The Columbus Blue Jackets were hoping to play for a postseason berth on Thursday, but their regular-season finale against the visiting New York Islanders will be another farewell.
The Blue Jackets were eliminated from postseason contention when the Montreal Canadiens held on for a 4-2 win against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night, earning the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
The Canadiens ended a three-year playoff drought, while the Blue Jackets will go their fifth straight year without a postseason appearance.
The season began under extremely difficult circumstances for Columbus following the death of Johnny Gaudreau, the team’s leading point scorer the past two seasons who was killed, along with his brother, when they were hit by a car while riding bicycles on Aug. 29 in Oldmans Township, N.J.
The Blue Jackets hovered around the .500 mark in terms of standings points through the holidays before a six-game winning streak in early January moved them into playoff position.
A six-game losing streak shortly after the March 7 trade deadline set back the Blue Jackets (39-33-9, 87 points), but they regrouped to win five in a row heading into their season finale.
“We knew a lot of things had to happen for us to make the playoffs, and we’re just trying to do our part, and we’re doing a great job of it,” Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli said after a 3-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. “We’ve had great goaltending stepping up. Everybody’s been playing great, so it’s really good to see.”
Fantilli scored his 30th goal of the season at Philadelphia. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft has five goals in the past three games.
“Yesterday, I flew back to Toronto and buried my grandfather,” Fantilli said after the win against the Flyers. “His favorite team was Philly. It’s going to sound like I’m joking when I say that, but I swear his favorite team was Philly. And coming back, I’m pretty sure that one was him just giving me a lucky bounce there.”
The Islanders were eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers.
The Islanders (35-34-12, 82 points) are left with the goal of finishing with a record more than one point per game for the seventh straight season.
New York also hopes to send 35-year-old forward Matt Martin out on a high note.
Martin has played 14 seasons with the Islanders, and many believe this will be his final game.
“What he’s meant to this organization his entire career, you can’t put it into words,” New York forward Casey Cizikas said. “He’s given this team, he’s given the fans, he’s given the organization, everything he’s had, everything he’s got his entire career, game in and game out. You know what he’s done for guys in this room, people in the community, it’s tough to put in words.”
Martin is equally appreciative of his time in New York.
“These guys mean so much to me. Being out there with so many guys in here that started in this league together,” he said. “We’ve been through a lot together. Watching all the married families grow up, it’s a special team, a special group.”
