Bobrovsky, Blue Jackets shut out Hurricanes, tie them for first wild card

COLUMBUS -- Sergei Bobrovsky made 46 saves when the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 at Nationwide Arena on Friday to tie them for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

The Blue Jackets (40-28-3) and Hurricanes (38-25-7) are each two points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens and four points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Bobrovsky has six shutouts this season and 30 for his NHL career. He set an NHL career high for saves in a shutout and a Blue Jackets record for most saves in a shutout.
WATCH: [All Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets highlights]
"I felt good," he said. "I saw lots of pucks, lots of shots from the outside. It allows me to get into my game, control my game. I saw the majority of the pucks and controlled the rebounds and played my game."
Petr Mrazek made 17 saves for Carolina, which is 10-3-1 in its past 14 games.
"It was one of those night you almost know it's not going to happen the way it was working," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We've had our goalie steal some games for us."

The Blue Jackets' victory eliminated the New Jersey Devils from playoff contention.
Defensemen Adam McQuaid and David Savard gave the Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead in the first period.
McQuaid, traded from the New York Rangers on Feb. 25, scored his first goal for Columbus at 3:08 from the right point to make it 1-0. Savard made it 2-0 at 5:54 with his first goal in 18 games.
Boone Jenner won a face-off and got the puck to him at the top of the left circle, then set a screen for Savard's shot through traffic.
"The first 10 minutes we let them get a couple, then we finally got our legs going," Hurricanes center Jordan Staal said. "We dominated the rest of the game but that's the way it goes sometimes."

Bobrovsky made 22 saves in the second period, when the Blue Jackets had two shots.
He stopped Jaccob Slavin on a backhand in the slot at 7:05, and later got help when Brock McGinn's shot hit the left post at 9:52. Warren Foegele had an open net for the rebound, but Bobrovsky moved across to the right post to make the save.
Later in the period, Micheal Ferland got behind the defense but Bobrovsky made a left pad save at 13:19.
"We played a pretty good first period, then I don't know what happens," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said.
"They're a good team. They check well. They're a fast team. For some reason we lost our intensity against a team as desperate as Carolina and as good and as quick as they play, it mounts on you."

Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce hit the crossbar from the blue line with 3:45 left in the third.
Josh Anderson scored shorthanded into an empty net with 2:39 left for the 3-0 final. It was one of six shots in the final two periods for the Blue Jackets.
"We can't always rely on [Bobrovsky]," Anderson said. "We've got to get our game going. Down the stretch we have to get it figured out."

They said it

"It's super frustrating. That's the tough part. That's hockey. That game felt like the first 20 games. We played pretty solid all the way around but couldn't find a way to put one in. We gave it everything we had. We hoped for a better result, but it didn't happen." -- Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour
"We're not going to overanalyze it, we're not going to overthink it. We just want guys who want to make plays. I think that will help us." -- Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella
"We leave him alone, especially when he's in a zone like that. It would be like a pitcher with a no-hitter. When he has a shutout going, leave him alone and let him do his thing." -- Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky on what was said, or not said, to goalie Sergei Bobrovsky during the game

Need to know

Justin Faulk played his 547th NHL game, passing Tim Gleason for second among defensemen in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history. He trails Glen Wesley (729). … Jenner has five points (four goals, one assist) in his past three games. … Anderson has five points (two goals, three assists) in his past two games. … The Blue Jackets are 28-5-2 when scoring first. … Dubinsky won 14 of 20 (70 percent) defensive-zone face-offs and 16 of 23 (70 percent) for the game.

What's next

Hurricanes: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, MSG-B, NHL.TV)
Blue Jackets:At the Boston Bruins on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, NESN, FS-O, NHL.TV)