Coyle scores twice, Blue Jackets stay in playoff hunt with 5-2 win over Canadiens

MONTREAL (AP) — Charlie Coyle scored twice as the desperate Columbus Blue Jackets rolled to a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Boone Jenner, Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko also scored while Jet Greaves stopped 20 shots for Columbus, which is fighting to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Adam Fantilli added two assists.

The Blue Jackets sit outside the playoff picture, two points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Cole Caufield — with his 51st of the season — and Josh Anderson scored for playoff-bound Montreal two nights after Caufield scored his 50th in an electric 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jakub Dobes made 28 saves.

Defenseman Noah Dobson exited in the second period after blocking a Zach Werenski slap shot with his left hand. Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov also went to the dressing room in the third when he was hit headfirst into the boards by Werenski, but he returned later in the period.

Montreal (104 points) fell from second to third in the Atlantic Division behind Tampa Bay (104 points), which holds the regulation-wins tiebreaker over the Canadiens. The Buffalo Sabres lead the division at 106 points with two regular-season games remaining for all three teams.

Blue Jackets: Host the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

Canadiens: Visit the New York Islanders on Sunday.

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Columbus Blue Jackets' Boone Jenner (38) scores on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) during first period NHL hockey action, in Montreal on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Columbus Blue Jackets' Cole Sillinger (4) and Montreal Canadiens' Joe Veleno (90) vie for the puck during first-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP

Columbus Blue Jackets' Jet Greaves (73) makes a save against Montreal Canadiens' Cole Caufield (13) during first-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Columbus Blue Jackets' Mason Marchment (17), Danton Heinen, second from left, Erik Gudbranson (44) and Charlie Coyle (3) celebrate after a goal while Montreal Canadiens' Alex Newhook (15) looks on during first-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

TORONTO (AP) — Eetu Luostarinen and Mackie Samoskevich had a goal and two assists each as the Florida Panthers cruised past the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 on Saturday night.

Tomas Nosek, with two goals, Cole Reinhardt and A.J. Greer, into the empty net to go along with an assist, provided the rest of the offense for Florida.

Daniil Tarasov made 17 saves for the Panthers, who snapped a four-game slide.

William Nylander replied with a pair of goals for Toronto, which got 19 stops from Joseph Woll in the club’s fifth straight loss.

Both poised to miss the playoffs, the Maple Leafs and Panthers met in the second round of last spring’s postseason, with Florida topping Toronto in seven games before going on to hoist the Stanley Cup for a second straight June.

The Panthers, who started play one spot above Saturday’s opponent at 26th overall in the NHL standings, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period before Nosek made it 3-0 early in the second.

Nylander scored on a power play midway through the period, and added another to make it 3-2 through 40 minutes. Samoskevich made it 4-2 in the third. Greer and Nosek iced it into the empty net.

Up next

Panthers: Host the New York Rangers on Monday

Maple Leafs: Host the Dallas Stars on Monday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Toronto Maple Leafs' Michael Pezzetta (61) skates the puck past Florida Panthers' Ludvig Jansson (54) during second period NHL action in Toronto on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP)

Florida Panthers' Cole Reinhardt, left, collides with Toronto Maple Leafs' Jake McCabe (22) in front of Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll, right, during first-period NHL hockey game action in Toronto, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Maple Leafs' John Tavares (91) celebrates a goal on Florida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) during second period NHL action in Toronto on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP)

Florida Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen (27) takes the puck around the net as Toronto Maple Leafs' Simon Benoit (2) and goaltender Joseph Woll, center, defend in front of the net during first-period NHL hockey game action in Toronto, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP)