BOS 3, CBJ 2: Blue Jackets Fall To Bruins, Playoff Hopes Hang By A Thread

By Will Chase on April 12, 2026 at 9:08 pm
Apr 12, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Boston Bruins center Fraser Minten (93) and Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) face-off during the second period at Nationwide Arena.
© Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
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When you have to have it, and it's just not enough.

  1 2 3 F
BOS 1 1 1 3
CBJ 1 0 1 2

CBJ GOALS: 
Mason Marchment (1st, 3:57)
Adam Fantilli (3rd, 1:27)

Sean Kuraly had a three-point night, including a goal, as the Boston Bruins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Sunday night at Nationwide Arena.

Henri Jokiharju and Mark Kastelic also scored for Boston as the Bruins’ fourth line helped fuel the win. Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves.

Mason Marchment and Adam Fantilli scored for Columbus. Jet Greaves made the start for the second consecutive night and fifth straight game, making 19 saves.

After Sunday's loss to the Bruins, Columbus has to win on Tuesday, but also get help from the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers' opponents the next two days. If the Flyers lose each of their next two games in regulation and Columbus wins, the Blue Jackets would end up in the playoffs.

In the first period on Sunday, it was two deflections and two first-period goals. First, it was Mason Marchment, who scored to give the Blue Jackets an early lead at the 3:59 mark. Then it was Sean Kuraly directing home the period-tying goal at 10:31. Columbus outshot the Bruins 14-3 in the first period.

A 1-1 game is where things stood through the rest of the first period and until 18.6 seconds remaining in the second period when Jokiharju scored. He also had an assist.

Fantilli brought the Blue Jackets back even with the goal 1:27 into the third period, thanks to an awesome saucer feed pass from Danton Heinen to find Fantilli all alone for the breakaway goal.

Kastelic's goal to break the tie for Boston midway through the third period at 10:22 stood up as the game-winner.

“Honestly, I’ve never been in this situation before,” Marchment said regarding the Blue Jackets’ situation in the standings.

“For me, I’m just going to worry about the next game and try to be as good as I can for that game. Obviously, now you gotta scoreboard watch a little bit and hope we can get some help and play a full, better 60 (minutes) next game.”

"We started to fight the puck a little bit,” head coach Rick Bowness said. "And the execution was off. Guys were fighting the puck, and we lost momentum from that.

“We're all very, very disappointed in how it went tonight. We are. The guys are heartbroken. We're heartbroken. Now we've lost total control of what's going to happen. There's nothing we can do now. We'll just have to sit back and see what happens tomorrow night in Philly.”

James Hagens made his NHL debut for Boston. The Bruins rested some regulars, including Charlie McAvoy, Viktor Arvidsson, Pavel Zacha, Elias Lindholm, and Tanner Jeannot.

Here's how the Blue Jackets' playoff chances took a severe hit with one more regular-season game remaining:

1st Period:

(3:57 — CBJ Goal): Trying to start things right, the Jackets were able to capitalize on an early goal from Marchment, his 19th. Dante Fabbro got his sixth assist, Boone Jenner added the secondary assist (25), and Marchment was there to deflect Fabbro's shot past Korpisalo.

(10:29 — BOS Goal): The former Blue Jacket, Kuraly, evened things up at one apiece at the midway point of the game for his sixth. Like Marchment's goal for the Jackets, Kuraly also deflected the puck for the tally. Mark Kastelic (10) and Jokiharju (13) picked up the assists. Columbus held a 9-0 shots advantage when Boston scored.

(19:41 — BOS Goal): Columbus and Boston were tied 1-1 through much of the second period until Jokiharju added his second goal of the season and second point of the game. Kuraly also added his second point of the game with his 13th helper. The sequence before the goal started with an innocent clear into the far right corner, but the Bruins won possession of the puck with Kuraly finding Jokiharju.

The Bruins outshot the Jackets 11-10 in the second period, and Columbus was 0-for-2 on the power play in the period.

(1:27 — CBJ Goal): Down a goal entering the third period, the Blue Jackets needed scoring in the worst of ways.

Fantilli was the man in the moment.

His breakaway game-tying goal was the 24th of the season, assisted by Danton Heinen (5), who sprung Fantilli with a center ice saucer feed.

BOS GAME STATS CBJ
22 SHOTS 37
45 SHOT ATTEMPTS 67
27 SCORING CHANCES 29
13 HIGH-DANGER CHANCES 14
45.6% FACEOFF PERCENTAGE 54.4%
0/0 POWER PLAY 0/3
3/3 PENALTY KILL 0/0
12 HITS 20
15 GIVEAWAYS 13
3 TAKEAWAYS 2
11 BLOCKED SHOTS 3

Stat Chat:

  • The regulation home loss by Columbus ended a four-game point streak (3-1-1) between the two teams in the last five regular-season games.
     
  • For Columbus to make the playoffs, they need to beat the Capitals on Tuesday, but also get regulation losses by the Flyers in their remaining two games. The New York Islanders were eliminated on Sunday.
     
  •  Zach Werenski, currently with 81 points, needs one more point to set a career high. He needs one more assist to set a career high in that department.

Up Next:

The Blue Jackets conclude the regular season with the Capitals in a home date at Nationwide Arena. Puck-drop is set for 7 p.m.

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