The Blue Jackets went into Buffalo last night and took on the hottest team in the NHL. Unfortunately, the Sabres remained hot, while the Jackets left the building cold and in disbelief after a blowout loss. Lets take a look at where things went sideways, and what the team needs to do moving ahead.
It was a frustrating game to watch, so I can only imagine how frustrating it was to play in it. The score does not tell the tale in this one. The Jackets played one of their better games of the entire season, peppering the Sabres net with chance after chance.
That was particularly true in the second period. They out-shot the Sabres 14-4, and that line doesn't even include all of the posts they hit. I can recall three of them in one sequence, where they pressed but were unable to solve goaltender Colten Ellis.
Ellis stole the game, that's really all we can say. He stopped all 37 shots the Blue Jackets threw his way, and got some help from the posts on his way to his first career shutout. All of this doesn't even mention the 20 blocked shots Buffalo had.
In fact, the Jackets dominated in every facet of this game-except the final score. They couldn't find the net at one end; while the Sabres found the net pretty easily at the other end.
This game can really be summed up by one stat line: goals saved above expected. Jet Greaves was at -2.35. Colten Ellis was at +2.30. That's a 4-goal swing between these two. Sometimes, it happens.
After the game, Rick Bowness said that if they play this way on Saturday night they will be fine. I agree with this assessment:
#CBJ coach Rick Bowness after a game in which the Jackets outshot Buffalo 37-24 but lost 5-0: "Give their goalie all the credit in the world. That second period is one of the best periods we played all year, and we came out of it with nothing to show for it. If we play like that…
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) April 10, 2026
The loss hurts, but this season isn't over yet.
The good news from last night is, the Philadelphia Flyers also lost in regulation. So, the Jackets remain just 2 points behind them for third place in the Metropolitan Division, with the New York Islanders in between.
We talked just the other day about how they needed to win three of their final four to give themselves a realistic shot. They used up that one loss last night, so the task at hand is simple. They have to win out, and hope for another Philadelphia regulation loss somewhere along the way. And, an Islanders loss as well.
It isn't going to be easy. They face the Canadiens in Montreal tomorrow night, then return home to face the Boston Bruins on Sunday. Finally, they finish up on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, who should be plenty motivated to play the spoiler.
That's it. Three games to get six points. 96 is the target. Let's see what this team is really made of this weekend, before we throw in the towel.