jacob Fowler.
They have combined to win 14 of Montreal's last 19 games, dating back to the beginning of March. Dobes is currently on a personal 7-game winning streak. Step 1 for success tonight: solve whoever is in net.
Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, their fate is probably tied more to this team than any other. The three games left for Montreal are tonight against Columbus; tomorrow on Long Island, and then Tuesday in Philadelphia.
The Habs could really hurt the Jackets by winning tonight and then losing one or both of the other two games on their schedule. The good news is, the Jackets could really help themselves by getting the job done tonight and motivating Montreal to play out their last two games harder.
The Good Guys
This team played a really good game in Buffalo. But, everything that could go wrong, absolutely went wrong. Every mistake the Sabres made saw them get bailed out. Every mistake the Jackets made wound up in the back of their net. That's hockey sometimes.
After the game, Rick Bowness said he was encouraged by how they played, and that they would be fine on Saturday night if that effort happened again. I hope he's right, because this team needs this game in a bad way.
Overall, I agreed with his sentiments. The Jackets hounded the puck all night in Buffalo, but they just could not solve Colten Ellis. Unfortunately, the last time they were in Montreal, they had a similar type of game. Jakub Dobes stopped 25 shots en-route to a 2-1 Habs win.
They have to step up and make that change tonight. It's on the players to go out and execute, and there is enough talent here to at least be able to score 3-4 goals on any given night. Let's hope they can get it done.
Jet Greaves will start in goal again, but the skater lineup will look pretty different from Thursday night:
all lined up for battle 👊 pic.twitter.com/eWuixi7lAl
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 11, 2026
Three Keys to Success
1. Bear down. I'll harken back to one play in Buffalo that could have drastically changed the outcome. Adam Fantilli took a pass during a second period power-play, and with Ellis not anywhere close to being in position, he chose to pass the puck. If he fires that in, do the Jackets go on to take over that game? This is key #1 tonight: bear down and score a goal.
2. Play CBJ hockey again. The Sabres got all they could handle for about 50 minutes on Thursday night. When the Jackets are on their toes and winning puck battles like that, they are a damn good team. Get right to that game tonight in Montreal.
3. Lay it on the line. Time to empty out the tanks. It's going to be that way for each and every shift until this team either has an "X" by their name, or an "E".
This is the third and final matchup between these two teams this season, with the home team winning each of the first two. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 Eastern time from Montreal. Let's go Jackets!