JACKETS

Devils into the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. With the Flyers losing 3-2 to the Golden Knights, the Jackets can pull even with the Flyers for third in the Metro Division with a regulation win on Thursday in Philadelphia.

“You ask any team, you want to be playing in April, and this is when you want to hit your stride,” said left wing Boone Jenner, whose goal 2:34 into the second period pushed the lead to 4-1. “Throughout the year, we’ve gone up and down. It’s the time of year we want to lock down our game.”

The Jackets moved closer to securing a playoff spot despite “being on our heels too much” in the third period, coach John Tortorella said.

Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 of his 38 saves in the final 20 minutes to make sure Jonathan Drouin’s goal on a breakaway with 4:14 left in the second period didn’t trigger a comeback.

Center Alexander Wennberg tallied three assists and a goal for his second career four-point night. Nick Foligno and Ian Cole also lit the lamp in the team’s sixth consecutive win at Nationwide Arena, which have come by a combined score of 25-12.

“We understand the importance of these games at home,” Foligno said. “You can’t really predict what’s going to go on (on) the road, but you can control a lot more at home. We knew this needed to be a big homestand for us to have a chance to be in the playoffs.”

The Jackets surrendered a goal just 34 seconds into the game — the fastest they’ve allowed one to start a game this season — when Brendan Gallagher deflected in Jeff Petry’s shot.

“It didn’t affect us,” Tortorella said. “We just kept on playing.”

Foligno scored unassisted less than four minutes later after he intercepted the puck in the Jackets’ offensive zone, skated in and scored on a shot that struck at least one Canadiens player on its way past goaltender Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren allowed five goals on 25 shots.

Foligno’s finish was the first of four consecutive goals by the Jackets, who scored on their first two power plays and led 3-1 after

Scored a powerplay goal and assisted on three other Jackets goals.

Finished with 38 saves and stopped all 24 shots the Canadiens peppered at him in the third period. Before leaving with an injury, had a goal and an assist to give him seven points in the past three games. the opening period. Tuesday marked the third consecutive game the Jackets have won when their opponent has scored first. Before coming back in those games, they were 9-18-1 when giving up Wennberg), 14:03.

Petry, MTL (tripping), 7:11; Deslauriers, MTL (tripping), 13:30; Johnson, CBJ (slashing), 17:59.

5. Columbus, Jenner 8 (Wennberg, Cole), 2:34; 6. Montreal, Drouin 11 (Byron), 15:46. Carr, MTL (slashing), 17:16.

7. Columbus, Cole 5 (Wennberg), 17:41. Columbus bench, served by Panarin (too many men on the ice), 8:34. the first goal.

“We took care of business here at home,” Jenner said. “We just want to keep that going.”